₦airaland Forum

RosaConsidine:
It seems like, of late, I have been running into (and reading) too many articles about Biafra. Maybe it's because of the continued incarceration of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu (which I think the Nigerian Federal Government has to fix as soon as possible) or just because the question of Biafra has loomed large in various stages of my life so far - especially considering I'm a Nigerian Igbo man. Let me just right out say (for the benefit of those who don't like reading long articles) that I'm not in support of a Biafra. And for those who are patient enough to read and comprehend before responding, here are my reasons why:Read more…

1) THERE IS NO PLAN FOR BIAFRA: It's funny how I hear a lot of Igbo people talk about Biafra and how wonderful it would be and how much better than Nigeria it would be - but not a lot of people exactly know what it would be, how it would run, the system of government it would adopt, how it would manage its resources and generate revenue - in essence, all it's plans for the present and the future. Even those I've engaged to tell me exactly what the plan for Biafra is have not been able to come up with one largely unified blueprint for a country they are clamouring about. And that's the absolute worst way to run a country. Why? Because the leaders would run the country whichever way they see fit because even the citizens don't know how it should be run. Anyone knows this is not a good idea because it would lead to a pseudo-authoritarian state where the leaders' words are law because they make the rules and not the people.

Also, it's funny to think that we, the Igbo people have not come together to agree on what we want for ourselves, how we want to achieve it and within what time frame we hope to achieve those goals. We just want a country first before thinking of how that country would actually work. You know who else did that? South Sudan. See how well it turned out for them. The country is still mired in strife and conflict IN SPITE of getting the secession they clamoured for - because they never agreed on what exactly their country would be and how it would run. This is like a child seeing a toy in a supermarket and asking its parents to buy it without knowing exactly what the toy is supposed to do. However, unlike the child and the toy, the handing a people a country they haven't properly planned for is way costlier and has way more lasting consequences.

https://anigerianrealist./2017/04/21/why-i-think-a-biafra-may-not-work-at-least-not-right-now/

RosaConsidine:
2) "BIAFRANS" ARE STILL, ESSENTIALLY, NIGERIANS: At times I hear people talk about Nigeria and Biafra like we across the Niger act differently from those on the other side. Igbo people act just like every other Nigerian. We celebrate riches even if the rich person is extremely mediocre at the expense of true skill and achievement. We are corrupt just like every other Nigerian. We like to cut corners same as our fellow Nigerians. We do not actively engage our government to keep it accountable - just like all Nigerians. Why do we suddenly think that with a Biafra, all these traits would disappear and we would be patriotic, united Biafrans. The fact is that whatever problems Nigeria is facing would definitely creep into Biafra because we Igbo people still have this essentially "Nigerian" mindset. If we have shown ourselves to be entirely uniquely different from other Nigerians, then I would say we legitimately have a case for our own country - but that's not the case. We are the same as everyone else. Being Igbo does not make us magically better than the Hausas, Yorubas, Fulanis and other tribes that make up this entity called Nigeria. We have Igbos who have made a name for themselves in their various fields and are trailblazers. You know what? There are also Yorubas and Hausas and people from all the other tribes that are equally distinguished in their field so those making the argument that we Igbos are better than the other tribes need to come up with a better argument. And that brings me to my next point:


3: WE HAVE BASICALLY NOT DONE BETTER IN OUR REGION: For the Christians; remember the parable of the talents - where the master said "because you have been prudent with little, I will set you over much more"? Well, Ndigbo, let's present our report card: what have we done with what we have been given? It is funny how some people are insistent on blaming "marginalisation" for the current state of Igboland. Is it people from other tribes that have been our leaders since the return to civilian rule? Isn't it our fellow Igbo men and women who have occupied offices in our state and local governments and represented us at the state and national assemblies? What have they done for us? What have we done for ourselves? We would have a solid argument for our country if we had transformed it into a hub of innovation, creativity and productivity. But instead, we choose to blame the federal government year in, year out for marginalising us when it is our very own regional leaders that are looting us dry. You see a state government road in an utter state of disrepair and the governor would be crying for federal intervention. For what again? What have our state governors and state houses of assembly done to provide affordable health care, clean water, affordable and quality education, affordable housing, a good intra-state transport system and all the other amenities that are their primary responsibilities? Nothing! But ask them why and the next thing you hear is marginalisation. Who is marginalising who? As far as I know, the South Eastern states aren't being denied Federal allocations. Neither are we denied representation at the houses of assembly. Nor are we denied leaders from amongst themselves to lead us at state and local levels. These three alone should be enough for any people that are committed to building a productive and rewarding society for themselves. But we haven't done anything with them. What makes us think we would fare better on our own when in our small way, we can't take care of our responsibilities. Come on!

