There is no wisdom in arguing the truth or preaching to the converted but in order to further damn the conscience of those that believe that a child doesn’t have the right to cry even after being beaten, I would ask them to go down short memory lane and review the stewardship or lack of it by Obasanjo: Does the representation of the Igbos in the Federal Executive Council (or whatever other misnomer that bunch of misfits go under) reflect the true demographic situation on ground in the country? I could even give them the added bonus of ignoring the obviously skewed distribution of qualified manpower in the nation and just base their conclusions on supposedly official population figures. I would pose the same question in relation to ambassadorial appointments, military assignments, appointments to the civil service, scholarship awards etc. The list is endless. Obasanjo knows that his sole relevance to the polity in Nigeria is his dastardly role in the 30-month genocide. He believes that his popularity (notoriety to me and mine) could be waning so he had to find ingenious ways of insulting the Igbos and the Biafra spirit. Chukwuma Nzeogu’s friend indeed.

As a younger person, I used to think that Awolowo would have made a good President. I believed that he would have done for the rest of Nigeria what he did for his tribe. I have since re-evaluated that position and seen that I was patently mistaken. The man was the worst that there ever was. I cannot shake away the “Hunger is a legitimate weapon of war” nightmare. How could someone capable of governing a country watch the slow annihilation of children from malnutrition? Those two are diametrically opposed. I have had the privilege of traveling to several parts of the world. In Austria (and indeed many parts of Europe where Catholicism is prevalent), invariably after introducing myself as Nigerian, the next question would be if I were a Biafran. CARITAS was based in Austria. Igbos need no expatiating on what that noble group did for us during those dark 30 months. In the Vienna International Center, a sight that never ceases to amaze anyone is that of that bespectacled Biafran being led everywhere by his faithful dog. He lost his sight in the war and was salvaged by CARITAS. And what about the half-blind Biafran working in the Nigerian Embassy in Vienna. The injuries came from the war.

I was once in a party situation in a multilingual and multinational setting (along with a couple other Nigerians). In referring to the contrast between our relatively well-fed physiques and the situation during the genocide years, someone quipped “Pero no eres flaco como los ninos de Biafra” – but you are not as thin as the children of Biafra -. Of course, my so-called compatriots laughed to their hearts delight. I pointed out to my American good friend that his joke was in abject bad taste and he apologized. No remorse from my compatriots whose fathers and blood relatives may actually have Biafran blood on their hands. See how different we are. Even notoriously bad countries stick together. The German while being embarrassed by his Nazi taint would thank you not to raise it. The Cubans (or at least a majority) are fiercely loyal to their country and Fidel Castro. What is the rallying point for Nigerians? Nothing. The Green Eagles? Give me a break. Abacha would have all of them islamized. Celestine Babayaro and his brother ……. Sorry, if I tend to digress. Its somewhat difficult thinkung straight in the face of what we are daily confronted with. This takes me back to my earlier position that Nigeria is a an anomaly. We have different perspectives shaping the way we view the country whose passport we carry. Thousands of miles away from Nigeria, it continues to manifest itself. What could be more telling than highly educated Nigerians laughing at the state starvation of Nigerian children? Awolowo is in hell, the only place that a sadistic mass murderer of innocent children and women would be welcome.

What about the younger Yorubas? They would be worse if they had the opportunity is my answer. I will make haste to say that I have not carried out a scientific survey to arrive at this conclusion but the much I have seen leaves me comfortable taking that position. I was once in a quasi working group in some international concern with a rather apparently articulate Yoruba young man . During some alcohol-spiked interlude he was very generous in the spectrum of words he used in pointing out to me how disappointed he was that I was such an unrepentant believer in my tribe rather than Nigeria. He went back to Nigeria and it was arrogated to him the task of setting up a committee to work on some project that would attract international funding. He filled the membership 100% with Yorubas. The hob of this initiative is based in Igboland and manned 99% by Igbos. None of these people some of whom have had track records of over 30 years working in this area were deemed qualified to be in this committee by this nationalist. Needless saying it never saw the light of day. Another casualty of tribalism that we are too dishonest to acknowledge and work on.

In the hey days of the fight to topple the monsters from the North, there were all sorts of Democracy groups amply peopled by Yorubas. We gave them credit as the most evolved tribal grouping in Nigeria. Now that a son of the soil is distributing the spoils of war (for that is what the resources in Nigeria are) disproportionately to their kith and kin with the utter exclusion of at least 40% of the population who produce more than 90% of those resources, no one sees that as undemocratic. You see, it’s all about tribalism. The Democracy groups, we are calling on you to come out once again and stop Obasanjo as he leads Nigeria down the same path where we would have the dubious distinction of sparring with the likes of Pakistan, Iran etc. Those who have gone that way, have known no peace since then. But no, they won’t. They would be excommunicated from there communities. A son of the soil is in-charge.

I will conclude by pointing out that in my life (private and professional) I have never met a Yoruba person who didn’t lie, pay lip service, stab in the back, or consort with babalawos. Did I say the people stink? No they don’t. They boom. The lasting impression I want to leave you with is Fashanu’s about turn. The people would be a joke if they were not hurting an innocent group this badly. We just have to wake up to the reality that we do not have them as partners. They cannot keep their words. And above all, the Yorubas thanks to the machinery set in motion by Obafemi Awolowo have been the beneficiaries of the continuing enslavement of the Igbos and they are not about to change the status quo. Nobody does willingly.

And if you don’t share my views, move on, it wasn’t meant for you and by the way, no thanks.

From this very perspective, the Yorubas should come to terms with reality, with all realizations it is all over. Their endeavor to work things out is nothing but lip service. The damage has been done and the only way to seek a compromise in this regard, is to admit the injustices, which as obvious would not happen. Even if it happens for its sake, the premise for continuous enslavement and marginalization with the cover-ups foreshadowing the truth, I don't think we are now interested in a workable Nigeria.

All I can say is, we wish them well.