By Osita Nwaka
The Igbos threw their weight behind former President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential election of 2015. His loss in that contest was a bitter pill to swallow. President Muhammadu Buhari, true to his words has rewarded those that gave him ninety seven percent of their votes with more appointments than those who gave him five percent, thereby rubbing in the pain. The foregoing coupled with the prevailing economic down turn has heightened the agitation for Biafra.
Biafra means different things to different Igbo persons. To many it is likened to the Biblical Promised land, an Eldorado to which Nigeria is the wall of separation. Some perceive it as the only hope of freedom from what Chinweizu Ibekwe called Caliphate Colonialism. Yet some very wealthy Igbos see it as a journey into the unknown. Expectations of benefits or fear of suffering setbacks influence various dispositions. This Article is not an argument for or against Biafra, rather a reflection on the unrealized realities, a look at those most probable outcomes which many prefer to wish away. A man who sets out to marry focusing solely on honeymoon will soon be a candidate for divorce.
The Biafra Ojukwu fought for is different from what is now. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the end of the Civil war. The geographical landscape has been altered with far reaching consequences. Ojukwu was the Governor of the then Eastern Region comprising the present South East zone and Niger Delta.
Now, any thought about Biafra should be confined to the South East zone. It is mere wishful thinking to see Niger Delta as part of Biafra. If the Igbos do not foresee a Biafra without Niger Delta then, they might as well rethink the struggle. Niger Delta has been a political ally of the North. A fact Chief Edwin Clark reminded the North about when he appealed for their support for President Jonathan’s second term bid. The romance between the Niger Delta Avengers and pro Biafra agitators is akin to what Bishop Hassan Kukah termed “alliance of the wounded” as in, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In the absence of a common enemy, the cracks resurface. If President Jonathan had won the election, any profound agitation for Biafra would be considered an affront on the Niger Delta people in general and Ijaw nation in particular .The Igbos must come to terms with the fact that Niger Delta people equally have a right to self determination or to remain a part of Nigeria.
Either of the aforementioned outcomes has serious implications for Biafra. An independent Niger Delta leaves Biafra as a landlocked entity bordering Nigeria and Niger Delta. If Niger Delta remains a part of Nigeria, then Biafra is a country inside another, called Nigeria. In both scenarios there is no hope of oil revenue. The Igbos must envisage a Biafra without Monthly Allocation from oil revenue(except the meager crude oil deposit located in Imo and Abia).
South Sudan has crude oil, but it is landlocked therefore it pays Sudan for export access. Biafra being a landlocked entity and her people chiefly into importation, the challenge of using another country’s ports should also be factored in.
The implication of an independent Biafra on the numerous Igbo businessmen, and workers in both Private sector and Federal Civil Service outside Igboland is that their status will change from non indigenes to non citizens. That definitely is a bar raised.
Emefiele Ezeani, in his book “In Biafra Africa Died” painted the picture of Biafra as a lofty dream that never materialized. The Igbos are unarguably industrious and evidently ingenious. But our exploits in the politics of business compares inversely with our mark in the business of politics at the grand stage. So, we don’t have it all. A man who is aware of the challenges ahead of him has ample advantage over another who is taken unawares . Forty nine years ago we found ourselves in a war situation before we started planning on how to fight it. The result was a loss with its concomitant setbacks. If losing a war provided the grounds for the unjust seizure of the properties (Abandoned Property) of the Igbos , losing their citizenship is another potential basis. The first generation of post Civil war Igbos, apparently care less about suffering the fate that befell their fathers, even when it will result in their children starting from the scratch.
The Change mantra was used by the APC ( All Progressives Congress) to sway Nigerians into voting them in. With the harsh economic realities, not a few are asking if this is the change they voted for? It is expedient to let the Igbos see beyond the sweet talk and the fantasy of a milk and honey Paradise. When there are no cows and bees in sight.
Osita Nwaka (ostarnc@gmail.com) lives in Lagos.