“A people overwhelmed by mediocrity condemns itself to failure and misery when they know more about football than their own rights, when they scream louder for a goal than for an injustice and when they demand more from a player than from their leaders.” – Valerie Piolet. Foremost, let me congratulate all Nigerians, who have been able to survive the traumatic experience of PBAT’s one year disastrous stewardship. You deserved the highest honour of the country, and indeed, you’re the heroes of our time. “Biafra is like an unending storyline about a system or a people, and you can stop such a story only when the story tellers are liars, and probably don’t have interested audience. Biafra is a ‘chi’ (spirit) and though the physical can be assaulted, but definitely not the spirit, hence, the spirit controls the physical. To destroy the chi (spirit) of Biafra is impossible because chi (spirit) is immortal.” – DSM. The quest to shutdown the agitation of Biafra under brute force will only open the old wound of what prompted the 1967 – 1970 civil war. It’s like there’s an underlying war still ongoing between the federal government and the Igbos. Since the supposedly declaration of, ‘No Victor No Vanquish’, nothing seems to showcase the slightest idea that Igbos are not a conquered people. A security situation that needs to be thoroughly investigated had ended up in certain circumstances, the total annihilation of a community with so much venom. Meanwhile, if such attack happens in any part of the North, the military response won’t be to destroy the community to which such dastardly act emanated from. In fact, we have seen situations where those who committed such state act of terrorism are pardoned simply because they came up with their hands raised up, claiming to be repentant terrorists. They’re treated as heroes and equally given the opportunity to integrate into the society. That doesn’t mean that any part of the country should attack any security architecture, and go scot free. I suggest that any measure used by the security agencies to fish out those who committed such heinous crime should not be discriminatory. Few days ago, precisely on the 4th June, 2024, I was traveling from Isuikwuato to Okigwe. Right at Ihube junction, a security roadblock was mounted by men of ‘operation crush’ with operational vehicles numbers, 0030 and 0160. The traffic caused by this unnecessary roadblock was disheartening, and to worsen the situation, everyone in any commercial vehicle must come down with hands raised up. We were meant to file as captured soldiers as we walk past the roadblock. It was a pathetic sight seeing old people being treated with disdain as if we are being paraded as armed robbers. A humiliation of citizens dignity in one’s own ancestral home and country. Traveling from Aba to Enugu, ordinarily a journey of two hours will take you almost five hours, and this is because, there are no less than 50 security roadblocks on the highway. They’re not only distorting the flow of traffic, but commercial vehicle drivers are mostly subjected to various harassments and extortions. Despite all these security roadblocks, kidnapping and robberies are still prevailing. This treatment of the South East residents is part of the reason why Igbos are feeling that they’re still under the bondage of federal government’s strategy initiative to intimidate them. A situation of using security agencies in an unconventional approach to SE insecurity gamblings. Security Agencies need not block the roads for them to tackle the problem of insecurity in Nigeria presently, especially with the in-road of various security gadgets and vehicles. The modern communication apparatus is enough to tackle whatsoever insecurity gamblings that we are experiencing. It’s insane for any government agency to block highways with logs of wood, disrupting the flow of traffic, simply because such agency felt that it’s only at highways that criminals operate. It’s even worse when you notice the brute and raw manners being exhibited by these security agents when dealing with Nigerians. Sadly, this manner-less approach to insecurity in South East has become a nightmare and people are becoming more apprehensive about the security intimidations and extortions. Igbos must not be treated as slaves in their country. The war ended with a solemn promise of 3Rs, (Reconstruction, Rehabilitations and Reintegration), nothing else was tangibly executed since then except the second Niger bridge. Igbos picked up themselves with £20 palliative, and started a new lifeline, and till date, most states, outside SE region, are targeting the businesses and residential abodes of the Igbos. Yet, Nigeria wants the Biafra ‘chi’ to be forgotten. Even a mad man understands when he is not wanted in a market square. A lot of government propaganda has been unleashed, and each time, such propaganda has ended with more intimidating ploys. It’s only an imbecile that won’t fight back when pushed to the wall. Biafra is not just a phenomenon, but it’s a spiritual sphere, and the only way to stop its agitation should be by a peaceful spiritual handshake. Brute force will escalate the agitation and it won’t work, and will never work. History doesn’t forget events, and for everyone, especially those in Southern Nigeria, who fought or was told of the Biafra – Nigeria civil war, May 30th 1967 has become a sacred date. It represents the beginning of a determination of a people to self emancipation. This is a people who perceived that they’re not fully wanted as full fledged citizens of Nigeria. 