By Charles Ogbu
This piece is specifically meant to challenge us to have
that very important and long overdue talk with our innerselves and speak truth
to ourselves about whether this our forced union as one country has been of
advantage or disadvantage to different nations that make up this British contraption
called Nigeria.
In the heat of the war and while outnumbered, outgunned,
blockaded from both land, sea and air and under very heavy bombardment from the
Nigerian side actively supported by Russia, Britain,Egypt and their other
allies, the Biafrans did that which no other nation has been able to do under
such a very unconducive atmosphere:
They (the Biafrans) constructed the Uli airstrip and each
time it was bombed by the enemy forces, they repaired it on record time even
with enemy bomb raining down on them.
These Biafrans whom the British derogatorily referred to as
'a dot in the map' not only succeeded in converting commercial planes to
fighter jets but they were equally successful in weaponizing them.
They manufactured surface to air missiles which they adopted
to surface to surface missiles. They made precision rocket guiding systems.
They made monster bomb, hand grenade, Saladin-like armoured cars and Armoured
Personnel Carriers.
They built refineries and were able to refine their oil.
They did all these and much more while they were cut off
from the rest of the world and were ceaselessly being bombed from all corners.
They had nothing. All they ever had was themselves.
Yet,
They achieved these unimaginable feats under such a very
harsh environments and with bomb from Nigeria, Russia, Britain and Egypt
falling down on them ceaselessly.
BIAFRANS achieved all these as a separate entity almost 50
years ago.
Today,
Even with the Biafrans forcefully brought back into the
forced marriage that is Nigeria, the country (Nigeria) cannot produce ordinary
pencil. Not even toothpick, not to talk of making her own weapon even when she
is not at war and no country is raining bomb on her as was the case with the
Biafrans then.
What does this tell you?
Now, pause,
Ask yourselves:
How was it possible for the Biafrans to have achieved all
these uncommon feats under such a very hostile atmosphere as far back as 1967
when most part of the world were still in slumber?
How did the Biafrans managed to manufacture all these
weapons and even hold off the combined fire power of Nigeria, Egypt, Britain
and Russia?
What was so special about these Biafrans that all these
world powers buried their differences and came together to ensure the young
nation didn't succeed?
Most importantly, where would Africa have been today if the
new Biafra nation with all her technological advancement was allowed to
survive?????
Today is Sunday, for the sake of whatever it is you believe
in, look beyond your petty emotion against the Biafra agitation.
Just ask yourselves the above questions. You can keep the
answer to yourselves, even.
Even if we must lie
to ourselves, how can we descend to the level of believing our own lies?????
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