A famed English/Igbo (engligbo) saying goes this way – Agarachaa must come back.
Back then in Aburi, Ghana, in 1967, young, very young Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukuwu
took care of business, Nigeria’s business that is.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu
then 32- years old, took care of Nigeria’s business such that the conflagration that beset the country 37 years
ago could have been avoided; he took care of business such that the genocidal war visited upon his people, the
Igbo, could have been averted; he took care of business such that the destruction, looting seizure and/or appropriation
of hard earned property of the Igbo could have been averted; he took care of business such that pain, death and
suffering that touched many families across the length and breadth of the nations comprising the cage called Nigeria
could have been averted; finally, Odumegwu-Ojukwu took care of business such that the comedy now bandied about by the Nigerian Burden – Olusegun Matthew Okikiolahan Aremu Obasanjo in
the name of national dialogue should not have been necessary – that, as well as the waste of time, energy and sundry
resources that is sure to result.
Whether averting the tragedies enumerated above as they affected the
Igbo could have
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been achieved was really open to question, considering that there were forces - civil and military then and even
now that were decided on one thing and one thing only – elimination of the Igbo or as many of them as was humanly
possible. Those forces are still alive and active as jackasses (destroyers not builders) doing nothing other than
undoing the Igbo.
The man who leads this cage called Nigeria today had sworn to ensure
that the sun will never rise from whence God Almighty ordained it to rise – the East – that the Igbo will never
rise again. But is not the futility of Aremu’s efforts so evident? The Igbo nation will outlive Aremu and company.
Beginning with his kinsman – the ugly and appropriately aliased “scorpion”,
Aremu and the band of vandals
he led, in the name of soldiers, noted even by international observers to be the most ill-disciplined band of men
did their best to shoot and bomb the Igbo out of existence. They did not succeed.
From the outset of their insanity in the north of the cage - Nigeria, they killed, maimed and set
ablaze - all in their sight that reminded them of the Igbo. Yet from the ashes of the inferno, rose the Phoenix
– the Igbo – who still reside effervescently amongst those who feel it were best they, the Igbo, were oblivioned.
The Igbo victory, Biafra’s
victory rests squarely on the fact that as Odumegwu-Ojukwu put it, “they (Nigerians) wanted genocide and we stopped them”! This for those who chime
about “instrument of surrender” or whatever that they may jolly well stuff up their you-know-what.
The Nigerian killing machine that was backed to the hilt by Russia, Britain and the entire Arab world ran
out of gas. Let that Nigerian soldier who was not tired fighting Biafrans put pen to paper, so we may read.
37 years ago, Odumegwu-Ojukwu saw the ill-wind in the horizon, his people – the Igbo having experienced first hand the
evil force of this wind that blew away the lives of some, the limbs of some, the heads of some, the eyes of some…..you
name it.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu
recognized the ferocity of this wind, he realized that it could soon engulf the whole of Nigeria then, the Nigeria in which yours truly, truly
believed and “hailed”…as in that venerable anthem – “Nigeria
we hail thee… Our own dear native land…Though tribe and tongue may differ….In brotherhood we stand…”
Such contextual, tribe and tongue - bonding anthem got scrapped by none
other than Aremu for some Ajasco Jazz of
an anthem that is totally devoid of verve. Thinking about this, one wonders what
is Aremu’s taste in music that
he easily dispensed of a deep and suitable sentiment- rallying anthem in a fundamentally troubled arrangement –
Nigeria - for a virtual
Apala sound.
It took the presence of the same Aremu at the helm this time – a la 4 -19 elections to rejuvenate and reinvigorate the ill wind once again.
Like a hurricane originating from the Sahara in the north, the wind has torn up the once seemingly monolithic north,
through the west to far, far, down south – where the inhabitants of the land that harbor the wealth of an entity
are so deprived and are gassed as they protest their suffering.
