Insult is actually a strategy -By Azuka Onwuka

Many people have chosen to keep quiet over what is happening in the Southeast because of fear being attacked. Whenever they express their views on their walls even as mildly as possible, a horde of people descend on them with attacks and accusations, calling them all sorts of names: Saboteurs, Efulefu, Otellectual, One-Nigerianist, Janjaweed, Fulani slave, etc.

To avoid this, they have chosen to keep quiet to avoid being insulted. But those who engage in the gang attacks do it to achieve that result: Silence every other voice and make their narrative the only one heard.

They create different fake accounts with which they engage in this. They invite their colleagues to swarm your wall and browbeat you into silence with attacks, baseless accusations, demonization. They even threaten you.

It is not a new strategy. Feminists use it. Trumpists use it. Buharists use it. Anarchists use it. Anti-circumcision advocates use it.

Igbo cosmology frowns at singularity of views. Igbo ideology frowns at autocracy or dictatorship of views: Onye na uche ya. Uche onye adị ya njọ. Ihe kwụrụ; ihe akwụdebe ya. Egbe bere, ugo bere. Onye biri, ibe ya biri.

If you love Igboland, you should never think of keeping quiet and leaving only those who believe that whatever they want for Igboland is the only good and God-anointed way and must never be questioned.

You can choose to return the attacks. You can choose to ignore them and go on with your view whenever the need arises. You can choose to block all irritants and delete their messages from your wall, thereby frustrating all their efforts. You owe them no apology. But never think of keeping quiet and hoping that all will be right somehow. Things don’t work like that.

The wellbeing of Igboland is too important to be abandoned because of insults.

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet.” Isaiah 62:1. You can replace with “Igboland” where necessary.