The three most popular words in the country right now are restructuring, Biafra and Secession. The country is tethering on an edge and the gun has been loaded, the safety pin has been released, it’s just a matter of time before the bullets go off.
The call for restructuring has grown louder in the last two years mainly by people who have lost out in the power game and some as a campaign tool for 2019. Most of the proponents of restructuring are telling us that’s the magic wand that will solve our problems. Restructure and all our problems will be over, we will be competing with UAE and America and to them, it’s that simple and without restructuring, the country is headed to Armageddon. They argue that when we restructure, we will start producing leaders like Barack Obama, Lee Kuan Yew and Wiston Churchill- it’s that simple.
While this sounds good, the motive for most of the proponents of restructuring is just pure mischief. Most of the people calling for the restructuring of the country are from the south. It is instructive to note that in the 18 years of democracy, the south has held sway for 13 years and in those 13 years, I didn’t hear calls for restructuring, maybe they were whispering it then and now that they are out of power, they are blowing the trumpets.
On the other hand, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar whose middle name is now restructuring, is championing the cause for his 2019 ambition. It’s a given that Atiku will contest the 2019 elections, and as a smart politician, he knows the south is all for restructuring and given that the North is his home base, he is good to go. The last time I checked, Atiku was vice president for eight years and throughout those eight years, restructuring was just a word for him, maybe he has seen the light but rule number one – never trust Nigerian politicians.

On the other hand, I support the devolution of powers to the state. We should have a state police even though most of our rogue governors will abuse the state police. States should negotiate their minimum wage, you don’t expect a state like Lagos and Zamfara to be paying the same minimum wage.

Our problem has never been restructuring, our problem is a leadership problem, when we restructure, we are not bringing angels to govern us, it’s still these same set of Nigerians that will rule. Those who are advocating that we should go back to regions are not just being realistic. This is 2017 and not 1960.

The misconception in the south is that everybody in the North is Hausa – Fulani. It is instructive to note that the Adamawa and Taraba axis have more than 70 tribes, more than the whole of the tribes in the south west and south east put together.  Minority tribes in the North like the Nupe, Igala, Idoma, Tarok, and Jukun will not want to be under any regional government in fact, Idoma people in Benue have not given up on getting their Apa state.
That brings me to the issue of Biafra, the Igbos have been crying of marginalisation since after the civil war. The issue of Biafra was a forgotten issue when Goodluck Azikwe Jonathan, their adopted son was president for almost six years. The economic team of former president Jonathan was practically in the hands of Igbos. When President Muhammadu Buhari came into power, the agitation for Biafra was resurrected. When they were no longer getting a piece of the pie, the calls for Biafra became louder, maybe they were observing table manners during Jonathan’s regime which states ‘don’t talk when you are eating.’


Buhari made the leader of Independent people of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu a hero by arresting and keeping him longer than necessary. If he had been ignored by the authorities, he would not be enjoying his cult-like following now. Prominent south east politicians and leaders are now falling over themselves to identify with Kanu. Someone, obviously a clown, took it to a ridiculous height when he claimed he was healed of stomach pains when he shook hands with Kanu. So, apart from being the new political leader of the south east, he is also the spiritual leader of the region.
Whether you like it or not, he is now the new political leader of the south east in their quest for Biafra. My problem with the agitation is how they are forcing other regions to be part of Biafra, the south south has denied several times that they are not part of Biafra, they are dragging Benue and Kogi States into their new Biafra and with the way they are going, they will soon add Lagos and Abuja to the new Biafra map. The last time I checked, the era of colonialism has ended and you can’t force people to join your agitation. I also believe every region or people has a right to self-determination and there are ways to go about it, issuing threats, blackmail or intimidation will not work.
I am also appalled with the way Kanu has been flouting his bail conditions. He has been daring the federal government, acting as if he can do anything and get away with it.

We are all marginalised, the Idoma have never been the governor of Benue State and feel marginalised by the Tivs, in Kogi, it’s the same problem, if you are not Igala, forget about being the governor. Yahaya Bello, an Igbirra man, became governor by stroke of fate. Since 1999, a Christian has not become the governor of Niger State, even though the state boasts of a sizable number of Christians. So, the same story everywhere, one way or the other, we are all marginalised. Why must the three major tribes – Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba produce the president or the vice president? What stops us from having an Igala, Jukun, Itsekeri, Jabba man as president or vice? The three major tribes are marginalising the minority tribes in Nigeria.

On Tuesday, an obviously idle group called the Arewa Youth group gave the Igbos till October 1 to vacate the North.

According to them, “the persistent actualisation of Biafra by the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria has lately assumed an alarming twist. The new dimension, which involved the call for the forceful lockdown of activities and denying of the right to free movement in south-east by the rebellious Indigenous People of Biafra group, is so disturbingly embarrassing that in our view, calls for a rethink.
The group claims to be speaking for the youths in the north. I am a Northern Youth and they are obviously not speaking for me.

