“History
often repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce...”
As if to illustrate this thought-provoking adage afresh, post-colonial Nigerian
history, which
first produced the immense tragedy of Biafra with its horrible
litany of death and widespread destruction, is now going on to provide the
world with a new version of Biafra that is being preached by the colorful duo
of Ralph Uwazurike (MASSOB) and Nnamdi Kanu (IPOB).
The current
antics of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the self-proclaimed leader of the illusory Biafran
nation, brings to mind an often quoted remark by Karl Marx, who pointed out in
reference to the 9th November 1799 coup d’etat by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte in
France:
“History
often repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce...”
As if to
illustrate this thought-provoking adage afresh, post-colonial Nigerian history,
which first produced the immense tragedy of Biafra with its horrible litany of
death and widespread destruction, is now going on to provide the world with a
new version of Biafra that is being preached by the colorful duo of Ralph
Uwazurike (MASSOB) and Nnamdi Kanu (IPOB).
In the
original historical version of Biafra, the world witnessed General Emeka
Odumegwu-Ojukwu strutting pompously across the stage of history in a crisply
starched military uniform, proclaiming for all to hear that “no power in Black
Africa” would ever stop Biafra from coming into being.
And now we
have a fresh enactment of the Biafran tragedy, this time as farce, with Ralph
Uwazurike issuing bogus ‘Aba-made’ Biafran passports to gullible youths willing
to believe that an adventurer posing as a Head of State can be trusted to
“actualize” the Biafran mirage, while his erstwhile employee Nnamdi Kanu has
now suddenly morphed from a fire-breathing bush fighter into the self-ordained
rabbi of a bizarre new Jewish religious cult.
Let us hope
that this new prophet can now be left in peace to lead his fellow Biafrans to
much deserved freedom from the hellish confines of the oppressive Nigerian
nation.
Thankfully,
the process will probably be swift, since Nnamdi Kanu apparently has very deep
pockets, as well as unparalleled access to top political leaders in Anambra,
Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra and Abia States.
Interestingly
enough, a three-page spread that was published in the “Sunday Sun” of December
12th 2015 (pages 48-51) threw some very interesting light on what Ralph
Uwazurike has been up to with MASSOB, as well as on who the mysterious Nnamdi
Kanu actually is.
In the
interview he gave to the “Sunday Sun”, published on p. 48 in the newspaper’s
edition of December 12th 2015, Ralph
Uwazurike complained bitterly that Nnamdi Kanu was originally an unemployed
youth whom he hired to supervise the activities of Radio Biafra in London due
to the fact that Nnamdi Kanu had legitimate residence status in the United
Kingdom.
If indeed
Nnamdi Kanu is who Ralph Uwazurike says he is, how did he suddenly become
endowed with the tremendous level of funding that appears to have been required to rent large crowds for the unruly
demonstrations all over the Eastern
states, as well as in Delta and Rivers States?
How was he
able to fund a secret radio station within the confines of Nigeria, as well as
purchase considerable quantities of sophisticated weapons in preparation for an
armed uprising?
Hopefully,
the answer to these and many more questions may become known when and if Nnamdi
Kanu and his alleged co-conspirators are eventually put on trial.
In the
meantime, fellow Nigerians and Ndigbo who have a sense of humor will probably
enjoy the free cinema show of Nnamdi Kanu’s efforts to spread his new Jewish
faith among the faithful that he has gathered in his father’s compound, clad in
white priestly robes, and brandishing a highly symbolic fan artfully decorated
with Biafran colors in a bid to demonstrate the nexus between the resurrected
Biafra and the mythical Jerusalem that Donald Trump is apparently getting set
to proclaim as the heavenly ordained capital of the State of Israel.
Turning now
to the possible remedy that might help quell the ongoing agitation for the
birth of a Biafran nation, there have been a number of calls in the recent past
for some kind of “dialogue” with Nnamdi Kanu and his followers.
This kind of
advice is obviously misplaced, notwithstanding the rather bizarre utterances of
Bishop Kukah, who once described Nnamdi Kanu as “the most popular politician in
Nigeria today”!
