Biafra: Enemies in our midst (3): See notable quotes from past Nigerian leaders that accurately described Nigeria

Biafra: Enemies in our midst (3): See notable quotes from past Nigerian leaders that accurately described nigeria

As for the agitators, posing as a threat to the sanctity and unity of Nigeria let me recall some declarations made by those who are today celebrated as Nigeria’s founding fathers to that effect: Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1947): "Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no Nigerians in the same sense as English, Welsh or French…" 

Sir, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1948): "Nigeria’s unity is only a British invention."

Sir, Ahmadu Bello (1960): "The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the North as willing tools and the South as a conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us and never allow them to have control over their future."

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (1964): "The Nigerian idea still remains a lie. It is either we make a conscious effort to let it be true by constructing a ‘salad bowl’ country or let each group migrate into its own civilization. "

Gen. Yakubu Gowon (1966): "There is no basis for Nigerian unity which has been so badly rocked not only once but several times".

I decided to represent these proclamations so that our kinsmen in Enugu State would stop playing to the gallery and say what they have on their minds. It is either they do not want Ndi Igbo to operate in their state or they are trying to curry favour with the current occupants of Aso Rock.

From all that drips from the lips of our founding fathers, is it not obvious that Nigeria was never created to be united and will never be united unless certain conditions are met? Again, I don’t see how harmless Igbo youths demonstrating against the injustice meted out to them and their parents would constitute danger to Nigeria sanctity and unity.

Once more, I advise our kinsmen in Enugu State to knock at another door, unless they are suggesting that Nigeria’s unity can only be sustained by the continuous shed of Igbo blood and the Igbo remaining as the dregs of the Nigerian nation. The issue is that, once any Nigeria begins to shout “One Nigeria, Our unity is nonnegotiable etc.”

it is either he has schemed himself into a position, where he can dip his greedy fingers in the till that contains our common wealth or he is posturing for an opportunity to be there. The oil wealth that rolls in, mainly from the South- South and South-East zones is the only reason why Nigeria still exists as one entity today.

Fortunately for Nigerian power brokers, the people of these zones have been rendered prostrate that they lack the strength to whimper, even when they are being repeatedly raped. Don’t be deceived, if there is a reverse today and Nigerian petroleum is relocated to Yoruba or Fulani land, Nigeria would cease to exist as an entity and no one would be able to stop an Arewa or Oduduwa Republic emerging immediately.

The declaration by Gen. Sam Momah, former minister of Science and Technology and an apologist of Gen. Buhari, that it is preposterous, subversive and felonious for some people to be talking about the resurrection of a dead Biafra at this time, can also be viewed as the utterances from a misguided Igbo and an archetype of a serving Igbo public official.

Finally, Ochereome Nnanna, a veteran columnist and Igbo defender, in his two volume articles, on November 12 and 19, 2015, pontificated that Ndi Igbo should eschew demonstrations and continue to engage the Nigerian political process as a means of achieving their goals in Nigeria.

He went on to compare the Igbo agitation with that of the Boko Haram and that of June 12 episode. He advised that as a landlocked people, Biafra would be unviable, since the surrounding minority entities would not be part of Biafra. He cautioned that there is no bloodless route to secession from Nigeria; therefore, Ndi Igbo should never again be part of any anger-driven separatist caper such as the Biafra episode of 1967-1970, insisting that the agitators should not engage in activities that would jeopardize the current heights that Ndi Igbo are presently occupying in Nigeria.

I always admire Mr. Ochereome Nnanna as a fearless and factual writer. Therefore, I share some of his views as regards to the issue at hand. My only problem with his pronouncements is how it could be possible for Ndi Igbo of Nigeria today to appease a Northern oligarchy that must rule and subjugate them and the Yoruba irredentists, whose preoccupation is to hold the Igbo down and force them do the Yoruba bidding.

How many more sacrifices would the Igbo make in Nigeria before they can be accepted and their rightful place guaranteed? Since last year, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of the Common- Wealth and other notable Nigerians have been making calls for the restructuring of Nigeria to reflect a true federal system but nobody is listening.

What do we do when calls for a panacea to most of our problems are ignored and rejected by an oligarchy holding tight to what their progenitor, Sir Ahmadu Bello, expounded in 1960? Today, the Igbo have been systematically decimated and turned to a weak minority group without any political leverage to occupy any major post in Nigeria’s political horizon.

The worrisome part of it is that, recently, Sen. Bola Tinubu, and his own group of Yoruba, for their selfish reasons, have decided to align with the Fulani to maintain the prevailing structure that he and the NADECO group previously sighted as the main clog on Nigeria’s wheel of progress during the June 12 episode.

- Boniface Alanwoko, a journalist, writes from Lagos (New Telegraph).