BIAFRA UNITY: AVOIDING THE SOUTH SUDAN EXPERIENCE. I want to base my belief for the actualization of a free Biafra state on the probability of 10:0 following the dictum that says, Whatsoever thou set your mind on, thou must surely accomplished, and placing my bet that about over 90% of the population of the territory of Biafra sincerely desire it. Out of that 90%, its likely that 10% is unsure of how it can come through, while about 40% out of the 90% is afraid of the possible violence that may likely ensue during the quest for it. In totality and in reality, beyond give and take, the majority of the peoples of Biafra are seriously praying in silence that Biafra be actualized peacefully. Yours very sincerely is among that majority praying for the peaceful emancipation of the Biafran people from this obnoxious and excruciating union of One Nigeria that has cost the lives of millions of people and is still poised to take the lives of more. Therefore if Chukwu abiama, the God of our people, the Amama amasi amasi, being by our side, our prayers shall never be in vain. On that note, and believing that our God liveth, and that Biafra is here and here indeed, what next? Quo vadis? I want to succinctly draw my analogy from the experience of the South Sudanese and placing it side by side with ours, predict tomorrow. During the long and protracted war of Sudan, when the South Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army, SPLA led by late John Garrange was carrying a military campaign against Karthoun to separate the south from the Islamic state of Sudan, the war became so intransigent that Karthoun, as a strategy to defeat the South, infiltrated it and set up the Janjaweed militia (killers on horses) to help dis-stabilize the freedom seekers, using some southern people that were disillusioned and dissatisfied with the approach and execution of the war. Therein we witnessed brothers fighting brothers, sisters fighting sisters and neighbors fighting neighbors. Though the infighting did not stop the separation of the south from Sudan after all, but it paved way for the present conflict of interest being witnessed today in the newly independent state of South Sudan. Today in Nigeria/Biafra what do we have? A case very similar to what happened in Sudan/South Sudan experience. During the first Biafra experiment, though no outstanding Biafran army assembled against Biafra, there was cases of Saboteurs who, though wearing the Biafran Army uniform, but their minds were with Nigerian side. They did all in the powers to destroy the effort of the young emerging Biafran Army and helped to bring her to her knees. And when she could no long endure, and coupled with other factors, she crumpled and collapsed. The fall was so tremendous that nothing was left, either as Gorilla Resistant Army or Government in Exile to continue the struggle in a different tone. The total collapse of that Army was what gave rise to the total collapse of Igbo Ideology. Igbo/Biafrans resorted to another phase of battle; that of the stomach to survive, such that everything was done even by the Biafra/Igbo to put the experience behind entirely. That ugly experience created the present situation where some, though desiring Biafra, will prefer that God miraculously drop the new nation from the sky, so that nobody suffers again. Well, Providence will definitely take its course. But the big question is, if Biafra eventually emerges, assuming this unfolding scenario where various Nigeria sections are gearing their loins for war, how can she manage her peace? How can we ensure our new nation survive without resorting to the South Sudanese experience of early war? That brings me to the recent Owerri Conference organized by the Supreme Council of Elders (SCE) of Biafra in search of unity and peace. Its a welcome development and more of such gathering must be encouraged. What is therefore needed is that whatever mistakes, errors or over-sight that were discovered during the planning of that last congress must be remove in future. Example is the reason for the disclaimer from MASSOB leader Chief Raph Uwazuruike, about the meeting. On further investigation, it was observed that majority of the invitation to such all important unity meeting was done through media and text messages. I want to completely disagree with that modus operandi. Its absolutely insulting that a person as important in this struggle as Chief Raph Uwazuruike, no matter what we may think of him lately should be invited to a meeting for unity of all Pro-Biafran groups through text message or Media. Likewise Nnamdi Kanu and many others. Ndi-Igbo kwuru si, Anagwo ogwu odo anya, anaghi etinye ya ose. You cannot include pepper in any medication against madness. Whatever assumptions anybody may be making now, Biafra has not gotten a Government. Even if she has, Governments still print invitations and sent to invitees for their programs. Igbo/Biafrans must learn to do things rightly and differently to better, if not to best our contemporaries. Therefore I am expecting that in order to ensure that Biafra do not go the South Sudanese way, these thoughtful agents of peace and Unity in Biafra that organized that Owerri peace meeting, the Elders of Biafra should continue in this good work of theirs, but please must have to come down from the assumption that they have constituted themselves into the legitimate Government of Biafra from which point every other Pro-Biafran group leader becomes idle civilian. Ihe di nma di nma ka emee ya ofuma. Consultations, negotiations, and advocacies must be applied. People must sincerely and genuinely seek peace and unity. And nobody, no matter what you might have accomplished in this struggle should position himself/herself as a stumbling block to progress. We should not believe that it must come from me before it works. We must learn to co-operate with others. We must learn the spirit of team work. We must learn to accommodate others view points. Nobody can do it alone. I am expecting that our Biafran elders should understand that the previous Biafran Government was disbanded and that in no time did our leader, Dim Ojukwu while in exile or on returning informed the world that he has re-assembled the government again. An even if that government is to be reconstituted, we must realize that it has to be democratic. One error which the previous leaders of the first Biafran experiment made was in not subjecting the entire process of the Biafran Revolution to a little democratic face. I dont know what the British support for Nigeria Government would have been like if Ojukwu had organized a referendum for the self-determination of the rights of Biafran people before that May 1967 declaration of Biafra, and the Biafran people then voted 90% YES. You can agree with me that no matter how strong British opposition to Biafra would have been, some world democracies might have swayed in the direction of the YES vote. Therefore, smarting from the reality of that little mistake that cost us so much, let nobody return to the assumption that our present day Biafra should be run based on with immediate effect order which I have started to notice in the utterances of some of us. In this 21st century world, let us realize that the potential to levy war and conflict abounds everywhere. Therefore in whatever we are doing, we must exercise caution and respect for everybodys right. The Biafra I desire is a Biafra of peace and development, respect for for individuals and that of the rule of law, freedom in all its ramifications and rights to sovereign wealth of the indigenous people. Please lets work courageously and diligently to actualize that, for on that our future and that of our children lie. We stoop to conquer.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 13:52:18 +0000
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