https://anigerianrealist./2017/04/21/why-i-think-a-biafra-may-not-work-at-least-not-right-now/

RosaConsidine:
If someone gave you a badly damaged car but after analysis you realize that the car can still work completely fine if you fix it, would you throw away the car saying "why would this person give me a bad car? Let me go and buy my own car" when you know you don't have the resources to buy your own car or that the car you would buy might not be as good as the one you were given and it would cost more and take longer for you to get a new car?





This is laughable. It is simply a recipe for failure. It's like a student saying "let me register for JAMB first, then i'll start reading my books". Countries don't work that way. We have to first ask ourselves amongst ourselves "what do we want for our country? How do we want to run it? Who will our allies be? What will drive our economy? What will we do to make sure we don't repeat the mistakes that brought Nigeria to where it is now?" and all such pertinent questions before clamoring for a secession. This failure to plan will only result in the failure of Biafra which would end up being costlier than Nigeria's current failures.




Well we aren;t doing a good job of jettisoning all these so-called Nigerian values now that we are still a part of Nigeria and if we aren;t different now, they will also become Biafran values in Biafra. It's not Yorubas or hausas or fulanis that are perpetrating the corruption that goes on in the South East - it's our fellow Igbo men and women. We are equally complicit in the failure of the Nigerian project but when clamoring for secession, we claim saintliness. Even Ojukwu who led us into civil war and went into exile returned to run for the Nigerian presidency. If he believed wholeheartedly in Biafra, then under no circumstance would he run for Nigerian presidency. Just imagine if Nnamdi Kanu were to be released from his unlawful incarceration and then decides to run for the Nigerian presidency? What would that tell you about his agitation for Biafra? We also need to ask those selling us the Biafra what their true motives and intents are else we would just be led like sheep not knowing what we are doing or why but following anyway.



Scotland has done well enough for itself as a part of the UK so if they say they can do much better as a sovereign entity, they have a pretty good case. The baltic countries are a lesson in how not to take off to build your own house when you don't even know what it will look like. A lot of Eastern European countries are still struggling with underdevelopment as evidenced by the high rate of emigration by their nationals to other countries. The more ironic part is that despite them being sovereign countries, Russia still wields overwhelming influence over them, their economic activities and their political life. The Russia they were running away from IS STILL WITH THEM because they didn't chart their future outside the USSR before its breakup.



My brother, let's face it, Biafra is mainly an Igbo thing. The South Southerners consider themselves NigerDeltans, not Biafrans. Their language and culture is remarkably different and distinct from ours. Roping them into project Biafra just amounts to Nigeria all over again.

We may not all need to speak with one voice but we need to have a general consensus about our future - which we don't. We are still very fragmented and right now, we are murmuring different things so what the rest of Nigeria hears is incoherent noise with Biafra mentioned here and there. That's not good enough. History has provided us with ample examples that we need to learn from instead of trying to learn on the fly. If Nigeria were working as it should, do you think there would be a clamor for a secession? I strongly doubt it - which is why I see Biafra as being a fantasy to many people disillusioned with the current Nigeria.