30th May represents the end of all dialogues. The slaughtering of the Igbos and the collapse of Aburi concessionary agreement must be abated. No father will fold up his hands and watched his children being killed ingloriously. Many people may have accused Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu of declaring the secession of Biafra on the 30th May, 1967, but what exactly would he have done?To play to the gallery while his people are being accused of being the masterminders of the 15th January 1966 coup d’etat, an excuse for singling out only the igbos to be convicted and slaughtered? Or to allow the mayhem festival of bloodshed and internal wrangling to explode within the SE? Although many other tribes from the West and North tried to create a sacarcism of the May 30th Biafraism, and with some directly accusing the South East Governors of supporting the memorial event of May 30, 2024. Governor Alex Otti was tactical when he exonerated his administration by unequivocally stating that, it’s not interested in going into unnecessary confrontation with the promoters of the May 30 sit- at- home, especially the peaceful citizens who are genuinely mourning and honouring those killed during the Nigeria civil war. Impliedly, the entire Governors of South East were united, and with such ‘Ofu Obi’. I must commend their support for our heroes past to be honoured just as the federal government’s 15th January remembrance day has become sacrosanct. This year’s Biafra Day celebration was marked with less casualties, except for the sad report from Aba. Hopefully, I perceived that the security agencies will fish out those agents of death, and teach them the bitter lessons of their lives. Attacking and killing soldiers on duty was like declaring a war against Nigeria, and it must be condemned by all peace loving Nigerians. May 30th is a reminder of the agonies faced before, during and after the civil war by the Igbos. To this end, I won’t blame anyone who sees the date as a confrontation clause, and the reasons being that, most of these other ethnic nationalists didn’t experience the tragedies before, during and after the civil war. They didn’t directly suffer the traumatic experience of the war.They didn’t loose their parents or siblings? They didn’t know how many times we have to run into the bush just to stay alive even for a second.They didn’t come back home from the bush only to discover that their houses and all that their parents have laboured for in their lives have been burnt down?They have never stayed awake, crying for a meal that never came?They didn’t see their brothers or sisters being killed Inglouriously or watched them die of kwashiorkor?They’re didn’t experience the agony of staying in a queue for a meal ration that didn’t get to them due to the insufficiency of the communal food rationing remedy. When some youths from other tribes, especially the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulanis are babbling about the Biafra agitation, they are doing so because they never had any clue of what the Igbos went through, and are still going through right now. I would advise that other tribes should stick to their ancestral evolutionary histories, and probably, don’t just dabble into any history that they don’t know the difference between what was written and what was the reality. The 2014 National Conference recognised the marginalisation of the South East, and unanimously, recommend that an additional state be created for the Zone, so as to give equity share of what was in the other zones, except North West region with seven states. Till date, no president or NASS member has ever rekindled this injustice against the South East region, and we are talking about the cessation of Biafra agitation. The federal government tried to disintegrate the oneness of igbos, and trickishly scattered all sons and daughters of Igbo extraction to other various nationalities. Partially, it succeeded as most Igbos have denied their ancestral origin. The only way to remember who we are rests right now on the May 30th Renaissance of the Igbo spirit. Biafra Spirit as being witnessed by the present crops of youths can never be crushed by any sort of brutality. There’s nothing wrong in calling all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria for a national dialogue on which way Nigeria should be governed. As at today, many Nigerians are still advocating for the 1963 Republic Constitution that gave every region certain autonomous power of governance structure. Nigeria is not working because Nigerians were not involved in the instrumentality of their collective governance system. A conjecture of military decree 24 can never be the instrument of a true patriotic constitution. It’s time for Nigerians to come together and with the concept of equal rights, privileges and representation, and discuss the best way for a new Nigeria. A system where some region(s) is feeling that it’s the owner of others will only galvanise anarchy and hatred, and the continuation of more ethnic nationalists agitations. There’s no better time to do this restructuring agenda than now, especially with the President and NASS members zealous passage to change our National Anthem. If we must appreciate and respect the grandiose assent to this National Anthem change, the old regional governance structure must equally change to reflect how Nigeria was birthed. You can’t cure typhoid by treating malaria symptoms. As at today, Nigeria is a confused society, and unfortunately, even its leaders are more confused about its governance structural integrity and vision. Nigeria is just at a standstill, and sadly, deceiving itself as if it is in the moon. How can a country be proud of hoisting two colours of Currency Notes of same value? As at today, Nigerians are not truly aware if 29th of May or 12th June is the authentic democracy day. In Kano State, no Nigerian can answer a simple question, such as, ‘who is the Emir of Kano?’