BIAFRA AND WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO THE IGBO PEOPLE

There have been mixed feeling about the recent uprising of the Biafra Ideology, some see it as a long awaited dream yet to be realized while others see it as a drunkards tale. The sad part is that our leaders have “succeeded” in wiping out our memories, almost cleaning the slate clean. How? you ask, well is quite simple  in most developed countries such as United States of America, United kingdom, France etc.  Their history is taught in schools at the elementary level so as not to repeat the wrongs of the past leaders, But that is not so in Nigeria so I ask why? Did our leaders care less about the future that they neglected the past, some might refer to it as “wisdom” but I refer to it as the highest level of incompetence towards the future.  Former prime minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill once said “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. That is why some IPOB youths feel they can stage a violent protest and threaten the Government to subject to their demands because they lack the basic knowledge of history.

        But the question most people ask is “what’s the deal with Biafra and Igbo people”. Well from a general perspective the Igbos have a deep sentimental attachment to the Biafra ideology. Even though most of us might not necessary go overboard but it is still in our hearts… There are various stories attached to the civil war with no facts backing it..

However according to historians it all started with the coup of 1966 by Maj.  Nzeogwu which most political analyst consider as an Igbo coup which is left for debate followed by a counter coup by Gen. Gowon and during the military regime of Gen. Gowon there was a recorded massacre of the Igbos in the North this Period was known as the ANTI-IGBO POGROM.

However, the killing continued  basically from Misunderstanding on both the Nigerian and the Biafra. So the war began, it lasted for 30(thirty) months and over 1,000,000(one million) people died mostly from the Biafran side. At the end of it all the Nigerian force over powered the biafran Soldiers and they surrendered.

However, the lives and properties lost could not be redeemed. The Igbo’s felt sidelined and having to brush off the humiliation and the crimes against humanity against them which they never recovered from till date. The effect of the biafran war was not only physical, emotional but was highly psychological, so basically every Igbo man has a sentimental attachment towards the biafran dream. Biafra is not just an ideology it was real for over 30 months and as at then it was regarded as sanctuary. But the fact is that majority of the Igbos will choose Nigeria over Biafra because the future of Nigeria is way more certain than that of Biafra although my opinion is open for debate.

I PRAY FOR A BETTER NIGERIA….

                                                                WRITTEN BY   AGULANNA JOSEMARIA J.M

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