Being an activist, clergy and member of influential Igbo
groups in Nigeria, both the mass movements, professional, intellectual. Including
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and a frontline defender of Igbo interests for over a decade
now, I have a good idea of what the Igbo want. Also as a gospel missionary who traverses
many parts of northern Nigeria in the past, made friends among both religions, interacted
with the locals, I have an advanced idea of the mindset of the elite
northerner, the common man in the north and the almajiris and I know that many
information being spewed to the public, from the days of Boko Haram till date about northerners are half truth and more
lies, and I blame the northern elites hawkish disposition for such festering
lies.
In the early days of Boko Hraram criminality, I was among
those who liaised with many northern and military elements to expose the high
level of politics and financial corruption that turned Boko Haram into a
monstrous organization with politicians and military chiefs smiling to the
banks. I remember advocating for a Boko Haram
Republic in part of northern Nigeria if the Borno Elders will not rise up to
the occasion and do something to curb the menace. Happily, vigilante and
village hunters rose up to save the north from collapse. They sacrificially assisted
the newly motivated military (whose allowances are no more stolen from the top)
to stamp out the Jihadists. I have discovered
that every tribe has both the good and the bad, including Igbos, Yorubas and Hausas.
Therefore the idea of race superiority is not acceptable.
Since the recent upsurge in IPOB popularity due to Nnamdi Kanu’s
unfortunate arrest, I have cautioned publicly both as individual and as opinion
leader against the use of hate speeches to actualize Biafra. I detest the use
of languages like “monkeys’, ‘baboon’, ‘pedophile’, ‘rapist’,’ cowards’ etc on
elements of other tribes as though such do not exist in the South East. I have
cautioned our people that Biafra can be achieved without spewing hatred the
manner Hitler used Nazism to incite and murder six million Jews in the worst
holocaust in history.
During the sit at home order of last may, which I observed
at Living Faith Church while receiving briefings on Bishop Oyedepo’s proposed prophetic
visit, I told some Ohanaeze chieftains who came calling that soon the north
will call the bluff of Igbos on secession. Days later the Arewa youth threatened
a quit notice on Igbos in the north. My phones started ringing unabatedly; my
predictions had come to pass. I attended another secret meeting of some
elements within Ohanaeze and we mapped out a plan of action to ensure that the
order was not carried out, which was subtly sown to Igbo leadership. The three
moth quit notice must be discountenanced by all Nigerians using every means and
the plot worked very well.
Everybody who is
somebody in the south East started reaching out to people to denigrate the quit
notice, so as to stop a bloody conflict that can break up Nigeria at a great cost. The Arewa Elders talked their youth down on
the quit notice project. The rest of Nigeria condemned the quit notice. Prof Osibanjo,
Acting President of Nigeria lent a strong voice of condemnation. Igbos leaders
in the North and South East, who hitherto looked aloof while hate filled incitements filled
the airwaves and print media, came together and
declared divergent stance on the Biafra project. However, this is where
my support ends. The additional calls for the arrest of the youth leaders do
not have my blessing and was not part of the initial plots.
Everything worked according to plan, but what I find
uncomfortable is the renewed calls for the arrest of Arewa Youth for saying
their minds. Arewa Youth only reacted to the strident cry for Biafra by acquiescing
to the demands. They do not deserve being invited by the police not to talk of
being arrested. They used their rights as Nigerians who are tired of being
denigrated especially on social media by hate filled separatists whose stock in
trade is calling northern leaders all manners of vile names alien to the igbo
Culture to ask the secessionists to go home. . Buhari has been called a
terrorist, rapist, pedophile, aged fool and all that without the consent of the
Igbo public by some elements within the separatist agitations. People have been
advised to embarrass Pastor Kumuyi, Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Adeboye and Yoruba pastors
if they bring their religion to Igbo lands. Rev Fr Mbaka has been called a
betrayer and marked for elimination. All these hate filled words are alien to
the Jewish Culture, Christian Culture or Igbo Cultute. While the abuses lasted,
the people cheered and jeered until the abused Northern youth reacted.
