The British Dreamers and the American Sightseers

Miles Opara

[AUSTRALIA]

I do not know if our communication media have advanced enough stage to publishing an article of this sort for which some might term a call for violence, secession or whatever. Today, l couldn’t be happier not because l wrote late but for the non publication of my earlier article which could have been too radical. A true media welcomes all view point. The CNN and TIME MAGAZINE constantly play and report tapes and messages from Osama Bin Laden´s call for violence. Some of their reports oftentimes cause frustrations to the American government. It's the same with British news media. These media houses were never subjected to any ill treatment directly or indirectly for carrying out true democratic principles. l shuddered on reading how Mrs. Stella Obasanjo has now become the Nigeria Inspector General of police, issuing warrants of arrest and maltreating media houses and people that criticized her. Real soldiers like Murtala Mohammed and Idiagbon never brought their wives on board. I am touched by their accomplishment in it's effect upon those who witnessed it and those whom it inspired. I am moved again by people who remember the death of these men recalling their own fears or compassion to their family loss.

An intelligent Government would like to know through media or any reliable source, the true feelings of all people on any issue concerning them directly or indirectly.

On May 27and in an Austrian City of Graz, thousands of former Eastern Nigeria origin and their friends gathered from various cities and neighboring countries and marched along side by side Austrian Police calling UN and the western world for the actualization of Biafra. The same took place in France, Italy, Japan, China, Canada, Ireland, India, South Africa, Ghana, to mention a few. The reasons are obvious.

The mistake of 1914, the excitements of change brought about by independence in early sixties, the hope that the nightmares of late sixties will never return. . . all these are faced with anger today. All the major tribes in Nigeria has at one time or the other threatened to secede, leaving the Igbos as the only tribe that carried out their threat. Today, no tribe sincerely want to stay with Nigeria. Everybody in the government pretend for their selfish reasons and pursue what seem to be cosmetic. They choose not to see the truth and look aside. The truth is that Nigeria is a British dream. And most dreams remain what they are.

While the south-south and the Yorubas lack the courage to secede, the Hausa/Fulani are only waiting to find the slightest oil well in their region before declaring their Islamic Republic. Anything more than this, is a tame version. Nigeria is a tribalistic entity and will continue loosing it's footing and falling. Conscience is like an open wound, only the truth can heal it. The moment of truth has come and the signs they may be reaching that point are here with us today. If the heart of the north and that of the southwest are hardened by God like the case of Pharoah and the Israelites in the Bible, they should consult Oracles or pray to Allah to escape his wrath at the end. It would be like having our emergency exit locked with chain if we do not discuss peaceful disintegration now. And active engagements will be better than strong decorations of intent. Those who prefer to wait, thinking Nigeria could work, must work, would regret it later when it would be too late and very costly and no one will be left to take care of our graves. Today’s heroes are not Kings and Generals but extra-ordinary people who display courage and pinpoint a need. I´m not tired to repeating this. The people who rule Nigeria today are mainly soldiers, these are people who learnt a little more than how to pull a trigger. Their sight are affected by alcohol and weed. And we are on a down-run and can´t wait for them to sober off. They can’t dismember us peacefully. Soldiers don’t appear where there is peace. Our true Igbo leaders who stand on principle and not shifting stance of political convenience are either in prison, hiding or pursued by them. They are not called upon to discuss peace. The self acclaimed Igbo leaders are busy in Nigeria politics and nod their heads like lizards that saw nothing and say nothing. They are in true character and seem to be enjoying the spotlight. Evidently scoring points, they maintain their focus on becoming vice-president, awaiting turns as senate president or be made a sports minister. And they must remain loyal even if by half and must make friends with Obasanjo and those who love to hate the Igbos. There is a selected application of the law if it has to do with the Igbos. Obasanjo who pampers OPC, sends his presidential jet to pick and negotiate with a small boy Masari Dokubo, but very disrespectful to Ojukwu and plot to kill Chief Ralph Uwazuruike of MASSOB and destroy his properties and that of his members, is their best friend. Their strength of commitment is not enough for which they may be required to apply for visa and may not find feet in the land of the rising sun when the chips fall where they may. Arewa and Oduduwa may not grant them asylum. Those that ride on a Tiger´s back will finally end in the Tiger´s stomach.

There´s no need to arrest 50million Igbos with biafran pounds. Nigeria may not have enough prison to contain them. But there may be need to pick Uwazuruike to Abuja with a presidential jet and negotiate with him, just the same way they did with the small boy. As for the Igbos, we must file behind our true leaders and swim or sink with them. Our powerful Igbo men and women should not vent anger over the attempt to scrap Igbo language as one of Nigeria´s official language. You should heed me so that there´ll be one voice in the direction we must continue. What does it matter if our neighbouring country Nigeria throw away one of the official languages of Biafra?The Igbo language has no place in Nigeria and I bless it in the direction it´s already going. And those who don´t want to face it, the reality will confront the outcome. We should be feeling the challenges and enjoying it and it should not be that of anger.