If there can
be no “negotiation” or “dialogue” with Nnamdi Kanu and his supporters, is there
any means of diffusing the present unrest, short of engaging in a shooting war
with the neo-Biafran agitators?
Obviously,
the best solution would be for the Federal Government to publicly announce that
it is prepared to grant a Biafran homeland to all Ndigbo who wish to abandon
the choice properties and flourishing business enterprises that they have
acquired by dint of back-breaking labor and intense sacrifice over many decades
in Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Jos, Maiduguri, etc. and return to Nnewi or wherever
else they may choose to relocate to in a newly independent Biafran enclave.
Naturally,
the returnees would be unable to carry buildings or other major physical assets
with them, so they would be limited to whatever they might be able to fit into
a few suitcases and “Ghana must go bags,” with assistance from Eze Ayodele
Fayose 1, the newly crowned paramount ruler of Ihiala.
Furthermore,
the new Biafran nation would be a landlocked enclave with no access to oil,
since no rational indigenes of Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa and Rivers
States can be expected to associate themselves with the highly illogical caper of the newly proclaimed
Biafran nation, a factor that happens to have been one of the underlying causes
of the collapse of the original Biafra under the leadership of the late Emeka
Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
(It would
appear that Ralph Uwazurike, Nnamdi Kanu and the bulk of their hard-core
followers are apparently too young to be aware of the deep-rooted reasons for
the disastrous collapse of the original Biafra!)
Furthermore,
once they have returned to Arochwukwu, Umuahia Ibeku, Aba-Ngwa, etc., the
citizens of the newly independent “Biafra” should be required to produce
passports and legitimate visas each time they wish to visit any part of
whatever is left of the dismembered Nigerian nation for business or pleasure,
with strict customs controls to regulate the movement of goods and foodstuffs
between the new Biafra and every other part of present day Nigeria.
Fair enough?
Interestingly
enough, as any diligent student of Nigerian history is aware, there is no such
thing as the “Igbo people,” because Igbo happens to be a language and not an
ethnic group, just in the same way as Yoruba is a language, and not a tribe!
It so
happens that most of the diverse folks who speak the Igbo language - Ngwa,
Ohaffia, Wawa, Owerri, etc. - never actually interacted with each other on a
regular basis during the pre-colonial era. In fact, some of the dialects that
are spoken in certain parts of Ala Igbo are virtually incomprehensible in other
Igbo-speaking lands.
Ironically,
the often repeated complaint that Nigeria is an artificial creation of British
colonialism would therefore also apply to any Biafran state that is formed out
of an amalgamation of erstwhile antagonistic Igbo-speaking peoples, the more so
as there are now many artificial traditional “kings” all over Ala Igbo, some of
whom can be observed to be reigning under bizarre appellations like “Eze
Donatus Ahamba 1 of Njikoka” or “Eze Jonathan Ndigbo 1 of Bende local
community.”
Oh dear, why
all these traditional “rulers” in Ala Igbo always “1”? Why no 2, 3 or 4?
Could it be
that nobody in their different communities knows how to count beyond 1?
Or could it
be that there have never been any traditional rulers in the history of
Igbo-speaking peoples before the trend was initiated a few years ago, possibly
to give the famous Nigerian actor Olu Jacob an opportunity of competing with
the equally famous thespian Pete Edochie for the honor of winning the Nollywood
absurdity prize for best traditional ruler role?
Anyway, the
free cinema show of the long-awaited re-actualization of “Biafra” should be
allowed to proceed unimpeded.
Hopefully,
at the end of the entire process, the farce would have attained such
proportions that we would all be encouraged to look forward to the next episode
of this vastly entertaining farce.
Meanwhile,
the law enforcement agencies would be well-advised to refrain from allowing
themselves to be provoked into engaging in running battles with those who have
declared their intention of shutting down the South-Eastern States on May 30th.
On the contrary,
the new breed die-hard Biafrans should be allowed free passage into the nearest
available beer parlors and pepper soup
canteens in each of the South-Eastern States to celebrate the past, current or
future Biafran independence to their heart’s content.
SAHARAREPORTERS*
0 Comments