Nigeria would have been the greatest country in the world, if we had not allowed nepotism, bigotry, hatred to eat us up. Imagine a Hausa man saying, Yes, I am from same country with the legendary Chelsea star Mikel Obi or Arsenal legend Nwankwo Kanu or Chinua Achebe. Imagine an Igbo saying, I am proudly from same country with Aliko Dangote or Wole Soyinka. Imagine a Yoruba saying same about Igbo or Hausa. Imagine us coming together as ONE and see whether we will not achieve great things that the outside world will be jealous of. Unfortunately, at 57, we cannot even produce toothpick.
On several occasions, I have seen Nnamdi Kanu say that IF Nigeria were a working country, he would not have started the agitation for the sovereignty of Biafra. Unfortunately, she is not working due to the way she is structured. One cannot deny the fact that if Nigeria were working; If Nigeria were really a country where equity and justice prevails; if Nigeria were a country where her rulers have the interest of the masses at heart, then nobody would listen to Nnamdi Kanu. It is the problem of Nigeria that made Nnamdi Kanu. Nigeria made him.
What am I driving to?
It is impossible to deny the fact that those from the South-East region of the country have been marginalised and pushed to the wall. It is only by the mercy of God that we have not seen another civil war break out.
Let's go down memory lane.
It is important to remind us that the genocide on the Igbo did not start from 1966 as reported. There have been cases of such genocide in the North where at the slightest exchange of words, Igbo were slaughtered in thousands. The pogrom started as far back as 1945 where Northern Moslems killed HUNDREDS of IGBO civilians in the Northern city of JOS and looted their properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars!
Again in 1953, Northern Moslems pounced on IGBO civilians in the Northern city of KANO and THOUSANDS of IGBO men and women were killed and their property worth hundreds of millions looted!
These happened long before Nnamdi Kanu was born.
Thousands of Igbo men and women were killed in the most gruesome manner and their properties was looted by the Northerners. Quite inhuman!
Then came the 1966 pogrom and mother of all genocide, as over 3 million Biafrans were exterminated from the surface of the earth simply because they had had enough of the injustice perpetrated against them and sought to go their way in a peaceful way.
After the genocide of 67-70, every Biafran was given just £20 to start life afresh. 3 Rs were reached after the Civil War, but till date none has been implemented. The FGN have practically abandoned the South-East as they look like conquered people. It is important to note that the south-eastern region was developed by the sweat of hard working Igbo men and women. There is no presence of federal government in the region, which is quite appalling for a country preaching One Nigeria.
Despite these, Igbo still believed in the sham called One Nigeria, building structures in every part of the country.
Now, settle down and do the arithmetic from 1945 till date and see whether those issues are still there or not. It is on record that over 6 million Igbo have lost their lives in the most gruesome way in the process of their striving to survive, since they have been abandoned and left to do it all on their own. Even at that they are still marginalised today. They even come to their houses to butcher them in the form of the murderous Fulani herdsmen once rated as the 4th deadliest terrorist group in the world, but their masters protect them preferring instead to regard the oppressed as the terrorists. Too bad!
The plight of the Igbo nation in Nigeria is one that should have led to another civil war, but God averted the disaster.
Believe me, If the FGN were wise, they would have known that the call for Biafra is the architect of a failed state called Nigeria. Rather, they want to kill Nnamdi Kanu. Killing Nnamdi Kanu can only fuel this agitation that will consume Nigeria. When one sits back and thinks, he will give credit to Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB that have sanitised her followers not to pick up arms despite them being slaughtered in hundreds. This is commendable and applaudable, I tell you. We should be thankful that we have someone like Nnamdi Kanu, someone with high intellectual capacity leading this agitation; otherwise, the actions of the FGN would have led to full blown war.
Kill this PEACEFUL Nnamdi Kanu and raise millions of VIOLENT Nnamdi Kanu’s that will surely pick up arms and start a revolution.
We should be thankful we have this Nnamdi Kanu whose only weapon is his TONGUE and not WEAPONS.
The cry for Biafra is bigger than any pressing need in Nigeria.
The earlier we realise that this KANU is a blessing that will lead to a peaceful ending the better for all. We complain that he spreads hate speeches, but when one looks critically at the plight of his people, you have to agree with him that he is justified in calling names of people hell bent on exterminating his people from the surface of the earth.
One move will quench this agitation. It is to embrace those marginalised, make them feel important, ask them their needs, and find the best way to make them loved. Using force can only spring up more hardcore Biafrans ready to stake their lives for the course. Restructure the country or to your tents O Israel.
May diplomacy prevail in the end.
God bless Nnamdi Kanu. All hail Biafra!
Shalom.
Written by:
Henry Igwe Ogbudimkpa
For Abia Media Team
A naive position in my humble opinion.
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