FOLLOW UP: “Is Nnamdi Kanu Helping Biafra Struggles”? – By Peter Nwasike

The above topic was written by Chief Ike Abonyi, in his column “POLITICAL MUSING”, in New Telegraph newspaper, Thursday, July 9, 2020, (back page). He rebuked the leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for being recalcitrant, adamant and irrational to wise advice by Igbo elders, just to have his own way of solving Igbo problem through his own brand of “BIAFRA”.
Ike Abonyi wrote as follows: “Igbo youths who were frustrated by going-on in the land on how Nigeria, their country were unable to utilize their energy and vibrancy, found Kanu a flattering option. The magic wand needed for him to raise followers in such large crowd was “Biafra”. The post-war children of Igbo extraction, following the glaring marginalization of their region by Buhari Administration, have all come to embrace Biafra as the only platform to realize and offload their anger”.

After admonishing Kanu of the impossibility of saving Ndigbo from marginalization, through his own brand of agitation, emphatically asserted: “Let Kanu get it right that Biafra of his dream is dead on arrival”.

In the same edition, Ike Abonyi quotted Chief Nnia Nwodo, the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo (Worldwide), as saying: “I love Nnamdi Kanu’s courage. I love his dynamism. But I have issues with his method”.

Angered by Kanu’s recalcitrance, insorbodination and disrespect to elders, and so incited Igbo youths to kill Chief Nnia Nwodo, by stoning him to death, the Igbo youths of Ohaneze Ndigbo, reprimanded Kanu and warned him to withdraw his death threats to Nwodo, and apologize to Nwodo and Igbo Nation. As reported by Magnus Eze, the youths asserted:

“The Youths also applauded the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo, for adopting and canvassing for restructuring as panacea for the Nation’s socio-economic and political problems. According to them, “Restructuring was similar to the self-determination pursuit of an independent State of Biafra”. (DAILY Sun newspaper, Thursday, July 9, 2020, page 8).

There is an adage that “of two evils, one should choose the less”. Of the evils of pursuing Biafra, with disastrous consequences now and in future, and the evil of staying in Nigeria, and negotiate for RESTRUCTURING, the latter is less. Nnamdi Kanu and his cohorts, who are clamouring for Biafra, often Nurse utopian belief that Igbo people of Delta State (Anioma), hometown of incumbent Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, of Rivers State, Ikwerre, hometown of former Governor of Rivers State, Chibike Amechi, of Ndoni, hometown of former Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, are with them. They are deceiving themselves. Never will Anioma people in Delta State, nor Ikwere People and Ndoni people in Rivers State, will agree to abandon Nigeria and join Biafra. That was how some misguided people in Scotland, agitated for secession from Great Britain and when a Referendum was conducted for them, majority people preferred to remain in Great Britain. The agitators bowed their heads in shame and kept quiet.

Kanu and his cohorts are clamouring for Referendum. But Igbo people are not going to waste their precious time, in talking about referendum. Ndigbo will use precious time and resources to advocate for 2023 Presidency of Igbo extraction, from South East.

It will be recalled that when Kanu was granted bail in 2016, by the Court, with bail bond signed by Igbo National Assembly Members, Senators Ike Ekweremadu and Enyinnanya Abaribe, and then some Igbo people gave him escort of motorcade from Abuja to his hometown, Afaraukwu in Abia State, the Northern youths vented their anger in an uncertain manner. They issue quit notice to all Igbo in the Nineteen Northern States, to vacate their businesses and residences, within three months time. It took the intervention of Federal Government and well-meaning individuals, like Aliko Dangote (Trillonair businessman) and El-Rufai, (Governor Kaduna State), etc., to douse the conflagration. President Buhari then proscribed them as terrorists and pursued then with Army’s Operation Pyton Dance. Does Kanu think that the Five South-East States, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, enugu, Imo, who are land-locked, can accommodate all Igbo businessmen and families in other parts of Nigeria? The Igbo contributed enormously to build Nigeria, in both politically and economically, and so they are not going to abandon the house they sweated to build, just for mere trivialities. If Kanu and his cohorts, want to embark upon suicide mission, they can go and jump into River Niger.
When Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was President, (2010-2015), he had first-hand experience of marginalization of minority tribes by Hausa-Fulani oligarchy. Jonathan hailed from Bayelsa State, in South-South. His place are the Oil Producing Area of Nigeria, and so the economic bedrock of Nigeria. The agitation of his people, with threats of breaking away, made Nigeria to grant 13% of Budget to the Oil Producing States. Before he became President, he had served the then old Rivers State, as Co-ordinator of remedies of oil pollution that devastated their farm lands and fishing streams.

