Saw reports in the newspapers this morning that Arewa youths have backed down on their planned expulsion of Nigerians of Igbo ethnic stock living in the north from the region. I suppose we must hail their ‘magnanimity’ because they have every right and effrontery to spit in the face of the law and the constitution, which as the ground norm and basis of our union as a nation, demands utmost reverence to guarantee our continual harmonious coexistence as a nation.
The ‘gracious’ rescission of the quit order was reportedly announced at a world press conference addressed by leaders of the northern youth coalition and northern elders with representative of the northern governors forum, whose pictures at the event were blazoned and splashed in generous manner on the pages of the media, with the subjects in the photo all donning uniform green stripes upon their dresses on which were inscribed the message: “Proudly Nigerian”.
An initial impulse to laugh at the ludicrousness of the obvious hypocrisy, deceit, insincerity and ‘politics’ of the entire drama, was muffled almost into a cry by my sober apprehension of the mocking of a really grave national issue that deserves and demands our collective concern and honest and serious efforts: The need to salvage the country and make it a haven where all can live, express and get fulfilled in the little time let us to stay and experience on earth!
The actors at the press conference would have us believe their latest profession and the their tag ‘proudly Nigerian’ were motivated by altruism and their ‘love’ for the unity of the country. I hear!
Yes, indeed, who won’t vote for such ‘unity’ if it advantages him, even if it is sinfully warped with injustice, inequality, unfairness and all other ills that aggregate an abnormal society on a short fuse gradually, but steadily burning to the base connecting it with a time bomb! The explosion will be shattering!!!
Beyond the pretence, the superficiality and facade of patriotism, I can see the political elite, rather than frontally confronting and finding genuine solution to the nation’s problems to the benefit of their various peoples, with a true sense of service and humanity, they only play sectional politics, with an eye on what will benefit themselves alone.
And who do you blame if the northerners have once again won and proven they are better at the game, when everyone has submitted as slaves to the rigid rule of the intellect and craving for power, only selfishly seeking to corner the best for himself in the bargain, instead of coming to the table with and applying the principle of love?
This does not imply any sense of entitlement, or haughty presumption of being superior to others, it means recognising ourselves as brothers from a common spiritual origin, even while respecting our cultural and historical differences. Our diversity is a factor that should ordinarily even be a source of strength and glorious beauty, if well harnessed.
Ensuring equity, justice and fairness would then have been absolutely natural and promote harmony and act as a force for progress and achievement to individual parts as to the whole, just as in a human family, whose members- father, mother, siblings are all different, yet see themselves as one, and who, although work for their own individual selves and glory, share the proceeds accomplishments with the whole.
On the contrary, juxtaposed with the Arewa story was this almost demeaning one of apparent surrender of IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi KANU. After the huffs and fury, the group which stirred all this crisis with its irresponsible hate rhetoric and insensitive denigration of other people’s cultures and self esteemed, which an ostensibly offended northern people seemed to have appropriately responded to, also announced its willingness to drop the agitation for secession, if the federation is restructured.
The declaration came through the otherwise respected eminent constitutional lawyer, Prof Ben Nwabueze, whose support, like that of some Igbo leaders for the apparently misguided Igbo hotheads, even though with perhaps, valid cause for disenchantment, some find worrisome.
Suspicion that the Biafra agitation was a smokescreen instigated and covertly encouraged by complicit Igbo political elites to exact a better deal in or from the enterprise called Nigeria and by treasury looters uncomfortable with the new order against graft, and loss of power to the north in 2015, obviously dictated the counter response by the North.
It’s like a chess game in which the players are just busy studying, anticipating and responding to the next moves of the opponent. In this case, their will always be a winner and a loser as against joint victory actuated by a communal spirit of devoting our common energies to put out a fire burning the homestead, chasing a game in the wild for dinner, or working on the farm to make food to support the household.
Save for sane voices of a sprinkling of true patriots here and there, everyone, including those in power , is only thinking of self, or at best, “my people”.
No great nation is so made. And the prospect of splinters Banana republics that can hardly be viable and are sure to incessantly fight themselves into extinction with the prevalent mutual disdain, distrust and hatred we insist on fostering among ourselves and so likely to part with, if Nigeria is fragmented, as we seem resolute having it, is too grim to contemplate.
I hope reason will prevail, I hope.
