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The standoff between Northern and Southern Nigeria has finally reached its climax. The quit notice issued by the Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY) back in June, stating that all Igbos should vacate the North by October 1, 2017 ruffled the feathers of many and has left others with the big question: what will happen come that date?
The average Igbo man feels discriminated against. Issues like the recruitment in the State Security Service (SSS) in favour of the North to the detriment of Southern Nigeria as reported in www.premiumtimesng.com as well as the lament that the ministerial appointments under the Buhari regime have been unfavourable to the South East (read more on Vaguard) seem to lend credence to this notion.
In light of this ‘obvious’ slight of theuIgbos, shouldn’t they simply pack their property and pitch their tents elsewhere? This line of thought then beggars the question of whether it is actually practical for them to leave just like that.
Despite the natural human instinct to evade all threats of danger, the Igbos in the North cannot be expected to leave behind their investments, even if it is a meagre 5 naira. For many, all they have ever known is the North, making such upheaval nearly impossible.
` Some others may be of the opinion that the last time, Nigeria insisted that Biafra would not come to fruition, two years, six months, one week and two days of hoping, hurting, crying, fighting and dying ensued in what we now call the Nigerian civil war.
However, it goes without saying that from the very beginning, Nigeria was founded on sectionalism and a degree of rivalry due to the divide-and-conquer approach of the colonialists. This seed of discord germinated and has blossomed into the present-day agitation. Yet, as it stands, it is too late to say one part should go its way. We have come too far and our lives have become so seamlessly intertwined.
I dare to submit that the solution to the problem at hand is not a quit notice; it would hurt both parties like crudely ripping a foetus from the mother. Nigeria consists of pockets of greatly different people and so conflicts are inevitable.
In my humble opinion, come October 1, we will remain as Nigeria, still trying to work out our differences but united as a country because I believe policy makers from both camps will not be myopic enough to let this country go to the dogs. The quit notice is no more than an antic of a select-few to distract the populace from biting matters like the unbearable hunger and circus show found in politics today.
Secession will only lead to comments like, “there was once a country…” but may that not
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