First of all, I want to state that I am an Iboman from Delta State. My community shares boundary with Edo State and I have lived in Nigeria for most part of my life. I have lived with the Hausas (served in the Core North), have lived with the Edos (schooled, lived in Benin and other Edo Towns both North and South), and have lived with the Yorubas. I have lived, worked and traveled across the South Eastern Nigeria (Onitsha - Awka - Nnewi - Ekulobia - Enugu- Owerri - through Port Harcourt). My work took me to places like Oturkpo, Makurdi through to Wukari in NE. I have also lived in Lagos for over 10 years. So, as far as Nigeria is concerned, only places Sokoto in NW and and Calabar in SS may be strange to me. I have also lived in abroad. In fact, I had Asians, Europeans, African-Caribbean, etc as neighbours and friends. Why go through all of these? Well, I want to dispel the idea that this is another impostor "none Igbo trying to write about Igbo.

Now to the point of why I think that the Ibos/Igbos (whichever suits you) are better off in Nigeria than a disintegrated Nigeria or Biafra.
Caveat: I may not have exhausted all the issues here but at least some of these are germane and I have offered my opinion on them.
Crucify me if you chose to, but when you do lay your head on your pillow tonight, rummage over these again.

i. Northern hegemony and perceived marginalization:
True as this may seem, I do not quite agree that the we are right to continue to reflect on the civil war events and the fact that Biafra was not achieved, thereby concluding that Nigeria cannot work or we do not belong here. In many developed countries of the world, there have always been issues of domination and marginalization. However, disintegration have never solved the problems, because after you disintegrate, you would be faced with a much bigger problem of integration. The perceived Northern domination in Nigeria can never continue forever. Politically, they could for some time, but we should rather strive for economic dominance. In fact, in many nations, the man with economic power is the true leader, not political power. If we sincerely desired political relevance, since 1970, immediately after the civil war we would have pursued our political growth as much as we pursued our economic growth. If we did that, by now we should have produced the president. Rather than cry over Biafra, we should work to build Nigeria and demand what is due to us. If we have the economic power, soon, we would be influencing the political power. Take a look at South Africa, who do you think truly rule South Africa? ANC? No, the whites do! In Johannesburg, for exmple, the gate keepers are all blacks, yet they are in government.

ii. The Buhari/Jonathan factor and 2015 Elections:
Many of us who supported Jonathan may feel that the the S/West and North joined forces to "rob" us political of power. Well, I want to tell us the bitter truth. Yes! North and South West alliance was to the detriment of the SE/SS in 2015 elections. However, if PDP and Jonathan performed excellently well, this would not have happened. Jonathan did his best and I praise him for his effort, but an average performance is not what the world seek today. Nigeria is one of the most complex countries in the world. As such, a Nigerian leader must be a no-nonsense person. A person who can look at his benefactor in the face and rebuke him/her. Jonathan did not fit into that. Like many have said, it is still too early to judge Buhari. However, if he is still wobbling and fumbling as he is doing now and not able to fight corruption to a stand-still (not minding political association), then he would have failed also. So if by then Nigerians still shout "Sai Baba", we can begin to be worried.

iii. Economic facts:
Ibos are the biggest traders and businessmen in Nigeria today. A business needs population to thrive. By the United nations Population growth analysis, by 2050 (that is 34 years from now), Nigeria will be the 3rd most populous nation in the world. In fact from 1950 when Nigeria was ranked 13th to 2015, Nigeria has displaced 6 nations to rank 7th. This is in spite of high infant and maternal mortality rate.
The UNDP/WPP project that by 2050, Nigeria would have overtaken Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and USA to rank 3rd, after China and India.
See pages 29 -30 http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/Key_Findings_WPP_2015.pdf. Now you can understand why some big corporations are already strategically positioning themselves to take advantage of this huge untapped market. How does this affect the Ibos? With Biafra, we would have lost this huge market. By the way, our economy is one of the less regulated in the world. So, you have people make super-profits and pay little to no taxes. We produce and sell whatever we want to, but go out. For you to open a barbing or hair dressing saloon or even restaurant, you must have be qualified, registered with authorities and you are subjected to regular inspections. Now if you circumvent the laws as we do here, you are likely to be jailed. Once jailed, your record has "finished" you economically. So, when you hear people say Nigeria is the best country to live do not doubt them.

iv. Nigeria Restructuring:
Today, the cry in the South is that Nigeria should be restructured. Truly, the cry is higher now under Buhari especially because of the defeat of Jonathan and perceived dumping of the Confab report. I am an advocate of a restructured Nigeria. It may seem impossible but I am optimistic that it would happen soon. If not under Buhari, but some days in not-too-distant future, this will be implemented. Much as the North may choose to pretend that the Confab report is rubbish, majority of Nigerians know that this document holds the key to unlocking the great potentials that Nigeria has. With a restructured Nigeria, this nation will be able to tap into the resources that are within our very reach for which oil has beclouded our visions. So, my brethren from across the Niger should rather speak with one voice on restructuring of the nation rather than call for Biafra. Then again, if the centre is made weak as is being suggested, that means each region would fend for themselves. How would the SE survive? Have we thought of that? Because, a restructured Nigeria would give us the opportunity to role-play Biafra. A mock of a sort. Are we going to be looking up to the oil producing communities for money to pay salaries like Okorocha is doing now

v. Oil and Resource Control:
Well, this is by far one of the most over-flogged issue in Nigeria. True that the oil wealth is being shared to some none productive states and the obvious cry would be let us have our oil and gas. I listened to Ben Bruce on his "Hope For Nigeria" story and how he challenged all of us Nigerians, young and old to wake up. He even "drove in" his electric powered car to drive home the fact that oil is fast losing its value. The oil industry is fast losing its relevance in the world. In the past we relied on Coal, where is Coal today? If cars are being powered by Solar energy and batteries, who says that they can increase capacity on other sources of energy? Today, due to environmental degradation, the world is already looking at reducing usage of fossil fuel. What happens to a nation with just oil as her only resource then? So, a hurried Biafra State in the hope of having the oil revenue exclusively to "us" may turn out to be a bad dream or nightmare. Sorry for my choice of words.

vi. Religion-Politics:
I am scared to go into this this because many will call me names. However, just to say that in as much as we fear that the Muslim faith has an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, we Christians should also trust our Bible. Our God called us to go out and win souls unto the Kingdom and that the weapons of our warfare are not canal. So, if the Muslims have such agenda, we have a bigger one which is to preach the Gospel, win back all lost souls and God willing we live in peace. Then again, the issue of Boko Haram comes to the fore. Well, we all know that anything that has a beginning must have an end. I am sure that very soon, this will become a thing of the past so that we can all live together in peace. Again do you know that in some countries with 95% Christians are also bedeviled with "Mafia organizations and gangsterism?' Have you not heard of Italian Mafia or the Mexican Drug rings? Are those not Christians? Truth is that every religion has its own black sheep so you and I have a big job or winning back these souls for Christ. We have to pray for them to repent. Dumb you may say, but it is a time tested dumbness that has worked.

vii. Sincerity and Trust:
We Igbos do not trust ourselves. Much as the Hausa-Fulani may disagree, they would still find time to sit together under whatever guise and produce an arrow-head that the rest of Nigeria will somehow relate with. The same with the Yorubas. They can orchestrate whatever drama, but at the end, they have a leader, accepted or not. Today, when Tinubu or Obj speaks they queue behind him. In the North, when Buhari speaks, the North follow. Who do we have from the East? As the saying goes " ... a rolling stone gathers no moss". So, even in a Biafra republic, the Arochukwu man and the Anambra man would still fight to finish because we do not trust our neighbour. Asaba and/or Kwale man will cry of marginlisation, then I begin to wonder what the Etche, Urhobo, Ijaws and Ibibio would do, that is if they are part of Biafra? it will be a big crisis that why that will be on, the other Nigerians will 'come to help' their brothers and sisters as Russia is helping Cremia and Eastern and southern Ukraine now.

