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Opinion: Nigeria has a Biafra problem that just won’t go away

If I don’t see the word ‘Biafra’ again on social media till the end of the year, I won’t even be sad.

It’s stupid to think that Biafra is feasible. What is feasible is the death of millions of people in a second Biafran war. The sad thing is that the bulk of the casualties will again be on the Igbo side.

But let’s imagine for one second that Biafra is permitted to leave, without a fight or a war. Who will be its president? Nnamdi Kanu, Rochas Okorocha, Orji Uzor Kalu, Ifeanyi Mba? I don’t think so! What happens to Igbo’s that want no part of it? Will they be killed or become a people without a country?

What of the Igbos that run businesses inside what would be left of Nigeria? You think they are ready to pay the fees that come with running a business in Nigeria as a foreign company? Just ask MTN how that’s working out. Let’s not forget the gigantic small mater of the south-south being in no mood to follow anyone anywhere.

The implication is that Biafra will have insufficient natural resources and will need to do business with its closet neighbor, Nigeria! I’d like to see how that plays out. Let’s face facts it’s in no ones best interests for Biafra to go anywhere.

If that’s true why is there so much support for it? Simple answer; stupidity.

The truth is that’s not an entirely correct answer. The South East and Northern Nigeria are the most underdeveloped parts of Nigeria. It’s partly the fault of the incompetent governors they both been having and also partly the fault of the negligence of the federal government (going by the constitution there’s only so much a governor can do before going to Abuja to cry).

I suspect we don’t see much of secessionist agitation up North because the northerns feel and know they are Nigerians especially because they’ve been in government for so long and of course, they have numerical veto power (Ask GEJ for further clarification).

Igbos have not held the topmost position in a democratic Nigeria since Nnamdi Azikiwe and no one’s going to come close in the next few years because surely we’re all not ready to elect Rochas Okorocha as president.

What this has done is to create a situation where some Igbo’s feel that Nigerian government doesn’t care about them. I also think that the fact Buhari is president has added a twist in the plot to this drama.

Remember in his 2011 campaign, his private jet didn’t even cross into south-eastern air space and four years later everyone except Igbos (and South-southerners for obvious reasons) voted Buhari. As much as I personally don’t care, all these things matter to the average man on the street, especially the one without a job.

Here’s how I see it, Ojukwu did what Nnamdi Kanu is trying to do today and both times, they were gathered a reasonable amount of support. It’s not out of place to say even Nnamdi Kanu dies someone will take his place. The problem isn’t that people like that are talking. The problem is that they are being listened to.

I think Buhari really needs to look into ways he can show the people that he really belongs to everyone. I suggests he starts with a five day tour of the south east. He should hold town halls and meet with the people, let him feel them and let them feel him.

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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

Originally Posted on UgoTalksAlot

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