by Peter Agba Kalu
I laugh whenever I see posts about Biafra being dead and never coming through because such posters are totally and completely ignorant of what is at stake. The truth is that Biafra ideology is an idea which time has come and no army, force or power anywhere in the world can stop it.
In trying to use force to quench it you ignite a massive hurricane that cannot contained by any human force and am going to tell you why.
This generation of Igbo youths are a generation that knew no war. Those who saw war and it’s dangerous effect are fearful and always say and do things with concern and carefulness. But, this generation heard not the sounds of bullet. They harbour no fear of tomorrow because yesterday and today offered them no signs of hope. They are talented, hard working and among the best in any field of endeavour but they are being discriminated, disadvantaged and killed at will without justice coming to them.
Everywhere they turned in Nigeria they faced with discrimination and limitations. They are in a country where no matter how good they are or hard they try they cannot attained certain post. Once anything involves them different standards are set. While others score 25 to gain admission they must 200 to gain same admission.
They are in a country where they are already being wiped out in some Northern parts of the same country and nobody is doing something about. They are in a country where their mothers cannot go to farm, villages are ravaged and rampaged by the Fulani cattle farmers and nothing, I mean absolutely nothing is being done about it.
In a country where they are already found guilty and tagged names and judged by those tags even while innocent. All these are because they are Igbo.
It’s that frustration that have been experiencing from birth that is pushing them to the extreme. It was living in denial of their daily frustrations over the years that mobilized a people that are faced with a common problem to form an ideology.
The Biafrian movement is common ideology shared by people who has asked why over the years.
Why am I being discriminated against?
Why is my nation placing hurdles against me?
Why are we being treated like a second class citizens in our nation?
Why are we being killed and no one is being held responsible in our nation?
And in return all they get as answer is a snub.
It’s this generation whose tomorrow has already been judged and murdered that decided die fighting instead of watching dead come knocking.
So, the struggle for Biafra is the struggle against everything wrong in the system. Those of you who think this struggle not going to achieve anything are missing it. Even if Biafra isn’t going to come now based on this persistence street protest, the joining of forces with South south people is going to force Nigerian leaders to open up a serious dialogue across the states.
This dialogue is going to force Nigeria to be reconstructed. And reconstruction of the nation will open up Igbo land and their neighborhood to build a vibrant nation that will give opportunity to even those opposing this idea today.
Peter Agba Kalu is a senior writer with The Sun Newspapers. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