Every corner of Nigeria that once was their brothers’ keepers, are now their brothers’ killers. Nigerians all that once
worked in unison in the effort to rid the Igbo from their entity now turn against themselves – for oil, for land,
for cattle, for religion, for politics, for whatever. Aremu’s official residence – center of power in Nigeria - is, according to Wole Soyinka, “a nest of killers”…..and thugs, I might add, as Nigerian peoples are aware that some of the worst
terror and destruction unleashed upon Nigerian peoples have emanated from the “nest of killers”…often prompting
the man in-charge, Aremu himself
to take to public airwaves to announce to the public what happened, the reason and those responsible.
Such is how far off Nigeria wandered from truth and basic decency. Truth is home. Nigeria took a walk away from home
– from truth. Nigeria and Nigerians became agarachaa, and like any agarachaa,
to home must Nigeria and Nigerians return for home is where peace is.
The rest Nigerian peoples that junked Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s Aburi peaceful co-existence proposals for the blood of the Igbo are today talking about talk in the nature
and spirit of Odumegwu-Ojukwu
Aburi proposals.
Aburi was not
about Biafra. Aburi was about amicable co-existence or partnering in
then Nigeria. Biafra was a result
of abandonment of Aburi accord
by greater Nigeria that was then dripping with Igbo blood. Greater Nigeria cared less that it was impossible for the Igbo to live in greater Nigeria with Nigerians that had just
spilled their blood…..as if nothing happened.
Anthony Enahoro, the man championing a group that is splitting hairs on what kind of talk and on what manner of
forum to talk understands better than any about Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s Aburi
accomplishment, relative to the cause he now champions. Do I expect the Edo man to credit Odumegwu-Ojukwu
or at least show regrets for not arguing in favor of implementing the Aburi accord? No. Not in the land of hypocrites - Nigeria.
At the time, as Odumegwu-Ojukwu proposed a peaceful co-existence in Nigeria, such never mattered to Enahoro. The man’s mouth watered only at the prospect of starving the Igbo to extinction. He had it, his
starvation plans, designed and ready to go; and so it was easy for him and his ilk to scuttle the Aburi accord and engage in Igbo quick kill.
Enahoro has been
singing Biafra’s song for a while now. His MNR Party’s constitution contains a secession
clause – secession – the same reason he wanted all Igbo dead by starvation.
The man is said to have moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence. He realized 45 years
later - after
his motion, that in the words of his mentor, Obafemi Awolowo, “Nigeria is but a geographical
expression” a contraption of peoples of no known cultural, traditional or whatever affiliation. Enahoro is chagrined or so he appears, over, in his own word,
the “bundling” of different peoples by the British into what is today an impossible entity.
An impossible entity - Nigeria that is rife with inter ethnic hatred,
inter ethnic chicanery, blatant inequity and brazen injustice - such that demand that the diverse nations trapped
in this cage split to man their respective businesses - Okeke, Tunde and
Usman to return to their respective
homes – and there they must contain and content themselves – even if they have in their homes just sand to eat
or trade for survival. Call this dissolution of the British cage or something in that fashion, so all the animals,
yes animals - that is how peoples of these parts are regarded, could scurry away to freedom.
Many have seen, spoken and written about the proverbial handwriting on
the wall, and they pray for a break in peace, not in pieces.
Here is young Ibraheem Waziri’s clear,
honest and courageous admonition for all to internalize “Northerners” (indeed peoples
of Nigerian nations) must learn to come to terms with the truth that Nigeria is not created through divine inspiration,
it cannot be found anywhere in the holy book, and nowhere else on this planet can we find the sacred inscription:
Nigeria is indispensable”.
The least acceptable option otherwise is autonomy for each ethnic region
to man their affairs and cater to their own – again for Okeke to cater to Okekes,
Tunded to cater to Tundes and Usman to cater to Usmans.
Need autonomy undo existing or impede future social and economic association
of now autonomous and/or sovereign entities? Why would that be? However, Okeke
reserves the right not to associate with Tunde or Usman and
vice versa.