This latest ultimatum brings to the fore the arguments about the unity of Nigeria. I have said it on this page, Nigeria’s unity is a farce. When you read comments by youths on the social media, you will know that the unity of the country is a mirage. Every event is viewed from an ethnic or regional prism, I shudder at the hate and inciting messages on the social media. The social media youth who obviously was not born during the civil war and has not witnessed any war, does not believe in the unity of Nigeria. Nigeria is definitely sitting on a time bomb and it’s ticking fast.


http://leadership.ng/2017/06/09/flashpoint-restructuring-biafra-secession/

The comment below was made by a proud Biafran in the Thisday Newspaper "Comment Column". I found it very educative/interesting, hence I deemed it right to share it here for a wider audience/coverage.

Excerpt:

BY IKEM ONUOHA (Proud Biafran)

"An Igbo man sees the entire world as his village, while an Hausa man sees Kano as the Universe and a Yoruba man sees Lagos as his entire world. Nigeria is just too small to contain the Igbo man’s dreams, aspirations, industry, commerce and expertise. He needs a platform to rule and dominate the entire Universe which is Biafra. He does not really need oil to survive since he does not work in the civil service, public service, or does he constitute the majority of politicians or government contractors but earnestly needs FREEDOM to control his destiny. His dominion is in the area of invention, creativity, industry, development, commerce and the provision of goods and services for the good of mankind and not religious, cultural or political dominion. He has capacity to drive the world technologically like the US, the UK, Russia, France, Germany, China and Israel. An average Igbo man is far better than an average Yoruba or an average Hausa-Fulani: intellectually, economically and industrially, not withstanding his money that Awolowo stole to develop and empower Yoruba land, or his properties that Gowon destroyed and others he dashed out. He carries the blessing of Abraham, Nigeria will remain cursed as she continues to curse and undermine him. The only way Nigeria will see light is by blessing and letting Biafra Go.

The blood of the Igbo man slaughtered by Hausa- Fulani, the blood of the pregnant Igbo woman whose womb was slit open to kill her and the unborn child by Hausa-Fulani, and the cry of the Igbo child starved to death by Yoruba will continue to speak against the Nigeria project. Nigeria is doomed and under a curse, and therefore needs to make atonement, restitution and seek forgiveness from the Igbo man. Hausa-Fulani-Yoruba should bury their faces in shame, how would you explain why an entirely military affair as regards the 1966 coup led to the slaughter of millions of Igbos in Northern Nigeria. What about the massacre of the Igbos in the bloody riots of Jos and Kano in 1945 and 1953 respectively in Northern Nigeria and the cycle of Igbo slaughter ever since then and now crowned by the Boko Haram insurgency. The plotters of the 1966 coup were not all Igbos. Even at that, Nzeogwu did not consult his kith and kin before embarking on the coup? Why should an ordinary Igbo man pay for what was clearly a military rebellion? Several officers of northern origin took part in Nigeria’s first military coup.

The “Igbo coup” tag attached to the assault ignores the fact that scores of northern officers took part in the Lagos operations, and even assisted Nzeogwu when he stormed the residence of the Northern Region’s premier: Ahmadu Bello. Nzeogwu was later to describe the detachment of troops accompanying him to Bello’s house as “a truly Nigerian gathering” (New Nigerian – 18th January 1966). Nzeogwu pointed out that the northern soldiers accompanying him “had the chance to drop out. More than that, they had bullets. They had been issued with bullets but I was unarmed. If they disagreed they could have shot me….most of the Other Ranks were Northerners but they followed”. Among the prominent northern soldiers that helped Nzeogwu to overthrow the Northern Region’s government was John Atom Kpera. Kpera later became the military governor of Benue State. Many of the soldiers that accompanied Major Ifeajuna when he abducted the Prime Minister: Tafawa Balewa, were also northerners. As much as Hausa-Fulani-Yoruba, not withstanding heavy grip on the Nigeria resources, civil service, public service, politics and government contracts etc., decide to remain backwards, being held back by their religion and culture, as much as the Igbo man continues to progress Abrahamically, fearlessly .

The quoted is clear indication that leadership is NOT the problem, NATIONHOOD is.

Nigeria is not a nation. So regardless of how you restructure it, the problem will not end.

The solution os to cobduct a national referendum, and allow all constiruents of Nigeria to determine and asser their prefered national identity.

You cannot force unity on a free human spirit.

This latest ultimatum brings to the fore the arguments about the unity of Nigeria. I have said it on this page, Nigeria’s unity is a farce. When you read comments by youths on the social media, you will know that the unity of the country is a mirage. Every event is viewed from an ethnic or regional prism, I shudder at the hate and inciting messages on the social media. The social media youth who obviously was not born during the civil war and has not witnessed any war, does not believe in the unity of Nigeria. Nigeria is definitely sitting on a time bomb and it’s ticking fast.