Opinion Fani-Kayode: Buhari, Biafra and the double standard of a government in denial

Thankfully under President Goodluck Jonathan the Igbo managed to do better than at any other time in our history. As a matter of fact this was so much the case that Nigerians from other parts of the country, particularly the Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani, often sulked about it and openly complained.

Jonathan had a soft spot for the Igbo and I have little doubt

that that partiality was borne out of his innate sensitivity to

their historical trials and tribulations. It may have been sub-

conscious but I have no doubt that it was there.

Unlike others he viewed the Igbo as equals and regarded

them as human beings: he treated them with respect and

decorum and he gave them their due. Consequently it was

under Jonathan that Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika the first

Igbo Chief of Army Staff since the civil war was appointed.

It was also under Jonathan that Senator Pius Anyim, the

first Igbo Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria

since independence was appointed.

Sadly when President Muhammadu Buhari was elected into

office all that changed and eastern stars stopped shining.

Under him the persecution, marginalization, humiliation,

detention, state-sponsored executions and assassinations

and sectarian and ethnic-motivated murder of the Igbo has

reached pre-civil war proportions.

To add to that the Igbo have been treated with more disdain

and contempt by the Buhari administration than any other

government in our entire history. Permit me to share juat

one example of that here.

A few days ago hordes of AK-47-wielding Fulani herdsmen

and militants attacked some farms in Enugu state. Fearing

that the Agatu treatment may be meted out to them and in

order to protect their lives, their families, their property, their

livestock and their crops from the murderous vandals and

marauders the Igbo farmers organised themselves and

fought back gallantly.

Consequently there were casualties on both sides. Instead

of the police to come in to apprehend the Fulani aggressors

and raiders, seize their weapons and bring them to justice

they arrested 76 Igbo farmers. Up until today those farmers

are in police custody and their families have had no access

to them.

As far as I am aware not one Fulani militant or herdsman

was questioned over this incident let alone disarmed,

caitioned or arrested. As unbelievable as it may appear this

patterm of behaviour by the security agencies has been the

norm throughout the Middle Belt and the south since

President Buhari has come to power.

They have displayed great reluctance to protect the

indigenous people and farmers of those two regions from

the pillaging, killing and raping that the Fulani herdsmen

always subject them to.

It is also instructive to note that the political leaders of the

igbo nation appear to have been so intimidated by this trend

of events that none of them has spoken out against the

abduction of the Enugu farmers or condemned the

barbarous action of the Fulani herdsmen that raided their

farms.

As a matter of fact the only two politicians in the entire

country that have publicly expressed concern about the

safety, whereabouts and plight of the 76 Igbo farmers are

both from the south west and they are Governor Ayodele

Fayose of Ekiti state and yours truly. Fayose did so in an

advert in the newspapers a few days ago and I did so in my

column last week titled “Of Tyrants, Martyrs and Heroes

Everyone else, including the Igbo Governors. Senators,

Ministers, elders and leaders of their socio-political groups

has maintained a curious, submissive and stoic silence on

this matter. I guess that is a sign of the times that we are

living in and I cannot blame them. Given the circumstances

and the obvious constraints of their political leaders and

elders why would the younger generation of the Igbo not

agitate and fight for the establisment of Biafra?

This is especially so given the fact that it is self- evident that

under the leadership of President Buhari igbos, and indeed

other southerners, are not just being subjected to violence in

the north but they are also being attacked by northerners

down in their own states in the south.

Sourhern leaders are expected to live with this, accept it as

the norm and most importantly they are not expected to

defend themselves, defend their people or complain about

the atrocities that they are being subjected to in their own

land.

This hardly kindles hope for the future of our nation and it

certainly does not engender confidence in our country or

enhance national unity. It is clear that the contempt with

which our government views the people of the south and

particularly the igbo is obvious and glaring.

President Buhari himself, during one of his interviews with

Al Jazeera and during the course of an earlier interview with

Nigeria’s NTA, displayed that contempt very eloquently

when, in answer to a question about Nnamdi Kanu, the

leader of IPOB’s prolonged detention and the increasingly

aggressive agitation for Biafra, he asked rather brusquely

“what exactly do the Igbo want?”

When he was told that the Igbo felt marginalised by his

government he went further on to ask “who is marginalizing

who?”

Again before millions of viewers from all over the world

President Buhari refused to watch the footage of the extra-

judicial killing of some IPOB youths by his security forces

when he was asked to do so during his infamous interview

with Al Jazeera.

In that same interview he went on to dismiss the legitimate

aspirations of and agitation by millions of young people

from the eastern part of our country for the creation of

Biafra in just one sentence.

He said that if they had any complaints they should agitate

for more states in the east instead of yearning for their own

country.

One wonders how state creation can appease a generation

of angry young Igbos who genuinely believe that their people

are being systematically killed off and that they have been

turned into slaves and second class citizens by Nigeria.

And this coming from a man who has refused to appoint

one single Igbo into the Presidency and who believes that he

has done them a favor by appointing five Igbo Ministers into

his cabinet.

He forgets that the constitution of our country compels him

to appoint at least one Minister per state and that whether

he likes it or not he must appoint those five because the

Igbos control five states in the Federation each of which

must be represented in the cabinet. It may not be

fashionable to say it publicly but the truth is that the Igbo

are virtually an endangered species under President

Buhari’s government.

They have been robbed of their dignity, their sense of self-

worth, their self-esteem and their self-respect by our

government and the Igbo youth particularly do not believe

that they have much of a future left in Nigeria. That is why

the agitation for Biafra has reached fever pitch among

them.

Whatever anyone feels about Biafra the fact of the matter is

as follows: as my friend and brother Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, the

former Governor of Abia state, said a few days ago, “the

igbo have not been fully integrated back into Nigeria 46

years after the civil war”.

The truth is that Nigeria is not working for most of the

ethnic nationalities and everyone knows it. And as long as

those that hold power at the center today remain in power

things will not get any better.

As a matter of fact as long as they are in power things will

get worse. In Buhari’s Nigeria if you are not from the core

north and if you are not a Muslim you do not have much

hope of getting to the top or achieving your full potentials.

That is “chanji” for you and that is Buhari’s mission and

vision. We said it during the Presidential campaign but

regrettably few would listen. Now the same people that

would not listen are regretting it bitterly and they are saying

that we were right.

In Buhari’s Nigeria it is one law for the oppressed and

another for the ”Born to Rule” oppressor. Whether we wish

to admit it or not that is the reality and everyone knows it.

There is also a well-orchestrated attempt to Islamise our

country and suppress the practice of Christianity in some

parts within our shores. Kaduna state is an example and

what is going on there is nothing but a test run for the rest

of the country.

Yet the truth is that everything has its expiry date including

religious bigotry, bondage and slavery. The oppressor often

forgets that the future belongs to the oppressed.

The Irish experience and the beautiful people of Eire and the

Emerald Isle have taught us that. Far away London in merry

England was once their capital yet today it is their very own

Dublin. If God can do it for them He can also do it for us. It

is just a matter of time.

Some will disagree with the contents of this contribution

whilst others will hate me for writing it. To such troubled

souls I recommend the words of Albert Einstein. He said:

“Great spirits have always encountered opposition from

mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of

understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to

conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his

opinions courageously and honestly”.

I need say no more.