The clamor for the state of Biafra by certain young Nigerians from the south east is a reflection of the amount of dirt that has been swept underneath the carpet for many years.

The agitators may be different, their approaches may also differ but their struggle is triggered by an economy that shut the gates of opportunities on millions of Nigerians. When people’s expectation for the future is bleak, they seek solace in whatever looks like light.

The tales of a prosperous Biafra is certainly more exciting than the harsh economic realities for these young individuals; as such they would rather struggle to enter a land flowing with honey than remain on board a perceived sinking ship.

However, these young individuals are asking the wrong questions and staging their fights at the wrong arena. The collapse of Libya and the unending crisis in Egypt should by now have taught the world the difference between activism and governance.

A lot of energy goes into activism but very little thought is given to the pillars upon which a strong and prosperous state in built. Will Enugu become the capital or would it be Anambra? Will Kanu emerge the first president or would it be Uwazirike?

These are simple questions with no easy answers when egos and sentiments are thrown around. It is therefore cardinal that I state the obvious, “the state of Biafra isn’t the magic bullet to the odious state of the present economy”.

The present design of the country hardly favors any particular tribe, religion or culture. The infrastructural collapse is a national malaise; there are as much jobless Yoruba’s as there are Igbo’s, neither is hunger a regional issue.

Nigeria in itself has failed no region; it is our leaders that have failed us all. If there should be any march, it should be against the political class that have crippled the destinies of our people and most painfully stolen our dreams. The enemy my friend isn’t Usman or Adewale, it is your kinsmen that you gave your mandate who turned it into a conduit to enrich themselves.

I challenge my compatriots from the east not to give in to the sophistry of Mr Kanu, there is no need to cut the nose just to spite the face. Enough blood has been shed already, not even the oldest man in the East should die for this worthless cause.

I believe in the tremendous talent and creative prowess of the igbos, their work-ethic and relentless commitment to succeed irrespective of the odds stacked against them, this is where their energies should be channeled. I challenge you my friends to make Aba an industrial hub where made in Nigeria products can be exported to the global community.

I challenge Enugu to invest in its heritage sites and historical flashpoints and create a tourism industry where the world could see the war planes that were built by engineers under bombardment and without a research budget. I challenge Onitsha to become a world trade center where the entire continent can converge for business.

As a proud Nigerian, I am not ashamed to admit the fact that we need you; you the igbos have invested heavily across the country and in many states account for the most business activity recorded.

We cannot deny your industry, neither could we shy away from the spirit of entrepreneurship you have injected into the system, this is why we want you to stay. Nigeria might do well without you but there is no doubting the great things we can achieve together.

The next time they urge you to pick up arms, request that their sons and daughters lead the lines. This is a momentous opportunity for young easterners to demand the kind of leadership they deserve from elected officials.

This is the time to pressure their senators to fight for the interest of their people, this is the time to demand absolute accountability from their governors, and this certainly is the time to bury the hatchet and move on from 1966.

Finally, the president must recognize that this nation is in a sink or swim moment. First the Niger Deltans took arms, then it became the north easterners and now the south east, if we take away hope from young Nigerians today we would have to deal with bullet wounds tomorrow.

The issue should be seen for what it is and should not be politicized, these are harsh economic times and until bread is on the table, young Nigerians will always scream foul regardless of where they come from.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Ayodele Lawal Adio is an Organisational Strategist, who can be reached via @iamayolawal