by Ugochukwu Nnamdi Ukamba

Our colonial master by a close margin of votes, decided in June 2016 that it no longer wants to be tied to the apron strings of its brothers in the European Union. They have their reasons and we hope that history will be kind to them following their decision.

On the heel of their decision, sexily referred to as Brexit, some of my brothers –and sympathizers –have launched the clarion call for BiafraExit. The sum of the BriafraExit call is to allow the Easterners decide if they want to be part of the entity called Nigeria. I have read and watched with mild amusement the attempts by those at the vanguard of the BiafraExit campaign to equate their struggle with Brexit. Nothing can be farther from that!

Because I care and because, in the very unlikely event that a BiafraExit actually happens, Biafra will require a very brilliant Attorney General, I have offered, in my usual magnanimous manner, to provide this free exposé and guidance in the earnest hope that, if Biafra happens, the king makers would look upon this brilliant treatise and invite me to become the first Attorney General of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Forgive my digression and self aggrandizement, back to the meat of the matter.

Broadly speaking, there are 2 principal ways to self determination by any group – (a) through the ballot or (b) through the barrel of a gun. In essence, you either fight your way through to self determination or you negotiate your way through. There is a third option –after several years of using the barrel without success, you try the ballot. A case in point is Eritrea –it took 30 years of war before the April 1993 referendum that granted them independence from Ethiopia.

Biafra land has attempted the barrel approach in the past with the attendant loss of human lives, material resources and a perpetually marginalized Eastern Nigeria. The present rabble rousing by charlatans who do not have the minutest understanding of the concept of self determination is very laughable and makes for a good story line for a Nollywood script. First, Uncle Uwazurike used MASSOB to “open office” and gained some mileage for himself. When the maga wasn’t as forthcoming as he anticipated, he fizzled out. Now, it is Broda Nnamdi’s –whom I have the misfortune of sharing a name with –turn to try and spin the maga. Unfortunately for Broda Nnamdi he did not read the manual detailing the mood and un-smiling face of Uncle Bubu.

In my opinion, the ill-thought latter day attempt to stoke the ember of secession by persons who hitherto enjoyed the benefits of Nigeria’s sovereignty is one that would die a natural death. I would hazard that in another 4 years the present noise makers would fizzle out.

Just in case I am wrong, and again, because I care, I will point the BiafraExiters to a way that appears to have shown some chances of getting you to a point where you are allowed to even have a referendum on the point –the Scottish way.

The Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were independent countries in the middle ages. After a series of war between both countries, they united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. They were mutually enjoying the symbiotic relationship until the Scots started yearning for an independent Scotland. What did the Scots do when the quest for home rule started? They formed themselves into political units whose principal objective was to pursue their desired home rule.

In the 1920s, the Labour Party was at the forefront of the push for an independent Scotland. In 1934 the Scottish National Party was formed and though it did not have much electoral success until the 1960s, it continued to agitate for an independent Scotland. All through these years, there were high and low moments but the objective still remained the same –an independent Scotland.

In the build up to the Scottish Parliament election in 2007, part of the campaign promises of the Scottish National Party was that, if it won, it would ensure that a referendum was held in 2010. It was able to sell its manifesto to the electorate and it won enough seats in parliament to form the minority government. From that vantage position it continued to push for home rule for Scotland. Though they had their say but because they were in the minority, they were not able to have their way.

In the 2011 elections, they repeated their earlier stated promise to conduct referendum if voted into power. They won a majority seat in parliament and kept their promises. In 2013, the Scottish Independence (Referendum) Act was passed which paved the way for the referendum held in 2014. The referendum held in 2014 and majority voted to still remain part of the UK. The underlying reason majority voted to stay in the UK was because of the benefits that they stood to gain from the UK’s position in the EU. In the wake of the Brexit vote there has been clamour for another Scottish referendum -led quite naturally by the Scottish National Party.

If you look at the timeline, you will see that there is an 80 year gap from when the Scottish National Party was formed to the point where they eventually succeeded in having a referendum for independence. You may argue that 80years is such a long time to achieve an objective but I will encourage you to bear in mind that in those 80 year period they were gaining small victories here and there. In addition, they had relative peace to grow their economy and there was minimal loss of life. Compare this with the 30 year Eritrean war you will agree with me that ballot trumps the barrel!

Now let us come back home – I do not dispute that people should be allowed to make choices about whether they want to be part of Nigeria or not. The real question is, are they going about it in a manner that’s sustainable? I think not!

It is not enough to block the Onitsha bridge and partake in civil disobedience because you are aggrieved. If everyone is allowed to utilise violence in a quest to assert their opinion, we will get to the point of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD).

What can the BiafraExit people do differently and haven’t done before? Some free tips from your future Attorney General:

• First, within the context of the existing Nigerian Constitution -faulty as it is -get involved in politics. Noise making may get you sympathy but will not get you results. If you believe that those that want Biafra are more in numbers, strategically ensure that only persons who believe in the cause are elected into States House of Assemblies in the East. To show glaringly the futility of your current struggle, how many legislators in all the Eastern States have openly taken a position on BiafraExit? How many governors have? The number 4 person in Nigeria is of Biafra extraction but what is his official position on the matter? When he is not wearing his isi agu regalia to his criminal trial, he is scheming some other personal political victory.

To underscore the importance of being involved in politics, I wish to tell you that Brexit only happened because David Cameron, as part of his election promises, undertook to conduct a referendum if his party won. You can’t stay away from politics and be attending night vigil hoping that God will come down and give you what you want!

Still on the politics front, you need to strengthen your regional bloc. What collaborative agenda do we have in Eastern Nigeria? The five eastern states are led by persons from different political parties with divergent policies -where there is any! You cannot even form a consensus on the minutest political point -how do you want to BiafraExit? Wake Up!

• Second, you need to engage. Whether you believe it or not you cannot get BiafraExit by yourself. You need collaboration- reach out to other stakeholders and try to sell your position. As at today, can BiafraExit folks beat their chest and say their south-south brothers would join in the quest for an independent Biafra? I don’t think so! At least the Niger Delta Avengers want a different country for themselves and that country is not Biafra!

This Biafra we are talking about, what are the blueprints to actualize and keep it going? In 2013, the Scottish Government published a 670 page document clearly articulating it’s position and made freely available to anyone interested in understanding the position. That’s what you call engagement!

I can go on and on but as your intelligent future Attorney General, I cannot give you everything now if not, you will not require me again. Think about these things for now and let us talk further.

Regards!

P.S: Despite the position canvassed above, as at today, I hold the view that the lot of an average igbo man would not be any different from what it is today even if they BiafraExit! There is no unity of purpose in the pursuit of the self-actualization. Will Biafra allow for an Imo-Imo ticket in an election? I doubt.

This opinion may change if I am confronted with superior arguments.

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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

Ugochukwu Nnamdi Ukamba is a Legal Practitioner based in Lagos. He tweets @NnamdiUkamba