viii. National capacity:
Those advocating for a separate state or Biafra have not fully grasp the capacity constraint in building a new republic. In the first instance, there would be very high economic losses occasioned by displacements and restarting. Take for example a big business like Diamond Bank which by all intent and purpose is seen as an Eastern-Nigerian Bank. How would such an entity survive with closure and refocusing of her business? A severed Nigerian state would be hostile to such a business which may lead to closure. If you replicate this scenario across all businesses owned by Igbos and operating in Nigeria outside of the SE region, you will realize that the attendant losses that would follow such a decision be so colossal that recovery in two decades would be impossible. How about Igbos who own houses in major Nigerian cities? For example, in Abuja, most of the new developments and hotels are owned by Igbos. I guess you may argue, that it is the same like having property or businesses in say Ghana or Benin republic, but hell NO! We are talking of having a property or business in a hostile neighbouring country. It is quite different, no matter what a UN resolution says, UN will not come down to Ifako-Ijaiye for example to mediate. So, in effect most of what the Igbos have acquired in other parts of Nigeria would be practically lost or best case sold for peanuts.

ix. Cultural Integration:
Cultural integration within Nigeria may not have been fully achieved, but we are already getting there. In a new republic, integration is always a big issue. A case in mind is South Sudan. When the struggle for independence was on little did the people envisage the crisis that would follow. After achieving independence came the issue of nation building. As reported "ten thousand people have been killed and more than 1.6 million have been internally displaced since civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013. Ignited by a political struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, the conflict escalated into ethnic violence". Can a new Biafra afford that? Guess you would think that all Igbos are the same "ethnic group", think again. It is when you get there you will realise that there are several dialectical differences, cultural difference and by extension marginalization stories and requests to be with "kiths and kins" in Nigeria. These shades of "ethnic" differences would naturally stall growth and developments.

x. Infrastructure Decay & Corruption:
Infrastructure-wise, the SE need urgent attention. Good the new governors are coming up, I think that this should be the focus of the Biafra agitators. Aside Governor Chime and what Obaino are doing now in the East, all other governors were busy "doing nothing". I think that these agitators should rather spend their energy in fighting the governors and SE legislators to push for redevelopment of the SE. It is clear that post -70 war SE has not done so much for themselves and FG never made concerted effort to support SE. These agitators should chnnel their agitation to the governors from the SE to show leadership. We all talk of Akpabio's exploit in Akwa-Ibam, Fashola in Lagos and others. What has Okorocha done since coming to office? How about Dr. Orji, Obi and Elechi, etc? What were the impacts of these governors in developing their states? Why have we not questioned them? We are quick to join others to attack Aregbesola (not condoling indolence and rascality though), how about Okorocha who is owing 13 months salaries? We should be agitating for federal institutions that will enable SE grow capacity. We should be talking to FG to rebuild SE following from Civil war destruction. Yes, this is fairer and have basis. If NE can be awarded $2.1M for Boko Haram that was self-inflicted, SE should be looking for help in controlling ravaging erosion.
They are now talking of new refineries, what are we doing to ensure at least one is sited in the East? I am aware of a company that wanted to build a factory in the SE but the prohibitive charges they got from the host government scared them off. How many export-free zones do we have in SE Who cares? Nobody, yet we are crying for Biafra.

I think we need to look inwards for solution to our problems rather than outside.

seconded

You can say what you want.

Even if Biafra is wrong. It is my wrong. I don't need you and your federation created by foreigners to serve foreign interests.

Let me wallow in my own country created by my own people in my people's interest.

ok

Breaking news Radio Biafra is now on FM in Bayelsa state

There should be restructuring.

Chukwu Okike Abiama fire any ibo man that does not want to go back to iboland all ibos are going back to Biafra

@Validated,
the first thing i did when i saw your post was to go and check your history in nairaland and your profile. I discovered that you were a strong supporter of Jonathan in the election. Also from your past post you are actually from dellta.

I agree with you in most of your view. even though i support Niger Delta movement.

I am a petroleum engineer, Nigeria has already produced close to 50% of the discovered recoverable oil reserve in Niger Delta (hopefully there are more yet to be discovered but my analysis is on what have been discovered today). And also many countries are discovery oil. and apart from that the world is getting alot of alternative to oil. What that means is that the future with oil is not so bright for us.

In the future without oil, it will be the turn of the North to support and feed us as we are doing today. because we dont have farmland in niger delta that much because of oil spillage. And also the North have more minerals for mining than we have in niger delta. But can we guarantee that the North won't ask for succession when the oil dry up? That is my greatest concern and why i support Niger delta movement.

OP, you can still remain a one Nigerian if you want... LEAVE BIAFRANS AND BIAFRA ALONE

. Coming back to comment

GstringAngela:
Chukwu Okike Abiama fire any ibo man that does not want to go back to iboland
all ibos are going back to Biafra

your profile pic shaa

There is no going back....Biafra must come...... ...how can we bring about this..

Your in the same country with your so called compatriots when there is Cartoon in Denmark they hack you to death, when US invaded Afghanistan or Iraq they lynch your family, when Isreal fight Hamas they burn your shops, when they lose election they kill your graduates.

You can't even vote your choice in an election or be drown in the Lagoon.

One Nigeria dikwa egwu oooo

AnambraDota:
Your in the same country with your so called compatriots when there is Cartoon in Denmark they hack you to death, when US invaded Afghanistan or Iraq they lynch your family, when Isreal fight Hamas they burn your shops, when they lose election they kill your graduates.

You can't even vote your choice in an election or be drown in the Lagoon.

One Nigeria dikwa egwu oooo

i feel ya pain.

atbu1983:
@Validated,
the first thing i did when i saw your post was to go and check your history in nairaland and your profile. I discovered that you were a strong supporter of Jonathan in the election. Also from your past post you are actually from dellta.

I agree with you in most of your view. even though i support Niger Delta movement.

I am a petroleum engineer, Nigeria has already produced close to 50% of the recoverable oil reserve in Niger Delta. And also many countries are discovery oil. and apart from that the world is getting alot of alternative to oil. What that means is that the future with oil is not so bright for us.

In the future without oil, it will be the turn of the North to support and feed us as we are doing today. because we dont have farmland in niger delta that much because of oil spillage. But can we guarantee that the North wont ask for succession when the oil finish? That is my greatest concern and why i support Niger delta movement.

My point on restructuring comes in handy? The world manufacturing industries are moving to China and India. Why is it so? They have the manpower. They have Intellectual Capital - PEOPLE!!! With our population we can do a lot. Organisations are beginning to value Intellectual Capital as they do other Assets. Unfortunately our Universities are still teaching people how to get white collar jobs. Let me ask you this question. What does Facebook.com sell? What is Google product? What does Twitter sell? Nothing other than that they latched in on opportunities-ideas that the world needs today. My point is this, when the oil dries up, people will find out other opportunities as the brain is a gold-mine of IDEAS. The availability of oil has made people to think that they cannot do anything else other than oil-bunkery or wait for FG to share money.

I was watching a documentary recently of how Israel bought most of West Bank that the Palestinians are now fighting for. Most of those land were barren and the "Arab land-owners" took them for barren land, before Israel turned them to arable land. You do not have to underestimate what people can do. Just let oil dry up, you will know that human are greatest creatures of God.

@op, what will you write if a United northern Nigeria say today that they no longer want to be part of Nigeria.

You think they can't do it? They insisted they wanted power back and they got it with bokoharam playing a major role. You really think if you are to be sacrificed for the North to secede, anyone will reason this way?

You really think if the north finds oil today in the extended Lake Chad Basin in huge quantity, you'll be needed? You really think they won't have their way?
With bokoharam, or upgraded bokoharam they'll have their way.

You really think if they decide to pull that stunt, they won't succeed? You think these your reasons will be able to stop them?

You really think if GEJ had won the election, there will be peace? You think people wouldn't have openly joined bokoharam, especially up north?

All the killings in the past 4 years, tell us what you truly think was the reason. Do you honestly think it's international terrorism?

Why was the UN building bombed, Sabon Gari Park, Madala church? Etc.. Can you truly tell us what the reasons are?

You have a good point. But your point wouldn't matter at all if you had someone at Madala church on that Christmas day.... and everything zeroes to politics of blood.


God almighty will judge this issue in his own way. Besides, Jonathan was not the best president for Nigeria. But can't also be the worst.

AnambraDota:
Your in the same country with your so called compatriots when there is Cartoon in Denmark they hack you to death, when US invaded Afghanistan or Iraq they lynch your family, when Isreal fight Hamas they burn your shops, when they lose election they kill your graduates.

You can't even vote your choice in an election or be drown in the Lagoon.

