Victor Wilberforce
I am not shocked that the Nigerian authorities are afraid of a Biafra referendum. A referendum is like an election on a particular topic. This time, it would concern mostly the people of the South South and South-East. The Ekoi, Kalabari, Efik, Igbo etc are rated per their vote to see whether they want Biafra or Nigeria?
If the Nigerian government have been sincere and proactive since the end of the Civil War, this would have been an opportunity to boast about the success of the 3Rs of the Gowon regime in the Eastern region.
This referendum should have been an opportunity for Nigeria to showcase its “superior arguments.” over the Biafra of 50 years ago. This should have been an occasion of chest – thumping by the FG of how desirable Nigeria has become to Nigerians.
But this cannot be so today. The FG is groveling in fear. It has convinced itself that the referendum shall be a testament of the corruption and retrogressiion that the nation has suffered since the Military took over power in 1966.
The referendum if extended to the whole nation would proof that Nigerians are tired of Nigeria. It would proof that Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo masses want out of Nigeria and want a more cogent country by any other name . It would proof that Nigeria is held together by only the greed of the elite who have reduced Nigeria to their fiefdom subject to subjugation and fleecing.
Everyday since 1970, the Aburi Accord becomes more compelling. Widely ignored by Nigeria authorities, it may be the only document capable of holding the centrifugal forces of the Union together.
The British – Fulani Alliance that rule post – Colonial Nigeria cannot truly account for the millions of petrodollars and the overwhelming goodwill that have been frittered away in the grandstyle of imperialism.
It is still not too late to make amends and pull the nation together but the arrogant grandstanding of the Fulani oligarchy must be replaced by a sincere sense of empathy and amity. The born to rule syndrome must be replaced by the born to serve humility, Fulani diseconomy must be replaced by constructive economic engagements.
Only with the above kinetics can Nigeria go to the referendum confident of a positive outcome.
Victor Wilberforce is a critical thinker and a social engineer.
