New York Times Oped On Biafra - Politics - Nairaland
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| New York Times Oped On Biafra by Nobody: 9:54pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
ABUJA, Nigeria — Before my grandmother died in 2010, she gave each of her 17 grandchildren a crisp one-pound note. It was an unceremonious gift, without lectures or reminiscing. She opened my hands and firmly pressed the bill into my palm. “You must keep this,” she said, before following up in Igbo: “Inugo?” Do you hear me? “Yes, Grandma,” I responded. “Thank you.” Later, in another room, I looked at the note more closely. The bill was beautiful, with its antiquated font and soft, mint-green coloring with brown highlights. One side had a palm tree standing tall in the center, bordered by intricate calligraphy. Across the top were the words “Republic of Biafra.” To my grandmother, it was an invaluable offering, worth more than her thick coral necklaces or her gold embroidered George fabrics. She wanted her grandchildren to have a piece of Biafra, the short-lived country that she and millions of others from our Igbo ethnic group had attempted to create as a refuge from the newly independent country of Nigeria, setting off the civil war of 1967-70, also known as the Biafran war. Since relocating to Nigeria 16 months ago, I am learning anew just how complex is the history of my country. Nigeria has never really had a single national identity. Ethnic tensions existed ever since 1914, when British colonizers amalgamated more than 250 ethnic and linguistic groups into a new country. But in the years after Nigeria declared independence in 1960, the three main ethnic groups — the Hausa-Fulani in the north, who are mostly Muslim, and the Yoruba in the southwest and Igbos in the southeast, who mostly practice Christianity or traditional religions — jockeyed for power. In 1966, the situation exploded when a coup and counter-coup led to ethnic violence. Over 30,000 Igbos were killed between July and September of that year. In May 1967, feeling unprotected by the Nigerian government and at risk of genocide, the Igbos of the southeast declared independence. A civil war ensued. On Jan. 15, 1970, after two and a half years of brutal fighting in which more than one million Nigerians died, Biafra ceded to Nigeria. Overnight my grandmother and other Igbos who had survived the war became Nigerian again. The previous years were painful for my grandmother, and the process of renegotiating her identity as a Nigerian was, too. The Biafran pounds that she kept stashed away for 40 years before passing them on to her grandchildren were emblematic of an important part of my grandmother’s identity as an Igbo. Most Nigerians of my grandmother’s generation have kept their memories of that difficult period to themselves. In the decades since the civil war, there hasn’t been any public reckoning of the ruptures that led to it. There are no national memorials, except for the poorly funded and run-down National War Museum in Umuahia, a city in the former Republic of Biafra. Besides the all-inclusive Armed Forces Remembrance Day to honor soldiers who have fought for Nigeria in conflict and war, Nigeria holds no officially sanctioned days of remembrance to honor civilian casualties. There have been no meaningful truth and reconciliation commissions. There is little in Nigerians’ collective memory to acknowledge that we once turned against one another and divided our country in two. The memory of Biafra, like the memory of the brutality that brought the country into being and the conflict that followed, has become a ghost haunting our country’s pretenses of national unity. From the opinions written today in daily newspapers to the vitriolic comments made by traditional rulers from some ethnic groups, it is clear that many Nigerians still hold ethnic allegiances ahead of any unified nationalism. Nigeria’s refusal to acknowledge the most divisive part of its history is why the same fears and rivalries that created the climate for the war still fester today. There is a very real risk of history repeating itself. In October, the Department of State Security arrested Nnamdi Kanu, a pro-Biafran independence activist. He was charged with conspiracy and being part of an illegal organization for his work with Radio Biafra, an underground radio station. In the weeks after, protests sprung up around southeastern Nigeria calling for his release — and for the region to secede once again. What began as nonviolent demonstrations turned bloody on Dec. 3, when the Joint Military Task Force, made up of army, navy, police and civil defense troops, opened fire on hundreds of protesters in the city of Onitsha in the southeastern state of Anambra. Between nine and 13 people were killed. (The number is still unclear.) Soon after, news emerged that angry protesters had set the central mosque in Onitsha on fire in retaliation. Political leaders from both the north and the south have made halfhearted attempts to address the concerns raised by the protests. The federal government, for its part, said that they were “economic.” Last week, Mr. Kanu was released on bail but the charges against him remain in place. Though Nigerians’ views are mixed on the separatist cause and the protesters’ tactics, many see the current agitation as symptomatic of deeper national wounds, that if unattended to could have dangerous consequences for the whole country. “The issue of Biafra is something we can never forget, neither our children nor our great-great-grandchildren after our time because it is part of history,” Chief Joseph Achuzia, a former Biafran leader, said recently. “The problem Nigeria is facing now is the inability to come to terms with the reality.” He’s right. What a nation permits itself to remember about its past creates the boundaries by which collective identity is established. There will never be any hope of national unity if Nigeria cannot acknowledge the tragedy of Biafra and the civil war — and deal with the