The Bridge Across the Niger

By

Prof Samuel Okoye 

samokoye@hotmail.com

As l turn the pages our history, there is no victor and there is no vanquish. We will build the bridge between us and shake hands across the Niger. One Nigeria, one people. Even the name GOWON was seen as abbreviation -( GO ON WITH ONE NIGERIA).

...With words like this, the Nigeria military signaled the end of the 3year civil war between Nigeria and Biafra 35years back in January 1970.The Biafra´s chief of general staff, late General Phillip Effiong from Akwa lbom state handed to Col. Olusegun Obasanjo, commander of the 3rd marine commando, the Biafra´s instrument of surrender shortly after Ojukwu left for lvory coast presumably to solicit for help, for which Britain, Russia among the others, all the Arab world were helping Nigeria. I do not concern myself with the mechanics of that defeat.

The war was unavoidable and it's lessons were necessary to build a strong Nigeria. But the lessons that should have been learnt from lesson eluded Obasanjo and his Nigerian side till today.

The losers hands that were supposed to be shaken were boxed to a corner as their houses and properties were forced down the throat of people who cared less about life on land, let alone living in houses. And the cash of every lgboman in bank were frozen to 20pounds in other to make the lgbos, who according to the Guinness book of records between 1956 to 1966 shortly before the civil war,  the fastest growing third world economy, unable to compete with the other lagging behind Nigerian tribes and thereby reminding them repeatedly that there is victor and that there is the vanquished. The man that calls me brother was prepared to kill me at any price. It was at that that the symbols of peace went into flames. I apologise to those l have caused pain, ...those still expecting sorrow to wane. This memory follows every lgboman and sometimes too hard to bear as the Biafrans are swallowed up, spit out and then trampled.

lf this misery ended there, this writing would have been neither possible nor necessary. Our repeated complain are answered with repeated strike. And when along train of maltreatments confront ones relationship, it is his duty to correct or discard that comradeship and provide new ones for future security. Such is now the necessity which constrains me to write. And l write here today and here tomorrow, in the spirit of putting square pegs into square holes and transforming the love of yesteryears into that of today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. And for the support of this, with a firm reliance of our onetime brotherhood, l have reached the stage of believing firmly that the things that kept us tied together as one country has not suffered severe setback to the cause of continuity. There are moments when mankind reaches the bottom. But there is also a time when you rise up again. Our ongoing national confab or conference should have become the moment that marked that time. With words we are committed to peace. We should not let fear wash away our plan. What is the party for?  l prefer to remain as a spectator. And l can only watch in anguish.Obasanjo´s confab´s opening speech and talks on his achievements could be true, but it still has little sense as our people die daily from hunger. The -no- go- area ´puts the party in danger of ending as a failure. ´The- no - go area´ is like a man who claims to want the best for himself but unwilling to pay for it. Its a fairly stupid policy, be it of whatever reason, be it of whatever origin. The youths´ presence has been stolen, but you can't steal their future. And one day, the initiators and the participants of this party, these collection of old people who would be yawning and struggling to remember what they ought to say, will start to share the burden of collective guilt. And the young people they excluded, who represent the future, will bear the consequences. And now their future is uncertain. What will be their end?  lf they expect life to improve, they're mistaken. But since you can only overtake from behind, it will be a huge push from behind, if the participants disregard Obasanjo's no- go-area and go on to discuss everything, and if need be -SECESSION- . l respect those who reach different conclusion, but there are dreams that remain what they are. Our union is shaken. Its ill and will die if we pretend all is well and don't take it to physicians. No matter what era we're living, we see very few true heroes. And today's heroes are not Kings, Chiefs, Presidents and Generals, but extraordinary people who display courage and pinpoint a need. Even as you're discussing in your confab, the Yorubas are killing the Hausas/Fulanis in the southwest. The Hausa/Fulanis are killing the Yorubas and the Igbos in the North. The lgbos are killing the Hausa/Fulanis in the southeast. The minorities in Delta region are killing each other. Its the same in northeast.

Its time to apologise and do damage control. I wish we live in a country were this is not necessary, but sadly we are not. If we are willing to avoid conflict, this opportunity is the final one. And with all emphasis we can command, we don't want war. Most of all we share the same future. But if for example the Niger Delta wishes to leave because of their oil, she should be free to do so. Wisdom require you let them go. You can't hold people together with weapon or force. Its only a thing of time. The white South African Weaponry couldn't match the will power and the bare hands of the South African Blacks. They found wisdom and let them be. The Northern Sudan after more than 20years of civil war, they found wisdom and let the southern Sudan be with their crude oil. They decided to live together for six years, after which they'll stay with the union or go forever. This is just a few examples from our neighbours.

And now that the Niger bridge is falling, on which platform will we stand and shake hands across the Niger? .It is the bridge that crosses over the river Niger from which Nigeria's name was founded. incidentally, it's the same Obasanjo that is manning the Nigeria affairs today. It will be inappropriate and unwise for Biafra to repair the bridge that holds the two countries. How can the Nigeria government insist that a toll gate of 50billion naira should be collected from the lgbos to repair the Niger bridge? . Its hard to get my mind around this thought. But l connected the fact that it's an alliance built on convenience. And that alliance should be discussed again in the so called confab. No where since the mistake of 1914 has a federal road bridge been repaired by one tribe. If the lgbos are manning their affairs, there should have been nothing wrong with that , but unfortunately, this is not the case. The federal roads in the Eastern States are impassable. We have to rebuild for more positive future. The lgbos need these roads to drag Nigeria as a whole with their lgbo made products to become the fastest growing third world economy again. The lgbos have no problems in bringing Nigeria into the Guinness book of records, not as it is today as one of the poorest countries on earth even with their crude oil; but as one of the rich countries in the world. My instincts is towards change rather than continuity. If one man builds a road to heaven, he will be there alone. MILES OPARA(AUTRIA)