Genocide, Biafra & forgiveness
By
Osita Ebiem
Apart
from a very few other animals such as dolphins human brains are about the only
ones that have been able to develop quite considerably away from the basic
simple instinctual level of problem solving to a more complex level that enables
humans to process very diverse and complex stimuli. With the human brain they
no longer need a long period of time to adapt to changes and events in their
environment.
It
is hardly an accident of nature when humans lost most of the primordial
instinctual perceptions as the primary method of interacting with their
environment because Nature expects humans to use the power of their brains to
solve most of the challenges they encounter in life. The brains of humans are
supposed to help them make up for their loss of for example the phenomenal
sense of smell of the dog or the extreme vision of the eagle. With their brains
humans can develop other methods far superior to the endowments of nature in
these areas and be able to accurately sense gases and other substances billions
of miles away and see into many light years away with a clarity that is
infinitely far better than the eagle's.
We
may not be in the position to argue here which is better, to exist on the
instinct level or evolve away to the complex processing level. But we know that
in whichever level we are, Nature expects us (all existence, plants, animals)
to explore every aspect of it and exploit all the potentials to the fullest to
our advantage or well-being. Nevertheless, it is because the gift of the
complex brain can be assumed to be higher then, it comes with higher
responsibilities. Most species that go extinct is because they exist at the
basic level of instinct.
At
this level it takes longer time to process unusual information (challenges if
you like) and then decide on an effective line of action for self-preservation
and prosperity. And because sometimes these events or challenges happen too
fast there may not be time enough for them to finish their adaptations and so
they are overtaken by the drastic events and swept away into extinction. To
slow down the rate of this scourge today, gradually humans are beginning to own
up to their responsibilities by thinking fast and acting pre-emptively for the
species that have lesser brain power for their preservation and safety. Though
as we said earlier that we will avoid the argument of saying which is superior,
the instinct or the complex level of existence yet we cannot resist accepting
here that one will definitely have a better feeling when he can think and do
things for oneself rather than when someone else does it for them.
Someone
might be asking why we have to go to this extent in this introduction but we
consider it necessary because the issue we are discussing here is of the utmost
importance. As much as possible we would rather not want the message to be
misread because of a long and winded preamble but at the same time we would
have serious and patient readers to correlate the link between this
introduction and the rest of this discussion. The Igbo/Biafra genocide is an
open sore on the conscience of not only the victims but also on that of the
perpetrators that must continue to fester and putrefy until a befitting justice
has been obtained.
Over
the years I have come across certain individuals of the Igbo/Biafran extraction
who admitted to having lost one or more loved ones to the genocide but who on
being asked what they intend to do to obtain justice for the murdered ones and
forestall any future occurrence would say that they would want to forgive and
let the past be. These individuals are pathetic because we see in them a people
who have hardly evolved away from the instinctual level of existence.
One
does not need to probe far to come up with the reasons that inform this simple
and easy approach to such a complex and of a brain-power tasking importance. On
each occasion of these encounters I have not failed to notice the presence of
these three elements in these individuals; laziness, selfishness and fear. Most
times you see this ugly and shameful state of humanity written all over them so
bold and so disgusting and, you marvel.
For anyone who knows a typical Igbo it
would seem out of place to impute laziness on him. But we must have to remind
ourselves here that for any complex matter such as the one facing every Igbo
today with regards to righting the wrong that has been done to the people it
will require the mobilization of all the physical strength and brain power
there is to get the job done. Every Igbo and all Biafrans must be involved
using all the talent and intellectual ability everyone has got to get this job
done. It is expected that every Igbo everywhere must use his brain power and
his position to obtain justice and liberate Igbo land from the clutches of the
obnoxious Nigerian occupation.
When
you talk of letting the past be, you are saying, in other words to forgive and
most probably to forget it. And most likely some of us advocating that may have
given to our children such names as Echezona. To forgive is the simple and easy
route and it is always the option preferred by the lazy, selfish and fearful
ones who choose it because they do not have to use their brains to resolve
complex issues and are not willing to endure any discomfort for the good of
others. This is so because when you do not have to go that route you must
exercise your brain and work harder than usual and act with courage to follow
through with your convictions and conclusions. It takes a lot of boldness and
courage to live by what you believe in.
When
a society or a people have formed the habit of forgiving crimes and criminals
then such a society or people are doomed. That society or a people that
forgives will never survive because it is bound to live in a total state of
lawlessness and confusion and the repeat of all detrimental events in their
past. But a true society or a group of people does not forgive, that is why it
has various correction and rehabilitation centres and institutions where
individuals pay penance for their mistakes. Justice, not forgiveness is what
sustains a society and makes it function and prosper.
Every
Igbo everywhere must start today to raise money, time, talent and position to
fight this battle. Time for excuses had long past, it is approaching a century
of (counting from 1945 in Jos) pogrom, genocide and ethnic cleansing visited on
the people. I want to begin to see individuals and groups go all out to fight
this battle. I want to see individuals whose father or mother or brother or
sister or cousin or uncle or nephew or niece or friend or neighbour was
murdered by the combined forces of Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and the others for no
reason other than they were Igbo or Biafrans go out individually and
collectively to fight for justice for these murdered people. Go search the
records find out these individuals hunt them down, put them in crates like
Umaru Diko, move them to places where they can be prosecuted and true justice
served as a deterrent to others. We have waited for too long already.
