By Obinna Ezugwu
The answer is both Yes and No. Yes because Nigeria is not working and is in fact, more of a time bomb now. You need to understand that Nigeria is a country formed not on the terms of its people, or because the people came together to agree to be one country, but for the administrative convenience of the British colonial government. It hasn’t managed to evolve into a nation ever since, most likely never will. And as it stands, the divergent and irreconcilable worldviews of the peoples who make of the country seem poised to set it aflame. Yet, every attempt to readjust it into a country or a nation as it were, has been resisted by vested interests. It’s basically a country held together by oil and nothing much more.
No, on the other hand because I don’t think Biafra will solve all the problems. I have been an advocate for restructuring, a middle ground of sorts. This is because I believe that the only way the country can survive is by loosening the suffocating unitary system being practiced at the moment. Each region should have a measure of autonomy, control its resources and pay tax to the central government. I have observed that while nations tend to compete with one another, in Nigeria, the competition is in terms of ethnic group A versus ethnic group B, and Christianity versus Islam. And usually, the ultimate objective of some, especially those who manage to hold on to power is to try to hold others down as if that’s the way to achieve their own progress. It’s a suffocating and frustrating scenario. Excellence is sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity, people are not promoted in the public sphere on the basis of what they know, but who they know or where they come from.
Having said that, I have often read with utter amazement people who try to malign and paint those advocating for Biafra as evil, or fraudsters. This is most unfortunate and is often informed by mere hate. The truth is that Biafra advocates are simply those fed up with the Nigerian system, and most importantly, the marginalisation of the Igbo, real or perceived. It is therefore uncharitable to say they are fraudulent.
It’s ridiculous that while most people will agree that Nigeria is not working, they will in another breath begin to cast aspersions on those who say they want out because the country is not working for them, which is basically what Biafra is about. Here is probably the only place in the world where people call white black and black white because they can’t bear to admit the truth.
Another unfortunate falsehood is the idea that the Igbo want Biafra so that they will dominate other groups that fall within the area that once constituted Biafra. This is another mischievous attempt to paint the Igbo in bad light. While some of those who advocate for Biafra have continued to draw their map to include the former Eastern Region, some of us continue to insist that should there be Biafra, it ought to be an exclusively Igbo affair. And in any case, those who often make the hate informed argument about the Igbo wanting to annex other groups, ignore the fact that there are also people in those groups who are asking for Biafra. And at the same time, they ignore the fact that even the Biafra advocates who draw this wide map have often insisted that everyone reserved the right to opt in or opt out.
In the final analysis, my point is that while all us may not agree that Biafra is the solution, it is hypocrisy to pretend not to understand the point those who argue for Biafra are making. You read all manner of hate comments about the Igbo and people who call for Biafra and you wonder where such is coming from.
To summarise, if you ask me to choose between Biafra and the status quo in Nigeria, I would not hesitate to choose the former. Because Nigeria as it is poses serious threat to my very existence and the continued survival of my people and their way of life. But of course, I sincerely believe that restructuring, or what we have come to know as true federalism will be best for everyone. It will give everyone space to exist in their own environment and reduce the raw hate we encounter daily in social discourse. And of course, put in check what appears to be an agenda by some to overrun and dominate others.
Obinna Ezugwu is an Author and Journalist
(Culled from quora.com)
