There is a Yoruba proverb that talks about people who witness war
never pray for war. The resultants of war are better imagined. Even
though I have never experienced war before, no one needs to tell me that
the end won’t be palatable from the stories
my paternal grandma told me of. The everyday struggles are ‘war’ on
their own, not to talk of an actual battle ground where arms and all
kinds of weapons would be displayed and used.
I also know a popular saying that goes thus: variety is the spice of life, I feel that can be said of the diversity we have in Nigeria, I mean diverse tribes, different religions and various languages. All of these sort of add colours to our existence. This is why we are called Nigeria, every unit, every tribe,, every religion all add up to the entity called Nigeria.
This takes me to one of the burning issues at hand: Biafra.
O ye Igbo brothers and sisters of mine, why do you crave to disintegrate from Nigeria again?
Firstly, let’s look at the genesis and history of Biafra so we can have a better grasp of the issue, kindly read below:
“Biafra was a loose territory of ethnic groups in pre-colonial Africa prior to the coming of the colonialists. Pre-colonial maps of Africa show the location of Biafra and the Bight of Biafra was renamed to Bight of Bonny by the Nigerian Government. An attempt was made in 1967 to restore the old Biafran territory as an Independent state from Nigeria which caused the civil war. Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra (the Atlantic bay to its south). The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. The creation of the new state that was pushing for recognition was among the causes of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War.
The state was formally recognized by Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Zambia. Other nations which did not give official recognition but which did provide support and assistance to Biafra included Israel, France, Spain, Portugal, Rhodesia, South Africa and Vatican City. Biafra also received aid from non-state actors, including Joint Church Aid, Holy Ghost Fathers of Ireland, Caritas International, MarkPress and U.S. Catholic Relief Services.
After two-and-a-half years of war, during which a million civilians died in fighting and from starvation resulting from blockades, Biafran forces agreed to a ceasefire with the Nigerian Federal Military Government (FMG), and Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria’
Capital: Enugu
Founded: 1967
Currency: Biafran pound
Population: 13.5 million (1967)
Government: Republic
Date dissolved: 1970′
Source: Wikipedia
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, 6 July 1967 –15 January 1970, was an ethnic and political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the south eastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra.
There is no gain saying that a number of the agitations by our Igbo folks are valid, there are not out of place at all, hence my humble suggestion is for the political leaders to meet with this group of agitators in a round table discussion to iron things out amicably. These sectional groups (OPC, Niger Delta militancy and Boko Haram) all started in similar vein and we can attest to the havoc that some of the unscrupulous elements in these groups have caused the Nation. We aren’t even completely free from the heinous group called Boko Haram.
In addendum, the reality is that almost every group in Nigeria can claim to be marginalized, every one can decide to say they also want a nation for their tribe, so what would remain of Nigeria?
Also aside the government going into talks with the Biafra agitators, I also see that there seems to be so much hate amongst us for one another, some Easterner feels more superior than the Northerners and vice versa, some Southerners feel he is better than those from the South West and so on. Some blacks complain of the Whites segregating and discriminating against us, yet the discrimination and hate that go on between us and our fellow blacks are even more acute. We need to harbor more love in our hearts, free your heart to love the other creature regardless of his or her colour, tribe or religion. God is the wisest, else He may have jolly well created us all to be the same way but He chose not to.
Why wage another war in form of Biafra?
We should be at ‘war’ with our government heads to improve governance, to give us better infrastructure, to bring about sustainable growth in our economy and not agitate for a secession.
Dear Igbo brothers and sister, biko I don’t want to have to travel to the land of Biafran before I can eat Nkwobi, Ukazi and Oha soups. I wish to visit some eastern states soon, I don’t want to have to go to an embassy to get visa. Please, give it a rest for the good of all. War no be beans o.
Igbo Kwenu! I love my Igbo friends, some of which have turned family.
Meanwhile, I saw the below disturbing pictures on the internet of some of the ravages the Biafran war caused, why would anyone want to go down this lane again?
Viewers’ discretion: some of the images are quite disturbing
I also know a popular saying that goes thus: variety is the spice of life, I feel that can be said of the diversity we have in Nigeria, I mean diverse tribes, different religions and various languages. All of these sort of add colours to our existence. This is why we are called Nigeria, every unit, every tribe,, every religion all add up to the entity called Nigeria.
This takes me to one of the burning issues at hand: Biafra.
O ye Igbo brothers and sisters of mine, why do you crave to disintegrate from Nigeria again?
Firstly, let’s look at the genesis and history of Biafra so we can have a better grasp of the issue, kindly read below:
“Biafra was a loose territory of ethnic groups in pre-colonial Africa prior to the coming of the colonialists. Pre-colonial maps of Africa show the location of Biafra and the Bight of Biafra was renamed to Bight of Bonny by the Nigerian Government. An attempt was made in 1967 to restore the old Biafran territory as an Independent state from Nigeria which caused the civil war. Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra (the Atlantic bay to its south). The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. The creation of the new state that was pushing for recognition was among the causes of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War.
The state was formally recognized by Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Zambia. Other nations which did not give official recognition but which did provide support and assistance to Biafra included Israel, France, Spain, Portugal, Rhodesia, South Africa and Vatican City. Biafra also received aid from non-state actors, including Joint Church Aid, Holy Ghost Fathers of Ireland, Caritas International, MarkPress and U.S. Catholic Relief Services.
After two-and-a-half years of war, during which a million civilians died in fighting and from starvation resulting from blockades, Biafran forces agreed to a ceasefire with the Nigerian Federal Military Government (FMG), and Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria’
Capital: Enugu
Founded: 1967
Currency: Biafran pound
Population: 13.5 million (1967)
Government: Republic
Date dissolved: 1970′
Source: Wikipedia
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, 6 July 1967 –15 January 1970, was an ethnic and political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the south eastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra.
There is no gain saying that a number of the agitations by our Igbo folks are valid, there are not out of place at all, hence my humble suggestion is for the political leaders to meet with this group of agitators in a round table discussion to iron things out amicably. These sectional groups (OPC, Niger Delta militancy and Boko Haram) all started in similar vein and we can attest to the havoc that some of the unscrupulous elements in these groups have caused the Nation. We aren’t even completely free from the heinous group called Boko Haram.
In addendum, the reality is that almost every group in Nigeria can claim to be marginalized, every one can decide to say they also want a nation for their tribe, so what would remain of Nigeria?
Also aside the government going into talks with the Biafra agitators, I also see that there seems to be so much hate amongst us for one another, some Easterner feels more superior than the Northerners and vice versa, some Southerners feel he is better than those from the South West and so on. Some blacks complain of the Whites segregating and discriminating against us, yet the discrimination and hate that go on between us and our fellow blacks are even more acute. We need to harbor more love in our hearts, free your heart to love the other creature regardless of his or her colour, tribe or religion. God is the wisest, else He may have jolly well created us all to be the same way but He chose not to.
Why wage another war in form of Biafra?
We should be at ‘war’ with our government heads to improve governance, to give us better infrastructure, to bring about sustainable growth in our economy and not agitate for a secession.
Dear Igbo brothers and sister, biko I don’t want to have to travel to the land of Biafran before I can eat Nkwobi, Ukazi and Oha soups. I wish to visit some eastern states soon, I don’t want to have to go to an embassy to get visa. Please, give it a rest for the good of all. War no be beans o.
Igbo Kwenu! I love my Igbo friends, some of which have turned family.
Meanwhile, I saw the below disturbing pictures on the internet of some of the ravages the Biafran war caused, why would anyone want to go down this lane again?
Viewers’ discretion: some of the images are quite disturbing
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