One Nigeria dikwa egwu oooo

I'm sorry to say this but continuously citing these same issues as the reason behind the clamour for a new country of Biafra is totally out of place and childish.

Igbos are naturally travellers, even if Biafra is actualised today, it wouldn't stop our people from travelling far and wide to live and do business, it's our culture and it's deeply engraved in our souls. Based on the reasons you have just given, imagine if Biafra is actualised today, just pause for a second and think about this with an open mind, how would it stop the blood thirsty northerners from killing Igbos living in northern Nigeria at the slightest meaningless provocation?

In 1964 the World Bank named Eastern Nigeria the fastest growing regional economy on earth. At the time of this assessment, Eastern Nigeria was made up of the present five states of the South East, plus four out of the present six states of the South South. Reason for the assessment was that in 1964, Nigeria was the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil and palm kernel. Above 90 per cent of the palm oil and palm kernel came from Eastern Nigeria. Nigeria was the world’s largest producer of cassava. Above 60 per cent of Nigeria’s cassava was produced in Eastern Nigeria. By 1964, garri, yam and palm oil from Eastern Nigeria were sold in South Africa, Great Britain and the United States. Coal mining had reached commercial production and Eastern Nigeria had started making money from Nigeria's coal export. By 1964 the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation (ENDC) was Eastern Nigeria’s next highest employer of labor after the regional government itself; producing high quality garri, rice, vegetable oil, fresh eggs, frozen fish, frozen chicken, frozen beef, frozen pork and pork sausages, for domestic distribution and export...

If we can do it then we can still do it today in Biafra.

Validated:


My point on restructuring comes in handy? The world manufacturing industries are moving to China and India. Why is it so? They have the manpower. They have Intellectual Capital - PEOPLE!!! With our population we can do a lot. Organisations are beginning to value Intellectual Capital as they do other Assets. Unfortunately our Universities are still teaching people how to get white collar jobs. Let me ask you this question. What does Facebook.com sell? What is Google product? What does Twitter sell? Nothing other than that they latched in on opportunities-ideas that the world needs today. My point is this, when the oil dries up, people will find out other opportunities as the brain is a gold-mine of IDEAS. The availability of oil has made people to think that they cannot do anything else other than oil-bunkery or wait for FG to share money.

I was watching a documentary recently of how Israel bought most of West Bank that the Palestinians are now fighting for. Most of those land were barren and the "Arab land-owners" took them for barren land, before Israel turned them to arable land. You do not have to underestimate what people can do. Just let oil dry up, you will know that human are greatest creatures of God.

You are right. But we in d niger delta are blacks. black nations world over are not known for those things u listed like in d case of china and india. i know there are few blacks that have done great things, but it is not in d DNA of majority of us to survive by great ideas. dis idea base prosperity may just end up as wishful thinking.

Validated:
First of all, I want to state that I am an Iboman from Delta State. My community shares boundary with Edo State and I have lived in Nigeria for most part of my life. I have lived with the Hausas (served in the Core North), have lived with the Edos (schooled, lived in Benin and other Edo Towns both North and South), and have lived with the Yorubas. I have lived, worked and traveled across the South Eastern Nigeria (Onitsha - Awka - Nnewi - Ekulobia - Enugu- Owerri - through Port Harcourt). My work took me to places like Oturkpo, Makurdi through to Wukari in NE. I have also lived in Lagos for over 10 years. So, as far as Nigeria is concerned, only places Sokoto in NW and and Calabar in SS may be strange to me. I have also lived in abroad. In fact, I had Asians, Europeans, African-Caribbean, etc as neighbours and friends. Why go through all of these? Well, I want to dispel the idea that this is another impostor "none Igbo trying to write about Igbo.

Now to the point of why I think that the Ibos/Igbos (whichever suits you) are better off in Nigeria than a disintegrated Nigeria or Biafra.
Caveat: I may not have exhausted all the issues here but at least some of these are germane and I have offered my opinion on them.
Crucify me if you chose to, but when you do lay your head on your pillow tonight, rummage over these again.

i. Northern hegemony and perceived marginalization:
True as this may seem, I do not quite agree that the we are right to continue to reflect on the civil war events and the fact that Biafra was not achieved, thereby concluding that Nigeria cannot work or we do not belong here. In many developed countries of the world, there have always been issues of domination and marginalization. However, disintegration have never solved the problems, because after you disintegrate, you would be faced with a much bigger problem of integration. The perceived Northern domination in Nigeria can never continue forever. Politically, they could for some time, but we should rather strive for economic dominance. In fact, in many nations, the man with economic power is the true leader, not political power. If we sincerely desired political relevance, since 1970, immediately after the civil war we would have pursued our political growth as much as we pursued our economic growth. If we did that, by now we should have produced the president. Rather than cry over Biafra, we should work to build Nigeria and demand what is due to us. If we have the economic power, soon, we would be influencing the political power. Take a look at South Africa, who do you think truly rule South Africa? ANC? No, the whites do! In Johannesburg, for exmple, the gate keepers are all blacks, yet they are in government.

ii. The Buhari/Jonathan factor and 2015 Elections:
Many of us who supported Jonathan may feel that the the S/West and North joined forces to "rob" us political of power. Well, I want to tell us the bitter truth. Yes! North and South West alliance was to the detriment of the SE/SS in 2015 elections. However, if PDP and Jonathan performed excellently well, this would not have happened. Jonathan did his best and I praise him for his effort, but an average performance is not what the world seek today. Nigeria is one of the most complex countries in the world. As such, a Nigerian leader must be a no-nonsense person. A person who can look at his benefactor in the face and rebuke him/her. Jonathan did not fit into that. Like many have said, it is still too early to judge Buhari. However, if he is still wobbling and fumbling as he is doing now and not able to fight corruption to a stand-still (not minding political association), then he would have failed also. So if by then Nigerians still shout "Sai Baba", we can begin to be worried.

iii. Economic facts:
Ibos are the biggest traders and businessmen in Nigeria today. A business needs population to thrive. By the United nations Population growth analysis, by 2050 (that is 34 years from now), Nigeria will be the 3rd most populous nation in the world. In fact from 1950 when Nigeria was ranked 13th to 2015, Nigeria has displaced 6 nations to rank 7th. This is in spite of high infant and maternal mortality rate.
The UNDP/WPP project that by 2050, Nigeria would have overtaken Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and USA to rank 3rd, after China and India.
See pages 29 -30 http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/Key_Findings_WPP_2015.pdf. Now you can understand why some big corporations are already strategically positioning themselves to take advantage of this huge untapped market. How does this affect the Ibos? With Biafra, we would have lost this huge market. By the way, our economy is one of the less regulated in the world. So, you have people make super-profits and pay little to no taxes. We produce and sell whatever we want to, but go out. For you to open a barbing or hair dressing saloon or even restaurant, you must have be qualified, registered with authorities and you are subjected to regular inspections. Now if you circumvent the laws as we do here, you are likely to be jailed. Once jailed, your record has "finished" you economically. So, when you hear people say Nigeria is the best country to live do not doubt them.

iv. Nigeria Restructuring:
Today, the cry in the South is that Nigeria should be restructured. Truly, the cry is higher now under Buhari especially because of the defeat of Jonathan and perceived dumping of the Confab report. I am an advocate of a restructured Nigeria. It may seem impossible but I am optimistic that it would happen soon. If not under Buhari, but some days in not-too-distant future, this will be implemented. Much as the North may choose to pretend that the Confab report is rubbish, majority of Nigerians know that this document holds the key to unlocking the great potentials that Nigeria has. With a restructured Nigeria, this nation will be able to tap into the resources that are within our very reach for which oil has beclouded our visions. So, my brethren from across the Niger should rather speak with one voice on restructuring of the nation rather than call for Biafra. Then again, if the centre is made weak as is being suggested, that means each region would fend for themselves. How would the SE survive? Have we thought of that? Because, a restructured Nigeria would give us the opportunity to role-play Biafra. A mock of a sort. Are we going to be looking up to the oil producing communities for money to pay salaries like Okorocha is doing now

v. Oil and Resource Control:
Well, this is by far one of the most over-flogged issue in Nigeria. True that the oil wealth is being shared to some none productive states and the obvious cry would be let us have our oil and gas. I listened to Ben Bruce on his "Hope For Nigeria" story and how he challenged all of us Nigerians, young and old to wake up. He even "drove in" his electric powered car to drive home the fact that oil is fast losing its value. The oil industry is fast losing its relevance in the world. In the past we relied on Coal, where is Coal today? If cars are being powered by Solar energy and batteries, who says that they can increase capacity on other sources of energy? Today, due to environmental degradation, the world is already looking at reducing usage of fossil fuel. What happens to a nation with just oil as her only resource then? So, a hurried Biafra State in the hope of having the oil revenue exclusively to "us" may turn out to be a bad dream or nightmare. Sorry for my choice of words.

