Buhari's unending Nigeria - Biafra war: Why agitators should change strategy

This is the time to re­think strategies. No­body killed comes back to life. There are things you do when you do not know the mind of your opponent, they should be different from what you should do when the strat­egy of your opponent is made clear to you.

The recent statement by President Muhammadu Bu­hari, to the effect that Nigeria/Biafra war continues, removes doubts about the President’s disposition to the South-East. This means that reducing the population of the South-East remains a legitimate strategy. The war continues for as long as those, like him, who fought in the war, remain alive. Thus we must take, as war dead, the casualties at the Aba School Compound, days ago, where unarmed members of Indig­enous People of Biafra, IPOB, were gathered and were dealt with: 50 persons in all, with 10 dead on the spot. We have no way to know yet how many of the wounded have died. One wonders whether, even, in wars, there are no rules of en­gagement.

Armed policemen and sol­diers, shooting-to-death in­nocent or, at least, unarmed individuals, can only be seen, properly, as crime against hu­manity, even worse than po­grom!!! Body language may be more commanding than ex­press orders or commands!!!

At this stage, it does not make any sense to talk about self defence. If (armed) self de­fence is attempted, it can only lead to more depopulation of South-East youths. Buhari will continue fighting Biafra, or now, Nd’Igbo – for as long as God gives him breath. Let us not give him any semblance of excuse or justification; let us not give him the opportu­nity to further slaughter our youths. Thinking persons should, in the circumstance, see any effort at self defence as suicidal!!!

It is very important to un­derstand where we are on the Biafra issue – controversy and struggle. Leaders of IPOB have taken the decisive right step. They have taken the Biafra case to the United Nations, UN, – thereby, effectively ap­plying for self-determination. Because the UN has clear pro­cedures for such cases, their action has really removed the issue of Biafra from decision through the barrel of the gun to decision by the vote – vote in a referendum – like those held in Quebec, Catalina, Scotland etc.

In a referendum, it is one man: one vote, governor: one vote, big political leader: one vote, the lowest political fol­lower/person: one vote. Now, most of the home-based Igbo (people who live in Igbo home land), who are sure that they believe in Biafra now, now, now, and, no going back, must tell some of their fellows in Diaspora, why they must vote for ‘Biafra’ now.

And there are those in home base and Diaspora who seri­ously believe that Easterners have major roles to play in the achievement of Nigeria’s Manifest Destiny! The size of Nigeria is also said to be rel­evant in the achievement of that destiny. Both arguments, (importance of the size of the country and major Igbo con­tribution to the achievement of the Manifest Destiny), are seen to be against supporting Biafra now-now. But these points can be answered very easily. Since Manifest Destiny is the purpose, or intention, of the Almighty God, for a coun­try, we should leave it to God to determine what happens, whether there will be Biafra or not – for God’s will, must dominate man’s will.

The Almighty God, who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them and in-between them, ‘have’ all the powers in heaven and earth:- the powers of man and jinn, the power of thun­der and lightening, the power of the scorpion to sting, the power of the snake to bite etc. Since nothing that God does not allow can happen, there is no point in the proponents of Biafra and their opponents confronting each other. Both sides should go on their knees and hope ultimately to win. The referendum is not a once and for all event. It must be re­peated as long as serious agi­tation for self-determination persists.

And there is no conflict on the principles of action – the bases of Igbo decision mak­ing. The commanding prin­ciples of Igbo action remain clear, uncontested and yet un­compromised!! Yes, “eji ndu eme gini,” which says that life without honour is not worth living. And yes, “onye ajulu adighi aju onwe ya,” mean­ing that one rejected does not reject oneself. Yes, these are fundamental determinants of Igbo action, from the ancient of days to date.

The first accounted for the fact that the great majority of suicide cases among Nigerian slaves in America were Igbo. The second explains the at­tempt by Nd’Igbo to create a world of their own (in Biafra), when the leaders of Nigeria declared that “the basis of uni­ty” (of Nigeria) was not there. A third principle, “ebe onye bi ka o na awachi,” that is, where one lives, one mends (builds), explains Igbo’s massive devel­opmental efforts anywhere they find themselves.

