Former President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo and the convener of South East Elders Forum, Dr Dozie Ikedife has disagreed with those saying Biafra should be forgotten.
Ikedife, yesterday, in Nnewi explained that Biafra is very dear and close to the hearts of many people of the South East geopolitical zone to be forgotten. According to him, Biafra has become an identity for a people and as such nobody can tell them to forget their identity.
“These are people who met in the South Eastern part of West Africa in an area now called Nigeria when the Portuguese explorers of the 15th century came calling during their exploration of West Africa. Note that in any situation, anybody sitting comfortably would like the status quo to be maintained. On the other hand, anybody not sitting comfortably would call for adjustment. This is basic.
“They call for restructuring. We have to define what we are restructuring, to what extent will it go. Will it be far enough to remove all these traces of discomfort in the system or will it just be a perfunctory alleviation of the discomfort? We must understand that. And until the inequality, marginalization, uneven distribution of patronages, infrastructural development, unemployment, economic empowerment, accommodation or systematic exclusion are addressed, then the agitation up and down in this country will certainly not abate,” the elder statesman said.
He insisted that no real Biafran would accept to forget Biafra. According to him, no true son of Oduduwa or Arewa, would accept to forget their identities. Ikedife was also of the opinion that anybody who tells a group of people to forget their identity would be giving a wrong piece of advice “probably based on wrong perception or wrong understanding of what the agitation is all about.”
Ikedife further explained that he had always advocated that the issue of actualizing self-determination for the Igbo would be accomplished through dialogue, diplomacy, non-violence, legal means and operating within the law.