vi. Religion-Politics:
I am scared to go into this this because many will call me names. However, just to say that in as much as we fear that the Muslim faith has an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, we Christians should also trust our Bible. Our God called us to go out and win souls unto the Kingdom and that the weapons of our warfare are not canal. So, if the Muslims have such agenda, we have a bigger one which is to preach the Gospel, win back all lost souls and God willing we live in peace. Then again, the issue of Boko Haram comes to the fore. Well, we all know that anything that has a beginning must have an end. I am sure that very soon, this will become a thing of the past so that we can all live together in peace. Again do you know that in some countries with 95% Christians are also bedeviled with "Mafia organizations and gangsterism?' Have you not heard of Italian Mafia or the Mexican Drug rings? Are those not Christians? Truth is that every religion has its own black sheep so you and I have a big job or winning back these souls for Christ. We have to pray for them to repent. Dumb you may say, but it is a time tested dumbness that has worked.

vii. Sincerity and Trust:
We Igbos do not trust ourselves. Much as the Hausa-Fulani may disagree, they would still find time to sit together under whatever guise and produce an arrow-head that the rest of Nigeria will somehow relate with. The same with the Yorubas. They can orchestrate whatever drama, but at the end, they have a leader, accepted or not. Today, when Tinubu or Obj speaks they queue behind him. In the North, when Buhari speaks, the North follow. Who do we have from the East? As the saying goes " ... a rolling stone gathers no moss". So, even in a Biafra republic, the Arochukwu man and the Anambra man would still fight to finish because we do not trust our neighbour. Asaba and/or Kwale man will cry of marginlisation, then I begin to wonder what the Etche, Urhobo, Ijaws and Ibibio would do, that is if they are part of Biafra? it will be a big crisis that why that will be on, the other Nigerians will 'come to help' their brothers and sisters as Russia is helping Cremia and Eastern and southern Ukraine now.

viii. National capacity:
Those advocating for a separate state or Biafra have not fully grasp the capacity constraint in building a new republic. In the first instance, there would be very high economic losses occasioned by displacements and restarting. Take for example a big business like Diamond Bank which by all intent and purpose is seen as an Eastern-Nigerian Bank. How would such an entity survive with closure and refocusing of her business? A severed Nigerian state would be hostile to such a business which may lead to closure. If you replicate this scenario across all businesses owned by Igbos and operating in Nigeria outside of the SE region, you will realize that the attendant losses that would follow such a decision be so colossal that recovery in two decades would be impossible. How about Igbos who own houses in major Nigerian cities? For example, in Abuja, most of the new developments and hotels are owned by Igbos. I guess you may argue, that it is the same like having property or businesses in say Ghana or Benin republic, but hell NO! We are talking of having a property or business in a hostile neighbouring country. It is quite different, no matter what a UN resolution says, UN will not come down to Ifako-Ijaiye for example to mediate. So, in effect most of what the Igbos have acquired in other parts of Nigeria would be practically lost or best case sold for peanuts.

ix. Cultural Integration:
Cultural integration within Nigeria may not have been fully achieved, but we are already getting there. In a new republic, integration is always a big issue. A case in mind is South Sudan. When the struggle for independence was on little did the people envisage the crisis that would follow. After achieving independence came the issue of nation building. As reported "ten thousand people have been killed and more than 1.6 million have been internally displaced since civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013. Ignited by a political struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, the conflict escalated into ethnic violence". Can a new Biafra afford that? Guess you would think that all Igbos are the same "ethnic group", think again. It is when you get there you will realise that there are several dialectical differences, cultural difference and by extension marginalization stories and requests to be with "kiths and kins" in Nigeria. These shades of "ethnic" differences would naturally stall growth and developments.

x. Infrastructure Decay & Corruption:
Infrastructure-wise, the SE need urgent attention. Good the new governors are coming up, I think that this should be the focus of the Biafra agitators. Aside Governor Chime and what Obaino are doing now in the East, all other governors were busy "doing nothing". I think that these agitators should rather spend their energy in fighting the governors and SE legislators to push for redevelopment of the SE. It is clear that post -70 war SE has not done so much for themselves and FG never made concerted effort to support SE. These agitators should chnnel their agitation to the governors from the SE to show leadership. We all talk of Akpabio's exploit in Akwa-Ibam, Fashola in Lagos and others. What has Okorocha done since coming to office? How about Dr. Orji, Obi and Elechi, etc? What were the impacts of these governors in developing their states? Why have we not questioned them? We are quick to join others to attack Aregbesola (not condoling indolence and rascality though), how about Okorocha who is owing 13 months salaries? We should be agitating for federal institutions that will enable SE grow capacity. We should be talking to FG to rebuild SE following from Civil war destruction. Yes, this is fairer and have basis. If NE can be awarded $2.1M for Boko Haram that was self-inflicted, SE should be looking for help in controlling ravaging erosion.
They are now talking of new refineries, what are we doing to ensure at least one is sited in the East? I am aware of a company that wanted to build a factory in the SE but the prohibitive charges they got from the host government scared them off. How many export-free zones do we have in SE Who cares? Nobody, yet we are crying for Biafra.

I think we need to look inwards for solution to our problems rather than outside.

Trash! We Igbo want to stay the way we were before the white men came simple. Ask your self why did the white man created Nigeria.
Why must we stay together in this damnable contraption?
Before the amalgamation of this damnable contraption do the Igbos share anything in common with Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba?
If the Igbos survived the civil war and Awolowo #20 why won't they survive when they leave Nigeria?
Are you Igbo?

Validated:
First of all, I want to state that I am an Iboman from Delta State. My community shares boundary with Edo State and I have lived in Nigeria for most part of my life. I have lived with the Hausas (served in the Core North), have lived with the Edos (schooled, lived in Benin and other Edo Towns both North and South), and have lived with the Yorubas. I have lived, worked and traveled across the South Eastern Nigeria (Onitsha - Awka - Nnewi - Ekulobia - Enugu- Owerri - through Port Harcourt). My work took me to places like Oturkpo, Makurdi through to Wukari in NE. I have also lived in Lagos for over 10 years. So, as far as Nigeria is concerned, only places Sokoto in NW and and Calabar in SS may be strange to me. I have also lived in abroad. In fact, I had Asians, Europeans, African-Caribbean, etc as neighbours and friends. Why go through all of these? Well, I want to dispel the idea that this is another impostor "none Igbo trying to write about Igbo.

Now to the point of why I think that the Ibos/Igbos (whichever suits you) are better off in Nigeria than a disintegrated Nigeria or Biafra.
Caveat: I may not have exhausted all the issues here but at least some of these are germane and I have offered my opinion on them.
Crucify me if you chose to, but when you do lay your head on your pillow tonight, rummage over these again.

i. Northern hegemony and perceived marginalization:
True as this may seem, I do not quite agree that the we are right to continue to reflect on the civil war events and the fact that Biafra was not achieved, thereby concluding that Nigeria cannot work or we do not belong here. In many developed countries of the world, there have always been issues of domination and marginalization. However, disintegration have never solved the problems, because after you disintegrate, you would be faced with a much bigger problem of integration. The perceived Northern domination in Nigeria can never continue forever. Politically, they could for some time, but we should rather strive for economic dominance. In fact, in many nations, the man with economic power is the true leader, not political power. If we sincerely desired political relevance, since 1970, immediately after the civil war we would have pursued our political growth as much as we pursued our economic growth. If we did that, by now we should have produced the president. Rather than cry over Biafra, we should work to build Nigeria and demand what is due to us. If we have the economic power, soon, we would be influencing the political power. Take a look at South Africa, who do you think truly rule South Africa? ANC? No, the whites do! In Johannesburg, for exmple, the gate keepers are all blacks, yet they are in government.

