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CeLina and 1: Chapter 3
Each time we brainstormed about Nigeria, I had more convictions that she could make a very great leader. she displayed a high degree of selflessness and kindness. She had a very good sense of empathy. Today, her words remain memories that reminds me how we use to feel with regards to the concept of BIAFRA. At that time, the psychological terror that paraded the atmosphere was severe and in the minds of students who had relatives and friends in the Northern part of Nigeria, there was a great fear. We had learned about the civil war that lasted between 1967 and 1970. This period so many Biafrans never survived to see a country that they had stood and fought for. The war was unpredictable and soon there were casualties among the innocent. Those without guns nor blades died in their caves, huts and the forest; not from gunshots nor blades but from a conscious and calculated attempt by Nigeria to wipe out an entire population. To win the war, president Yakubu Gowon had stopped the entrance of food materials into the Eastern Region as a way to force the BIAFRAN forces to surrender. This I had argured seventeen years ago with Celina, that it was the most cruel act that any government in the world could out pour on its territory. It was an unconscious revelation by the head of state that he had no value for any human life in the region, a feeling which was fondly shared with the Nigerian state. All that was important was to regain control of the region. I was born sixteen years after the BIAFRAN civil war but the history of the tears and blood resound in my mind each time I ponder on the present realities in the Nigerian political system. The quota system has kept us very conscious of where we come from. The worst part, "Corruption had tarried and became the tradition". It rekindled the spirit of the old song of freedom sang by Late Gen. Odumegwu Ojukwu, the first head of state of BIAFRA but this time in the veins of Nnamdi Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu had spent much time in England and returned a political activist becoming part of the organization Indegeneous people of BIAFRA: agitating for the creation of an independent state from the old Eastern region. Nnamdi Kanu has sang the BIAFRAN song so well that it has gained a global audience with some countries ready to render support. He bears the mark of the war; He was born during the BIAFRAN civil war. A reality that is capable of turning a man into a "working timed bomb." I can say to a very great extent, I am a very patriotic and concerned citizen. Over the years, although I could not really understand the reason for the BIAFRAN song I had always thought that the proponents of the concept were over ambitious until it became obvious that the supremacy of the constitution and legal systems in the country rested on the shoulders of regional government even from the very begining: The almagamation. The big question remains, "At what point did we forget that we started as regional governments? What foundation established the supremacy of a central power over old regional powers that had wunds and sores to heal. It was just a matter of time, before they seek to continue their separate ways. This is the reality in Nigeria, a country that is fighting so hard to remain one and continue killing each other as one. The traditional arguments in the law making houses has made it impossible for proper working laws and a possible remedy for regional politics, quota system and federal character which has done so much to remind us of our cultural difference. Consequently, the government in it's present method of operation has divided the country based on ethnicity, religion, source of wealth and God fatherism. In my opinion, government here does not refer to an organized system of people and agencies that see to the day to day running of the country but a group of selected Ogbonic and occultic fraternities who have shared and distributed amongst themselves, the institutions and agencies in the state in a disguise of representative democracy Which allows them to legally misappropriate state resources with an immunity clause. There is very little regard for rule of law amongst the leaders including the presidency and its cabinet. In the light of all these, I had once questioned my acclaimed citizenship status. I began to see Nigeria as an abstract country that existed among a group of people who had always been conscious of their different origins. The new concept of government introduced by the English colonial power in the early 19th century had managed to bring together fragments of a territory that had no common cultural not religious affiliation. This, they had thought would be fixed by introducing a regional governing system that gave power to the regions and this was the difference between the "black monkeys" of Nigeria and the white skin men from England. In today's Nieria the new Indegeneous leaders took turns to exercise central and federal powers as well as the allocation and sharing of the natural resources especially from the Eastern region within and amongst their circle of cabals, Ogbonic and occultic fraternity. In most civilized nations of today, it has become normal for such formations to exist for classified administration of state affairs usually under the state's control backed by the law. The Nigerian situation is a funny one because the law is at the mercy of these same cabals who have propelled different civil riots and protests in different parts of the country through their gross misconduct and misuse of political powers and got no sanctions nor penalties. Even when proven beyond reasonable doubts, corrupt politicians still remain in office. This was the new normal in Nigeria. If I understand the reason for the request of an independent state of BIAFRA : It would include the marginalization of the indigenes in the Eastern region in resource control, allocation and managements. If he had the powers, Nnamdi Kanu will not wait one second to end these marginalization of his people as he has made himself clear at different occasions. The truth be told the atmosphere in Nigeria right now is tensed. There has been lots of shootings and engagements between the Nigerian security forces and some "Unknown Gunmen" in the Eastern region which has also led to some casualties. The quest remains the same. Let BIAFRANS go. So, I wait for the right time to ask myself " where do you come from?" Till then, I write from Lagos State to the world telling how I fared in the days when Nigeria was a "living hell" and Nnamdi Kanu beckoned on people from my geographical region to return to BIAFRA. I chose To journey through biafra to the new found land, "Nko Nko ndor lopon." while hoping for a true reconciliation that will address the grievances of the different regions that make up Nigeria and for once present an iota of hope for a peaceful resolution of this conflict. I do believe that the youths are greatly disconnected bond that should exist between citizens of a country not to mention the low profile that precededs the county's image across the globe with regards to our Political system. If I choose to identify myself with a particular group of people who are law abiding I reserve that as I right to freedom of association. An entire region exercising this right leads to self determination a phrase that the Nigerian "Ogbonic cartel" sees as an end to their timid and archaic empire of "perishable wealth ." Believe it or not Nigeria has been at war since 1914. The almagamation was a unity in disaster.
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