My Views on Biafra: REMEMBER THE FUTURE ~ By Chizzy Nnamchi

I will never forget. No. I will never forget. The images are seared in my memory of childhood.
I want to also remember that Igbos owned a large portion of the Nigerian economy before the war, and despite all effort to keep them down, they are back in that position.

I want to vividly remind my brothers and sisters that Igbos have tremendous capacity for self actualisation, well demonstrated in their numbers all over the country, all over Africa and all around the world. Igbos are everywhere and everywhere they are, they find a way to thrive and excel. So, already, the world is their playing field – globalised citizens before the word became common.

Globalisation has now caught on. The world continues to shrink in distance of travel, in time to connect, and in tastes and culture, news and fake news. All enabled by the advent of computers, to information to internet to mobile and the next – artificial intelligence.

Should our fight then be to rebirth a lost Biafra in a world that has changed dramatically or should it be to rebirth the spirit of Biafra in order to position, compete and excel in this new world? I stand for the later.

What is the spirit of Biafra? Togetherness, independence, self actualisation, ingenuity, innovation, determination – against all odds. “If a man says yes, his Chi will also affirm”. So let it be with Igbos.

Harness this spirit in unity of purpose – that we are stronger together – and water it all over the world where the seeds are already planted. Nurture it, feed it, reinforce it for generations to come – and Igbos will find their place and voice in the community of nations everywhere.

It starts with economic dominance. Why make the same mistake again and give up this hard earned edge? Why restrict ourselves to boundaries that we have already gone beyond? The questions we should be asking is how should we forge that unity of purpose? How should we leverage our tremendous individual strengths and economic capacity? How do we ensure that future generations do not forget?

This remains my honest position.

Chizzy Nnamchi.