ii. The Buhari/Jonathan factor and 2015 Elections:
Many of us who supported Jonathan may feel that the the S/West and North joined forces to "rob" us political of power. Well, I want to tell us the bitter truth. Yes! North and South West alliance was to the detriment of the SE/SS in 2015 elections. However, if PDP and Jonathan performed excellently well, this would not have happened. Jonathan did his best and I praise him for his effort, but an average performance is not what the world seek today. Nigeria is one of the most complex countries in the world. As such, a Nigerian leader must be a no-nonsense person. A person who can look at his benefactor in the face and rebuke him/her. Jonathan did not fit into that. Like many have said, it is still too early to judge Buhari. However, if he is still wobbling and fumbling as he is doing now and not able to fight corruption to a stand-still (not minding political association), then he would have failed also. So if by then Nigerians still shout "Sai Baba", we can begin to be worried.

iii. Economic facts:
Ibos are the biggest traders and businessmen in Nigeria today. A business needs population to thrive. By the United nations Population growth analysis, by 2050 (that is 34 years from now), Nigeria will be the 3rd most populous nation in the world. In fact from 1950 when Nigeria was ranked 13th to 2015, Nigeria has displaced 6 nations to rank 7th. This is in spite of high infant and maternal mortality rate.
The UNDP/WPP project that by 2050, Nigeria would have overtaken Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and USA to rank 3rd, after China and India.
See pages 29 -30 http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/Key_Findings_WPP_2015.pdf. Now you can understand why some big corporations are already strategically positioning themselves to take advantage of this huge untapped market. How does this affect the Ibos? With Biafra, we would have lost this huge market. By the way, our economy is one of the less regulated in the world. So, you have people make super-profits and pay little to no taxes. We produce and sell whatever we want to, but go out. For you to open a barbing or hair dressing saloon or even restaurant, you must have be qualified, registered with authorities and you are subjected to regular inspections. Now if you circumvent the laws as we do here, you are likely to be jailed. Once jailed, your record has "finished" you economically. So, when you hear people say Nigeria is the best country to live do not doubt them.

iv. Nigeria Restructuring:
Today, the cry in the South is that Nigeria should be restructured. Truly, the cry is higher now under Buhari especially because of the defeat of Jonathan and perceived dumping of the Confab report. I am an advocate of a restructured Nigeria. It may seem impossible but I am optimistic that it would happen soon. If not under Buhari, but some days in not-too-distant future, this will be implemented. Much as the North may choose to pretend that the Confab report is rubbish, majority of Nigerians know that this document holds the key to unlocking the great potentials that Nigeria has. With a restructured Nigeria, this nation will be able to tap into the resources that are within our very reach for which oil has beclouded our visions. So, my brethren from across the Niger should rather speak with one voice on restructuring of the nation rather than call for Biafra. Then again, if the centre is made weak as is being suggested, that means each region would fend for themselves. How would the SE survive? Have we thought of that? Because, a restructured Nigeria would give us the opportunity to role-play Biafra. A mock of a sort. Are we going to be looking up to the oil producing communities for money to pay salaries like Okorocha is doing now

v. Oil and Resource Control:
Well, this is by far one of the most over-flogged issue in Nigeria. True that the oil wealth is being shared to some none productive states and the obvious cry would be let us have our oil and gas. I listened to Ben Bruce on his "Hope For Nigeria" story and how he challenged all of us Nigerians, young and old to wake up. He even "drove in" his electric powered car to drive home the fact that oil is fast losing its value. The oil industry is fast losing its relevance in the world. In the past we relied on Coal, where is Coal today? If cars are being powered by Solar energy and batteries, who says that they can increase capacity on other sources of energy? Today, due to environmental degradation, the world is already looking at reducing usage of fossil fuel. What happens to a nation with just oil as her only resource then? So, a hurried Biafra State in the hope of having the oil revenue exclusively to "us" may turn out to be a bad dream or nightmare. Sorry for my choice of words.

vi. Religion-Politics:
I am scared to go into this this because many will call me names. However, just to say that in as much as we fear that the Muslim faith has an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, we Christians should also trust our Bible. Our God called us to go out and win souls unto the Kingdom and that the weapons of our warfare are not canal. So, if the Muslims have such agenda, we have a bigger one which is to preach the Gospel, win back all lost souls and God willing we live in peace. Then again, the issue of Boko Haram comes to the fore. Well, we all know that anything that has a beginning must have an end. I am sure that very soon, this will become a thing of the past so that we can all live together in peace. Again do you know that in some countries with 95% Christians are also bedeviled with "Mafia organizations and gangsterism?' Have you not heard of Italian Mafia or the Mexican Drug rings? Are those not Christians? Truth is that every religion has its own black sheep so you and I have a big job or winning back these souls for Christ. We have to pray for them to repent. Dumb you may say, but it is a time tested dumbness that has worked.

vii. Sincerity and Trust:
We Igbos do not trust ourselves. Much as the Hausa-Fulani may disagree, they would still find time to sit together under whatever guise and produce an arrow-head that the rest of Nigeria will somehow relate with. The same with the Yorubas. They can orchestrate whatever drama, but at the end, they have a leader, accepted or not. Today, when Tinubu or Obj speaks they queue behind him. In the North, when Buhari speaks, the North follow. Who do we have from the East? As the saying goes " ... a rolling stone gathers no moss". So, even in a Biafra republic, the Arochukwu man and the Anambra man would still fight to finish because we do not trust our neighbour. Asaba and/or Kwale man will cry of marginlisation, then I begin to wonder what the Etche, Urhobo, Ijaws and Ibibio would do, that is if they are part of Biafra? it will be a big crisis that why that will be on, the other Nigerians will 'come to help' their brothers and sisters as Russia is helping Cremia and Eastern and southern Ukraine now.

viii. National capacity:
Those advocating for a separate state or Biafra have not fully grasp the capacity constraint in building a new republic. In the first instance, there would be very high economic losses occasioned by displacements and restarting. Take for example a big business like Diamond Bank which by all intent and purpose is seen as an Eastern-Nigerian Bank. How would such an entity survive with closure and refocusing of her business? A severed Nigerian state would be hostile to such a business which may lead to closure. If you replicate this scenario across all businesses owned by Igbos and operating in Nigeria outside of the SE region, you will realize that the attendant losses that would follow such a decision be so colossal that recovery in two decades would be impossible. How about Igbos who own houses in major Nigerian cities? For example, in Abuja, most of the new developments and hotels are owned by Igbos. I guess you may argue, that it is the same like having property or businesses in say Ghana or Benin republic, but hell NO! We are talking of having a property or business in a hostile neighbouring country. It is quite different, no matter what a UN resolution says, UN will not come down to Ifako-Ijaiye for example to mediate. So, in effect most of what the Igbos have acquired in other parts of Nigeria would be practically lost or best case sold for peanuts.

ix. Cultural Integration:
Cultural integration within Nigeria may not have been fully achieved, but we are already getting there. In a new republic, integration is always a big issue. A case in mind is South Sudan. When the struggle for independence was on little did the people envisage the crisis that would follow. After achieving independence came the issue of nation building. As reported "ten thousand people have been killed and more than 1.6 million have been internally displaced since civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013. Ignited by a political struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, the conflict escalated into ethnic violence". Can a new Biafra afford that? Guess you would think that all Igbos are the same "ethnic group", think again. It is when you get there you will realise that there are several dialectical differences, cultural difference and by extension marginalization stories and requests to be with "kiths and kins" in Nigeria. These shades of "ethnic" differences would naturally stall growth and developments.

x. Infrastructure Decay & Corruption:
Infrastructure-wise, the SE need urgent attention. Good the new governors are coming up, I think that this should be the focus of the Biafra agitators. Aside Governor Chime and what Obaino are doing now in the East, all other governors were busy "doing nothing". I think that these agitators should rather spend their energy in fighting the governors and SE legislators to push for redevelopment of the SE. It is clear that post -70 war SE has not done so much for themselves and FG never made concerted effort to support SE. These agitators should chnnel their agitation to the governors from the SE to show leadership. We all talk of Akpabio's exploit in Akwa-Ibam, Fashola in Lagos and others. What has Okorocha done since coming to office? How about Dr. Orji, Obi and Elechi, etc? What were the impacts of these governors in developing their states? Why have we not questioned them? We are quick to join others to attack Aregbesola (not condoling indolence and rascality though), how about Okorocha who is owing 13 months salaries? We should be agitating for federal institutions that will enable SE grow capacity. We should be talking to FG to rebuild SE following from Civil war destruction. Yes, this is fairer and have basis. If NE can be awarded $2.1M for Boko Haram that was self-inflicted, SE should be looking for help in controlling ravaging erosion.
They are now talking of new refineries, what are we doing to ensure at least one is sited in the East? I am aware of a company that wanted to build a factory in the SE but the prohibitive charges they got from the host government scared them off. How many export-free zones do we have in SE Who cares? Nobody, yet we are crying for Biafra.

