Many friends who had known my position on the IPOB agitation prior to this time might be surprised, that I’m not taking the safety and politically correct route of outrightly condemning Nnamdi Kanu and the IPOB at this point in time.
I wouldn’t blame such beloved friends, because every human being, no matter how intelligent is bound at a point in life to misunderstand a topic even in a field he’s a prprofessional let alone the character and views of another person he cannot read his mind.
Permit me to briefly share an experience that would help drive my point and position on the IPOB issue home.
Early in 2016, I boarded a Sienna Vehicle from Umuahia to Owerri, midway into our journey, one of the passengers raised the Biafran issue, and boasted how they will deal with “Rochas Okorocha and other betrayers” when Biafra is finally actualized. Three other occupants, including the driver quickly lent their voices in support of the pro Biafra man as the discussion assumed a loud and noisy dimension.
Even though the discussants swam in what I considered dangerous ignorance in most of the things they were saying, I promised myself I wasn’t going to comment on the issue, but the contribution of one of the men who sounded experienced made me change my mind. I later discovered that the man who should be in his sixties was a Biafran veteran, who was yet to overcome the bitterness of the civil war.
I quietly got involved in the discussion by politely asking, “what is Biafra? And the response I got from the Biafran Veteran was, “you are stupid by asking that question”. I wasn’t perturbed by his hostile response, one, because he was an elderly man, two, he saw the war and might have had very bitter personal experience in the hands of enemy forces, unlike me who was not even born then, and thirdly, I was confident that I could disarm and win him to my side via humble, responsible and sincere input.
I smiled and asked him again, “Sir, what is Biafra? At this point, another pro Biafran commentator said, “are you telling me you have never heard about the war fought between 1967 and 1970. I quickly interrupted him, by reminding him that my question is not about the civil war, but the meaning of Biafra. Again, the Biafran veteran angrily told me, “Biafra is your freedom!, Biafra is your future!!”
I laughed and sought their permission to make my inputs. I told the elderly man and the three other pro Biafran passengers that before Ojukwu died, he came up with a philosophy he called, “Biafra Of The Mind”. I listed the ingredients of Biafra of the Mind as philosophized by Ojukwu to include: An Igbo man being His Brother’s keeper at all times, Bringing Development down to Igbo land through investment, Identifying with a fellow Igbo in any part of the world in the spirit of Igbo brotherhood, offering quality political leadership in Igbo etc.
I reminded these Pro Biafran brothers that the greatest problem of the Igbo man is Igbo man himself. I made it clear to them that it’s far easier to rig election in every part of the South East states than it is to rig election in Kano because of the nonchalant attitude of the Igbo man towards politics and leadership.
I revisited the sad development that took place in Abia a few years ago when a former governor of the state woke up one day and callously sacked thousands of innocent Igbo Civil Servants most of whom had put in over twenty years in the civil service and contributed to the developing of Abia state, because they were the so called “non indigenes”. I asked the Biafran Veteran and others if any of them could remember hearing Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, South East Political leaders, or any other Igbo group raise their voices seriously in condemnation of that anti Igbo unity action, let alone take any measures against the perpetrator of that ungodly policy.
I reminded them that Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s metamorphosis from an ordinary Tinubu, to Tinubu the institution is a product of some element of selflessness on the side of Tinubu in selecting competent persons as Political godsons if you like, and sincere loyalty on the side of his Political godsons most of whom see beyond Tinubu the individual, but Tinubu the Yoruba political leader, and thus even in times of serious disagreement, refuse to even criticize him in public let alone insult him.
I reminded them how the Yoruba lost out heavily politically between 2011 and 2015 to the extent that they were not found from the office of the President down to the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, and that all they did was to go back to the drawing board, which saw them relaunch and return to national reckoning in 2015.
I challenged them to tell me who the Igbo political leader is at the moment.
I asked the men if it would make sense to put the Cat before the Horse? Meaning, if we should dissipate energy agitating for Biafra when we are yet to tackle our serious self inflicted internal leadership challenges that remain our greatest albatross?
I asked if Ndi Igbo would import foreigners to come and govern them in Biafra, when our political leaders are presently messing up heavily, yet unchallenged.
I drew their attention to the doom that had befallen South Sudanese since they actualized their independence from Sudan. I made them to understand that South Sudanese who are both blacks and Christians have been killing themselves in thousands, because while they fought for independence from Sudan, they failed to prepare themselves for the challenges of leadership in their would-be country.
I came up with numerous other facts to drive my point home, and as I spoke, the Biafran veteran and the three others didn’t utter a word. As I landed, the Veteran politely said to me, “my son, I’m very sorry, I never knew that was the direction you were coming from, but how do we drive this message of enlightenment to the grassroots so that our youths could understand who their real enemies are?
I told him that the whole thing boils down to leadership, hence the need for all hands to be on deck in actualizing good leadership at all levels in Igbo land by standing up to our brothers who are plundering our Commonwealth and enslaving us.
Before we got to fire service Junction by Wetheral where I stopped to buy a news paper, the man had already asked to have my number, of course I gave him.
I took the pain of narrating that particular encounter to highlight some of the experiences, sometimes very sad ones some of us had endured in the process of trying to educate our people what Biafra is and the best strategy to actualise it, to avoid being brainwashed, exploited and pushed into pursuing frivolities.