If you want peace and quietness you must look for it. It has until that point been a part of my vision that we stay together, but everywhere, every time, there are deep divisions shared by all ages, shared by all tribes. It took us a war to get this far, The best is already behind us. The hope of a healthy union vanished with the war. It must not take a bigger war to achieve peace. And it must not take the biggest war to maintain that peace. Conflict could only be considered when it´s obvious that other alternatives are worse. But if our partners don’t want peace, we should plan not to loose again.

The south-south may have realised by now from the resource control that their quest for one Nigeria brought nothing and will bring nothing but hardship and disregard for them. The north, their so called big brother is the one talking of relocating and burying them in an unknown Island so that they will have free access to their oil wells. The north are leaning heavily on the oil wells and love it´s goodies more than the groundnut pyramids . They can’t let their passion evaporate without a good fight. The Igbos, the manufactured number one enemy of the south south are the only people backing them at this time of need . It´s sad that the north decides who rules Nigeria and who gets what even with their little education. Instead of embracing modernization and developments which real education can offer, the north seem to be content with their Arabic and Islamic studies that cannot help today´s everyday life or manage advanced economy and complexity, but pull the primitivism of sharia laws that only bring shame to civilized people and flood our streets with amputated beggars, This makes it difficult to channel Nigeria to open waters of progress and thus this self-deceit of progress. If the north subsidizes Nigeria with agricultural produce to the tune of over 20 billion dollars as one of their fake professors claimed, why are they afraid to keep half this sum? This sum is far more than what they get from the federal government yearly. Knowledge is a community of wise friends showing the value of education. It´s wrong to claim how educated and intelligent you are whereas your intellectualism does not make you bold enough to oppose bad ideas and wrong leadership. If the north hold claim to funding part of the oil exploration, what about the billions of dollars spent from oil revenue for oil explorations in the north that yielded nothing? What about the billions of dollars stolen from oil revenue from northern leaders over 30years? They should go to their leaders for refund for which Umaru Dikko is one of them. Their former leaders have more money than the country Nigeria.

The south west did not disappoint with their usual style of fighting with legs on both sides thus forcing the south south out of the recent NPRC. Even with their some-what education, they refused to know that regional competition which resource control will bring about will strengthen Nigeria´s economy and double our income if southwest should embark and improve on their cocoa produce, the north on their groundnut and the east on their palm produce and south south on their oil. Well before oil exploration, the Igbos where in Guinness book of records as the fastest third world growing economy. The Igbos are not keen in oil money. Technology is more important than oil. I’m never tired to repeating this. The richest man on earth Bill Gates has no oil business. The richest countries on earth America, Japan, Germany, Britain, France etc has no oil. Oil producing countries are lazy. It´s technological advanced countries that rule them. They tell them where oil could be found in their country. They extract the oil for them. They build and maintain their refineries, and refine the crude oil for them. They even set the price and market the oil products for them. They tell them when the oil wells are empty. Oil producing countries are slaves to technologically advanced countries. The north and the southwest have only tribal interest and not Nigeria’s interest in mind when they kick against resource control. It is the same tribalistic stories since Nigeria was created. Let the south south get their oil money and do with it what they deem fit. Most oil producing countries are the most corrupt countries in the world and poverty took flight from their. Nigeria is a living example. Oil may not really be that of a blessing, it could be a curse. That is the situation the south-south is in today. The Igbos are mainly keen in developing our crude Igbo made goods into high technically finished products for which Nigeria is only pulling us back. Nigeria cannot support our people who knows what, whose products are in various stages of precision, simply because they are Igbos. Our language, our people are murdered here and there even by men in uniform. If we succeed, maybe one day we will be called upon to carry out explorations and find oil wells in the north where other countries have failed. Maybe Biafra will build and maintain their next refinery in the north and market their crude products for real pay.

Everyday that passes, all Nigerian tribes especially the Igbos do not only blame but curse Britain for this mistake of 19 14. It was not difficult for the CIA to see that the collapse of the once British dream is imminent. We have no choice now than to call for true democracy by peaceful dissolution of the contract that brought us together and not return to arms. It will now be the duty of the rest of the world especially Britain, Russia etc. To realize that their fight against Biafra was a huge mistake. And with the help of the sightseers (America) and the rest of the world correct the mistake of 1914 by way of questioning the appeal of choosing to remain in a union where the participants are unhappy and want to go. . . And thus destroy anything of what stand in the way of human liberality or a support for ethnic cleansing.