. As things are going, we will wake up one day to hear that Lagos is a subset of Federal Capital Territory. A bunch of confused society being led by a horde of confusionists, whose main priority is how to change wardrobe allowances that’s more than the citizens minimum wage earnings. The truth about May 30 Biafra remembrance Day celebration is that only those who felt the pains of the war could remember its brutality.You can only observe a sick person but you can’t bear the pains with him or her. It’s very hard to forget the brutality that most Igbos suffered during the war expedition. If you had slept in the bush under the rain and sun without a cover, you won’t be this antagonistic when the youths decide to celebrate and honour their heroes who died during the avoidable civil war. I am not supporting any agitation or remembrance day that has any tendencies of destroying, maiming or killing anyone in whatsoever guise. But taunting the May 30th Biafraism in any sort of derogatory statement was the height of stupidity and hypocrisy. Why have such tribal bigots refused to comment on a sad scenario, where some tribes have openly declared that no igbo man can rule over them. They went ahead to share their preferred leadership rotational agenda, especially for the presidency as the North and South West. “No matter how saintship a law is, if the implementation is in the hands of criminals, the results will not only be traumatized, but tragedy to both the saints and criminals.” – DSM. Today, Sunday Igboho is enjoying all his privileges and rights as a free Nigerian despite declaring the Oduduwa Republic. He wasn’t charged for treasonable offence. Few days ago, the federal government withdrew all the three-count terrorism charges it entered against the detained President of Miyetti, Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo. He was arrested at the Miyetti Allah’s office in Karu LGA of Nasarawa State for unveiling a vigilante group that was allegedly involved with the acts that were prejudicial to national security and public safety. The same tribal vigilante group as ECN, that the federal government has declared as a terrorist group. Although, I am not privy to certain security details, but a law must be passed, where tribal vigilante groups are either banned or given conditions of operational modalities. It’s dangerous to grant relief to one group but banned the other with similar interests operandi. MNK has been detained for several years for the same offence that Sunday Igboho and Bello Bodejo were discharged and acquitted. It’s a natural instinct that the Igbos will feel like being taken for granted, especially after many pleas from some notable Igbo personalities that had called for MNK unconditional release. That’s why any military killing in the South East is treated as a war expedition, and a situation that has rendered some villages into becoming ghost towns. This is happening because of politics, especially with the collaboration of few saboteurs in SE government corridors. “The Biafra struggle is spiritual, ignited by the pains of the genocidal spirits of the fallen heroes and cannot be stopped by any brute force of the flesh . The agitators are resilience youths who were born during and after the struggle, and they grew up with a sad history to fight what their ancestors started. The truth is that Biafra will continue till next generation, and hopefully, the banner of independent Biafra will emerge without any further bloodshed.” – DSM. Nigeria must go back to history and be conscious of its present nepotistic policies that tend to demean the Igbos as if there’s still a war expedition.Secondly, Nigeria must acknowledge the dastardity of the civil war, make restitution by apologizing for the bloody past, and probably, dissolve this highly corrupt infested democracy that tends to protect hardened criminals while the innocent citizens are criminalised.Every tribe and tongue must have the dignity of existence, and every Nigerian must be treated as equal to one another, and that way, the change of National Anthem, and probably, the upcoming changes in our National Flag and Pledge will have a meaningful impact on Nigerians pride to their dream nation. Just before I forget, please note that I come in PEACE. Dr. Sunny Oby Maduka (DSM), is an Author, Resource Personality, Management Consultant/ Trainer, Chartered/Certified – Au d i t o r / A c c o u n t a n t , Financial Compliance Expert, Economic/Political Analyst Strategist, Marine Expert and Motivationist)
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