Every
Igbo/Biafran everywhere who has any money to his or her name must donate one
tenth of it to fight this injustice. For those who do not have, go and sell the
cloths off your back, sell your land, house, chairs, tables, plates, cups and
give one tenth of the proceeds to fight this battle. It is this serious. Let
people endow funds for this purpose. Check out this story on Google of Frank
Dryman who shot and killed in cold blood the man Clarence Pellett, who gave him
a ride. Frank Dryman hid and evaded the law for forty years until the victim's
grandson read about the incident, carried out research, then spent time and
money to find the murderer who was rearrested and is back to jail where he will
spend the rest of his life.
Mr. Pellett's grandson did not have to wait for the
government, not even for the rest members of the family. And do not forget one
important lesson there, no family member asked for Dryman to be forgiven. There
are enough record of the genocide and crimes against humanity to prosecute
Obasonjo, Gowon, Babangida, Danjuma, Bali,
Adekunle, Akinriade, Buhari, David Mark, etc. These people still walk the lands
free and come to Igbo land and stand before crowds to address them. Aru! Where
is the Igbo spine and sense of justice?
Every
morning you wake up as an Igbo/Biafran the urgency for the revenge of these
crimes must be the first thing you say to your wife, husband, child or
roommate. Talk about it in the drinking bars, churches, shrines, on the
streets, in schools, at market places, village squares, in town halls. No day
should pass you by without talking about it. As a people and on individual
capacity, we must begin to confront this collective demon, head-on. Not talking
about it is the reason why we have not yet received the due justice. And let us
not forget that the only option we have as a people is self-determination, a
sovereign independent homeland, free from every form of oppression. The truth
is that since on the 30th of May 1967 Biafrans renounced their Nigerian
citizenship forever. Human beings do not go back to their vomits when they are
no dogs.
Ironsi
had children, Fajuyi had children, Major Ekanem had children, Lt-Col Okonweze
had children, Major Obienu had children, Lt Orok had children, Chief Elijah
Akpan Okon had children, Isaac Boro had children, Akaluka had children. Indeed,
they all have grandchildren right now, we are collectively and individually the
children and grandchildren of all these unfortunate victims and they are
waiting for us to do something. I want to see the children, grandchildren,
brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, friends, neighbours take up arms (legal
arms) whatever, to fight to obtain justice for these people who were hunted
down and murdered so brutally just because they were hated by the other people.
We
have every legitimate reason to fight. Ofor is on our side. We cannot wait for
someone else to do it for us. It must be done by us, for us and for them, the
victims and the perpetrators. It is also for the good of the perpetrators
because they need their souls to be redeemed by paying penance for unjustified
crime. Let the people who have been wronged get vengeance. Let the guilty pay.
Forgiveness is a very inhuman way to solve any human problem. Yes, does not the
popular saying tell us that to forgive is only the preserve of the divine? It
is not for us humans to forgive but rather to err, and these people have made
mistakes as humans and must be made to pay.
Forgiveness
is too easy or cheap and does not require the exercise of the human brain.
Apart from the divine we can also conclude that perhaps the lower animals can
forgive crimes, not humans otherwise the human society will be in a permanent
state of confusion and turmoil as we have said already. Moreover, the living
has no right to forgive on behalf of the dead. We need to remind us that when a
victim forgives, the act does not help to alleviate the pain caused rather it
only gives the victim, a false sense of feeling of being a “good” person.
But
such act rather than achieve anything positive for both the perpetrator and the
victim, it debases the victim and the wrong doer and reduces both of them to a
level that is below the humanness in us, (the human mind would not have been
tasked as it should, to confront a challenge. And that amounts to intellectual
laziness, to say the least). Selfishness and fear or cowardice is also involved
because behind the reason for this sort of forgiving is usually the inordinate
feeling and desire of the victim to become again part of (reintegrate into) the
pain-inflicting community.
If
anyone still doubts these conclusions, let him try reading the level of
seemingly insensitivity to the Igbo genocide by many Igbo writers today. Can
anyone imagine their inordinate and rabid sense of “patriotism” to the Nigerian
state? Very disgusting! It is like The Gambian toying with the idea of being
more Ghanaian than the Ghanaian. Try reading some of their pathetic “patriotic”
writings like when they are lamenting the consistent pattern of loss and
failure at every legitimate glory which has always dogged Nigeria as a nation,
you will almost feel like throwing up, take the recently concluded World Cup in
South Africa, for instance.
But
you know that these people are only making a fool of themselves and that they
should have known better that no country or an individual that sows to the wind
will ever expect to reap excellence. In the end, we are going to leave us with
this final word, the real kind of forgiveness is one of the hardest things to
achieve and cannot be imagined as having any place in the area of premeditated
mass murders as in the case of Nigeria and Nigerians against Biafra and
Biafrans.
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