I think we need to look inwards for solution to our problems rather than outside.

Ur a genius

Validated:
First of all, I want to state that I am an Iboman from Delta State. My community shares boundary with Edo State and I have lived in Nigeria for most part of my life. I have lived with the Hausas (served in the Core North), have lived with the Edos (schooled, lived in Benin and other Edo Towns both North and South), and have lived with the Yorubas. I have lived, worked and traveled across the South Eastern Nigeria (Onitsha - Awka - Nnewi - Ekulobia - Enugu- Owerri - through Port Harcourt). My work took me to places like Oturkpo, Makurdi through to Wukari in NE. I have also lived in Lagos for over 10 years. So, as far as Nigeria is concerned, only places Sokoto in NW and and Calabar in SS may be strange to me. I have also lived in abroad. In fact, I had Asians, Europeans, African-Caribbean, etc as neighbours and friends. Why go through all of these? Well, I want to dispel the idea that this is another impostor "none Igbo trying to write about Igbo.

Now to the point of why I think that the Ibos/Igbos (whichever suits you) are better off in Nigeria than a disintegrated Nigeria or Biafra.
Caveat: I may not have exhausted all the issues here but at least some of these are germane and I have offered my opinion on them.
Crucify me if you chose to, but when you do lay your head on your pillow tonight, rummage over these again.

i. Northern hegemony and perceived marginalization:
True as this may seem, I do not quite agree that the we are right to continue to reflect on the civil war events and the fact that Biafra was not achieved, thereby concluding that Nigeria cannot work or we do not belong here. In many developed countries of the world, there have always been issues of domination and marginalization. However, disintegration have never solved the problems, because after you disintegrate, you would be faced with a much bigger problem of integration. The perceived Northern domination in Nigeria can never continue forever. Politically, they could for some time, but we should rather strive for economic dominance. In fact, in many nations, the man with economic power is the true leader, not political power. If we sincerely desired political relevance, since 1970, immediately after the civil war we would have pursued our political growth as much as we pursued our economic growth. If we did that, by now we should have produced the president. Rather than cry over Biafra, we should work to build Nigeria and demand what is due to us. If we have the economic power, soon, we would be influencing the political power. Take a look at South Africa, who do you think truly rule South Africa? ANC? No, the whites do! In Johannesburg, for exmple, the gate keepers are all blacks, yet they are in government.

ii. The Buhari/Jonathan factor and 2015 Elections:
Many of us who supported Jonathan may feel that the the S/West and North joined forces to "rob" us political of power. Well, I want to tell us the bitter truth. Yes! North and South West alliance was to the detriment of the SE/SS in 2015 elections. However, if PDP and Jonathan performed excellently well, this would not have happened. Jonathan did his best and I praise him for his effort, but an average performance is not what the world seek today. Nigeria is one of the most complex countries in the world. As such, a Nigerian leader must be a no-nonsense person. A person who can look at his benefactor in the face and rebuke him/her. Jonathan did not fit into that. Like many have said, it is still too early to judge Buhari. However, if he is still wobbling and fumbling as he is doing now and not able to fight corruption to a stand-still (not minding political association), then he would have failed also. So if by then Nigerians still shout "Sai Baba", we can begin to be worried.

iii. Economic facts:
Ibos are the biggest traders and businessmen in Nigeria today. A business needs population to thrive. By the United nations Population growth analysis, by 2050 (that is 34 years from now), Nigeria will be the 3rd most populous nation in the world. In fact from 1950 when Nigeria was ranked 13th to 2015, Nigeria has displaced 6 nations to rank 7th. This is in spite of high infant and maternal mortality rate.
The UNDP/WPP project that by 2050, Nigeria would have overtaken Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and USA to rank 3rd, after China and India.
See pages 29 -30 http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/Key_Findings_WPP_2015.pdf. Now you can understand why some big corporations are already strategically positioning themselves to take advantage of this huge untapped market. How does this affect the Ibos? With Biafra, we would have lost this huge market. By the way, our economy is one of the less regulated in the world. So, you have people make super-profits and pay little to no taxes. We produce and sell whatever we want to, but go out. For you to open a barbing or hair dressing saloon or even restaurant, you must have be qualified, registered with authorities and you are subjected to regular inspections. Now if you circumvent the laws as we do here, you are likely to be jailed. Once jailed, your record has "finished" you economically. So, when you hear people say Nigeria is the best country to live do not doubt them.

iv. Nigeria Restructuring:
Today, the cry in the South is that Nigeria should be restructured. Truly, the cry is higher now under Buhari especially because of the defeat of Jonathan and perceived dumping of the Confab report. I am an advocate of a restructured Nigeria. It may seem impossible but I am optimistic that it would happen soon. If not under Buhari, but some days in not-too-distant future, this will be implemented. Much as the North may choose to pretend that the Confab report is rubbish, majority of Nigerians know that this document holds the key to unlocking the great potentials that Nigeria has. With a restructured Nigeria, this nation will be able to tap into the resources that are within our very reach for which oil has beclouded our visions. So, my brethren from across the Niger should rather speak with one voice on restructuring of the nation rather than call for Biafra. Then again, if the centre is made weak as is being suggested, that means each region would fend for themselves. How would the SE survive? Have we thought of that? Because, a restructured Nigeria would give us the opportunity to role-play Biafra. A mock of a sort. Are we going to be looking up to the oil producing communities for money to pay salaries like Okorocha is doing now

v. Oil and Resource Control:
Well, this is by far one of the most over-flogged issue in Nigeria. True that the oil wealth is being shared to some none productive states and the obvious cry would be let us have our oil and gas. I listened to Ben Bruce on his "Hope For Nigeria" story and how he challenged all of us Nigerians, young and old to wake up. He even "drove in" his electric powered car to drive home the fact that oil is fast losing its value. The oil industry is fast losing its relevance in the world. In the past we relied on Coal, where is Coal today? If cars are being powered by Solar energy and batteries, who says that they can increase capacity on other sources of energy? Today, due to environmental degradation, the world is already looking at reducing usage of fossil fuel. What happens to a nation with just oil as her only resource then? So, a hurried Biafra State in the hope of having the oil revenue exclusively to "us" may turn out to be a bad dream or nightmare. Sorry for my choice of words.

vi. Religion-Politics:
I am scared to go into this this because many will call me names. However, just to say that in as much as we fear that the Muslim faith has an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, we Christians should also trust our Bible. Our God called us to go out and win souls unto the Kingdom and that the weapons of our warfare are not canal. So, if the Muslims have such agenda, we have a bigger one which is to preach the Gospel, win back all lost souls and God willing we live in peace. Then again, the issue of Boko Haram comes to the fore. Well, we all know that anything that has a beginning must have an end. I am sure that very soon, this will become a thing of the past so that we can all live together in peace. Again do you know that in some countries with 95% Christians are also bedeviled with "Mafia organizations and gangsterism?' Have you not heard of Italian Mafia or the Mexican Drug rings? Are those not Christians? Truth is that every religion has its own black sheep so you and I have a big job or winning back these souls for Christ. We have to pray for them to repent. Dumb you may say, but it is a time tested dumbness that has worked.

vii. Sincerity and Trust:
We Igbos do not trust ourselves. Much as the Hausa-Fulani may disagree, they would still find time to sit together under whatever guise and produce an arrow-head that the rest of Nigeria will somehow relate with. The same with the Yorubas. They can orchestrate whatever drama, but at the end, they have a leader, accepted or not. Today, when Tinubu or Obj speaks they queue behind him. In the North, when Buhari speaks, the North follow. Who do we have from the East? As the saying goes " ... a rolling stone gathers no moss". So, even in a Biafra republic, the Arochukwu man and the Anambra man would still fight to finish because we do not trust our neighbour. Asaba and/or Kwale man will cry of marginlisation, then I begin to wonder what the Etche, Urhobo, Ijaws and Ibibio would do, that is if they are part of Biafra? it will be a big crisis that why that will be on, the other Nigerians will 'come to help' their brothers and sisters as Russia is helping Cremia and Eastern and southern Ukraine now.