consequences. There needs to be public discussion around what it means to be Nigerian and what the government can do to lead the country in experiencing itself as one nation and one people. Ethnic groups from the north and the south fought before independence in 1960. Before the first coup, during the civil war, and after, Igbos have felt the threat of economic, social and political marginalization. The new pro-Biafran protests are led by youth who have little memory of Biafra or the brutality and horror of the civil war. And yet fears of oppression under the current government remain. During the March 2015 presidential elections, a majority of southeastern Nigeria voted for the political party of the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan. Many Igbos feared that Mr. Jonathan’s challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim Fulani who led a military coup in 1983, would act on a latent hatred for Igbos, despite his promises to rebuild the country’s “broken walls.” The fact that very few Igbos have been given strategic appointments in his cabinet has not quelled those concerns. Ben Nwabueze, an acclaimed academic and a co-founder of the Igbo interest group Ohaneze Ndigbo, openly accuses Mr. Buhari of favoring his fellow northerners and claims that Nigeria’s “No. 1 enemy is the North-South divide.” Interactive Feature | Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, The Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world. I will never understand exactly what Biafra meant to my grandmother and others who lived through that time. But I do understand that Nigeria cannot continue to act as if Biafra and the civil war have no bearing on the current national climate. The silencing of history is dangerous. We remember the pains of our past not only to mourn and heal, but also to learn from them and to ensure they are not repeated. Two years after my grandmother gave me that one-pound Biafra note, I used it as a bookmark while I read “There Was a Country,” Chinua Achebe’s memoir about the Biafran war. It was my own attempt to mark the pages of history so important to my grandmother — and increasingly important to me as I negotiate my Nigerian identity. Our country has to learn to mark these pages, too, if we are ever to move forward. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/facing-down-nigerias-ghosts.html lalasticlala 6 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by Nobody: 9:58pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
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| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by EbukaFran: 10:05pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
Nnamdi Kanu is a terrorist and he will face the justice system in Nigeria The crimes he has been accused of are punishable by hanging under the Nigerian constitution. If he is found guilty, he will be executed. Heavens will not fall, everybody will move on. The NY Times should concentrate on telling the world how the American government deals with its enemies. Thousands were kept in Guantanamo Bay and other secret locations for over a decade without trial while they were tortured and dehumanized. They can also shed light on the rendition programmes they executed across Europe while at it. If Nnamdi Kanu was an American fighting the American government and asking for the balkanisation of the country, he would have been killed by CIA drones with members of his family. Nigeria is a sovereign nation and we will handle our affairs internally. Thank you. 14 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by EternalTruths: 10:15pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
kettykin: Fact Yesterday the slaves shouted leave our land only for them to turn around to oppose us now that we seek to go Seriously Nigeria is filled with sick and confused people  17 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by kettykin: 10:35pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
EbukaFran: The culture of hypocrisy must be killed. The first time in the history of the world we now have a terrorist who has never killed anyone. Nigeria is a sovereign nation that is at war with it self, years of unrest in the North East, agitations in the South East, renewed kidnapping in the Niger Delta, hypocrisy in the South West, shooting of Shia in the North West and militia wars in the North Central. When war breaks out the same sovereign Nigeria will sacrifice oil rich Peninsula and go begging the same world for support. 19 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by Idiataqueen(f): 10:41pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
I know seun and mynd44 will remove dis topic but before they do i just want to say la wa o. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by TonyeBarcanista(m): 10:47pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
Oga, relax! That is not from NYT Editorial, it is an OPINION of the writer that happens to be pro-Biafran. I have had my OPINION on some issues published on major Newspapers yet it doesn't mean they were endorsed by their respective editorial boards. On the subject, everyone is free to opinion irrespective of our sentiment. EbukaFran: 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by CSTR2: 11:26pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
EbukaFran:Shut trhe hell up. 2 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by CSTR2: 11:31pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
. 10 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by Nobody: 11:39pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
TonyeBarcanista:I don't recall calling it an editorial, I rightly referred to it as an OpEd the correct designation. An op-ed originally short for "opposite the editorial page is a piece typically published by newspapers, magazines, and the like which expresses the opinions of a named author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. And by the way i'm neither Pro or anti Biafra, I just shared an interesting article about a topical issue about Nigeria in a major foreign newspaper. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by EbukaFran: 11:47pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
