By Joe S. E.
Nigerians are reactive people by nature. We hardly pro-act. We wait for trouble to brew before scampering for solutions. Well, we are all in the mess, and I’m going to say it as it is.
Please, I’ll solicit for your understanding ahead of time. I’m completely unconventional in this article. I’ll not be sticking to the rules of grammars or nuances, as I’ll be injecting feelings, guts and possibly pidgin matter on this post. So it might not be up to your expectation in areas of political correctness, grammatical structures and may be, even spellings. So, if you find the write-up bellow your taste, kindly take the message and spear me the rod of your verdict. Note, I said “spear” shey you get. The message na him matter pass. Just endeavor to read with an unbiased mind so as to get the message.
Why are the Biafrans growing stronger by the day? What is really the force behind this force? This no be joke’o. When you see Biafrans brandishing their flags and brands in the nation’s capital, then understand that this game is completely gone beyond a juvenile matter. Gra-gra na him dey tear shirt, a popular saying, and this guys are ready to do gra-gra with you.
Hmn…. An ember left uncontrolled possess the potential to metamorphose into a burning inferno. The problem, is very glaring, are the Biafrans only the paranoid? Every single Nigerian is paranoid. If you doubt me, ask the Benue guy….. The Southern Kaduna indigene, the man on the street, the Niger Deltan in the creek, or the South-Westerners in his office. Don’t ask a nairalander’o, because they will definitely want to be politically correct. If na lie, ask Omenka. Lol.
Now back to the topic. What should the Almighty Federal Government of Nigeria do to pacify these people and possibly kill the quest for Biafra? Here are my thoughts:
Develop The South East: yes, you heard me well, develop the South-Eastern region. Nigerians are aware that Igboland lacks Federal presence. If FG does it, the support for Biafra will certainly begin to wane down.
Create More States for the Igbos: Time to call a spade a spade, not shovel. Other geopolitical zones have the minimum of six states, but the case is different with the South Eastern zone. We all know the Maman Nasir boundary abradacabra in the 70s that saw Igboid areas gerrymandered into today’s South-South. Egbema, Asa-Ndoki, Ndoni Etche are now people with dual identities. Those in the eastern divide are Igbos, while those across the river are not.
The Igbo man hates injustice. He can go to any length to stand injustice in his face. These errors have to be corrected. You can’t imagine the level of deception, according to Nigerians, the Asa-Ndoki man in Abia State is Igbo, but the Asa – Nkoki man in Rivers State is not. Why? Oil politics at play. If the Ijaw man in Ondo or Edo is grouped according to his ethnicity, why should that of the Igbo be different?
In this light, more states should be carved out for the South East. Anioma State in the Delta, and Azumini State for the Asa clans both in Abia and Rivers State. These new states should be zoned to the South East geo-zone.
Switch back to Fiscal Federalism: When the drum beats goes frenzy, so the dancer. Time for the Federal government to take a drastic approach in solving this problem. Fiscal federalism is one area that have attracted a lot of debate, I can dare say very much intelligent debate. But some sha, very mumu debate. Let’s get a little bit honey. Why are Nigerian Government dragging her feet on this issue? Is it lack of creativity or lack of basic plan on adopting fiscal federalism?
Can’t she, at least, start from the economy?
If the Federal Government will be sincere, they can adopt an approach that will allow a gradual transition, at least, on the economy scale. In my opinion, adopt a 50% derivation for the oil producing states? 20% for the center, while 30%, on a ground of government bond, for the non-oil producing states. This should be strategically used to develop these areas, so that the bonds can pay back over time, with interest, to the oil producing states. After a while, the transition can round up in a complete loop.
Release Nnamdi Kanu on State Pardon: Let me be clear, if Kanu has not restricted his voice to Igbos and Biafra matter, by now Nigerian youths would have been strapping bombs in their blockos to blow to thy kingdom come some politifians dogs. Kanu is a product of injustice. He is a man that dares to say the truth as it is, even though he sounds vulgar at times.
Nigerian political system is structured like the famous Gorge Orwell’s Animal Farm. It’s a reality that in Nigeria, some groups are more politically relevant than others. Enough said, the Federal Government, should, as a matter of constitutional responsibility, release him. This will go a long way in assuaging some hearts that are already wounded, by this event.
Tame the Herdsmen Terrorist: One of the core reason behind some silent support for Biafra among the Igbos, is the rampaging herdsmen. Should we tag them terrorist? Yes, they are terrorist. Why should one aboki from Libya, or Kenya, according to the FG, come to my farmland, destroy my source of livelihood, shoot me, if I protest, and rape my wife, and yet, you do nothing? Yet you are elected to protect me. If I wan take action, you send your aboki solders to round me up. Even if I be mumu, I’ll definitely react.
If you can create a task force to check cattle rustling, why not create one to check mate these terrorist herdsmen? Why not create a lasting solution to this problem? Don’t tell me that Grazing Reserve nonsense, because even the land use act is very unfriendly. If you approach me, as a Fulani Cattle Breeder, that you want a land for sale to practice modern ranging, I’ll gladly do so, but not using Federal might to want to covet my land. Enough of this nonsense.
The Federal Government, should as a matter of fact, address this issue, because this is one fundamental reason some blocks are tired of been called Nigerians.
Redesign the Nigerian Constitution to Reflect the Will of the People: When you sit on a round table, as military dictator, with some “yes men” civilians, drafting a constitution that will affect more than 170 million people, is that not a joke? Nigerians are getting wiser by the day, and our constitution is one area that needs to be redesigned by the major constituents that makes up the country. This will give everybody a sense of belonging.
Conclusion: We know that Nigerian problem is the system. The structure is completely anti- competitive development anti-modern economy, anti-political sincerity, etc. The Biafrans really want to move at a fast pace, and they believe that if given enough freedom, without interference from one almighty federal entity, they will be competing in the world stage. This is not restricted to the Biafra’s alone, as other Nigerian zones do possess the potential to develop at a fast pace too, if given the platform. If Nigeria adopt a measure to solve these problems, the agitation for secession will die off, even development will spread across the land, and the most important part, bad blood will cease to exist.
Joe writes from Lagos
