By Samuel Ajayi
Let me make something very clear: I totally condemn the stupid ultimatum given to Igbos in the North. It was ill-advised and ran against any test of commonsense.
Having said this, let me take on my Igbo brothers and sisters for the very first time over the issue of Biafra. I receive messages everyday of people spreading the message of Biafra agitation but inside that same message, THEY WILL BE INSULTING ME! I have chosen to ignore this for months because they make no sense to me. I don’t even give them a thought.
Self-determination struggle is a LEGITIMATE struggle anywhere in the world. It is normal for a people who believe they share a common destiny, language and culture and above all, who PERCEIVE injustice within a union to wanting to go their own way. The human history is filled with these struggles.
However, this must not be done by demonising, cursing and insulting others. And this is where many Igbos are missing it in this Biafran struggle. I admit there are equally people of ethnic groups who stupidly insult Igbos for wanting to opt out of the Nigerian federation. That, to me, is arrant nonsense. But my message this morning is for Igbos.
I did a post recently about how we spend fortunes on social functions. Not a few Igbo guys nearly changed that post to ethnic battle claiming it was a Yoruba thing and that Yorubas ‘infested’ Igbos with that trait and more reason Biafra would liberate such ‘infested’ Igbos. Can you imagine such reasoning?
In Ado-Ekiti, my state capital, the biggest building material stores are owned by Igbos. From iron rods to roofing sheets, from plumbing materials to electrical fittings, the Igbos’ investments in Ekiti are in billions. The owners of these businesses also have properties from which they operate. You can imagine the size of their investments. They are major components the state business survival. However, it is NOT their Igbo brothers and sisters that patronise them. IT IS THE LOCAL PEOPLE OF EKITI THAT DO THAT. THE BUSINESSES GREW VIA PATRONAGE FROM THEIR HOSTS!
It is strange that a man just bought goods worth N300,000 from you and the next thing you open discussion about Biafran struggle and within a minute, you start insulting all Yorubas. It is NOT done. And this is the context of my message this morning.
Biafra can be achieved. But NEVER via this blackmail, insults and abuses on other people.
Let me make one thing clear: I know many Igbos who will get angry insult me over this post. Their level of emotional attachment to the struggle is such that any voice of caution is met with vitriol. They even do it to fellow Igbos. But let me also make one thing clear: I am ready to lose few friends too.
What’s your take on this?
