A couple of centuries ago, an unprecedented, unexpected change occurred. The world as it was known was drastically altered, setting in motion the process that created much of the world as we know it today. A breed of organisms crossed territories in large numbers with one thing in mind: expansion. This was a breed of a species that had become famous, or rather, infamous for its characteristic tendency to occupy new territories and drivethe local populations to their extinction. This species is, of course, none other than the all too familiar Homo sapiens.
Having driven much of the earlier hominid forms to extinction as quickly as natural selection would allow, Homo sapiens had evolved in separate regions of the world independent of one another. This state of being was not to last, however, as the species, in its ever inquisitive and insatiable nature, soon ventured out of the confines of geography and began to interact with breeds from different locations. This interrelationship, which beganas voyages in a bid for knowledge and other scarce resources, blurred the lines of demarcation between the different breeds that nature had surreptitiously created among the species. And the relationship prospered.
However, the very characteristic which made Homo sapiens survive where other hominids failed soon reared its head: greed. There arose in some breeds, a great desire to own more than the others, and an opportunitypresented itself in the boisterous economy of the breed blessed with nature’s best offerings. The natural endowments of that land soon became a point of interest so much that the normal trade routes could no longer be trusted to get this greedy breed as much as they would require. A plan was hence concocted;a hitherto disagreeable breed found reason to join heads, and plan how best to manipulate thisland of many riches, and the best plan brought up involved outright encroachment.
Hence, the breed of Homo sapiens from the western part of the world found it profitable to destabilize the core structures of the breed found in the southern part of the world, replete with a rich fauna and flora, as well as a wealth of minerals, in addition to the strong and desirable features of the sapienspopulationfound therein. The encroachment of the land began in earnest, with first, an agreement to split the great dinosaur into several units to be commandeered by different clans from this invading breed. This was the 1884—85 Berlin Treaty which directed thatthe European invaders effectively occupied the great land nicknamed Africa, in blatant disregard of its original Kemetic nomenclature Alkebulan.The human, plant and animal population of Alkebulanwere subdued by force and the natural endowments of the land were commandeered by the occupiers.
This splitting of the land forced many erstwhile unrelated groups together while tearing apart other cohesive units. Indeed, evidence of this exists till today, as barely over a century ago, one such entity was created along the shores of the Niger, in the western part of the land now popularly known as Africa. Totally diverse and unrelated groups were brought together under one umbrella and given an identity alien to them. The umbrella was called Nigeria. Nigeria prospered well under the administration of the colonizers, for only they knew the motivation behind their creation of the entity.
Six decades ago however, when the colonizers left the administration of the land to its people, confusion broke out. How had the land so seamlessly managed by aliens become so difficult to run by endemics? The answer was not far-fetched. Theirs was not a natural union and it became impossible to work out a mutually beneficial agreement. The northern population was decidedly different from the southern population, the western population was decidedly different from the eastern population. Thus, in a speedy show of proactivity, the eastern population decided to end the forced union, only seven years after the Europeansrelinquished power. The northern population however, with whom power then resided decided that wouldn’t be a wise move and denied the easterners their wish for self-government.In defiance though, in May 1967, the eastern population of Nigeria, which identified itself as Biafra, principally inhabited by the Igbo people, declared its independence from Nigeria. This led to the 1967—70 civil war in which the Eastern Region was nearly decimated by the then Nigerian government, effectively quashing the Biafran dream.
Today, we have the same dynamic. The people of the Eastern Region of Nigeria have again begun their agitations for independence, resurrecting the long-thought-dead dream of secession, and nomenclating themselves the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Again, the situation arose from a dissatisfaction with the northern administration of the country. And yet again, war is being threatened by all sides, and another civil war may be imminent. One question that is being asked in international circles is “does not a people have the right to self-government?”, “is it not in the one’s power to choose to belong or not belong to a particular community?” Hence, is Biafra wrong for choosing to break out of a dissatisfactory union?
A different dynamic today that is noteworthy is the stance of the Western Yorubas. In the 1967 situation, the Western Region stood with the Nigerian government. Today however, the majority of westerners seem to tend toward the secessionist angle. Is there a hope left then, for the great nation called Nigeria? Would the forces at work be successful in shattering the union? Would there be war in this our great country? Is there a siege around the corner? While we do not hope for this, it is expedient to shed our cloaks of denial and decide the way forward as soon and as acutely as possible.
- Olufolajimi Akinnawo, can be reached through 08117296901
