Why are folks talking about war because Nnamdi Kanu and co want referendum to determine if the majority of Ndigbo will support Biafra or a restructured Nigeria?
Like it or not, Nigeria will have to CHANGE for us to make good progress. Our President and his party, APC, campaigned on the change theme and won. Even his party promised a restructured Nigeria in their manifesto and called it true federalism. Whatever that means.
If because of real and perceived injustice in the structure of the federation some want to exit please don't talk about war as if that is an inevitable outcome of such demand. Especially when you have not meaningfully engaged them to know exactly why they want to exit and you also don't have any reliable statistics on how many of them actually want to exit the federation. Talk of war is mere fear mongering borne out of failure to engage and solve problems which hitherto represents the job of leadership.
Can we not allow a process that allows dissenters to table their grievances while others do same? Why are we playing the ostrich by making it look like any discussion will end up in division and/or war?
If indeed it is true that if we talk everyone will opt to go his or her way then something is fundamentally wrong with our country and we are cowardly fleeing from addressing whatever it is.
No nation is built from the ashes of cowardice.
In all these beating of war and secession drums, the only thing I see is failure of leadership by APC. That party is obviously not fit to be in power but rather configured for opposition politics which thrives on lies and propaganda.
All Progressives Congress party of Nigeria has failed to lead Nigerians and unify us.
In not so distant past we had the orchestrated sharia crises in the north instigated by a sitting Governor under Obasanjo but at the end of the day it was contained without war drums.
Then there was later the Boko Haram insurgency that led to a large swathe of Nigerian land being annexed and the flag of a terrorist organization mounted within our sovereignty. It was contained.
We had Niger Delta insurrection led by MEND and at the end of the day it was contained and resolved.
Just before 1999 we had OPC inspired rebellion from the South West and it was pacified.
How many people even remember that before Nnamdi Kanu's Radio Biafra there was Radio Kudirat sponsored by same current leaders of APC in the south west? What of Arewa Radio? Who sponsored that medium used to rally people to causes like that of Arewa Youth whatever?
Most of Nigeria's past crises were managed and contained by PDP led governments, including the early days of Radio Biafra and IPOB. It was when APC came to power and started arresting those who were then mere freedom of speech irritants that IPOB became an issue. Even then they remained the most peaceful of all the others: only armed with "egbe onu".
Sadly, it is the same APC led government with their reckless talk of 97%/5%, confirmed through open nepotism, that led us to this place and time. Not Nnamdi Kanu or IPOB.
If anything, it was the APC led federal government that Mandelized Nnamdi Kanu and gave legitimacy to whatever he represents when they arrested him against good advice.
APC has failed.
What we currently have in Nigeria is a leadership failure and I suspect that some power mongers are even fueling the chants of war to achieve a sinister and unconstitutional objective. Otherwise, I can't see where the "war war war" talk is coming from. IPOB is not asking for war, they are demanding for separation from an entity they feel is unfair to them and their people. Even if we get to that unfortunate point where we have to separate it MUST NOT be through war.
Even the so called northern youths must have been sponsored by the same power mongers to issue the bluff they issued. That explains why they can come to Channels TV and speak at the studio yet security forces claim not to have seen them. Personally, I don't believe they should be arrested for merely exercising their freedom of speech and association. Just like I never believed there was any basis to arrest Nnamdi Kanu for exercising same fundamental freedoms.
Arresting the leaders of the northern youths whatever is another sure part to Shekau part 2.
All the feuding groups should have been called together to meet with our leaders and discuss. But then who are the leaders of Nigeria currently?
Where is the elected president that should convene and/or bless such a meeting? Certainly not Acting President Osibanjo that might well be the reason for all these subterfuge aimed at making it look like there is a breakdown in inter-ethnic relationships in Nigeria, as a justification for extra-constitutional actions.
My message to all the schemers and war drums beaters is simple and short: God pass all of you.
Ka ima nkea ima nke ozo....echiche madu abughi echiche Chineke.
To the general public, please ignore the noise coming from all sides. Nothing will happen except what God has ordained.
It is time for APC to lead or resign as a federal govt. The president you gave us has not been able to do his job because of ill health and for almost a total of 300 days since 2015 he has not been in the country to lead and unify. He has not even visited up to 7 states of our 36 states, as president, and at those times he was with us on NIGERIA he couldn't effectively deliver messages of hope and unity.
Once a leader or political party in power fail to give hope to the majority of the people anarchy and self help results.
I don't know exactly who is running NIGERIA today but I know that the party in power is APC. Put your acts together quickly and end this idiotic beating of war drums before things get to the point of irreversibility.
-Voice from the wilderness of Nigeria has spoken
JOK