It explains also how it hap­pened that since returning to Nigeria, after the strategy “to

 keep Nigeria One” succeeded, our people built up much of Abuja and other towns in Ni­geria. That remains the magic or miracle of a people given only twenty Nigerian pounds each (irrespective of whether millions were in their person­al accounts), at the presumed end of the war. Commend­able, but we must never again forget to think home.

“Presumed end of the war,’’ yes, because persons, like “Buhari, are innocent of the presumption of the end of the war.” That is why he takes action that makes non-pre­tenders in the South-East feel exposed to gross inequity, in­justice as unfairness, margin­alisation, discrimination, not seen as full-fledged Nigeria nationals or not qualified to hold the highest office in the land etc.

Some of these actions in­clude: not including, even one, South-East person, in the President’s first 40 appoint­ments, the withdrawal of the appointment of an Easterner at NIMASA three days after announcement, something similar happened at another very major national organ­isation, failure to appoint a South-East person to even the sixth and least protocol position in government in a six-geo-political-zone struc­ture (the position of Secre­tary to the Government of the Federation, SGF), no Igbo person is in the National Se­curity Council, packing dan­gerous Boko Haram prisoners to Ekwulobia, in Anambra State, and leaving them there for very long, in spite of mas­sive protests from all and sun­dry, not giving enough key ministries to the South-East persons, spilling the blood of Eastern youths – the most re­cent of which was at Aba, the impunity in not respecting the rule of law, but keeping Nnamdi Kanu in detention after a court of competent jurisdiction had ordered his release on bail, body language of undisguised hatred for part of the peoples one had sworn to be fair to and to protect. There is also the recent case of handcuffing Olisa Metuh, while other accused persons, whose cases were more hei­nous, were swaggering into the court. It has been asserted that the body language of the President gave the officials the motivation to do that, hoping, by that, to please the Presi­dent.

These are the ingredients of injustice, marginalisation and humiliation which can make life not worth living for an Igbo man in Nigeria. They are signs of the Igbo being reject­ed in Nigeria. These are the reason why I said that Buhari is stoking the fire of MASSOB and Biafra and pushing the South-East out of Nigeria. For as long as they persist, Bi­afra is inevitable. No two ways about it!!! But there may be some legitimate questions!

What if these elements, in­gredients and signs cease to exist – wiped out, deliberately obliterated. What if only Bu­hari is the author and finisher of the rejection, and maker of Igbo life not worth living in Nigeria? Will it make sense for Nd’Igbo to surrender to Buhari, without regard to the stands of other Nigeria? How much is Buhari’s ‘change’ still accepted by Nigerians – even Nigerians from the North-East zone? On the other hand, are there things that Nd’Igbo should have done differently, especially, in their host com­munities? Should we have allowed the development of Almajiris? Should we not have countered the bases of jealousy which degenerated to hatred? Were not some en­lightened neutralising actions possible? The bottom line is: it is fully accepted that any­where in Nigeria, if you take away the indigenes, the Igbo, who had voted massively with their feet for One Nigeria, is the largest of the remaining population. Given this fact, what would have happened, to the Igbo in Nigeria politics, if we had made friends with our host communities? What can happen now if we, some how, manage to create such friendship? Now, what if an Igbo becomes Nigerian Presi­dent in 2019, 2023? Nd’Igbo and Nigerians, is there any important point raised here that we haven’t considered. If so, there may be bases for a re­think. Even Buhari may beat many to it. He can rethink and make amends! But often, those in power are power-drunk and drunkenness of any type can­not promote fairness!! Indeed, simply taking the geo-political zones as federating units can neutralise most tensions in the land. Add to this, the imple­mentation of 2014 Conference proposals and we may be ap­proaching an Eldorado!!! God, to Whom all powers belongs, has the final say. He knows the best, we pray for that best!!!

Okwadike (Dr) Ezeife, CON, a former Permanent Secretary, former governor, Garkuwan Fika and Akinto­lugboye of Egbaland, writes from Abuja.