RosaConsidine:
4) BUT IGBOS ARE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS! NO - ALL COMMON NIGERIANS ARE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS: I have heard this line by so many people clamouring for Biafra: "Igbos are treated as second-class citizens in our own country. We aren't respected or given positions of authority or management just because of our tribe. Why should we stay in a country where we are not equal to every other person?". This is patently not true. You know what determines how you are treated in this country? How rich you are, your connections and how well you can ingratiate yourself with whoever you are dealing with. An Igbo man with connections has as much opportunities as any other Nigerian citizen with connections - same as an ordinary Yoruba or Hausa man would be denied those opportunities if they don't have the right connections like an ordinary Igbo man. They say it like the elite in this country think "Oh, he has connections but he is Igbo. Let's deny him opportunities." Hah! If you have the right connect in this country, you can get anywhere and do anything regardless of your religion or tribe. The funny fact is that most of the people being treated as second-class citizens in Nigeria would still be treated as second class citizens in Biafra.

"So how come Igbos aren't appointed or elected into positions of power or influence?". Well that's my next point:

5) WE STILL DON'T SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE: It might interest you to know that while the IPOB is the current trending Biafra secession advocacy group right now, MASSOB still very much exists. Remember MASSOB, that was led by Ralph Uwazuruike who had his own fair share of run-ins with the Nigerian Government? That group still exists - and if you consider what both groups are clamouring for, you would find that getting a Biafra may be their only common ground. Asides that, they differ on ideology, method, approach and every other thing that would have made them more formidable as a united group. Wasn't there even a splinter IPOB group not too long ago with it's own leaders and agendas? The South Eastern part of Nigeria suffers "marginalisation" because we are so fragmented. The fact is that at the Nigerian table, there is only one slot for each region. Multiple slots would not be created for diverse groups from the same region. Even our politics tells this story of unhappy disunity. Before the formation of the APC, the South West was predominantly ACN led by Chief Bola Tinubu while the North was largely CPC under the leadership of current president Muhammadu Buhari. Both leaders realised that they had a better chance of unseating the PDP led previous government by merging and even expanding their reach in their respective regions - which is what they did and the rest is history. The South East? Till now, we are not even sure what party speaks for the South East: PDP? It's not like Igbos exactly got the juiciest of government appointments in the party. APGA? A party that has been on a downward spiral for quite some time now and is only clinging to life in Anambra state. The South East is the only region in Nigeria that has three different parties shared amongst the state governments - the other regions are either PDP or APC. This is indicative of a fractious region that struggles to speak with one voice so that it can be heard.

RosaConsidine:
6) BIAFRA IS MAINLY JUST AN ESCAPIST FANTASY FOR DISILLUSIONED IGBO NIGERIANS: I shared a story on this Nairaland thread about my experience in a danfo bus in Lagos. the driver was an Igbo man and he got into an argument with a passenger, a Yoruba man. After the passenger alighted, I heard the driver muse that he was only taking "this nonsense" because he's still in Nigeria and that once a Biafra is actualised, he wouldn't even be anywhere near Lagos. I was quite frankly amused. What makes him think he would be any better than a bus driver in Biafra? Does he think that he would magically become a senator or an industry captain in Biafra, just because he's an Igbo man? And it became obvious to me that a fair number of those calling for Biafra are disillusioned with the current state of Nigeria and fantasize about instead being citizens of a country that actually works and the most realistic chance of that happening for most is Biafra. They forget that there is no assurance that Biafra would be a better country than Nigeria. Isn't it funny that most Igbos who have become citizens of other countries aren't/have stopped clamouring for Biafra? It's largely because their personal fantasy of not being citizens of an underdeveloped, corruption-ridden country has been realised - thus no more need for Biafra. If they were so personally invested in the Biafra project, don't you think they would be here, fighting the cause instead of taking up foreign nationalities and going silent?

This is just the first part. I would outline them all out but I really need to get some sleep. I'm not saying that the call for a Biafra is invalid, so those that think I'm just opposing their views or plans should not get me wrong. I am just saying that with the way things are right now and with the fact that we haven't really considered the implications of a sudden split, a Biafra would just not work right now.

https://anigerianrealist./2017/04/21/why-i-think-a-biafra-may-not-work-at-least-not-right-now/

RosaConsidine:
Right now, I am not in support of Biafra because we the Igbo people have not done the required minimum to show we are willing to create a country that will work. Using an analogy, one quite familiar to Ndiigbo, before an apprentice can be put in charge of his master's shop, he has to show that he can manage it well while tge master is around. As "apprentices", we have failed to show ourselves worthy in managing the resources we have available to us in our own corner of the Nigerian "shop". If anything, we are equally complicit in the failure of the Nigerian project. You think it's just people on the other side of the Niger that are corrupt? Have we looked at our own regional leaders? What have they done to create a land of equal opportunities for Igbo men and women? How have they (and we) managed the resources at our disposal. I ma mmadu permeates Igboland just like it does the whole country. Why do we think that would suddenly change with Biafra?

