The Shadow Leadership Of The South-East Region

 The Shadow Leadership Of The South-East Region

The South-Eastern part of Nigeria (Biafra), is made up of over seventy (70) million people in population, gifted with versatile intellects and the ingenuity to turn even sand into gold. Unfortunately, I find it very perplexing that such a people are still gasping for survival till date. They still live deeply in the pains of being overrun by a tiny, nomadic minority ethnic group, the Fulanis. Some people in the region may say it is because the Fulanis are in power. But this is not wholly true. The widening gulf of crisis is as a result of woeful leadership failure and that which is in a prolonged state of gross unconsciousness.

The galling irony here is that a people who pride themselves upon their warrior (lion) mentality, that which have shown the capacity to make political connections and win allies in faraway places where others may not dare, are helplessly losing an internal political battle over their ancestral lands. How a people who withstood a three-year war against the joint forces of the federal troops, British/Russian air forces and could have emerged victorious, except for the blockades and the resultant hunger and deaths of millions of children, are now unsure of how to handle similar event remains a question. What went wrong? Where is that Igbo Spirit of courage and harmony?

Historically, such spirit of oneness, strength and bravery comes alive in Biafrans when a situation such as threatens their individual or collective existence arises. And to stamp out the threat, they often mobilize their best ideas and manpower, marshalling them forward. Sadly, Biafrans are again facing that situation from the federal government of Nigeria that hates them awfully. This is largely due to chronic lack of good, decisive leadership and the fact that the political chess being played in the entirety of Biafraland is rooted in the rituals of sycophancy, corruption, greed, violence, godfatherism and a truckle to Fulani Caliphate. It is such that Biafrans capable of leading Biafraland out of her present predicaments and back into her former glory, are found playing the sidelines. Biafrans with the strong natural sense and dauntless intrepidity to speak for the defense about the South-East, are either not interested in politics or forced out of it altogether. 

And as a result, leadership has fallen into the hands of a pack of political riffraffs, who therefore have become a symbol of the region's political and cultural failure, internal colonization and a metaphor for economic sabotage. It is pertinent to point out also that no African ethnic group may have suffered one quarter of the abuses, assaults, discriminations, violence and killings that Biafrans have suffered since the end of the civil war in 1970. And more so now, in the hands of the current Fulani-controlled federal government of Nigeria. To make it worst, South-East leaders are still rolling shamelessly on the ground just to obtain political favor from the Fulani Caliphates, as against the will of their people to reinvent their sense of pride, mobilize all political stratagems towards self-determination and separation from a system designed to slowly impoverish/enslave them and stifle their progress down to a minute amount.

At the end of the recent official meeting held by these South-Eastern political, religious and traditional leaders, it became crystal clear that they are stooges without either purpose and direction or that their fear of the Fulani caliphate has gotten to a paralytic stage. During the said meeting, there was no mentioning of any concrete measures aimed at tackling the violence and killings bubbling up across Biafraland. Their communique demonstrably attests to that fact.

Rather, all they could put together were their usual meandering and bootlicking antics that exalted Abuja and further jeopardized the survival of their own people. The meeting has thrown more light on their cluelessness in dealing with the growing economic and infrastructural crises. Their naivety in confronting Buhari led government over its role in the growing instability and insecurity in the East is glaring. Also, it shows their lack of means to arrest the growing threat of the Fulani Nigeria security forces and armed invaders called herdsmen. It is as well worth-noting, these same leaders often lead the way in oppositions to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB, citing to have a better and more effective plan and approach towards the restoration of Biafra. But suddenly drowns in panic when they should stand up against the excesses of this Fulani government against Biafra.

Now that the mystery of Nigeria has become brutally clear that Fulani Caliphate has declared its long hidden plot to annex the entire South by means of presidential powers, the silence of Biafra leaders is a proof that they are noticeably missing in actions. Oduduwa leaders have shown through words and actions that they are standing resolutely behind their youths and have taken needed steps to protect them during their rallies against trigger-happy Nigerian military. But Biafra leaders instead, hand their own youths over to the enemies to be slaughtered. We must earnestly revitalize that lost Biafra oneness and indomitable spirit.

#GodBlessBiafra!

#FreeMaziNnamdiKanu!!

Written by Chima Ono

Edited by Ogah C.S. Maduabuchi

For Family Writers Press International.