The spontaneous consensus of angst that followed the quit notice
by Arewa Youth showed that both Nigeria and the separatists are indeed all zoo
republics. We called for the release of
Nnamdi Kanu from detention several times, why we should now call for the arrest
of Northern Youth leaders. Kanu is advocating for Biafra, Arewa Youth have acquiesced
to Biafra. Why should we condemn the arrest of Kanu, and then call for arrest
of Northern Youth. Are both not freedom fighters. Kanu is fighting for Biafra,
Arewa Youth said yes to Biafra. We should avoid a hypocritical high horse and
use the same measure for everybody, irrespective of tribe and religion. The call
for the arrest of these young men is as criminal, as the initial arrest of
Nnamdi Kanu.
Igbos should either declare their stance on Biafra openly or
be ready to leave the north. The north has accommodated Igbo businesses. Some
governors in the north in some instances have stifled igbo businesses. Kwakwanso, as governor in kano State harassed
igbo businesses and we took it up with
then President Jonathan when the former
Governor was using executive fiat to collect pharmacy shops from Ndigbo at
Central Market and giving to his northern brothers. Kwakwanso also denied Sabon
Gari much needed amenities like electricity, pipe borne water and converted the
Igbo bus park to Islamic School days after Boko Haram blasted igbos to death in
the same place. I declared publicly that
the same governor has hand in the poisoning of my friend, Tobias Idika, late
Ohanaeze President of Kano for condemning state sponsored terrorism However, these
are isolated cases, elsewhere; there has been average accommodation of Igbo
businesses in the north.
When elders sit by
while the youth on a separatist cause raise propaganda to suicidal limit,
without regards for the feelings of other tribes, they should prepare their people
to pack and go home. The separatist voices have been asked by various Igbo
leaders to remove hate filled messages, denigrating messages and abusive inclinations,
and they refused.
Ohanaeze Leadership discussed it with IPOB leader Nnamdi
Kanu at Nwodo’s residence in Enugu last June when IPOB leader came calling..
The Arewa Youth asked their kinsmen in the north to vacate and the whole world
is looking for their blood. This is madness and hypocritical. It is as hypocritical
as the earlier incarceration of Fani Kayode and Olisa Metuh by APC chieftains
using the EFCC in efforts to silence opposition voice in Nigeria. Nigeria may
be a zoo, but Biafran Igbos should be careful not to form another zoo by the
way they see any dissenting voice as evil.
The arrest and detention of Kanu is evil, and I have
condemned it as a person and leader of some Igbo groups. I also called for the
release of Ben Onwuka of Biafra Zionist Movement and Innocent Orji, betrayed
MASSOB activist languishing at prison. I condemned the murder of over 5,000 MASSOB
and IPOB activists by the Nigerian government and called for enquiries. I also
condemned the killing of over 1000 Shiite Muslims by agents of the Nigerian
army. All these are in public domain. I find it nauseating that people, who condemned
the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu will turn round to call for the arrest of Arewa Youth
for saying their minds on the failing Nigerian project. Arewa Youth made sense
without being incisive. They are simply
saying “Go Home with Your Biafra and Leave Us Alone”-what is wrong with it.
It is either the Igbos goes home to form Biafra or cautions
the inciters of hate messages to seek other means of actualizing the dream
without spewing atmosphere capable of breeding violence, hatred and bloody
conflict. I stand in defence of Arewa Youth right to say their mind, and where
they need correction, cognizance must be taken of their feelings over the
psychological trauma of strident calls for separation, and calling for their
arrest is hypocritical.
Obinna Akukwe
profetobinna2@yahoo.com.
www.facebook.com/obinnaakukwe, @ObinnaAkukwe
No comments:
Post a Comment
Post Your Comments Here