viii. National capacity:
Those advocating for a separate state or Biafra have not fully grasp the capacity constraint in building a new republic. In the first instance, there would be very high economic losses occasioned by displacements and restarting. Take for example a big business like Diamond Bank which by all intent and purpose is seen as an Eastern-Nigerian Bank. How would such an entity survive with closure and refocusing of her business? A severed Nigerian state would be hostile to such a business which may lead to closure. If you replicate this scenario across all businesses owned by Igbos and operating in Nigeria outside of the SE region, you will realize that the attendant losses that would follow such a decision be so colossal that recovery in two decades would be impossible. How about Igbos who own houses in major Nigerian cities? For example, in Abuja, most of the new developments and hotels are owned by Igbos. I guess you may argue, that it is the same like having property or businesses in say Ghana or Benin republic, but hell NO! We are talking of having a property or business in a hostile neighbouring country. It is quite different, no matter what a UN resolution says, UN will not come down to Ifako-Ijaiye for example to mediate. So, in effect most of what the Igbos have acquired in other parts of Nigeria would be practically lost or best case sold for peanuts.

ix. Cultural Integration:
Cultural integration within Nigeria may not have been fully achieved, but we are already getting there. In a new republic, integration is always a big issue. A case in mind is South Sudan. When the struggle for independence was on little did the people envisage the crisis that would follow. After achieving independence came the issue of nation building. As reported "ten thousand people have been killed and more than 1.6 million have been internally displaced since civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013. Ignited by a political struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, the conflict escalated into ethnic violence". Can a new Biafra afford that? Guess you would think that all Igbos are the same "ethnic group", think again. It is when you get there you will realise that there are several dialectical differences, cultural difference and by extension marginalization stories and requests to be with "kiths and kins" in Nigeria. These shades of "ethnic" differences would naturally stall growth and developments.

x. Infrastructure Decay & Corruption:
Infrastructure-wise, the SE need urgent attention. Good the new governors are coming up, I think that this should be the focus of the Biafra agitators. Aside Governor Chime and what Obaino are doing now in the East, all other governors were busy "doing nothing". I think that these agitators should rather spend their energy in fighting the governors and SE legislators to push for redevelopment of the SE. It is clear that post -70 war SE has not done so much for themselves and FG never made concerted effort to support SE. These agitators should chnnel their agitation to the governors from the SE to show leadership. We all talk of Akpabio's exploit in Akwa-Ibam, Fashola in Lagos and others. What has Okorocha done since coming to office? How about Dr. Orji, Obi and Elechi, etc? What were the impacts of these governors in developing their states? Why have we not questioned them? We are quick to join others to attack Aregbesola (not condoling indolence and rascality though), how about Okorocha who is owing 13 months salaries? We should be agitating for federal institutions that will enable SE grow capacity. We should be talking to FG to rebuild SE following from Civil war destruction. Yes, this is fairer and have basis. If NE can be awarded $2.1M for Boko Haram that was self-inflicted, SE should be looking for help in controlling ravaging erosion.
They are now talking of new refineries, what are we doing to ensure at least one is sited in the East? I am aware of a company that wanted to build a factory in the SE but the prohibitive charges they got from the host government scared them off. How many export-free zones do we have in SE Who cares? Nobody, yet we are crying for Biafra.

I think we need to look inwards for solution to our problems rather than outside.

I have only one thing to say, Do you listen to Radio Biafra? Please do. Your clarity of thought/Sanity depends on it. Nnamdi kanu even lamblasts Igbos, he spares no one. #Biafrantruth

obailala:
I'm sorry to say this but continuously citing these same issues as the reason behind the clamour for a new country of Biafra is totally out of place and childish.

Igbos are naturally travellers, even if Biafra is actualised today, it wouldn't stop our people from travelling far and wide to live and do business, it's our culture and it's deeply engraved in our souls. Based on the reasons you have just given, imagine if Biafra is actualised today, just pause for a second and think about this with an open mind, how would it stop the blood thirsty northerners from killing Igbos living in northern Nigeria at the slightest meaningless provocation?

Your sense really went down south, am I talking about business ?, did you see where I mention business in my write up, why are you bringing business into it.

Re-read it and meditate if you don't understand it.

AnambraDota:


Your sense really went down south, am I talking about business ?, did you see where I mention business in my write up, why are you bringing business into it.

Re-read it and meditate if you don't understand it.

So of all the things I mentioned, the only word your eyes could see was business?

Yes I mentioned business and it is by being businessmen that Igbos feed themselves. Majority of the Igbos being killed in the north, the only reason they are in the north in the first place is because of thier businesses... And it is the lifestyle of Igbos to travel far and wide for economic purposes. If you do not still understand what I mean, then I'm sorry, I can't help you because you have chosen to send your own brain down south.

All I can tell u about ur very long n useless article is that IGBOS are the most united ethnic group in Nigeria. Saying otherwise shows clearly dat ur not Igbo.

Validated:
First of all, I want to state that I am an Iboman from Delta State. My community shares boundary with Edo State and I have lived in Nigeria for most part of my life. I have lived with the Hausas (served in the Core North), have lived with the Edos (schooled, lived in Benin and other Edo Towns both North and South), and have lived with the Yorubas. I have lived, worked and traveled across the South Eastern Nigeria (Onitsha - Awka - Nnewi - Ekulobia - Enugu- Owerri - through Port Harcourt). My work took me to places like Oturkpo, Makurdi through to Wukari in NE. I have also lived in Lagos for over 10 years. So, as far as Nigeria is concerned, only places Sokoto in NW and and Calabar in SS may be strange to me. I have also lived in abroad. In fact, I had Asians, Europeans, African-Caribbean, etc as neighbours and friends. Why go through all of these? Well, I want to dispel the idea that this is another impostor "none Igbo trying to write about Igbo.

Now to the point of why I think that the Ibos/Igbos (whichever suits you) are better off in Nigeria than a disintegrated Nigeria or Biafra.
Caveat: I may not have exhausted all the issues here but at least some of these are germane and I have offered my opinion on them.
Crucify me if you chose to, but when you do lay your head on your pillow tonight, rummage over these again.

i. Northern hegemony and perceived marginalization:
True as this may seem, I do not quite agree that the we are right to continue to reflect on the civil war events and the fact that Biafra was not achieved, thereby concluding that Nigeria cannot work or we do not belong here. In many developed countries of the world, there have always been issues of domination and marginalization. However, disintegration have never solved the problems, because after you disintegrate, you would be faced with a much bigger problem of integration. The perceived Northern domination in Nigeria can never continue forever. Politically, they could for some time, but we should rather strive for economic dominance. In fact, in many nations, the man with economic power is the true leader, not political power. If we sincerely desired political relevance, since 1970, immediately after the civil war we would have pursued our political growth as much as we pursued our economic growth. If we did that, by now we should have produced the president. Rather than cry over Biafra, we should work to build Nigeria and demand what is due to us. If we have the economic power, soon, we would be influencing the political power. Take a look at South Africa, who do you think truly rule South Africa? ANC? No, the whites do! In Johannesburg, for exmple, the gate keepers are all blacks, yet they are in government.

ii. The Buhari/Jonathan factor and 2015 Elections:
Many of us who supported Jonathan may feel that the the S/West and North joined forces to "rob" us political of power. Well, I want to tell us the bitter truth. Yes! North and South West alliance was to the detriment of the SE/SS in 2015 elections. However, if PDP and Jonathan performed excellently well, this would not have happened. Jonathan did his best and I praise him for his effort, but an average performance is not what the world seek today. Nigeria is one of the most complex countries in the world. As such, a Nigerian leader must be a no-nonsense person. A person who can look at his benefactor in the face and rebuke him/her. Jonathan did not fit into that. Like many have said, it is still too early to judge Buhari. However, if he is still wobbling and fumbling as he is doing now and not able to fight corruption to a stand-still (not minding political association), then he would have failed also. So if by then Nigerians still shout "Sai Baba", we can begin to be worried.

