MY DESIRE FOR NIGERIA'S UNITY AND MY LOVE FOR BIAFRA, A GREAT DILEMMA.
A great dilemma indeed.
Yesterday A Ghanain friend called me and ask that I turn on my tv, I asked why and he said Ghana is playing Nigeria in a WAFU tournament, I said ok. I turned on my TV but could not capture the only station airing the match so I had to move to his house to view the match. On getting there Nigeria scored the second goal and I was happy, so happy that I jumped off my seat, then I remember my people in Umuahia who were being swallowed by the pythons in the military uniforms, I remember the government that labeled my entire race Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) without lebeling the entire Arewa as a (Boko Haram) terrorists.
In the midst of that state of #LoveTred, in that deep state of melancholy, I remember with great relieve friends that makes being a Nigerian worth it.
Rotshak Golmut from Pankshing Plateau state, the land of my infancy and the land of my dream, I remember Shagari a.k.a Shaguy, from Kurgwi in Qua'an Pan LGA of Plateau state.
I also remember Babatunde Olalekan Nicholas, a well respected regal practitioner from Ile-ife Nigeria, whose genuine love for Nigeria can make him almost kill when in reality his heart is so tender so much so that he cannot hurt a fly. My great mentor.
Mathias Falola, great friend from Ogun state, I remember those days I cannot eat my beans unless he is around, after that we will talk about life and girls till mid night when he will always sleep off whiles I talk alone and latter realize he is sleeping then I will would wake him up and whiles he is awake I'll also go to sleep. What a great time, we are morethan brothers.
And again I remember Zangon Kataf 1992, I remember the Jos killings, I remember Kano 1993, 1996,1998,1999.
I remember Yelwa (Nshar) Shendam, most of these crisis were highly needless and unprovoked, at least not by the Igbos, but the Igbos are always the casualties, in Yelwa Shendam I lost my business, I lost my friend and brother, we call him Friday, his only crime was that he is an Igbo and a Christian. He was killed in his shop and burned beyond recognition, that was a young man who was just starting life after 7 years of apprenticeship, just when hope of financial relieves was returning to his family because of the conclusion of apprenticeship, he was unceremoniously snatched from them, the family were only left with a handful of sand from the mass grave to be transported and buried in his hometown, just because he was an Igbo man and a Christian, this is just one of out of million cases, the I ask myself, if we were foreigners residing in Nigeria would these have happened? At least not answered for.
Contrast: The very fresh and notorious Southern Kaduna Murder, how can I successfully consider and reconsider being a Nigerian without thinking of the Southern Kaduna killings of which the Ile-ife crisis was a tea party in comparison. But when you look at the swift response of the Federal Government in deploying security agents and arresting the "culprits", needless to mention that it was only the Yoruba youths that were arrested as if they were fighting alone. Should I also mention that all the Courts in Osun State and the entire South West were not good enough to try them but Abuja, while the Southern Kaduna Murderers were compensated, probably for a job well done, and a sitting Governor admitted to paying these people but nothing happened. Hmmmmm how do you reasonaly expect me not to reconsider One Nigeria.
Oh Oh Oh, less I forget, the Fulani herdsmen who have killed innocent men and women, destroyed farms and burn down communities have not been neither arrested nor branded "Terrorist" instead they are protected with soldiers and allowed to carry sophisticated weapons in the name of protecting their cows, from who?
Do Not be mistaken I will prefer a One United and Equitable Nigeria, I mean, the thought of needing a visa to visit a friend in Plateau State and Osun State is simply unbearable but when compared with the value of my life, i'd rather pay for the visa. One United and Equitable Nigeria? Is that possible? But you and I know that Nigeria has never been equitable nor one in all sense of those words, yet I still love Nigeria and do not know how to start loving another, but remember I am first of all an Igbo and then a Nigerian, even the President, Muhammadu Buhari said same.
FG.
Who is actually dividing us, IPOB, AREWA old Youths or the Federal Government led by one of the Arewa Youths?
During the 2015 election, my friends in the north had one language in common when I asked them who did they vote for, they will say to me "I am even scared to go to the polling station, it is my sincere desire that Jonathan wins but if he does, my life is not safe so I hope Buhari wins" how can we be one when we leave in constant fear?
When the Igbos talk of secession, the best way the government and many other people ask them to stay is to remind them of the killings of their forefathers, what an effective way of keeping someone in a broken relationship, with such method (intimidation) it takes only a coward to back off, because when you say that, what you are saying indirectly is, 'We will kill you the way we killed your grandparents if you don't shut up', and you and I know that's not an effective and lasting way of mending a broken relationship.
