Whichever name it goes, and let us put sentiments apart there is injustice in the whole geographical expression call Nigeria. And this cannot be ruled out in any society. People must agitate. Even in our nuclear families we sometimes have members who will agitate or express their dissatisfaction in the way resources or things are shared if such members feel cheated. This is human, it is expected. Even in the spiritual realm there are times when there are resentments and feeling of disaffection.

Tracing the history of Nigeria sociopolitical problem, Hausa will tell you that Ndi Igbo started the whole trouble of Nigeria today by the coup of January 1966 killing mostly Hausa and few Yoruba top military officers and politicians. Ask Igbo man, he will be quick to tell you that Yoruba conspired with Hausa to fight the Biafra war against them, killing millions of their sons and daughters; and devastating their land. A Yoruba man will tell you with all convictions that Hausa and Igbo deliberately frustrated Awolowo politically and jail him to halt the economic and socio-development of the Yoruba nation immediately after the Independent.

The counter claims and charges has been going on for many years now among the major tribes in Nigeria. Whatever any of them claimed, no one is absolutely right or wrong, they have simply refused to reason together and channel a new course for the future. None of these three major tribes has ever accepted responsibility for whatever role (s) it has played in the problem facing Nigeria today.

Even the colonial subjugator, our over-lord master, the so call “Great Britain” who foisted us together as a nation for their selfish reason, has never for once show any serious commitment to the peaceful coexistence and the prosperity of our nation. They, as always, will provide shelter for our looted funds and greedy politicians. In the time of the nation’s danger they will come around during the day to give aids and war relief materials. And in the night, they will sell their ammunition to us. They are ever ready and handy to help us to kill ourselves whenever there is internal tumor in our country, of which they will later shield crocodile tear to deceive the world that they care for us. Of course, they never wish us to have peace, they never wish us to develop and they never wish us to be truly independent. I do wonder why some among us believe that this people are our friend and they will help them in their agitation for freedom.

Nigeria is not the only country with many tribes and ethics in the world. Indian has about 645 major tribes and countless ethics nationalities. Russia is another country with over 185 ethnic groups. China has about 104 million minority people of 56 ethics groups. Yet, these countries, still leave together in harmony, they keep striving and keep achieving. They have internal imbalances, they sometimes have political friction just like us, but they look inward to solve their problem. In Nigeria today, there are so much tribal hatred, resentments and vendettas. Old wounds have refused to get healed yet we are harnessing our physical and materials resources to bruise ourselves the more and creating new wounds. Honestly, this will not lead us to anywhere now or in future. In his popular book, Petals of Blood, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, asked rhetorically that “Petals of blood, what fruits shall it bear?”. I do often ask myself, these petals of hatred that are being nurtured daily in Nigeria, what fruits will they bear for us and our unborn children?

In a big family, there must be problems and resentments but separation is not the solution. Even in the US today, Texas is agitating to exit the union albeit with forceless effort. Even if Igbo leave Nigeria today what is the guarantee that there will be no raucous in the next few years in their dreamland of Biafra? I am sure Southern Sudan never foresaw what they are going through now when they agitated for dismemberment of the old Sudan. I always use my state as a prism in which I view the political incoherence bandwagon of Nigeria. Ekiti is about the only homogeneous state in Nigeria today, but the recent happenings show that the South Senatorial district are agitating for settlement of sort, the politicians from the district are saying it is their time to produce the Governor of the state come 2018, having being "marginalized" for so long. In Oyo state, governorship position is determined and won by whoever secured the majority votes in Oke-ogun, surprisingly, that area of the state has never produced the state governor not even in the time of old Oyo state. These people are agitating time and time over time.

Apart from selfish reasons, breaking always is not the solution to Biafra agitation. I would have love my Ibo brethren to sit down and do a reality and holistic analysis of the immediately and remote effects of this agitation. They might not have yet see the big picture of what they are doing or what they are asking for now until much later. In most agitations, 80% of people agitating don’t really understand the core motive of their agitation except the doming placed before them by the so call leaders, whereas these leaders have their ulterior motives for such agitation. I am sure 80% of Biafra foot soldiers and agitators are just enjoying themselves with the fun of this agitation. They don’t really have anything to lose if war break out today. One thing I know is that Nigeria will not allow the Biafra to go just like that. Like most breakaways (only few are peaceful), there will be war. So, the call for the beloved Republic of Biafra is a call for war and a death knell for that matter. And from every indication, the war drum is being beaten from both sides.

I want the two sides to know this, and truth must be told, this issue of UNO this, America that will not help. The so much cherished and trusted international collaboration, support and friendship will not work, it has never work for any warring nation. A country at war with itself will suffer the consequent alone. Awolowo said in one of his books that I read long time ago that “America has no permanent friend, wherever they sink their dollars that is where their interest is and for Britain, they don’t have principle of their own, wherever America goes, there they go”. Thinking America, Britain, France or China will come and fight on the side of Biafra or Nigeria will be a miscalculation, history has proven over and over again that miscalculation either politically, economically, operationally or strategically is the fatal mistake of war proponents. I beseech us all, let us quickly mend our leaking hut now before the rain begin to fall with forceful torrents.

The issue of IPOB or MASSOB is not about those individuals leading the group. It is not about Kanu or any other person. It is not even about declaring IPOB as a terrorist organization or not. It is not about proscription or not. It not about hates speech or love speech. It is not about Hausa hate Ibo or Yoruba love Hausa. All these are symptoms of Nigeria Sickness. Symptoms that are telling us that something is fundamental wrong with this geographical expression call Nigeria. This sickness is not yet a terminal sickness if we can cure it on time, with correct diagnoses or prognoses and with correct proscriptions.

We need to sit down and find solutions to our structural imbalance even if not completely but at least let us start from somewhere. Nigeria is such a populous nation and we have integrated so much in terms of interpersonal, socio-economic and socio-religious relationships and many other things has bounded us so tightly together. I doubt if there is any Nigerian that does not have good Hausa, Ibo or Yoruba friend(s). Have we really think of what will happen to our lives if we suddenly part ways now? I think we need to look at the whole issue with a deeper and reflective insight. This parochial and unnecessarily sentiments may not help us to solve our collective problem on time. It is far reasonable to reason now before it will become too late to see reason why we should have reason together.

Michael Adebayo
Lagos.

Agitate all you want, but don't be divisive, a troublemaker, a hate monger, a war monger or a terrorist.

MalcoImX:
Agitate all you want, but don't be divisive, a troublemaker, a hate monger, a war monger or a terrorist.

Agitation is for separation. Call it divisive or hateful, separation tends to contradict the status-quo.

make sense..

the spirit is alive.

Dedetwo:


Agitation is for separation. Call it divisive or hateful, separation tends to contradict the status-quo.

Separation for or from what? You're running from no one but yourself. When you have peace within, you're at peace with everything.