Chasing Rats by Chris Akwarandu

Some of us are fortunate to have witnessed the Biafran war. The carnage was heartrending. So many were butchered without knowing the real reasons.

Since the war ended, Nigeria has been waging so many more wars. The wars on hunger, ethnicity, corruption, religious fanaticism and ignorance, have all combined to deafen the sounds of the Biafran ogbunigwe.

Forty-five years later, the differences are in the landscape divisions and modernised buildings, but the mindset is still same.

Every tribe, including Igbo, has only tried to fashion an identity for itself. The tribes have struggled to maintain relationships that benefit their ruling elite.

In other words, every tribe feels marginalized and in grave need to corner the national attention to its problems.

The nation itself, has been left to be used and abused by individuals representing tribes that did not send them. Or, individuals plundering the nation for themselves, in the name of tribes and religious persuasion. That means, all the tribes are guilty of “Nigeriacide” ….the slow destruction of Nigeria and its authentic people.

For some years now, at least, since Orka’s coup of 1990, some tribal groups have been trying to secede. The recent efforts of Niger Delta forces, Islamic fundamentalists of northeastern Nigeria and the renewed Biafran dream, should worry real Nigerians.

The main problem has been that those who beat drums of hate, separation and marginalization, get into government to drive personal agenda. When they leave the government, they invest in being relevant, by paying for disruptions of the polity with ill-gotten wealth.

The ongoing radicalisation of the south east, cannot be because Igbos are marginalized. It can only be an economic agenda of a few with political hue. If the agitators are really sons/daughters of Igbo land, they would have sanitized the political process in the southeast, and engender the election of “people of integrity” to represent the Igbos.

These representatives would fight for “Igbo” rights, as people from other tribes do. Rather than do that, the present agitators seek to destroy the little development in Igbo land.

It is crystal clear that Igbo land is the least developed part of Nigeria. Yet, the states receive money they do not utilize properly.

Let the Igbos look inwards for what makes for development, and not dissipate energy on “some” peoples private wars.

Nigeria we hail thee!