The Nigeria Television Authority has played and replayed the video of the late Biafran leader Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, countless times in a bid to preach the benefits of unity. While this is not wrong, one wonders if they actually understood what Ojukwu was pointing at or maybe they did but felt at the same time that it wasn’t necessary to take note of. Ojukwu said ‘Yes, I led the first one and I don’t think a second one was necessary because we should have learnt from the first one’.
The point is there should be a balance of perspective on the information; otherwise it will be a case of abusing the sensibility of Nigerians who actually have nothing against the federation but that they demanded the implementation of the ingredients that guaranteed unity. Unity in diversity? What does that mean? For there to be unity, there should first be equity, equal rights, equal citizenry, fairness and openness. It is these ingredients that take care of the diversity and when this happens, unity becomes inevitable.
Now what happens in the absence of these ingredients? Any unity that overlooked those ingredients has overlooked the diversities in strength, weakness, customs or ideologies and beliefs etc. This means that such unity can never be devoid of pockets of agitations through which bottled-up anger against the system and frustrations of diverse kinds are let out.
We must balance whatever information that we spread around in the name of defending impunity lest we become victims of the same impunity tomorrow. Look at how Victor Malu ended after defending a very rotten system during his time as Chief of Army Staff. We must be careful; those calling for listening ears especially. What did we do with Ojukwu while he was alive for instance? Did we ever seek his wise counsel on how the country can progress without another tension?
No. He is dead today and convenience demands that those who profit from the corrupt system of things should play his video to continue to deceive the people. Nzeogwu said this from the beginning but we killed him before he even finished speaking. Today we refer to his evergreen statement as though who cared to understand what they meant.
Years ago, Atiku Abubakar was in power when James Ibori and DSP Alamesiegha made the case for resource control and he did nothing. Today he is busy calling for restructuring as though he has never had the opportunity to make input in leadership before now. Buhari is here today and has remained defiant to the calls for a better Nigeria. I wouldn’t want to hear him complain tomorrow when he is out of office or even suggest to any leader how Nigeria should be governed aright. It is important we set the records straight about this so-called unity in diversity.
Comrade Ifeanyi Mmoh,
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