Before we can call for Biafra, we have to show ourselves as essentially distinct from other Nigerians because right now, all that differentiates us from the others is our language. We engage in corrupt practices like the rest of them, we don't hold our leaders accountable like the rest of them. Everyday we prove ourselves to be as Nigerian as the Hausa or Yoruba man. First we need a change of mindset, a change of approach to governance, government and society, we need a unifying ideology of what it would mean to be Biafran - not the various contradictory ideologies being floated by different pro-Biafra groups. We need to plan for the country we want to have because failure to plan first is basically just putting the cart before the horse.

inkon:
If you deny yourself everything, don't let truth be one of them.

Obdk:
[s][/s]

Wen afonjas remember Biafrans will go and leave dem wit hausa fulani

RosaConsidine:
Yhhh, if you think you've found someone to play a pointless game of throwing insults with you, you'll have to keep looking. I'm not that childish. Those I will respond to from here on are those with reasonable rebuttals not people that have no point to make yet want to shout from the rafters.

Have a wonderful day. At least you've been noticed.

shadeyinka:
Check out South Sudan.

What will you consider as their problem. They also have plenty crude oil and gas


That's what happens when the fundermental are ignored and emotions rule

RosaConsidine:
Yhhh, if you think you've found someone to play a pointless game of throwing insults with you, you'll have to keep looking. I'm not that childish. Those I will respond to from here on are those with reasonable rebuttals not people that have no point to make yet want to shout from the rafters.

Have a wonderful day. At least you've been noticed.

RosaConsidine:
I wasn't referring to Biafra as a presently existing entity but as a possible future entity and whenever I allude to the failure of Biafra, it's as a future possibility not certainty. That's for the purpose of clarity. For instance I have said if we do not rid ourselves of some of the mindsets, behaviours and characteristics that have brought Nigeria to it's current state, then if we carry those same things into Biafra, we're almost certain to end up in the same situation Nigeria is. It's basically doing things the same way _ you can only expect the same results.

As for what makes a successful nation, on one hand, it's not what this article is about and on the other, it is so,ething that is evident to anyone that bothers to observe. A successful nation is one where the people consistently strive to rise above their differences to achieve a common goal. As I've mentioned before, no nation of people is completely homogeneous. There will always be dividing factors. You want to split Nigeria along cultural lines? Even within the divisions, there are further subdivisions you can find - like religion, political ideology, language and dialect, even food and personal and individual tastes.

In a successful country, these differences are played down and instead what we share are accentuated - common values that are aimed at creating a society that's beneficial to all citizens. What do we have in common in Nigeria? We all, regardless of tribe, religion and political affiliation, want a country that everything works, that social amenities are provided by the government, that cost of living is low and standard of living high. Being in a country where we just share language and culture won't give us that. We need a change of mentality about our approach to government and society. When we adopt proper values and ideas, it won't matter whether we are still part of or outside Nigeria - we would have a successfull country.

Antivirus92:
The op is as useless as his thread....
It beats my imagination how a supposed intellect will condemn outrightly something he has never seen or tasted,somewhere he has never been to. And scumbags like him are praising him....


He claims Igbo but could not hide his dislike for Igbo's.....

It's a simple logic, Nigeria is doomed...


only myopic people still see hope in Nigeria


things were bad in 1960, worse in 1980, worst in 2000 and still deteriorating with each second of the day


The worst is that there is no trace of hope at sight...


Even the pro biafrans are not sure of what an actualized Biafra will look like but the difference between them and op is that they are not afraid to take up a new challenge. Only the weak does that...

