What started as a launch of gorilla indoctrination; a long term political strategy for subduing and conquering an entire tribe in order to always superintend over them became a vehicle of propaganda; hate, lies, misinformation. This foul culture of indoctrination found it convenient to take a home within the space of our national co-existence and compromised the fabrics of our nation building.
Indoctrination is the creative art and process of teaching with bias a person or group of persons to accept a set of belief uncritically without questioning them. It relies on a one sided view of issues circled on partisan or sectarian opinion with a strong dismissal of opinions that do not agree with the said view. Political entities, cabals, cults, religious bodies and fans of sports teams are often caught in the web of gorilla indoctrination as they often impact one sided, bias teachings on their followers.
Unfortunately this bullish act of indoctrination with the pain, disaffection, hate and misinformation it served in monster dose from its attacks and reprisal attacks across tribes became the instrument of our emotional, psychological, cultural and fraternal division thereby compromising our success to nation building. This political style of conquest through its seeds of flagrant emotional trauma has continued to live out its havocs among us as it is now deeply enshrined in our oral tradition for generations to preserve and pass on. The accounts of pain, suspicion, betrayal, inequitable treatments, and misinformation are fanatically transmitted orally from one person to another, one group to another, and then one generation to another.
I was born under a Nigerian nationality but the guide of historical details has made conscious the Igbo man struggle for recognition and his demand for equitable treatment in a country they are quality stakeholders. It is in this drive that I find my path in search of how to remedy the deficient economic and industrial opportunities within the eastern boundaries. The realities of loss of equity, inequitable treatments, disaffection, lies and propaganda against the people of the eastern region are catalyst that gave birth in the first instance the Republic of Biafra. It is also the consistency of these same attributes that transformed it into a state of being deeply carved in the hearts of people of that region even years after the Biafra flag was officially decommissioned and lowered from the assemblage of the flags of nations.
There are those born under the Biafra nationality; those born immediately after the declaration of the Republic of Biafra and within the duration of the civil war from July 1967 – January 1970. This group without contest is Biafra by birth though in the most difficult and dangerous environment of self determination but later became Nigeria by nationality after dissolution of the Biafra Republic and rejoining the Federal republic of Nigeria. Aside from this category, the majority of the generations of people of the eastern region before and after the declaration of the Republic of Biafra are Nigerians by nationality of birth though still remains Biafra in its state of being in the face of consistent injustice, inequitable treatment, hate, propaganda of suspicion that has been aggressively launched against any and everyone who is from the eastern region. The silent conspiracy among the other tribes of depriving the people of the eastern region the right opportunities to flourish is so evident in the national leadership spread of our nation in all sectors of the government.
The tears from this bullish treatment has not left the eyes of our fathers especially those that participated in that unfortunate war; so in tears they have handed down their accounts of the war and details around it to the generation before me and my generation to hold as a measure of evaluating the future in a nation we all count as our own. They have also advised that on no account should we allow a second exploration and exhibition of the recklessness of the gun powder rather we should advocate that equitable treatment be served to all because Nigeria is not a private enterprise to a few.
On that account I advocate for a paradigm shift in the political management of the Nigeria state; let equity for all be a full practicable reality not in selective appliance as seen today; let the political balance as it has favoured the North and West be absorbed on the grounds of equity to favour the East in the pursuant of a sincere and transparent unity; let the bullish treatment in an effort to subdue the eastern region be put to a stop and let the people of the eastern region be treated as co-stakeholders to the Nigerian state. A patriotic call and national support for a seasoned technocrat, competent in delivery, tested and trusted individual for the 2023 Nigerian President of eastern extraction would be a good place to start with the unconditional release of all those that chose different models of agitation as their preferred way of protesting against the consistency of inequitable treatments against the people of the eastern region and gross leadership failures in government across board. Fortunately good or bad leadership does not discriminate tribe as it will benefit all when it succeeds and hurt all when it fails.
Let the sincerity of our actions and political intervention cause a lasting cease fire to the numerous agitations on self determination and service failure. It is of importance to note that these agitations turn monsters was indirectly created by our national leadership; by their insincere actions, acts of gross embezzlements of funds and collective goodwill. I am optimistic that through sincere, competent and equitable leadership actions; we can be healed of the monster plaque that is ravishing the nation and laying danger bricks for more agitation through the blood spilled in the cause of protest and self determination.
May a legitimate opportunity for your celebration be made manifest through grace.
Ya diri anyi mma!!! (It shall be well with us)
Ikenga Jonjude Okere