Yesterday A Ghanain friend called me and ask that I turn on my tv, I asked why and he said Ghana is playing Nigeria in a WAFU tournament, I said ok. I turned on my TV but could not capture the only station airing the match so I had to move to his house to view the match. On getting there Nigeria scored the second goal and I was happy, so happy that I jumped off my seat, then I remember my people in Umuahia who were being swallowed by the pythons in the military uniforms, I remember the government that labeled my entire race Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) without lebeling the entire Arewa as a (Boko Haram) terrorists.
In the midst of that state of #LoveTred, in that deep state of melancholy, I remember with great relieve friends that makes being a Nigerian worth it.
Rotshak Golmut from Pankshing Plateau state, the land of my infancy and the land of my dream, I remember Shagari a.k.a Shaguy, from Kurgwi in Qua'an Pan LGA of Plateau state.
I also remember Babatunde Olalekan Nicholas, a well respected regal practitioner from Ile-ife Nigeria, whose genuine love for Nigeria can make him almost kill when in reality his heart is so tender so much so that he cannot hurt a fly. My great mentor.
Mathias Falola, great friend from Ogun state, I remember those days I cannot eat my beans unless he is around, after that we will talk about life and girls till mid night when he will always sleep off whiles I talk alone and latter realize he is sleeping then I will would wake him up and whiles he is awake I'll also go to sleep. What a great time, we are morethan brothers.
And again I remember Zangon Kataf 1992, I remember the Jos killings, I remember Kano 1993, 1996,1998,1999.
I remember Yelwa (Nshar) Shendam, most of these crisis were highly needless and unprovoked, at least not by the Igbos, but the Igbos are always the casualties, in Yelwa Shendam I lost my business, I lost my friend and brother, we call him Friday, his only crime was that he is an Igbo and a Christian. He was killed in his shop and burned beyond recognition, that was a young man who was just starting life after 7 years of apprenticeship, just when hope of financial relieves was returning to his family because of the conclusion of apprenticeship, he was unceremoniously snatched from them, the family were only left with a handful of sand from the mass grave to be transported and buried in his hometown, just because he was an Igbo man and a Christian, this is just one of out of million cases, the I ask myself, if we were foreigners residing in Nigeria would these have happened? At least not answered for.
Contrast: The very fresh and notorious Southern Kaduna Murder, how can I successfully consider and reconsider being a Nigerian without thinking of the Southern Kaduna killings of which the Ile-ife crisis was a tea party in comparison. But when you look at the swift response of the Federal Government in deploying security agents and arresting the "culprits", needless to mention that it was only the Yoruba youths that were arrested as if they were fighting alone. Should I also mention that all the Courts in Osun State and the entire South West were not good enough to try them but Abuja, while the Southern Kaduna Murderers were compensated, probably for a job well done, and a sitting Governor admitted to paying these people but nothing happened. Hmmmmm how do you reasonaly expect me not to reconsider One Nigeria.
Oh Oh Oh, less I forget, the Fulani herdsmen who have killed innocent men and women, destroyed farms and burn down communities have not been neither arrested nor branded "Terrorist" instead they are protected with soldiers and allowed to carry sophisticated weapons in the name of protecting their cows, from who?
Do Not be mistaken I will prefer a One United and Equitable Nigeria, I mean, the thought of needing a visa to visit a friend in Plateau State and Osun State is simply unbearable but when compared with the value of my life, i'd rather pay for the visa. One United and Equitable Nigeria? Is that possible? But you and I know that Nigeria has never been equitable nor one in all sense of those words, yet I still love Nigeria and do not know how to start loving another, but remember I am first of all an Igbo and then a Nigerian, even the President, Muhammadu Buhari said same.
FG.
Who is actually dividing us, IPOB, AREWA old Youths or the Federal Government led by one of the Arewa Youths?
During the 2015 election, my friends in the north had one language in common when I asked them who did they vote for, they will say to me "I am even scared to go to the polling station, it is my sincere desire that Jonathan wins but if he does, my life is not safe so I hope Buhari wins" how can we be one when we leave in constant fear?
When the Igbos talk of secession, the best way the government and many other people ask them to stay is to remind them of the killings of their forefathers, what an effective way of keeping someone in a broken relationship, with such method (intimidation) it takes only a coward to back off, because when you say that, what you are saying indirectly is, 'We will kill you the way we killed your grandparents if you don't shut up', and you and I know that's not an effective and lasting way of mending a broken relationship.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for contributing to the richness of this conversation.