Biafra Is Already To Be Emulated
Peregrino Brimah
You cannot beat it. You cannot deny it. For anyone who knows what makes a state and people successful, Biafra is already exhibiting a major quality: true nationalistic love.
The positive and progressive force of healthy, faithful nationalism has no adversary. Nigerians can only feel envious watching pro-Biafrans douse their “national” colors in all sorts of garbs, ornaments and devices not just within Nigeria but all over the world.
Not only are the manufacturers of these red, black and green with the rising sun, products selling strong, but so is the culture of live, breath and wear Biafra. This is already a success tale as far as that trait goes. It reminds me of Ghana where the national colors and cloth is proudly embraced and there is faith in the nation.
It is this love of nation that makes a man clean-up and not litter; give and not take, volunteer and not clamor for pay, assist and not deprive, serve and not exploit; donate and not loot. This love turns a nation into a family and not a farm.
Nigeria lacks this. We’ve not had it since FESTAC 77. I had hoped the Buhari government will rekindle it, but alas, in two-plus years it did nothing of such. At the start of the Buhari administration, like many others I had hope in a new awakening for Nigeria. I tweeted “A New Nigeria” and launched “MadeInNigeria.ng” platform on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, but the Buhari government had other priorities…like paying off the cabal that got it into office with the cabal FOREX subsidy and other cabal prioritizations including preferred appointments, import bans and immunity assurances among other measures, that crippled the masses further and diminished our evaporated nationalistic fervor.
When I am president of Nigeria in 2019 by God’s grace, we will consider rebranding Nigeria as a whole as I have suggested in my earlier writing. I cited the role of a good name in Islam and Christianity. What does “Nigeria” mean and mean to us? The name Nigeria was not coined by us anyhow and has today been connoted with so much pain, anguish and unfair advantage for only a select group, the Nigeria PLC plunderous cabal, it should perhaps better be scrapped.
If we cannot spark true nationalistic love and fervor for Nigeria, it is better we come up with a new name and brand to spark off the necessitous patriotic love of nation and culture that will directly translate into social and economic raw capital.
In addition, if the Buhari government fails to, as a next government we must decide to restore regionalism. Thus, where the collective fails to optimize nationalistic fervency, each region can proudly achieve it, flaunting and touting its regional colors, culture and prowesses.