Author: Obinna Ekuma
Editor: Ugochinyere Onyechere
Retweet: umuchiukwu_writ
The implications of the Biafran war and its outcome went beyond the six million and above that died. Biafra was, by chance, that spark of African Modern technology ingenuity and inventiveness that might have, if allowed, taken African development on a different course today. Biafra was the home of the " can do " attitude forced upon the Biafrans by the necessity of war and crystallized in their culture of enterprise and ingenuity.
Biafrans in a space of two years and under intolerable war conditions, mined oil, refined petroleum in refineries locally fabricated and kept their vehicles moving despite a total blockade. At a time when 20th-century rocket science was only a few decades old Biafrans, Africans, fabricated their own rockets, powered it with their own refined rocket fuel and launched them with devastating effects on the Nigerian army.
The killing of Biafra was not only a tragedy for the Biafrans but unbeknownst to many, ultimately a tragedy for the rest of Africa. How? Firstly, by seeing off six million to their grave by starvation, bullet, bombs, and by organized massacre, which the Nigerians were responsible -especially army officers and rampaging mobs in the north got off very slightly. No one was tried or convicted for murder, genocide or war crimes. The signal was therefore sent that Africans can be killed done to death in such numbers of impunity.
Other tragedies blood fest wars were to follow as history tells us -Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Congo, southern Sudan, Darfur, and Liberia. It was not until the arrest and arrangement of Charles Taylor that any formal Africa head of state was made to account for crimes against humanity.
The other implication of killing Biafra was akin to killing the industrial revolution in Britain or imagine the state of the far east without the emergency of Japanese technological trailblazing. Biafra was potentially Africa's Japan or the seat of Africa's scientific and industrial revolution, she was killed in Infancy and Africans confined to the consumer pattern of life that suits British and Western commercial interests and exporters. While would they want another Japan to emerge to increase the pressure on their market dominance? Today's decayed and chaotic Nigeria, racked by corruption and Islamic fundamentalist activism is a testimony to the righteousness of Biafra's cause. Biafra was or would have been good for Africa as post - war Japan and industrial revolution Britain were good for the far east and Europe respectively.
Nigeria has failed not only it's people but the rest of Africa as it squandered its opportunities and vast wealth. I hope the remnants of the British government and the Soviet regime of the day that invested so much in Nigeria are happy today with the results of their investment - Nigeria -the lame and doddering giant.
PUBLISHER: PRINCE RICHMOND C. AMADI
0 comments so far,add yours