We Need Good Leadership in SouthEast Not Biafra – Ogbulafor
By Uche I. Ogbulafor
Its no longer news hearing the ongoing protests in various part of the SE by the IPOB youths. In as much as I’m of the SE extraction, I want my fellow South Easterners to be rational and objective in their thinking. Biafra shouldn’t be our priority now.
The reasons why I’m of the opinion that Biafra shouldn’t be our priority are:
1. Most powerful Igbos leaders are against it: Those of us with strong memories would agree with me that Nnamdi Kanu isn’t the first person to follow this path.
Years ago during Obasanjo’s administration, Mr Ralph Uwazurike the leader of MASSOB attempted something similar. What was the result…he spent years locked up in an underground cell, his members were jailed many are still in jail as we speak, some even lost their precious lives.
The then igbo leaders who even had the senate leadership then did nothing, why cos they weren’t ready to relinquish their positions and Federal Government appointments for Uwazurike’s movement.
If nothing was done by the SE leaders then, what makes the youths so certain that they’ll lift a finger towards their course now considering the fact that most of our leaders are self centered?
2. Thousands and even millions of South Easterners are likely going to be plunged into the job market upon declaration of Biafra:Its most likely that if the biafran dream is actualized today, Igbos working in various Nigerian government parastatals across the federation would automatically loose their job. Starting from Igbos in the military (Army, Airforce and Navy), to Civil Service, to the Nigerian Police Force, NSCDC, Customs, Immigration, FRSC, EFCC, ICPC, The Ministry, Ministers and Senators from the biafran territory will no longer be recognized in the Nigerian Senate, …etc.
Can we cope with that, noting that the current economy of some SE states isn’t something to be proud about, and we can’t even secure employment for those living there how much more when you have a mass exodus of people relocating home. How will they survive?
Germany requested for thousands of Syrian refugees because they have a very good economy to settle them in months.
We should understand that if Biafra is declared, a similar mass exodus would be experienced.
Question is do we have a plan to absorb the thousands who probably would be relieved of their duties by the Nigerian Federal Government into the biafran economy and create such parastatals for them with a short period of time so they can work and take care of their families?
These are questions we need to ask ourselves.
3. The SE is improvised: We deserve a good leadership in the SE not biafra: Currently, we lack good roads, we lack constant electricity, we lack well equipped government primary and secondary schools, we lack portable drinking water…etc. Why should secession be our priority?
Few months ago, Afikpo youths comprising of Amasiri, Edda, Uwanna…etc blocked the roads to protest 2years of blackout in Afikpo. (The thread was even on Nairaland) I witnessed that protest live cos I was in Amasiri (Ebotrans park) en route Abakaliki and was delayed by the protesters for over an hour because the whole roads leading to Abakaliki were all blocked.
If Afikpo which is agurably the second largest town with the best economy in Ebonyi state after Abakaliki can be in darkness for 2years, then I think its time for us to go back to the drawing board. Cos we can’t expect the biafra economy to survive in darkness.
We should also be bothered about the number of our educated minds finding their way to other geopolitical zones outside the SE in search of greener pastures. That’s another indication to tell us that our economy needs serious rehabilitation.
If we’re so bent on making biafra a reality then we should beginning to hold our leaders accountable to every promise they made to us during the past elections

Great nations are ruled by great minds not thieves, crooks and heartless looters camouflaging themselves as leaders to enrich their 20th generation.
It is time for the Igbo youths to come together and reverse the trend of ubiquitous leadership ravishing igbo land and put up a system that would enable the best of us emerge as leaders.
Our leaders are our problem, therefore we should direct our aggression towards them. Because even if the biafran dream becomes a reality, I doubt we would survive up to 3years considering the kind of crooks we have as leaders.
We should try to understand that Biafra isn’t the solution to the problems we’re currently facing in the SE. If we fail to address the issue of bad leadership then biafra will be a case of “Dead On Arrival”.
4. Inability to stand Independently: A child only thinks of leaving his parents home to cater for himself when feels he’s matured enough to survive independently.
If we’re sincere enough, you’ll all agree with me that most SE states cannot survive without FG allocation. Currently people in Ebony are experiencing serious hardship. No thanks to the Governor (Dave) who has slashed their salaries for no good reason. Imo state isn’t left out of the suffering as state workers there are also experiencing hardship as well.
We have FG allocations yet our Governors cannot pay their workers, and cannot make the state habitable for its people by providing basic amenities. What do you think would happen if the allocation stops?
A few years back when Rochas announced that he wants all secondary schools in imo state to put on a particular school uniform. Yes it was a welcome development to reduce discrimination’s amongst schools. But most people frowned at him when he contracted the job to a Chinese company.
Why would a governor contract a job to a Chinese company for billions of naira when there are so many indigenous companies in the SE that would do it for a far lesser amount?
If our leaders are interested in developing the SE why have they refused to invest in the numerous untapped resources in the SE?
Or are they scared that their successors would become the direct benefactors when they leave office?
Isn’t that a myopic way of reasoning?
5. Dis-unity and inability to make accurate political calculations: From the 1999 till date, while people of other regions had managed to unite behind their candidate of choice in virtually all elections that had been held, we have always failed to do so.
I wasn’t born during the civil war so I have very little knowledge about Ojukwu’s acceptance by the general Igbo populace then.
But I remember vividly in 2003 how he (Ojukwu) lost that election in the SE to PDP’s Obasanjo. It was recorded that Obasanjo had a thrilling 69.46% of votes from the SE. If we sincerely wanted power that year why didn’t we rally round Ojukwu and give him our support like we did during the civil war?
Even when Alex Ekwueme contested the PDP primaries against Obasanjo the same year (2003). That attempt clearly outlined the dis unity amongst our leaders, because most PDP governors of SE states openly campaigned against their own son and supported the same Obsanjo.
Ever since I became knowledgeable of the events happening around me, I’ve never witnessed any election in Nigeria where we (Igbos) emphatically agreed and produced a candidate of the Igbo extraction acceptable to the whole nation and backed him aggressively. Just as President Buhari was backed by his kinsmen and practically other tribes.
In all the elections however from 1999-till date, we (Igbos) have failed to present a formidable candidate.
We don’t even have a formidable political party to start with in the SE. The APGA which was created by Ojukwu has only the governorship seat in Anambra state to boast of.
The North and the SW easily formed an alliance because they had formidable parties they were all loyal to.
My point is that if we cannot determine our political relevance here in Nigeria, we’ll keep having problems among ourselves should biafra become a reality.
Solution: We are all Nigerians so we should work towards the growth of this country. To my IPOB brothers, I will say sheath your swords. Don’t waste your precious lives, MASSOB has followed that path, and today their members in jail are yet to get justice and those that lost their lives as a result of the struggle have been forgotten. If you die in this struggle you will be forgotten, your name wouldn’t even be mentioned anywhere as a hero. Our leaders don’t care, their kids are all abroad so when a stray bullet from a happy trigger policeman hits you, you’re gone. No justice!
Anyi Ga-eme Mbaa Ka Ódi Ukwuu Ma Öbúrú Na Agbúrú Nille Ga Etikota Aka Rúó Órú Ma Gharakwa Ì Na-ata Ndi Ózó Uta Mgbe Ihe Mgberede Dakwasiri Anyi.E Kwenyerem Nigïria Ga Adikwa Ukwúú ÖZÖ.
Ogbulafor writes from Anambra