Family Writers Press Editorial: Dissolve Nigeria For The Emergence Of A New Africa Through Biafra
Nigeria right from inception has been a country of personalized interest with no genuine plan for unification, development and safety of the inhabitants. The quest to conquer West Africa, led to the test of British imagination of creativity that forcefully merged three divergent value systems into one entity called Nigeria. Reason given was to yield classified interest to the British government, which was championed by Lord Fredrick Lugard and his girlfriend, Flora Shaw who eventually christened the entity, Nigeria.
The skeletal foundation of the country can be viewed as false, which a blind man can easily perceive to have been built on mere sand. This horrified creativity of the British, to co-exist people with no historical, religious, social or moral connections, has become a threat to the lives of Africans, especially Biafrans.
These species of humans have for long faced unpardonable hatred from the Nigerian Islamic adherents especially the Fulanis which have remained palpable till date. The hatred has reached a point that Biafrans were derisively referred to as ‘impure’ and lower-than-dogs” (Abiodun, 2011) and yet, ironically, the Fulanis would not allow the people to exit. This may be explained as a deliberate act to impede their progress. Biafrans, despite this hatred, heavily invest a greater percentage of their fortunes in other parts of Nigeria, mix well with others, eat their food, wear their clothes, learn and speak their languages and yet seen as ‘impure’ or infidels that deserve extermination (Emefiena, 2016).
Unification of such ethnic nationalities has practically made it impossible for Nigeria to be one because that phrase of “one-Nigeria”, ironically never existed in practicality but on paper, which is a scam and an entity or a company owned by the British. The formation of Nigeria however, replicates the perception of those who have monopolized it's political power. Those in power for instance, the present administration of APC government, posed like a cloudy sky that would neither fall as rain nor clear for sunshine. The government monopolized power, proudly abusing it with no one having the clout to talk except few individuals with balls. This horrified society ably represented in this part of the world, should be blamed on the colonialists who orchestrated this state of confusion, hatred and killings that have become fashionable rituals.
The above instances are clearly embedded in the speech of the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, who opined that the “amalgamation by Britain of the North and South of this part of West Africa into one country called Nigeria, is a grave mistake of 1914.” All these incompatibilities among the various people in the country militating against unification, are caused right from amalgamation. In the same view, Awolowo (1947) believed that the 1914 amalgamation will ever remain the most painful injury the British government inflicted on Southern Nigeria.
The falsehood of the Nigerian creation contributed to it's failure, that even after years of political independence, it cannot boast of basic facilities like reliable electricity and good network of roads whereas a country that cannot be compared to Nigeria in terms of wealth generation proudly provides at least basic facilities to it's citizens. The question remains, what is wrong with Nigeria? Why is the so-called giant of Africa unable to run even an airline with a single aeroplane or helicopter? Why is Nigeria not yet performing after killing Biafrans, as claimed major obstacles hampering it's progress? Why was the “war-time Biafra” better than the “peace-time Nigeria” in terms of national developmental achievements technologically coupled with social cohesion? Why is a country endowed with enormous human and material resources, still economically underdeveloped and technologically crippled?
Answers to the above questions are simply linked to the amalgamation based on interest of the colony and not the indigenous peoples. This interest has led to accelerated and unhindered growth in terrorism, power tussle, nepotism, racism, tribalism, corruption and killings. The dull and traumatic state of Nigeria needs an urgent diagnostic attention of outright dissolution because on daily basis, the masses experience such horrific activities perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani herdsmen, and murderous military expeditions mainly against the Christian population (Biafrans). These are aimed at driving their Islamic agenda of totally wiping out the Judeo-Christians and taking over their lands and their God-given resources”. This spate of killings targeted against Biafrans in Nigeria by the Northern political big wigs in the name of Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen are just wickedness and corruption. Corruption has rusted the real value of humanity in the country that people now see it as a norm (way of life), especially in the leadership. To describe corruption in the Nigerian polity would require a professor in behavioural science to propound a theoretical model that will be used to analyze or measure Nigerians' corruption ratio. It is a country whose ruling elites are composed of people with no vision and mission who believe in one Nigeria, which is fictitious. They cannot distinguish between meritocracy and mediocrity. It does not matter who is in control so far the person is from a particular ethnic group.
Unfortunately, they cannot perform or move the country forward but as well, will not allow any other tribe, person or persons who can perform by taking charge to pilot the stateship, (Ezeani, 2016). Nigeria however, failed to develop or learn from the Biafra experience of technological development. In an interview with Newswatch (2000), Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu of blessed memory, outlined the worth of Biafra during the war. The Biafra warlord opined that “Biafra had rockets going 6 ½ miles and getting on to targets.” The warlord proudly quoted: “Biafrans were the first and perhaps the only people in black Africa that depended entirely on their resources and did not import to live”. In the same view, a correspondent with Times Magazine of 1968, quoted: “somehow, despite the austerities of war, Biafran technicians have kept water and some power running in larger cities, have even managed to short-circuit captured exchanges in order to keep telephone communication open”. Biafrans thus, achieved all these developments in three years of bloody war. This is really a sign, that the African continent can only be re-branded with the emergence of an independent Biafra.
