REFERENDUM: Why The Quest For Biafra Self-Determination Has Outgrown Attempted Suppression

REFERENDUM: Why The Quest For Biafra Self-Determination Has Outgrown Attempted Suppression

REFERENDUM: Why The Quest For Biafra Self-Determination Has Outgrown Attempted Suppression

The quest for Biafra self-determination is one that is deeply rooted in immense historical violence, persecution, and collective trauma. Its foundation is pain rather than choice. This “Biafran dream,” contrary to common beliefs, did not arise from ambitions of self-development or sectoral interest; rather, it was ignited by the natural human instinct for survival in the face of an existential threat.

The birth of the short-lived Biafra Republic of 1967–1970 and its resurgence decades later is unmistakable evidence that when a people’s existence is threatened, it does not matter how overwhelming or sophisticated the detractors appear; the quest to break free will always prevail.

The current push for self-determination, championed by the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu led Indigenous People Of Biafra(IPOB) movement, was started by its revolutionaries Leader who foresaw the existential threat currently bedeviling the Nigerian state in the form of ethnically and religiously motivated killings of indigenous populations.

Nigerian government have consistently sought, through violent and extrajudicial crackdowns on advocates, to suppress this legitimate quest for a peaceful resolution aimed at preserving the ethnic fabrics of the Eastern Region. But the driving force behind the Biafra agitation is not merely the enthusiasm to determine political and economic destiny. Rather, it is the urgent need to escape an impending calamity already unfolding in the North and Middle Belt, where a Fulani agenda against indigenous populations, masked under the veil of religious vendetta, reigns unabated.

Between 1967 and 1970, Biafrans saw that their survival was under serious threat from the Fulani North. And, in search of safety, they attempted to establish their own state; a decision that resulted in a devastating 30-month war with heavy loss of life. Although the war was brutal, it was seen as a necessary struggle for survival.
Today, same dangers facing these Biafran people, have even more severely extended to other ethnic groups in Nigeria. And, unlike the past, there are no functioning institutions capable of guaranteeing their safety. The systems meant to protect lives and ensure justice have been deeply compromised, leaving these groups exposed to continued and escalating threats.

This threat is embodied in a state-enabled, ethnic-supremacist Fulanization agenda pursued under the aegis of an Islamic order. This agenda constitutes a direct affront and an existential danger to the survival of the Biafran race.

The efforts towards preserving the fabrics of entrapped ethnic nationalities in Nigeria is therefore incumbent, not only upon the Biafrans who have been at the forefront of foresighted self-preservation measures, but also upon all ethnic nationalities that are incompatible with, and unwilling to tolerate the ulterior agenda of a minority group.

Thus, the Nigerian government and the international community, especially those genuinely interested in lasting solutions to the problems bedeviling the region, must come to terms with the indisputable truth that the quest for Biafra self-determination is fundamentally a struggle for survival. The agitation is rooted in self-preservation against an encroaching threat to the lives and continued existence of the Biafran people. A peaceful resolution, whether through a referendum or an outright political solution, must therefore be allowed.
Anything short of this will prove counter-productive, as the natural instinct to defend, protect, and preserve life will continue to fuel the quest for Biafra self-determination, for as long as the threat to Biafran lives persists and flourishes.

Indeed, a stitch in time saves nine.