There is nothing worse to be seen anywhere that we've not seen in Nigeria. Be it hunger,discrimination, hatred, poverty etc.


Igbo's are in malawi,Congo,Gabon etc and are still doing fine. These are countries worse than Nigeria in all aspect of life. And we all know that Biafra can never be worse than these countries.

Bevista:
I will refrain from making a contribution to the Biafra discussion, but I must observe that you are incredibly matured, intelligent, articulate and well-read. I wish we could have more of such discussions on NL covering all topics (politics, economics, sports, etc) rather than the infantile tantrums (afonja, ipob, zombie, wailer, etc) being thrown on the forum everyday.

Reading your submissions is really quite refreshing. Folks like you are proof that all hope is not lost for Nigeria (or Biafra).

Curlieweed:
Even if Biafra will be worse than those countries, we will love her all the same. Monkey no fine but him mama like am.

The first point the guy made is almost hilarious, "there is no post-independence plan". This is like asking a man who is saving and scrimping to buy a plot of land, how come he doesn't have a building plan yet. The poor guy will be bewildered. Like WTF! Does he know if the land will be triangular,a square, a rhombus or what? He just wants to get his own freaking land and then he can plan with what he gets.

Moreover plans are overrated, anyway. Like Mike Tyson said, "everyone has a plan until they're punched in the face". Like any general or entrepreneur will tell you few plans survive first contact with the enemy (reality). The Soviet Union had meticulous 5 years plans but today they have collapsed. The US, by contrast had no such nonsense and today they are sole world power.

The other point he seems to have made is the one about corruption. Again the issue of corruption in Nigeria is very misunderstood. On the one hand, there are numerous rapidly developing countries with very high levels of corruption (China is a prime example). On the other hand, the scale and pervasive nature of the corruption in Nigeria is also the symptom of a deeper issue. Namely, a general lack of ownership. No one sees the country as their own. This is classic case of the Tragedy of the Commons (The tragedy of the commons is an economic theory of a situation within a shared-resource system where individual users acting independently according to their own self-interest behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling that resource through their collective action). This also explains why there is no emotional investment in the country .This also the reason why volunteer professional soldiers of a national army regularly run in the face of resistance from ragtag insurgents. No one wants to give their lives for a meaningless diagram on a map.

By contrast, Biafra will be owned by the people. I am happy that the movement is truly grassroots. It's bottoms up. There is an emotional investment in it and people are ready and are willingly making the ultimate sacrifice for it. That in my opinion is the key ingredient that makes Biafra vastly superior to any thing this current abomination will have to offer.

RosaConsidine:
My dear, in spite if what my profile says, I have been on Nairaland for a very long time. It wasn't always this emotional, shocking and basic. There was once a time matured discourse was the norm and immature tantrums were the exception; when even if emotions ran high, people were still civilized, coherent, rational and logical, not this childish emotion that pervades the forum today. I guess those who wanted reasonable discussions realized there was no space for them anymore and left. Those if us that are left behind try our best but a tree doesn't a forest make.

RosaConsidine:
You may be right about some of the minority tribes that make up the South South being tired of Nigeria but neither are they clamoring for a Biafra. They don't see themselves as Biafrans as they consider themselves NigerDeltans. The original Biafra idea may not have been about Igbos alone but right now, both we Igbos and non-Igbos consider Biafra a primarily Igbo project.

You think Igbos, Hausas and Yorubas can't live together? Are you for real? Some of us have theae views go abroad and live in peace and harmony with complete strangers, we become law-abiding, we pay taxes and we contribute to the development of the society but we come back to Nigeria and suddenly, we can't live with our neighbors that we have more in common with than those in Europe, Asia and America? Come on!

You have bought into this lie that our regional leaders have sold and keep selling us that we cannot live together in peace and harmony and build a united, developed country. These same leaders relate very well with each other, regardless of tribe, religion or political affiliation then tell us we can't do the same amongs ourselves and we are buying it wholesale.

omenkaLives:
First time in loooooonng time, i have to follow someone who didn't first follow me (yes, I'm proud like that) .