Onyebuchi Eucharia O.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Family Writers Press International
Nigeria right from inception has been a country of personalized interest with no genuine plan for unification, development and safety of the inhabitants. The quest to conquer West Africa, led to the test of British imagination of creativity that forcefully merged three divergent value systems into one entity called Nigeria. Reason given was to yield classified interest to the British government, which was championed by Lord Fredrick Lugard and his girlfriend, Flora Shaw who eventually christened the entity, Nigeria.
The skeletal foundation of the country can be viewed as false, which a blind man can easily perceive to have been built on mere sand. This horrified creativity of the British, to co-exist people with no historical, religious, social or moral connections, has become a threat to the lives of Africans, especially Biafrans.
These species of humans have for long faced unpardonable hatred from the Nigerian Islamic adherents especially the Fulanis which have remained palpable till date. The hatred has reached a point that Biafrans were derisively referred to as ‘impure’ and lower-than-dogs” (Abiodun, 2011) and yet, ironically, the Fulanis would not allow the people to exit. This may be explained as a deliberate act to impede their progress. Biafrans, despite this hatred, heavily invest a greater percentage of their fortunes in other parts of Nigeria, mix well with others, eat their food, wear their clothes, learn and speak their languages and yet seen as ‘impure’ or infidels that deserve extermination (Emefiena, 2016).
Unification of such ethnic nationalities has practically made it impossible for Nigeria to be one because that phrase of “one-Nigeria”, ironically never existed in practicality but on paper, which is a scam and an entity or a company owned by the British. The formation of Nigeria however, replicates the perception of those who have monopolized it's political power. Those in power for instance, the present administration of APC government, posed like a cloudy sky that would neither fall as rain nor clear for sunshine. The government monopolized power, proudly abusing it with no one having the clout to talk except few individuals with balls. This horrified society ably represented in this part of the world, should be blamed on the colonialists who orchestrated this state of confusion, hatred and killings that have become fashionable rituals.
The above instances are clearly embedded in the speech of the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, who opined that the “amalgamation by Britain of the North and South of this part of West Africa into one country called Nigeria, is a grave mistake of 1914.” All these incompatibilities among the various people in the country militating against unification, are caused right from amalgamation. In the same view, Awolowo (1947) believed that the 1914 amalgamation will ever remain the most painful injury the British government inflicted on Southern Nigeria.
The falsehood of the Nigerian creation contributed to it's failure, that even after years of political independence, it cannot boast of basic facilities like reliable electricity and good network of roads whereas a country that cannot be compared to Nigeria in terms of wealth generation proudly provides at least basic facilities to it's citizens. The question remains, what is wrong with Nigeria? Why is the so-called giant of Africa unable to run even an airline with a single aeroplane or helicopter? Why is Nigeria not yet performing after killing Biafrans, as claimed major obstacles hampering it's progress? Why was the “war-time Biafra” better than the “peace-time Nigeria” in terms of national developmental achievements technologically coupled with social cohesion? Why is a country endowed with enormous human and material resources, still economically underdeveloped and technologically crippled?
Answers to the above questions are simply linked to the amalgamation based on interest of the colony and not the indigenous peoples. This interest has led to accelerated and unhindered growth in terrorism, power tussle, nepotism, racism, tribalism, corruption and killings. The dull and traumatic state of Nigeria needs an urgent diagnostic attention of outright dissolution because on daily basis, the masses experience such horrific activities perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani herdsmen, and murderous military expeditions mainly against the Christian population (Biafrans). These are aimed at driving their Islamic agenda of totally wiping out the Judeo-Christians and taking over their lands and their God-given resources”. This spate of killings targeted against Biafrans in Nigeria by the Northern political big wigs in the name of Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen are just wickedness and corruption. Corruption has rusted the real value of humanity in the country that people now see it as a norm (way of life), especially in the leadership. To describe corruption in the Nigerian polity would require a professor in behavioural science to propound a theoretical model that will be used to analyze or measure Nigerians' corruption ratio. It is a country whose ruling elites are composed of people with no vision and mission who believe in one Nigeria, which is fictitious. They cannot distinguish between meritocracy and mediocrity. It does not matter who is in control so far the person is from a particular ethnic group.
Unfortunately, they cannot perform or move the country forward but as well, will not allow any other tribe, person or persons who can perform by taking charge to pilot the stateship, (Ezeani, 2016). Nigeria however, failed to develop or learn from the Biafra experience of technological development. In an interview with Newswatch (2000), Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu of blessed memory, outlined the worth of Biafra during the war. The Biafra warlord opined that “Biafra had rockets going 6 ½ miles and getting on to targets.” The warlord proudly quoted: “Biafrans were the first and perhaps the only people in black Africa that depended entirely on their resources and did not import to live”. In the same view, a correspondent with Times Magazine of 1968, quoted: “somehow, despite the austerities of war, Biafran technicians have kept water and some power running in larger cities, have even managed to short-circuit captured exchanges in order to keep telephone communication open”. Biafrans thus, achieved all these developments in three years of bloody war. This is really a sign, that the African continent can only be re-branded with the emergence of an independent Biafra.
Onyebuchi Eucharia O.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Family Writers Press International
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