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GIVE UP THE ILLUSION OF BIAFRA AND EMBRACE THE REALITY OF ALAIGBO

By Ozodiobi Osuji

For a long time I could not quite understand why some Igbos cling to the name Biafra. They have been told that it derives from a Portuguese village and, as such, it is insulting for a people to name themselves by a village in Portugal. That notwithstanding they still call themselves Biafra as in the group MASSOB. Finally, I understand why these folks cling to that illusion.

They actually hope that when Nigeria breaks up that what was called Eastern region of Nigeria would reconstitute their hoped for Biafra. They actually believe that Ijaw and Efik folks would go along with them in their new Biafra and that they would then lord it over the Ijaws and Efiks and steal their oil resources as the current Nigerian state is doing.

Look, Eastern Nigeria was put together by the British; it did not exist before the British. Ijaw and Efik folk want to be independent of Igbos and therefore when Nigerian breaks up, as it is speeding towards, there will be an Alaigbo Republic, an Ijawland Republic and an Efik land republic. This is realism; at no time in the former Eastern Nigeria did Ijaw and Efik folk profess liking for Igbos and certainly would not do so in the future (the past is a prelude to the present and future; you know what people will do in the future by observing their past and present behaviors).

Let me put it bluntly; Igbos should give up the childish hope that they would have Ijaw and Efik in their country for those want nothing to do with them. Realism is dealing with the world as it is not as you want it to be. Minority groups in the former Eastern Nigeria hate Igbos more than other Nigerians do; they want nothing to do with Igbos and Igbos have to deal with that reality.

Therefore Igbos must eschew the term Biafra and start calling themselves Igbos and their country Alaigbo. This is their reality unless of course they are ashamed of the term Alaigbo and want to employ a Portuguese term instead of their African name (in which case they are proud of white terms while talking rubbish about self-love).

THE CULTURAL GAP BETWEEN IGBOS AND HAUSAS ARE NOT BRIDGABLE

The recent bombing of Christian churches in Northern Nigeria has finally told me that the cultural differences between Igbos and Hausas are vast for them to stay in the same country. We cannot bridge the cultural chasm between us and Hausas and therefore must work to separate from each other.

Why should we stay together, anyway, to enable Hausas have access to oil from the Niger Delta? If there was no oil in the Delta, if that oil was in the north I bet you that the Hausas would have long ago separated from Nigeria. They want to stay in Nigeria not because they love other Nigerians but because they want to have access to their resources. That is not exactly sufficient reason to maintain the country so let us work for mutual separation.

IGBO INDIVIDUALISM HANDICAPS IT AT WAR

The Igbos have a disadvantage: their culture teaches self-centeredness (aka primitive individuation); each of them looks after his self-interests and could care less for others interests. They even use each other to attain their goals of self-aggrandizement. Because they do not have a sense of oneness and do not work for their common good other people, those who work for their group, will be able to defeat Igbos at war any day. Hausas tend to work for the group; the individual Hausa subordinates his self to the Hausa group and to his over lord; therefore, they make good soldiers.

Because of their wild individualism, Igbos can be easily defeated in any war; therefore, they ought to start consciously socializing their children to identify with all of Alaigbo and work for Igbo common goals, not their present narcissistic individual goals that make them vulnerable to others attack and defeat. Beyond talking big (Mba onu) Igbos are easily defeated by well organized groups. We must accept this weakness and work to transform it to strength.

Warrior groups like Germans have the ability to subordinate their individual existence to the service of their group; they die for their group. When the national anthem of Germany plays something happens in their psyche, they fall in line and want to fight and die for the father land. The same thing happens to the English, French and Russians.

Igbos? They have no sense of nationhood; each of them believes that his world begins and ends in his village. This is pathetic and must be changed; they must be taught to work for the Igbo group, to fight and die for it. Igbos must consciously build nationalism, a nation with capital at Owerri and encompasses all Alaigbo from Port Harcourt to Agbo. They must be prevented from their tendency to make their village the center of Igbo land (such as the idiocy that Nri is the center of Igbo…that nonsense must be knocked down, the sooner the better).

WHAT ARE THE IGBO GOING TO DO ABOUT BOKO HARAM?

Last night someone posted the list of those killed during the Christmas day massacre in the North. I scrolled down the list and noticed that most of the diseased were Igbos. So, Boko Haram targeted an Igbo church and killed the folks, eh? This is, objectively speaking, a declaration of war on Igbos.

So, what are the Igbos going to do about it, I mean the killing of their kinsmen in the North? They are going to do nothing; that is correct; they are going to do nothing.

