Biafra not feasible in Nigeria ―Kalu

A former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has said the agitation for secession by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) is not feasible within the Nigerian context.

He said rather than the agitation, the people should channel their energy for somebody of Igbo extraction to become the President of Nigeria.

Kalu said this in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Saturday while delivering a lecture titled “Mainstreaming Igbo in Nigeria Politics” at an Igbo gathering for the inauguration of Igbo Support Group for Governor Yahaya Bello.

Kalu said rather than dissipate energy for secession the agitators should re-strategise and play politics of inclusion which could earn the Igbo the nation’s president.

He said, “We must fix Nigeria to work for all inclusive of all aspiration of all. We (Igbo) have made progress but it is not yet Uhuru for us. This is not the time to pop champagne but a time for conscious reflection on the road we have passed, where we are and where we intend to be in the years ahead.

“As Igbos, we must stop listening to people who say Biafra is possible. If we want Biafra we must first ensure that Referendum is included in the constitutional review.

“Nigeria should be thinking of annexing other African country rather than dividing it. China is 2 billion and not talking about secession. But Nigeria with less than 200 million populace is talking secession.”

On the recent quit notice given to Igbos by the Arewa youth, Kalu said, the leaders of the region were already talking and deliberating on the way forward.

“Recently, we have witnessed a rise in ethnic activism. A lot of people have expressed fears that Nigeria may be coming to an end. Well in politics, you have to entertain all manner of fears while working on possibilities. However, because of that fear, we have seen a ‘quit notice’ order from some northern youth groups. I will focus on the possibilities. And the first is that a United Nigeria is an easier possibility than a balkanised country. I see a more united country rising from the ashes of hate and fear.

“However, the issues raised have caused some to wonder if the Igbo have leaders. Of course, Igbo leaders are talking and dialoguing. In politics, you often dialogue more than you talk. So in managing a diverse country like Nigeria, you need to dialogue and communicate rightly. That way you will able to manage tension. In this regard, I want to specially thank the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo for the matured way they handle the quit notice.

“People are naturally attached to their religion, custom, and tradition. People take offence at the abuse of their religion, customs and tradition. This is because any such abuse is considered an afront.  I am not sure of any Igbo man who will like a non-Igbo resident in his village transgressing the custom of his people. If you will not like that, don’t do it to another person. That is the golden rule. If you do just that, the source of friction and trouble will be defeated.

“I beleive the Igbo people are in a better position to understand that all politics, like they say, is local. It therefore suggests that the Igbo must see the need to align properly and seek strategic partnership of other interest groups and political blocs to achieve whatever developmental ideas that they have; such as the shoot for the presidency.

“In politics, you market yourself and make yourself a strategic ally. It is when you achieve this that you put your cards on the table. If the Igbo work themselves into a very strategic political partner, while not putting their eggs into one basket, we can then put the cards on the table before our partners to determine what we get for and what they get from us. We cannot however do that when we remain antagonistic to one another. We cannot achieve it when we scare everyone away with hate. We cannot achieve it if we think its Igbo and Igbo alone. We must build necessary networks. We must build alliances across political divide. These are very important so that our own stories can be told and heard too. If we don’t build such alliances, we may not be able to market our demands”, he said.