Neither Igbo Presidency, Restructuring nor Biafra will usher in a perfect state -By Chima Christian

A president of Igbo extraction is not just another good idea that checks off the boxes of fairness and promoting harmony. Nigeria will derive many positives on the account of it alone.

However, a president of Igbo extraction, nation-building or independent statehood is not an end in itself. There are countless studies and historical pieces of evidence that point to the fact that mental depiction of a perfect state is an elusive eldorado. Even civilised nations still have several unmet needs to grapple with.

The thinking, which has unfortunately become popular in the southeast, that there is a one-size-fits-all solution is misleading. Political perfection is a constantly changing goalpost. No one solution will permanently solve the agitations in the hearts of men. As long as people still have breath in their nostrils, there must be yearnings in their hearts that will remain unsatisfied by the state, no matter how hard it strives.

Neither Igbo presidency nor Biafra, nor restructuring, nor the release of Nnamdi Kanu can satisfy the yearnings in the hearts of south-easterners. Not even all of them put together. That is not to say that good governance and equity demands should not be made. I have personally been making such demands and I encourage all healthy conversations that are aimed at moving the needle of governance and justice further.

We should however approach these matters with humility and the understanding that we cannot achieve perfection with one stroke, no matter how ambitious. That understanding alone will deal with a lot of the passion, loudness and extremism that have unfortunately characterised these discussions.

Chima Christian

Excerpted from a recent interview where I bared my mind on the just-concluded primaries, defections, separatist movements and insecurity in the southeast.