Biafra: Is it time to let go?

Let me confess from the onset that this is a subject I was reluctant to write for the past several weeks. It is a subject that instantly evokes intense emotions no matter where you stand on the divide. My previous efforts to engage on the same subject on Facebook and other social media platforms has […]

Let me confess from the onset that this is a subject I was reluctant to write for the past several weeks. It is a subject that instantly evokes intense emotions no matter where you stand on the divide. My previous efforts to engage on the same subject on Facebook and other social media platforms has attracted severe insults and little in terms of logic from the mainly Igbo brethren who believe that the creation of an independent state of Biafra, out of the zoo they now call Nigeria, is the only solution to the myriad of socio-economic problems they are confronted with in the country.
Not even the tragic events currently playing out in South Sudan – which also broke away from Sudan – could dissuade them from that train of thought. It is either Biafra or nothing. And the agitation is coming not only from the so-called miscreants described by the former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
A quick navigation of several platforms on the social media will reveal that hundreds of well-educated Igbo professionals mostly in the Diaspora, have already bought their one-way ticket to what many dissenting voices consider to be the suicidal trip to Biafra. And that ruffled me, to say the truth!
The agitation for Biafra is not only coming from the uneducated and poorly-heeled masses in the Southeast; but legions of their fellow brethren in the most diverse and advanced countries in the universe. What we cannot so easily gauge, is the quantum of support the agitation receives among the resident elites from the same region.
In a sudden turn of events, most of the south-eastern elites have either been numbed into silence by the ferocity of the protests for the release on the detained Director of Radio Biafra Nnamdi Kanu, or are just too mindful of the backlash that is certain to follow any constructive criticism of the secession bid. With the rare exception of some of the state governors led by Imo state’s Rochas Okoraocha, my good friend and chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) from Enugu state, Osita Okechukwu; and the spokesman for the party in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, whose appeal for caution is akin to treason among the agitators; most Igbo elites prefer to keep their views to themselves, at least for now.
The most notable exception have been Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers, and his father; the monarch of Isiama Afaraukwu in Umuahi North Council Area of Abia state. In a story carried by the Vanguard newspaper, the older Kanu condemned the continued detention of his son by the Department of State Security Services even after he had met his bail conditions in full.
In a bewildering accusation, he slammed the federal government for the continued detention because the Nigerian constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression! “My son is not a trouble maker, and his campaign reflects the mind of the majority of the people in the South East geopolitical zone given the protests that have trailed his arrest and detention.”
His interviewer apparently failed to remind the Igwe that what his son could easily be accused of is also intolerance to the views of other Nigerians especially anyone who stands against his pet project of Biafra. In a video which has already gone viral; Nnamdi Kanu openly promised to roast any Nigeria opposed to Biafra, and also called for killing of other ethnic groups.
In this civilized world his vituperations are called hate speech and easily qualifies him for audience with a judge at the Hague. But more worrisome for Kanu; he also openly solicited for arms to wage war against Nigeria, which he wants destroyed by any means necessary if it stands in his way of actualizing Biafra!
Free speech is sacrosanct in any democracy; but it is forfeited the very moment it is used to abridge the rights of others to hold contrary opinions or licence to commit arson or murder. And since Kanu went even further to use his rights to free speech to call for war against the nation, his utterances also easily qualify for treasonable felony.
He is, therefore, not a common criminal. Others have been summarily shot for committing lesser offences in this country. No government, including those who profess democracy, can afford to fold its arms and watch anyone openly call for armed insurrection against it without doing anything.  It would be an invitation for anrchy.
To ignore Kanu’s calls for bloodbath to fulfil his desire, would have been tantamount to the government abdicating its responsibility to the Nigerian people who voted it into office. But that is not even my worry for now. The legality or otherwise of his actions and continued detention is better left for lawyers to debate.
In the imaginary map of Biafra that has made the rounds in the social media, I noticed that the people of the South-South were also included in the federation. How would that equation play out in the new Republic in which they will be in the minority? Except for the likes of Asari Dokubo, the reaction of the Rivers state government, and those from other minority ethnic groups in the region, such as the Urhorbo, and even the Igbo-speaking Anioma, has been a deafening “Nay” to the suggestion of the Republic of Biafra inclusive of them!
The next issue that bothers me is of course the timing of the heightened agitation. Only a few months ago, the Southeast was the first among equals in the intricate relationships between the major ethnic groups in the country during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The same ‘presence’ is certainly less obvious today than in the days when Pius Anyim’s massive frame dominated the corridors of power.  Could the renewed quest for Biafra therefore be a gamble for a greater share of the national cake by way of prominent appointments as some have suggested?
Why would the same Igbo ethnic group that is globally acknowledged for its industry and enterprise suddenly choose to limit itself by opting out of a ready-made market like Nigeria? Why would the same ethnic group gamble on the support and allegiance of the South-South minorities who fought on the federal side to liberate themselves during the Civil War?
The more I contemplate the renewed call for Biafra, the more perplexing it becomes for me. Unless common-sense, which seems to be in drastic short supply in the counter argument against Biafra eventually prevails, we may be set to witness interesting times ahead. What bothers me, though, is that a common refrain on the streets, these days, is that Biafrans should be allowed to go with their wahalla, if they want!
And that is what breaks my heart the most because we have come this far together as a nation with enormous promises. I am proud to be a compatriot of the late Chinua Achebe. I also admired the football skills of Nwankwo Kanu. But if he is eventually convinced that I am only good enough for a ‘zoo’ what can I do about it?