You see, Igbos believe that if they talked big (as we say in Owerri, Mbaonu that is tough talking) that they have scarred you, made their point and that you would see them as tough and powerful and avoid them. Poor souls, powerful persons do not talk loudly, they act. A really tough person will keep quiet as you insult him and eventually come at you and put bullets into your freaking head and put you out of your miserable existence. Those who talk as if they are invincible are generally cowards; they are dogs that bark too much and do not bite.

Igbos are not going to go to the North and seek revenge, as they should if they were real men. Instead, they would come to the safe atmosphere of the Internet and talk as if they have all the power in the world to do anything. They cannot do anything.

And as I pointed out to them the white man considers Africans as monkeys in clothes, folks who have contributed nothing to science and technology and therefore is not going to send his children to go die in Africa trying to protect Africans. If Hausas start killing Igbos the most that the world could do is talk about it but would do nothing. May be after a year of this idle talking the United Nations would pass a useless resolution condemning the killing. With a bit more pressure the UN would ask some African countries to provide peace keeping troops to go protect Igbos (by which time a few million Igbos would already have died).

And the troops would mostly be Muslims. As they are now doing in East Congo, they would come to rape both boys and girls (that is how depraved the African is). The peace keepers would finish Igbos off rather than protect them.

The white man does not share Igbos delusion that they have worth and therefore would not come to their rescue if they are killed by their equally useless Africans. We know the groups that contribute to science and technology (Jews, English, French, Germans) and those are the groups the International community would be interested in protecting.

These are the facts starring us in the face and instead of facing them some crazy Igbos come to the public square and talk as if they are willing to match their tough talk with action. No, they always seek personal gains and do not sacrifice for the collective Igbo welfare. You hear the fools talk tough but when war comes the Anambrah folks would run away and leave it to the real Igbos, Owerri folks, to go do the fighting.

These people are disgusting. If they are not contemptible let them organize and go up north and go avenge the killing of their people. That is how real men behave. If you attacked members of my family I would come at you and do so until you are dead. I take no prisoners. What are people living for, anyway? They are animals so sending them to their maker would not disturb my sleep, not one bit.

I am still awaiting Igbo vengeance for the killing of their fellow Igbos in the North. (And for the life of me what the hell are Igbos doing in Northern Nigeria; is the 1960s massacre not enough feedback as to how Hausas see them? I would not live in the north, not even if I am given the entire world. One cannot live with barbarians who upon the slightest provocation pick up machetes and start slashing at whoever is around them; all Igbos should leave the north and try to develop some Igbo towns into cities, say, transform Owerri and Onitsha into megacities of over five million persons each; they should stop running to other folks towns and not develop their own towns; in fact, it is now time to start talking about how to restructure Nigeria; the Nigerian state is an artificial construct and ought to be put to rest).

PS: The few ideas contained in this paper are rooted in political realism. Many of the Igbos that I know tend to operate out of political idealism. Given their wild eyed idealism they would not immediately grasp the wisdom of this paper. Instead, they would engage in their habitual name calling, their childish putting folks down as if in doing so they have won the argument. You do not win any one over to your side by insulting him; in fact, you alienate those you insult and if they are vengeful they would work for your down fall.


Ozodi Osuji Ph.D
Ozodi Thomas Osuji is from Imo State, Nigeria. He obtained his PhD from UCLA. He taught at a couple of Universities and decided to go back to school and study psychology. Thereafter, he worked in the mental health field and was the Executive Director of two mental health agencies. He subsequently left the mental health environment with the goal of being less influenced by others perspectives, so as to be able to think for himself and synthesize Western, Asian and African perspectives on phenomena. Dr Osuji’s goal is to provide us with a unique perspective, one that is not strictly Western or African but a synthesis of both. Dr Osuji teaches, writes and consults on leadership, management, politics, psychology and religions. Dr Osuji is married and has three children; he lives at Seattle, Washington, USA.

The assumption is finally proven right. Wow, Nigerians from some region are really cowards. seriously? una have to create an Igbo name just to write whatever you wish. Not even bold enough to use their actual name. Mr.Osuji of Imo state indeed yet they wonder why people call them cowards.

Very Pathetic indeed!!!! Wow

One_Naira:

The assumption is finally proven right. Wow, Nigerians from some region are really cowards. seriously? una have to create an Igbo name just to write whatever you wish. Not even bold enough to use their actual name. Mr.Osuji of Imo state indeed yet they wonder why people call them cowards.

Very Pathetic indeed!!!! Wow

u are the one that is pathetic. that cant even do basic research.

Nke wu ezioikwu n'ife niile idere bu na Biafra anago. Anyi na-akwadozi maka nweruonwe ala Igbo anyi.

Igbo kwenu!