By Nnaji Jekwu Onovo
Mr. Okeke is right, Okorie is right, Okafor is right, and Mr. Okonkwo is right also. So, Igbo people are righteous people. If we are all righteous, what is causing the mayhem in Igbo land? Are the gods angry with us? But, they say: righteousness exalts a nation. Who or what do we blame for the insecurity and senseless killings in Igbo nation? Where are the Chief Priests of the various oracles across Igbo land? Where are the Pastors and Reverends of the various Christian denominations across Igbo land? Is it not time, they consulted the gods/God to find solutions to the crisis engulfing Igbo land? The cyclone is gaining traction and could drive Igbo nation to the abyss of no return. Today, it seems violence and strife has exceeded all limits of reason and logic.
Late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu granted interview to Rudolf Okonkwo on 9th July 2001 at Boston, USA. In the interview, Ojukwu stated: “— the failure of Nigeria has created a reflex and that reflex can be called Biafra. — That’s why I say that there will always be, if not the Biafra of territory, Biafra of the heart.” He elaborated on the concept of Biafra of the heart: “It is an attitude, a revolution, and a rejection of all the corruption and all the terrible things that you find in Nigeria.” I make bold to state that Ojukwu, will be turning in his grave, as he watches the terrible things, senseless killings and destruction of properties in Igbo land. The killings and destructions of properties in Igbo land, in the guise of Biafra agitation, has been as Zimbabwean writer, Shimmer Chinodya puts it, “A harvest of thorns”.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Ndigbo are marginalized in some schemes of affairs in Nigeria, especially in the political arena. But it is absurd for Ndigbo to turn their guns on one another. Probably, Nicolas Cage (Yuri Orlov) of the 2005 film “Lord of War” postulation is right. Yuri Orlov said: “I sell to leftists, and rightists. I sell to pacifists, but they’re not the most regular customers. Of course, you’re not a ‘true internationalist’ until you’ve supplied weapons to kill your ‘own’ countrymen.” Violence will not bring us closer to our objectives.
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I have listened to many Biafra protagonists including Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who insist the struggle is non-violent. I am convinced that the Biafra agitation is for fairness, equity and justice in Nigeria. When people come together to silently disobey the authorities by various means, they are said to resist passively. Non-violence has been the hallmark that has made it one of the most favourable options. People from different countries have exercised it to protest against their governments and have been successful in doing so. Probably, some Biafra apologists are misinterpreting the briefs of the leaders, thereby embracing violent. I believe some fanatics have hijacked the “Biafra” struggle for fairness, equity and justice; embracing violent and turning their guns on their own people. In the midst of all these, we appear doped, dazed, hypnotized, or somnambulistic. The question on every Igbo lip is: where lie our escape from the obvious all-engulfing cataclysm that looms so large on our horizon?
Citizens and residents of South East are pawns in the supremacy battle between the non-state actors and the state governments who issue orders and counter orders with regard to SIT-AT-HOME. Ordinarily, Sit-At-Home is classified as passive resistance/peaceful protest; but our brand is misnomer, as organisers apply force and violent to enforce the order. The ground rule in passive resistance/peaceful protest is to coax and not coerce people to join. In our case, the approach is coercion, and that is wrong. I plead with the organisers to change tactics and stop the pains being inflicted on Ndigbo, they set out to defend. The present approach is causing more harm than good, because lives are lost, businesses paralysed and investors scared from the region. The present circumstance is harvest of thorns for Ndigbo.
The counter orders by the state governments have failed to galvanise the people against sit-at-home. In fact, it is all about show of force, as the state governments threaten to shut down businesses and sack workers who obey sit-at-home orders. Governors, Sirs, change tactics and device better ways to handle the situation. I also call on the civil society organisations including Ohanaeze Ndigbo to intervene and initiate actions to douse the tension in the region. Nobody should be aloof; all hands should be on deck to save South East in particular and Nigeria in general.
The fact of the matter is that the crisis revolves around the incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Another fact is that Nnamdi Kanu is standing trial in courts of competent jurisdiction, so the federal government would always hide under the independent of the judiciary to avoid political discourse on the fate of Nnamdi Kanu. But his, is a case of one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Our approach should remain diplomatic, passionate plea to the Federal government for the release of Kanu. The governors of South East states have been pleading with the Federal government to no avail; so, we need to up the ante, by mobilizing about 100,000 people from the five South East state (20,000 per state) for a peaceful march at Abuja, pleading with the Federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu. The entire group should assemble and take off from Enugu. The convoy to Abuja would make a strong impression. By and large, everything must be peaceful.
I plead with all agitators and activists in Igbo land in particular and Nigeria in general to embrace non-violent and align with Mahatma Ghandi’s creed which states that in a non-violent conflict no rancour should surface as anger and intolerance are twin enemies of correct understanding; non-violence demands that we seek every opportunity to win over our opponents. Thus, a person who can express non-violence in life exercises a power superior to all forces of brutality. Is our society geared up to this test of fortitude? Following this cult in spirit and emotion may well be difficult, even painful but not impossible, though.