CSTR2: You dont need to quote me twice. That is desperation. I stand by my submissions. Nnamdi Kanu is a common criminal and he will face the Nigerian justice system. There are audio, video and written evidence that shows that he willfully partook in soliciting for the violent overthrow of the Nigerian government and calling for genocidal acts against sections of the Nigerian population. This is not only treason but terrorism. I believe that his eventual execution will serve as a lesson to other terrorists that seek the destruction of Nigeria. 3 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by TonyeBarcanista(m): 11:50pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
TheImp:I addressed that post you quoted to Ebukafran. The ebuka of a guy was "blasting" NYT. Read again... Also, I never accused you of being pro-Biafran. I said the 'writer' of the article happens to be pro-biafran |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by omenka(m): 11:51pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
EbukaFran:PREACH!!!! |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by kettykin: 11:54pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
EbukaFran: Eventual execution indeed, you would have to execute the oba of lagos, Atiku Abubakar, buhari, Obasanjo and northern elders, some of who threathened to drown igbos in the lagoon if their candidate lost a common election,. More so those who threatened to make Nigeria ungovernable if their party lost the 2011 election are still walking free, if these are free then Nnamdi Kanu must free. 13 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by attacker231: 11:54pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
CSTR2: Typical fool, always insulting anyone with divergent views. You should be ashamed of your useless self. Mschew |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by EbukaFran: 11:55pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
TonyeBarcanista: My friend, I did not blast NYT. I simply admonished them to remove the log in their eyes before trying to remove a speck in their neighbors. There is clearly an ulterior motive on the part of NY times. Speculative as it may seem, I am fully entitled to my opinion. 1 Like |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by kettykin: 11:58pm On Dec 21, 2015 |
No body has any issues with killing or sparing Nnamdi kanu but before he is hanged, the oba of lagos must be hanged, Atiku Abubakar and Adamu Ciroma will follow oba of lagos, buhari for his calls for violence must be executed, all these committed the same offence before Nnamdi Kanu. 5 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by EbukaFran: 12:03am On Dec 22, 2015 |
attacker231: Oga no mind am They are just pained! 1 Like |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by knightsTempler: 12:10am On Dec 22, 2015 |
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| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by LadyExcellency: 12:31am On Dec 22, 2015 |
Is the ghost of innocent women and children massacred by Nigerian troops hunting the offspring of Nigerians whose ancestors danced while the atrocities where committed? Why waste much productive energy fighting a non-violent movement that desires non of your inheritance and wealth? So much insecurity is beclouding non Biafrans of Nigeria extractions these days. Bravo, we just want to be independent and develop our common ideology "Onye Aghala Nwanne Ya". At last we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel by telling the world our side of the story and how fed up we are in One Nigeria united by crude oil. 8 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by Nobody: 12:41am On Dec 22, 2015 |
TonyeBarcanista:Oh, sorry for the mix up then, my bad, thought it was addressed to me. 1 Like |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by christopher123(m): 1:05am On Dec 22, 2015 |
EternalTruths: Sometime the stupidity amazed me...they seems not to know what they want ...very imbecilic 2 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by BeClever: 2:52am On Dec 22, 2015 |
EbukaFran: www.tvbiafra.co and you shall be delivered IJN, Amen! 1 Like |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by gsport: 3:07am On Dec 22, 2015 |
EbukaFran:get sense in Jesus name. Listen to your self sounding like a broken record. 2 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by Babacele: 4:31am On Dec 22, 2015 |
EbukaFran:apart from being common, he is a shameless harlot who campaigned tirelessly for GEJ reelection tru d TANoid platform but when we sent d clueless one packing ,KANU started shouting Biafra! what a fraud! apart from spreading lies n promoting hate radio, he was buying guns for what? trying to distract us from investigating how they looted in d last admin where he got sponsored? the fact is this guy is a saTANoid n was wt GEJ ! Such a deceptive character can only lead a deceptive group. But we ain't tolerating such trash ! |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by Anticabal: 6:01am On Dec 22, 2015 |
Good one from the New york times against Buhari, Good one Cardinal Onaiyekan against Buhari, Good one from Soyinka against Buhari, Good one from the resolute Activist Nnamdi kanu against Buhari, Good one from all sensible people all over the world against Buhari. Buhari will not live forever, but common sense will outlive him. 3 Likes |
| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by CSTR2: 6:49am On Dec 22, 2015 |
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| Re: New York Times Oped On Biafra by phranco(m): 6:53am On Dec 22, 2015 |
EbukaFran: |
So The Food Bill For The President Is #1.7billion For 2016. / I'm Beginning To Regret Voting In Buhari / Can This Ever Happen In Nigeria? (PIX)
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