It will be putting forth the spirit of Odemugwu-Ojukwu’s proposal at Aburi thus - it is better for Nigerians to pull apart peacefully
than to stay put in a clear and present collision path.
And so what does this Aremu dialogue, a phony dialogue, if you asked me, going to accomplish?
After the Aremu dialogue, wherever and whenever it takes place, as sure as the sun will rise, the Hausa/Fulani
will continue to be suspicious, loving and hateful of the Igbo – for no reason; the Yoruba, in addition to seeking
any opportunity to pounce on Igbo property, they will continue by hook and crook to scheme the Igbo out of their
due and continue to reap off other peoples’ sweat and inheritance – see recent turnkey industrial citing – Gas,
LNG; the Igbo will continue to be distrusting of the Yoruba – for good reason; the Hausa/Fulani will maintain their
contempt for the Yoruba.
As the mutual distrust, hate, despise, chicanery etc., continues, those
to whom Nigeria is a playground – the criminal band that has robbed her, raped her and rendered her moribund –
will continue to have a field day.
“Which kine country be this? Wailed the great Fela Anikulapo Kuti of blessed
memory.
Who is sane that wants to be part of this arrangement, where every group
and/or individual effort is always geared to whatever militates against progress?
Now, not only does Aremu’s cunning ways ooze off this his talk thing, many are downright suspicious of it and rightfully so.
The north does not trust the talk. Alhaji Shehu Musa smelt
a rat a while ago – plan afoot according to him to undo the north. Alhaja Dogoyaro simply
wants the talk stopped or talk about talk stopped…. whichever.
The Yoruba are everywhere or nowhere about the talk…that is if you can
pin down their head; they support the talk and they do not support the talk; core Yoruba group Afenifere is not pleased with the designation of the talk; a
pan-Yoruba group reminiscent of Abacha
days – “Pronaco” will not go
to Obasanjo talk, but they
will talk nonetheless, to themselves. Call that Yoruba “high principle”
as a Yoruba commentator would affirm.
The Igbo is ready and prepared as always; with belief that they have
a case and a credible one at that against Nigeria; they want to talk anytime and anywhere.
It is worthy of note that however the talk comes about, it has been assigned
a “no go area” even before it began, by the chief rapist of Nigeria! The man who stole enough from her that he could now pocket Nigerian nations and their peoples.
And guess who is speaking the language of this chief rapist of Nigeria? It is none other than that
loquacious Aremu’s parrot –
Fani Kayode. He used the chief rapist’s words verbatim libratum thus– “there is a no go area”.
Kayode, a deacon,
they say, claimed in a newspaper interview
that
“the hands of the lord is upon” his master
– Aremu. It could then be that
the “no go area” that he and the chief rapist of Nigeria talk about must be divine, an area on and about Nigeria
that peoples of Nigerian nations must not talk about even if talk on this “area” could usher in the peace and progress
that peoples of Nigerian nations desperately need, else, they will be struck dumb and deaf! Just a thought for this man that knows on who the hands of Lord is.
There is all manner of hullabaloo about a talk that will certainly amount
to nothing. And I ask, why the waste of time, energy and even funds?
Agarachaa must
come back.
I say agarachaa, and that includes those that are ignorant of Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s contribution to the patrimony of the peoples of Nigerian nations. They should do themselves
a favor and read up on the Aburi,
Ghana
deliberations. They may not concern themselves about the lot of the Igbo at the time in question, they should simply
focus on Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s
conscious, deliberate proposal/prescription to his colleagues on the side of greater Nigeria, led then by Yakubu Gowon, on how best to realize a Nigeria that you and I would
have been proud of today and way, way into the future.
A sound and proud patrimony it would have been for us, for our children,
for our grand children, for our great grandchildren with Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s prescriptions that sheer hatred induced myopia did not allow the light of day.
Nigeria and peoples of Nigerian nations strayed from truth, and thus are they veritable agarachaa - wanderers away from home – truth - to which they
must come back for peace and progress to ensue.
Agarachaa must
come back to Aburi; else, there
is no way out of this hellhole.