iii. Economic facts:
Ibos are the biggest traders and businessmen in Nigeria today. A business needs population to thrive. By the United nations Population growth analysis, by 2050 (that is 34 years from now), Nigeria will be the 3rd most populous nation in the world. In fact from 1950 when Nigeria was ranked 13th to 2015, Nigeria has displaced 6 nations to rank 7th. This is in spite of high infant and maternal mortality rate.
The UNDP/WPP project that by 2050, Nigeria would have overtaken Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and USA to rank 3rd, after China and India.
See pages 29 -30 http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/Key_Findings_WPP_2015.pdf. Now you can understand why some big corporations are already strategically positioning themselves to take advantage of this huge untapped market. How does this affect the Ibos? With Biafra, we would have lost this huge market. By the way, our economy is one of the less regulated in the world. So, you have people make super-profits and pay little to no taxes. We produce and sell whatever we want to, but go out. For you to open a barbing or hair dressing saloon or even restaurant, you must have be qualified, registered with authorities and you are subjected to regular inspections. Now if you circumvent the laws as we do here, you are likely to be jailed. Once jailed, your record has "finished" you economically. So, when you hear people say Nigeria is the best country to live do not doubt them.

iv. Nigeria Restructuring:
Today, the cry in the South is that Nigeria should be restructured. Truly, the cry is higher now under Buhari especially because of the defeat of Jonathan and perceived dumping of the Confab report. I am an advocate of a restructured Nigeria. It may seem impossible but I am optimistic that it would happen soon. If not under Buhari, but some days in not-too-distant future, this will be implemented. Much as the North may choose to pretend that the Confab report is rubbish, majority of Nigerians know that this document holds the key to unlocking the great potentials that Nigeria has. With a restructured Nigeria, this nation will be able to tap into the resources that are within our very reach for which oil has beclouded our visions. So, my brethren from across the Niger should rather speak with one voice on restructuring of the nation rather than call for Biafra. Then again, if the centre is made weak as is being suggested, that means each region would fend for themselves. How would the SE survive? Have we thought of that? Because, a restructured Nigeria would give us the opportunity to role-play Biafra. A mock of a sort. Are we going to be looking up to the oil producing communities for money to pay salaries like Okorocha is doing now

v. Oil and Resource Control:
Well, this is by far one of the most over-flogged issue in Nigeria. True that the oil wealth is being shared to some none productive states and the obvious cry would be let us have our oil and gas. I listened to Ben Bruce on his "Hope For Nigeria" story and how he challenged all of us Nigerians, young and old to wake up. He even "drove in" his electric powered car to drive home the fact that oil is fast losing its value. The oil industry is fast losing its relevance in the world. In the past we relied on Coal, where is Coal today? If cars are being powered by Solar energy and batteries, who says that they can increase capacity on other sources of energy? Today, due to environmental degradation, the world is already looking at reducing usage of fossil fuel. What happens to a nation with just oil as her only resource then? So, a hurried Biafra State in the hope of having the oil revenue exclusively to "us" may turn out to be a bad dream or nightmare. Sorry for my choice of words.

vi. Religion-Politics:
I am scared to go into this this because many will call me names. However, just to say that in as much as we fear that the Muslim faith has an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, we Christians should also trust our Bible. Our God called us to go out and win souls unto the Kingdom and that the weapons of our warfare are not canal. So, if the Muslims have such agenda, we have a bigger one which is to preach the Gospel, win back all lost souls and God willing we live in peace. Then again, the issue of Boko Haram comes to the fore. Well, we all know that anything that has a beginning must have an end. I am sure that very soon, this will become a thing of the past so that we can all live together in peace. Again do you know that in some countries with 95% Christians are also bedeviled with "Mafia organizations and gangsterism?' Have you not heard of Italian Mafia or the Mexican Drug rings? Are those not Christians? Truth is that every religion has its own black sheep so you and I have a big job or winning back these souls for Christ. We have to pray for them to repent. Dumb you may say, but it is a time tested dumbness that has worked.

vii. Sincerity and Trust:
We Igbos do not trust ourselves. Much as the Hausa-Fulani may disagree, they would still find time to sit together under whatever guise and produce an arrow-head that the rest of Nigeria will somehow relate with. The same with the Yorubas. They can orchestrate whatever drama, but at the end, they have a leader, accepted or not. Today, when Tinubu or Obj speaks they queue behind him. In the North, when Buhari speaks, the North follow. Who do we have from the East? As the saying goes " ... a rolling stone gathers no moss". So, even in a Biafra republic, the Arochukwu man and the Anambra man would still fight to finish because we do not trust our neighbour. Asaba and/or Kwale man will cry of marginlisation, then I begin to wonder what the Etche, Urhobo, Ijaws and Ibibio would do, that is if they are part of Biafra? it will be a big crisis that why that will be on, the other Nigerians will 'come to help' their brothers and sisters as Russia is helping Cremia and Eastern and southern Ukraine now.

viii. National capacity:
Those advocating for a separate state or Biafra have not fully grasp the capacity constraint in building a new republic. In the first instance, there would be very high economic losses occasioned by displacements and restarting. Take for example a big business like Diamond Bank which by all intent and purpose is seen as an Eastern-Nigerian Bank. How would such an entity survive with closure and refocusing of her business? A severed Nigerian state would be hostile to such a business which may lead to closure. If you replicate this scenario across all businesses owned by Igbos and operating in Nigeria outside of the SE region, you will realize that the attendant losses that would follow such a decision be so colossal that recovery in two decades would be impossible. How about Igbos who own houses in major Nigerian cities? For example, in Abuja, most of the new developments and hotels are owned by Igbos. I guess you may argue, that it is the same like having property or businesses in say Ghana or Benin republic, but hell NO! We are talking of having a property or business in a hostile neighbouring country. It is quite different, no matter what a UN resolution says, UN will not come down to Ifako-Ijaiye for example to mediate. So, in effect most of what the Igbos have acquired in other parts of Nigeria would be practically lost or best case sold for peanuts.

ix. Cultural Integration:
Cultural integration within Nigeria may not have been fully achieved, but we are already getting there. In a new republic, integration is always a big issue. A case in mind is South Sudan. When the struggle for independence was on little did the people envisage the crisis that would follow. After achieving independence came the issue of nation building. As reported "ten thousand people have been killed and more than 1.6 million have been internally displaced since civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013. Ignited by a political struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar, the conflict escalated into ethnic violence". Can a new Biafra afford that? Guess you would think that all Igbos are the same "ethnic group", think again. It is when you get there you will realise that there are several dialectical differences, cultural difference and by extension marginalization stories and requests to be with "kiths and kins" in Nigeria. These shades of "ethnic" differences would naturally stall growth and developments.

x. Infrastructure Decay & Corruption:
Infrastructure-wise, the SE need urgent attention. Good the new governors are coming up, I think that this should be the focus of the Biafra agitators. Aside Governor Chime and what Obaino are doing now in the East, all other governors were busy "doing nothing". I think that these agitators should rather spend their energy in fighting the governors and SE legislators to push for redevelopment of the SE. It is clear that post -70 war SE has not done so much for themselves and FG never made concerted effort to support SE. These agitators should chnnel their agitation to the governors from the SE to show leadership. We all talk of Akpabio's exploit in Akwa-Ibam, Fashola in Lagos and others. What has Okorocha done since coming to office? How about Dr. Orji, Obi and Elechi, etc? What were the impacts of these governors in developing their states? Why have we not questioned them? We are quick to join others to attack Aregbesola (not condoling indolence and rascality though), how about Okorocha who is owing 13 months salaries? We should be agitating for federal institutions that will enable SE grow capacity. We should be talking to FG to rebuild SE following from Civil war destruction. Yes, this is fairer and have basis. If NE can be awarded $2.1M for Boko Haram that was self-inflicted, SE should be looking for help in controlling ravaging erosion.
They are now talking of new refineries, what are we doing to ensure at least one is sited in the East? I am aware of a company that wanted to build a factory in the SE but the prohibitive charges they got from the host government scared them off. How many export-free zones do we have in SE Who cares? Nobody, yet we are crying for Biafra.

I think we need to look inwards for solution to our problems rather than outside.

op just so we don't make identification mistakes, are you ibo or igbo?