In Support Of Biafran Independence: Let My People Go.

BY Aminat Omobolanle Akindele

For unity to be meaningful it has to be creative, not the unity of Jonah in the whale but the unity of holy matrimony. The first can only lead to defecation, the second to procreation. – Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

The Igbo population, concentrated in the southeast region, has disproportionately been disadvantaged in terms of access to resources and economic opportunities compared to other Nigerian ethnic groups. Politically, they have been systematically excluded from power structures within the Nigerian government, leading to a lack of representation for Igbo interests. Successive Nigerian governments have paid lip services in efforts towards ameliorating the sufferings of Igbo people. Despite the ingenuity of the Igbo people and their contributions towards nation building, there have been little of no efforts towards assuaging their ill-feelings.

It seems that there is an unofficial policy never to allow an Igbo man rule Nigeria or to occupy any sensitive position in the present day Nigeria. This open marginalization of Igbos in Nigeria have for some time now led the peaceful agitation for the Independence of Biafra.

It is a hard truth that Nigeria is yet to learn anything from the gory effects of the 30 month war that ended in 1970. No lessons learnt! Had efforts been made by the previous efforts in Nigeria both military and civilian there wouldn’t have been the resurgence in the agitation for the declaration for the Independence of Biafra.

The activities of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Biafran Liberation Council (BLC), and recently that of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are all geared towards addressing the perceived injustice against the people of southern Nigeria. The continued incarceration Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), after the release of Chief Sunday Igboho has led credence to that the Igbo are hated and loathed in Nigeria.

Igbos are in Diaspora had recently lent their voices to the marginalization of their people at home. Despite, the abundance of deep rivers in Igbo land, yet, they cannot boast of a functional seaport. Igbos constitute 80% of importers in Nigeria, the unavailability of a seaport has forced them into going too far away Lagos to clear their goods at exorbitant charges. Apart from these charges, they are also being forced to pay other undocumented charges to the touts who have the backing of the oppressive regime in Lagos. Igbos still do not have a functional international airport. This has made travelling outside the shores of Nigeria a nightmare for them as they have to get to Lagos or Port Harcourt airports first before embarking on any international trips. Despite the low volumes of travellers from northern part of Nigeria, they have more international airports than those in the south.

Despite being in the 21st Century, The Igbo has continued to face harassment and occasional violence from the Muslim Hausa/Fulani, and other ethnic groups in Nigeria. They have continued to face enormous political and economic challenges since the instigated and imposed civil war. Several policies decreed into law became albatross of the Igbo nation’s progress.The promulgation of the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Decree of 1972, also known as Indigenization Decree, was not done with the accommodation of Igbo interest. It was done to send the Igbos into economic oblivion. The government enacted the policy when the Igbo people were at the weakest economic point just after they have emerged from the civil war. The implication was that the other ethnic groups were able to participate in purchasing shares of those blue-chip companies that the Nigeria government decided to appropriate. Federal Character principle is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, (as amended) but its first introduction was the 1979 Constitution. Section 14 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution provide for the equitable distribution of positions in the military, paramilitary, police, all other security institutions, public service, parastatals, and publicly owned companies (Constitution of the Federal Republic, 1999).

The plain accommodation of the principle as it ought to be applied has not always worked according to the dictates of the constitution, primarily, when it comes to placing the Igbo people in certain positions.If the Igbos cannot be allowed to co-exist freely with other ethnic nationalities, why can’t they be allowed to go like they have been clamouring for years? In 1967, they were forced out of Nigeria through the draconian and obnoxious cum atrocious policies of Gen. Gowon. Since then, their sufferings in Nigeria have continued unabated.

The Southeast zone is the only political zone among the six political zones that has only five states, while, the rest of the other zones have six states each. This has consequently led to Southeast being the only zone with the least amount of revenue allocation in the Federation. For how long shall the Igbos continue to endure these atrocities?To avoid another war which is looming, open communication and dialogue remains the best option. In the words of Winston Churchill, it is better to “jaw-jaw” than to “war.

*Aminat Omobolanle Akindele is an Odua activist and a Freedom fighter