Youve got the type of mind I'm looking for on this forum.

RosaConsidine:
Plans are overrated? Really? Would you give your child that advice - to just "wing it" through life? If plans only survive first contact with the enemy, it's because plans are made to be reviewed and adjusted as necessary to reflect changes in conditions and reality.

You seem to have this idea that Biafra would succeed because the majority of the people speak one language and have a common cultural heritage. Do I need to give you examples if countries around the world that fit this bill and are still mired in underdevelopment and corruption? Doesn't that tell you that those aren't intrinsic to the success of a nation and it's development?

omenkaLives:
First time in loooooonng time, i have to follow someone who didn't first follow me (yes, I'm proud like that) .

Youve got the type of mind I'm looking for on this forum.

RosaConsidine:
You may be right about some of the minority tribes that make up the South South being tired of Nigeria but neither are they clamoring for a Biafra. They don't see themselves as Biafrans as they consider themselves NigerDeltans. The original Biafra idea may not have been about Igbos alone but right now, both we Igbos and non-Igbos consider Biafra a primarily Igbo project.

You think Igbos, Hausas and Yorubas can't live together? Are you for real? Some of us have theae views go abroad and live in peace and harmony with complete strangers, we become law-abiding, we pay taxes and we contribute to the development of the society but we come back to Nigeria and suddenly, we can't live with our neighbors that we have more in common with than those in Europe, Asia and America? Come on!

You have bought into this lie that our regional leaders have sold and keep selling us that we cannot live together in peace and harmony and build a united, developed country. These same leaders relate very well with each other, regardless of tribe, religion or political affiliation then tell us we can't do the same amongs ourselves and we are buying it wholesale.

RosaConsidine:
Having and retaining these cultural norms and working together to build a successful, developed nation are not mutually exclusive. These cultural norms are not what develops a nation, else Igboland would be a paradise right now since according to fellow Igbos, our culture and tradition just naturally makes us better than other tribes. But in real life, we can see that is not the case because Igboland is as lacking in infrastructure and basic social amenities as the rest of Nigeria. A different poster asked why Lagos has to be developed and not, say Enugu or Owerri. Well, each region has their own developed points while the rest suffer underdevelopment. Abuja is for North, Lagos for the South West and Port Harcourt for the South East/South South. Outside these places, most other places in the respective geopolitical zones are far behind as far as development and infrastructure are concerned. In essence, we are not as different mentally from the rest of the country when it comes to nation building. All these "other regions are holding us back" stories is basically us just passing the buck and refusing to take blame for our own individual failures.

Do the South Eastern and South Southern states get allocations? What have the governors and local government chairmen done with them? What kind of representation are we getting from our senator and representatives and how much different is it from what people in other regions are getting?

RosaConsidine:
Good response!

First off, the intent of my post here is not necessarily to dissuade anybody from asking for a Biafra. It's to make people deeply examine their reasons for it and assess it's feasibility as things things stand because a lot of the people that I've spoken to and with about this call for a Biafra haven't really considered the most important things involved. What's the difference between a failed Nigeria and a failed Biafra? Nothing!

If we do not critically examine the roles we have played in the failure of Nigeria, rid ourselves of the mentality that has brought Nigeria to where it is and not be able to agree on the basics of what we want Biafra to be, then by creating Biafra, all we would be doing is creating another Nigeria, albeit one where we all speak the same language.

As for the political and social wills we don't have as a Nigerian nation (which we Igbo people share with the rest of Nigeria), I have already severally outlined them: participation in corrupt practices that are detrimental to economic, social and political growth, a glorification of connections and wealth at the expense of merit and hardwork, failure to hold those who we have elected to represent us responsible for their failures instead supporting them because they are from their tribes or regions and so much more. These things are mainly a function of the mentality we all share as Nigerians and creating a new entity called Biafra WILL NOT rid us of that mentality.

Ekinematics:
Mr. Man Port Harcourt is for the South South. Abeg kindly delete that SE.

Ekinematics:
Mr. Man Port Harcourt is for the South South. Abeg kindly delete that SE.