Nigeria and the world have lately renewed curiosity within the Biafran Struggle. The battle, which continues to affect Nigeria’s collective psyche, resulted within the lack of over three million Igbo lives, primarily youngsters.
It has left an indelible mark on the nationwide conscience. This resurgence of give attention to the battle follows Normal Ibrahim Babangida’s memoir, A Journey in Service, which presents an important alternative for Nigeria to deal with the painful truths of its previous.
Babangida’s biography dismantles a long-held falsehood that has bothered Nigeria for many years: the parable of the “Igbo Coup” in 1966. This narrative, which unjustly depicted the Igbo because the masterminds of violence, considerably contributed to the justification for the brutal genocidal acts that led to the Biafran secession and the catastrophic civil battle. Babangida’s candid account not solely clarifies that ethnic motives didn’t instigate the coup however reveals as a substitute a collective army effort geared toward regime change. It additionally reveals that Igbo officers have been integral in suppressing the putsch.
This revelation is important for understanding the occasions of 1966, because it challenges the dangerous fantasy that the Igbo have been accountable for the coup. This distortion of the reality did greater than exacerbate ethnic divisions; it laid the groundwork for the bloodshed of the Biafran Struggle, which left Nigeria profoundly divided. The struggling of the Igbo was not merely a results of battle, however relatively the result of lies that justified violence in opposition to them. Because the many years cross, makes an attempt to reconcile the nation have fallen quick, as they fail to confront the basis causes of the battle.
The requires apologies and compensation have centred round a misguided understanding of true therapeutic. While gestures of atonement are undoubtedly needed, they can not mend the deep wounds inflicted on the Igbo. Lasting peace in Nigeria is dependent upon systemic reform that tackles the structural inequalities on the coronary heart of the battle. The Biafran Struggle was not solely about territorial disputes however the Igbo’s combat for self-determination. In a nation that constantly undermined their dignity and rights, it was a wrestle to have a voice in how they have been ruled.
Babangida’s memoir sheds mild on one other uncomfortable reality: the Nigerian authorities’s failure to guard the Igbo through the 1966 pogroms pressured Colonel Ojukwu, then chief of the Jap Area, to declare Biafra. Thus, the declaration was not a reckless act of secession, however a determined measure to safeguard the Igbo individuals, who had nowhere else to show. Their combat was about survival in opposition to an more and more hostile state, not about ethnic supremacy.
The Biafrans didn’t combat for land or territory, however for his or her very survival in a rustic that had systematically denied them the fitting to reside freely and with dignity. They have been engaged in a battle not for conquest, however for recognising their humanity and sovereignty in a state that had already branded them as enemies with out trigger. Within the wake of the ethnic cleaning, the Nigerian authorities’s actions, and the widespread hatred directed on the Igbo, made it clear that they have been now not seen as equal residents however as outcasts, undeserving of safety or honest remedy.
Within the aftermath of the battle, the Nigerian authorities promised the three Rs “reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation.” Nonetheless, as Babangida factors out, this promise was little greater than a slogan; it was an empty phrase not supported by significant motion. As soon as once more, the Igbo have been denied the fitting to form their future. The battle might have ended, however the subjugation of the Igbo persists.
As Nigeria continues to mirror on the legacy of the battle, it’s changing into clear that requires mere reconciliation, regardless of how heartfelt, won’t suffice to carry an finish to the battle or present real therapeutic to the Igbo individuals. Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, has articulated a significant perspective on this subject. Talking on Come up Tv, Umeh urged Normal Yakubu Gowon, the previous army chief through the battle, to confront the reality and take accountability for his position in perpetuating the lies that led to the genocide of the Igbo.
Umeh urged Gowon to cease behaving like an “ostrich,” hiding from the painful realities of the previous, and as a substitute apologising publicly to the Igbo Nation. At 90, Umeh emphasised that Gowon has little time to make amends. The Senator insists that Gowon should confess his position within the struggling of the Igbo individuals, search forgiveness, and stop utilizing gestures like Nigeria Prays to place himself as a logo of reconciliation with out addressing the foundational truths of the battle.
Senator Umeh’s level is unequivocal: no quantity of financial compensation can undo the immense hurt inflicted upon the Igbo individuals. The ten trillion Naira determine prompt by Ohanaeze Ndigbo just isn’t meant as a literal demand; as a substitute, it serves as a strong metaphor, highlighting the incalculable harm and struggling brought on by the battle. It isn’t about monetary restitution however restoring dignity, justice, and equality to those that have been denied these for much too lengthy.
For true therapeutic to happen, the Igbo should really feel they will retake some cost of their future by a devolved system that offers them management over their affairs. This sense of autonomy will carry therapeutic, permitting them to imagine that the lives and properties misplaced through the battle weren’t in useless.
Mere symbolic gestures or compensation won’t ever be sufficient to foster real therapeutic. True reconciliation and lasting peace for the Igbo and the whole nation rely on restoring a devolved regional authorities, a necessary structural change taken aside throughout Gowon’s regime in 1967.
The failure to devolve energy has allowed deep-rooted inequalities to persist, creating an atmosphere the place genuine therapeutic, justice, and lasting peace stay elusive. Till Nigeria adopts a really devolved federal system through which areas possess the autonomy to handle their sources, safety, and growth, the scars of the previous will proceed to undermine nationwide unity and reconciliation.
A shift in the direction of autonomy won’t divide Nigeria; as a substitute, it would strengthen it. True unity doesn’t equate to pressured uniformity; it’s constructed on the voluntary cooperation of various areas, every with the liberty to handle its affairs whereas contributing to the nation’s frequent good.
Many international locations worldwide, reminiscent of the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, and India, have demonstrated that devolved governance can foster peace, stability, and prosperity amongst various populations. Nigeria, with its wealthy ethnic and cultural variety, may also comply with this promising path.
Real peace and therapeutic can solely happen when Nigeria confronts its painful previous, acknowledges the enduring wounds, and establishes a political system that permits all Nigerians, no matter ethnic background, to thrive with dignity and respect.
Finally, Nigeria’s future is dependent upon making a federal system that grants each area the autonomy it must flourish. Solely then can the nation actually heal, obtain lasting peace, and emerge as a unified and affluent nation that honours its variety.
Onukwuli PhD, wrote from Bolton, UK. He may be reached by way of:[email protected]
