Title: We Are All Biafrans
Author: Chido Onumah
Publisher: Origami
Year: 2016
Pages: 214
Along
the line of my quest for knowledge, I have always come across this cliché that
Nigeria is a land of milk and honey: Arable land, mineral
resources, and a large and enterprising population; variables that make a
nation great. Regrettably and in spite of all of these, we have been in a
pitiable situation. Whenever I
ruminate over these conundrums, a whole lot of rhetorical questions keep agitating
my mind.
Setting my eyes on this book,
its title, We Are All Biafrans, only
heightened a sense of curiosity in me towards finding out why we are described
by one of the age-long canker worms we have been battling to do away with as a
country. However, from the outset, as someone who has always shared patriotic
feeling with each and every individual that believes in the Nigeria project, I
did not see this book as only a work of art, which must be appreciated by its
enthusiasts.
Rather, I saw it as a national
question that must be answered, and by way of a review. I set out with a
clearly spelt out mission of finding out why we (Nigerians that abhor the word
Biafra), would be described as such.
My curiosity was, however,
appeased by the first sentence in the prologue of the book which reads: “The
young Nigerians now threatening to actualize Biafra should forget or shelve the
plan. They should, through research and study, reconstruct the Biafra story…and
answer the unanswered questions and supply the missing links in the story.”
By this, the author has offered
these disgruntled youth agitating for a sovereign state of their own an olive
branch.
Going further
through the book, it appears however that the agitation Onumah describes has
more to it than meet the eyes, because he metaphorically describes all of us as Biafrans, as
long as we are seeking to confront the crisis which is a product of the feeling
of alienation and marginalisation
due to our deeply flawed federalism. He believes that such feeling
is arguably widespread from the south to the northern part of the country.
Hence,
the basis for the author’s prophesies that Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb
that could go up anytime. He argues that Nigeria as a country has paid dearly
for allowing politics to trump patriotism and wasted much time and resources
doing nothing and going nowhere.
Now, before undertaking an analysis
of the book, it is important to know that this great book is a compendium of
the author’s published articles in both traditional and online news outlets
within the last three years (2013 to 2016), grouped into chapters one to five.
Chapter one, ‘The politics of
2015’, deals with the high-wire politics of the 2015 elections and its crucial
stake in the survival of Nigeria as a country. The author, through the star
article of this chapter titled, ‘2015: Why Buhari Matters’, issued a warning
that, “the impoverished millions of our country men and women, the wanton abuse
of rights, the unmitigated corruption, alienation, internal colonization and
exacerbation of the fault lines of the country were not issues that the current
political order could tackle.”
The second chapter, ‘Dancing on
the Brink’, focuses on the issue of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC). In
this, the author thunders that Nigeria is a big scam, a collapsed edifice that
is in need of an urgent overhaul through a recognized form of representation
that would carry everybody along. He says: “More than fifty years after
independence, we have managed to alienate one another so much so that people
still see themselves as northerners, southerners, and everything in between.”
However, the author jubilates
over a glimmer of hope that resurfaced through the convention of a National
Conference. In the next chapter, ‘Unmaking Nigeria’, his jubilation is cut
short as he argues that “many, if not all, of the problems that assail us as a
nation are rooted in the structure of the country which has been left
unattended to”.
He argues:
“My take is that
majority of Nigerians do not really give a damn about the disintegration debate
because to them the country started disintegrating the very moment it became a
sovereign nation, when rulers had the opportunity to build a united and
prosperous nation but they were so mired in their clannish and thieving ways to
worry about that.” Pp.65
Reinforcing the above
statement, the fourth chapter, ‘Of scoundrels and statesmen’, focuses on some
individuals and groups in and out of government whose actions have either
enriched our polity or reinforced it as the giant of Africa only in name. In
the chapter, the author clearly spells out how most of our leaders have always
failed to walk their talk and how this inability has torpedoed our growth and
unity.
In the next chapter, Chapter
five, ‘Last Missionary’, the author reminds us that we are living in a deeply
fractured nation and we could only ignore that reality at our own peril. He
adds that unless we sit at a table to negotiate the terms of our co-existence
as a people, our country would continue to ‘go round and round’.
“There are
millions of our compatriots across Nigeria for whom this country provides no
succor, there are millions who feel they have no stake in Nigeria, millions who
feel they been left out of the gains that independence ought to bring.” pp.164.
However, according to the
author, all hope is not lost because we could still retrace our steps. He
notes: “What the current situation calls for is a bold attempt to confront
Nigeria’s seemingly intractable problem: The structure of our federalism.”
As much I appreciate Onumah's
intellectual contributions towards actualising the Nigeria Project, I think
this project is bigger than him and all that have written about it. That
notwithstanding, this work of art would go a long way in evoking a positive
thinking in the readers and Nigerians as a whole. Essentially, the book is
intended to sustain the reader's interest, remain true to the empirical
evidence and deliver a message, all at the same time. It is a wonderful
keepsake for all those who want to understand why Nigeria is not work and what
needs to be done.
In addition, this book is
written in a simple, straightforward language to the understanding of anyone
with a smattering of the English language. The font size and type face too is
reader-friendly.
One thing readers of the book
may find as its shortcoming however is the fact that some of the articles are
not presented in a chronological order which makes it difficult for the reader
to come to terms with the chain and sequentiality of the unfolding of events. Such shortcomings slightly impede
one’s understanding of the sequence of events presented in this epistolary
tome.
It is hoped that future
editions of the book will correct these and a few typographical errors noticed.
All in all, readers will find it very informative and those saddled with the
responsibility of leadership in the country may find in it a useful guide in
tackling some of the problems troubling the nation.
Ibrahim
Ramalan is an Abuja-based writer and journalist. He can be reach at
ibroramalan@gmail.com
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