Why Ndi’gbo Must Forget Biafra And Put Their House In Order -By Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh

The Ibo nation is surely not enjoying the best of times since President Muh’d Buhari’s ascent to power on the 29th of May, 2015 and one can easily observe this uneasiness from the vindictive posture which has defined the unpatriotic call by IPOB for the state of Biafra as well as the uncivilized manner in which Nigerian’s federal government has reacted to these agitations. It is no longer news that the people of the southeastern Nigeria – comprising mostly young adults – have relentlessly moved for the actualization of a sovereign state since the return to democracy in 1999, the Ibos began this business of agitation alongside young adults from the southwest who clamored for an Oduduwa Republic but as time passed, the Yoruba’s began to lose steam perhaps due to the fact that the turned out of political events since then have favored them.

Interestingly, while the Yoruba’s (in my opinion) saw the agitation business as a means to an end in that it created the platform for demand for certain political positions in which the zone had interests on; the Ibos have taken the same business as an end in itself. Little wonder therefore why there has been neither a dream-come-true for Biafra nor has there been a relevant political image or structure which could prove that they (Ibos) were indeed politically relevant. To add insult to injury, no one seems to be able to explain the reason why the (Ibos) have refused to change their perspectives so that it could reflect present realities. Do not forget that this is an ethnic group that has its quiver full of seasoned intellectuals yet they have proved incapable of putting their house in order. This is a region that has so much at stake should any evil happen upon this great nation Nigeria and instead of looking for a strategy of surviving, the joy that comes from agitating for Biafra seems to matter more to them than the harsh realities of what they stood to lose should there be a recurrence of war. I say this not because I believe in the superiority of the Nigerian military but because of the fact of the division that has characterized the societal image of the Ibo people.

Is there any Nigerian today who does not know that the strongest reason why no Ibo man has been able to become president of Nigeria is because of infighting? Can such a people be able to win a war if faced with one? Does it not suggest to us that presence of the different groups competing against each other in the agitation for Biafra is a sign-post of a ruined cause? So what is so special about Biafra that the Ibo nation has been unable to point at for the rest of the world to see it? I have said it before and perhaps I would say it again that self-marginalization is the root of the deplorable conditions of the Ibo man in contemporary Nigeria and that what the Ibo nation needs – more than anything else – is a good understanding of how to survive in Nigeria. I have several reasons why I chose to discourage the idea of agitating for a sovereign state now and in this piece, I bring to our beloved readers a few strong reasons why Ndi’gbo must forget Biafra and put their house in order.

It is important to note that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic or polygamous nation and as such issues like competition for dominance, the use of tribe and religion for politics as well as conspiracy or coalition among tribes with shared ideologies must be common place. Therefore I believe it is wrong for a particular ethnic group to rely on lamentation as a means of asserting themselves rather than seeking possible ways of remaining relevant in the scheme of things. This is exactly the mistake that the Ibos are making. Just about every means of maintaining relevance have been thwarted by no other people but the Ibos themselves. In 1999, it was agreed by the managers of Nigeria’s political power – The military and the northern oligarchy – that power should go to the southern part of Nigeria as compensation for the political imbalance in leadership. Dr Alex Ekwueme alongside notable figures like the late Chief Solomon Lar and the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi e.t.c went to work for the emergence of PDP and, like any bona-fide Nigerian; Ekwueme presented himself to run for the office of president. The northern oligarchy did not see him as a candidate who could protect their interests and therefore decided to field Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, not sure of his winning potentials before the electorate, they also financed Chief Jim Nwobodo (an Ibo man) in order to use him to checkmate Dr Ekwueme and to ultimately divide the voting power of the southeast zone. In the end, Chief Obasanjo enjoyed a voting edge and soured on to electoral victory. More than 10 years after this, several presidents have ascended to power after Obasanjo but none have emanated from the southeast geopolitical zone.

You would agree with me that the Ibo nation has in – terms of business and infrastructural investments – the highest volume of bankable assets which are the products of many years of toil and hard work yet while the Yoruba’s (and recently the south-south people) are strategically growing their zones into some economic hub, the Ibos are practically preparing the ground for another episode of abandoning their wealth and positions. Suppose the nation of Biafra became reality today, how would they convert their numerous properties to the southeast? Lamentation is a tired stance and so is non-chalance to the seriousness of strategic politicking and, for the Ibo nation to choose these two useless instruments as a means of negotiation is at best anachronistic. Whether we like it or yes, agitation philosophies are changing from those of street violence and threat to media propagandas. Look at how the ruling APC graduated from CPC’s street violence in 2011 into the strategic coalition and media propaganda that finally brought it to power in 2015.

Lastly, Biafra – I would like to observe – is an ideology whose importance is still been ignored in the Ibo nation. It is an ideology which seeks to unify the Ibo nation under a common/single political front. The Ahiara declaration took time to address the problem of infighting, the problem of political inactivity and un-coordination as well as economic stagnation. Alas contemporary Ibo society has continued to do the exact opposite. For example, how many of the companies listed on the NSE are owned by the Ibos? What is the political position of Ohaneze Ndi’gbo compared with the AFC and Afenifere today? How soon is the southeast likely to produce a consensus candidate for president of Nigeria? This is why an ordered house should trouble the Ibos more than a sovereign state of Biafra.

Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh
08062577718