I have had the experience of being roundly insulted while trying to guide some people aright regarding the agitation for self determination. I had criticized Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for his very rude and hate utterances, that some times even tragically tried to question the place of Jesus Christ. My argument was and is, that you can’t actualize self determination in this era of civilization and sophistication in information dissemination by being unnecessarily arrogant, hostile, rude, disrespectful, confrontational, or by carrying out deceitful and destructive propaganda, or even by making enemies where you should have friends. I saw Kanu’s swagger of “an all knowing mortal” as a dangerous strategy and a big mistake, of course I feared for my dear brother.
I know that as terrible as many of our Igbo political leaders are, there are still very erudite, astute, fine and refined gentlemen and statesmen in Igbo land. The likes of Rtd. Justice Eze Ozobu, Chief Dozie Ikedife, Col. Joe Achuzie, Chief Debe Odumegwu Ojukwu etc who were said to be the founding fathers of IPOB and who had instituted a suit in Court on behalf of the Indigenous People of Biafra, should have been listened to by Kanu when they raised objections at the very early stage of deviation.
Many other respected political leaders and sound technocrats should also have been consulted before certain directives like the proposed Anambra election boycott were issued, because I believe that even if one insists on secession, it’s very difficult if not impossible to actualize self determination without the involvement of your political leaders, especially considering the near insurmountable constitutional hitches that must be overcome before that could be possible.
Be that as it may, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a fallible mortal, thus he made his mistakes and had his failures, just the way he had his breakthrough and recorded some successes, it would therefore be very unfair and coward of me to vilify and dwell on Nnamdi Kanu’s weak points at this critical moment without realizing that Kanu’s perceived mistakes could serve as a lesson and guide to many tigers in the South East who though might be hiding in the corner for now, but are roaring to go at the appropriate time and devour our political slavemasters, but this time around, with far better strategy.
I was not surprised that many South East politicians who had kept silent prior to this time and those who were already planning to hobnob with Kanu for selfish political reasons were the first to jump up in senseless condemnation of Kanu and IPOP shortly after the unnecessary military invasion of Abia State.
I wasn’t also surprised that the South East governors in a bid to avoid Buhari’s army of annihilation as well as save their political future, hurriedly announced the proscription of the IPOB.
For me, the governors merely exposed the weakness of South East political institution and surrendered the zone for more ridicule.
If the governors and other political leaders were visionary, articulate and proactive enough, both the agitation and the military invasion wouldn’t have gotten to that frightening dimension.
It was reported that the governors and leaders of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo were already making progress in their discussion with Kanu and IPOB as confirmed by Engr. Dave Umahi and Prof. Ben Nwabueze, so would it not have made sense for the governors to have met with Buhari shortly after his return from medical vacation, especially after hearing his speech?
In the face of the full military onslaught against those helpless IPOB young men, I’m happy that, just like some other Igbo brethren, that I have been vindicated. Events of the last few days have proven that the outsiders we think are our enemies, are not our real enemies. The speed with which many of our political leaders abandoned their people, including those standing trial for corruption, and who wanted to use IPOB to shine and seek unmerited favor from the FG, is a pointer to the fact that what matters to them is the next election and not the next generation.
Just like some other like minds, I had insisted and still insist that getting our political arithmetic right, by electing competent, visionary and honest leaders in the South East is the key to overcoming whatever nuisance Nigeria brings forth, not by shouting Biafra, even though Biafra could be an option, though a natural one if you ask me, but after the right measures must have been put in place down home.
Many of my IPOB brothers have continued to hold the very negative and misleading view that they are fed up with the electoral system in Nigeria because of consistent election rigging, and therefore are not ready to be part of it again, but I have been quick to ask; how can you overcome pro One Nigeria corrupt political leaders and actualize Biafra if you cannot tame ordinary election riggers who have heads like you?
If you have so surrendered to corrupt politicians and election riggers in Nigeria, including in Igbo land, how then are you going to dislodge those conterminated South East political leaders who would be coming with their stolen billions to hijack political power in Biafra?
There’s a saying that “the slave that loves his chains remains in bondage”. In spite of the dangerously skewed Nigerian system that tries to perpetually put the Igbo man in a disadvantage, yet I believe that Ndi Igbo are naturally advantaged, gifted, skilled and so blessed that they can comfortably compete and continuously win in Nigeria, and the key to winning is, doing away with the rhetoric and mindset of, “I’m being maginalized”, unless we have surrendered to our inferiors; God forbid!
To Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other IPOB brethren, we are in Biafran region of Nigeria, we can use our PVCs and strength to defeat and permanently decimate the oppressors whose atrocities gave room for the Biafran agitation ab initio.
To our South East political leaders, there is a limit to greed, selfishness and betrayal. You’re presently sowing wind that might come with whirlwind and tsunami to sweep you away.
To President Muhammadu Buhari, sir, selective justice is no justice. Your position and your age require that you show fatherly disposition devoid of personalization and vengeance.
Should unarmed IPOB members be visited with satanic federal fire and fury, when Boko Haram infidels have continued to be released under the guise of de-radicalization, and murderous Herdsmen treated like missionaries sharing the gospel of civilization?
Mr. President sir, there’s God that watches from the most holy abode!
Ferdinand Ekeoma is a Media Strategist