They used the 13% Derivation to combat the environmental degradation. But it was not enough for the grave challenges they faced. The Federal Government, controlled by Hausa-Fulani, were insensitive to their plight, and used all the money to build Abuja and other Northern cities. It was these marginalization of the people of South-South, that infuriated their youths to embark upon terrorism in vandalizing oil pipelines, oil bunkering, kidnapping of oil workers, especially, the expatriates.

When Jonathan became Vice President to Alhaji Yar’Adua, he advised him on ways of ameloriation to dissuade the youths from vandalism of oil business. That was when Yar’Adua consented to Amnesty to restive youths, with scholarship for training, and employments. They then created the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NNDC), with ministerial status, for comprehensive development projects, in all ramifications in the area, which created many employment opportunities, both direct and indirect and people began to earn well and live happily. This solved the situation, but not secession. When Jonathan became President, he reasoned that too much concentration of economic resources of the Nation, in the Federal Government, to the detriment of the areas where the resources were produced, was provocative to Natives. In 2014, President Jonathan, convened National Conference, to produce better formular for the federating States, which could be called “FEDERALISM or RESTRUCTURING”. They produced magnanimous blueprint, to satisfy all States and Tribes of Nigeria. Jonathan promised to forward the recommendations of the National Conference 2014, to the National Assembly, for ratification, for implementation. In his Second Term Presidential campaigns in 2018, to start in 2019, Jonathan promised to implement the recommendations of the National Conference. But, unfortunately, he lost the election, to Buhari, who came and threw the National Conference into dustbin. This was because, the present Constitution which concentrated all powers and resources in the Federal Government favoured his Northern people.
Later, the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), have reasoned about the propriety of allowing the 2014 National Conference to work, and appointed a committee to review the recommendations. It was led by the Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji El-Rufai, But Buhari remains adamant.

As majority of Nigerians who hail from South-South, South-East, South-West, Middle Belt, and some kind-hearted people from North, favour the RESTRUCTURING as contained in the 2014, National Conference, the Igbos should work assiduously towards the 2023 Presidency, so that they can genuinely lobby the rest of the country, for actualization of RESTRUCTURING. When this is done, the Igbo Nation, shall have the liberty to develop their resources and intelligence and abilities, in all genuine manner of life to better their lots, and save themselves from marginalization. The agitation and clamouring for Biafra, shall die a natural death.

At this juncture, I shall advocate that when the Presidency comes to South East (Ndigbo), it should not just be anybody. It should be a special person who can make the Igbo nation proud, with quality leadership. As the former Governor of Anambra State, and Vice Presidential Candidate for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, has indicated his intention to contest for the Presidency in 2023, he should be endorsed to be the President in 2023. It will be recalled that in 2019, when Alhaji Atiku Abubarka was campaigning for the Presidency in 2019, with Peter Obi as Running-mate, they promised to implement the 2014 National Conference. It was the reason that Ohaneze Ndigbo, endorsed the ticket of Atiku-Obi for the Presidency in 2019. So, now, it behoves us to consummate the Presidency of Peter Obi, in 2023, with preferably, an Atiku Son, as Peter’s Vice President.

By Peter Nwasike 07037946858
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