The Vanity of National Reconciliation Gospel and How Biafrans Cannot Keep On With the Murderers of Our Ancestors

 The Vanity of National Reconciliation Gospel and How Biafrans Cannot Keep On With the Murderers of Our Ancestors "To keep Nigeria one ...

 The Vanity of National Reconciliation Gospel and How Biafrans Cannot Keep On With the Murderers of Our Ancestors

"To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done," thundered General Yakubu Gowon, the man who presided over the devastating Nigerian genocidal War on Biafra.

With an air of righteousness, Gowon claims the war was fought out of love for Nigeria, as if bayonets piercing innocent Biafran children were love letters, and air raids on civilian villages were hymns of unity. But after the blood dried, after three years of unrelenting carnage that left over a 5 million Biafrans dead, one must ask: did Nigeria become one or did the cracks only deepen and cemented by the tears and blood of a people betrayed? 

The gospel of national reconciliation preaches peace, harmony, and collective progress. But in practice, it is nothing more than a hollow refrain, an anthem of deceit that papers over decades of systemic marginalization.

After the war, Biafrans were promised reintegration—a promise as flimsy as the Nigeria government’s claim to justice. Instead, Biafrans were shoved to the periphery, their economy stifled, their political clout diminished, and their voices drowned in the cacophony of "One Nigeria."  

Gowon’s statement is particularly galling because it seeks to  rewrite history. But how can one preach unity when the very foundation of that unity was built on genocidal violence? What type of unity necessitates the obliteration of a people's dignity? This is rather subjugation. The "love" Gowon speaks of is the love of a farmer for his goat: conditional and ultimately self-serving. 

Biafrans have lived as second-class citizens in a country they are told to call their own. Economic policies after the war ensured that Biafrans were stripped off their wealth, starting life afresh with a paltry £20, regardless of how much they had before the war. Industries in Biafraland were either destroyed or neglected, leaving the region to grapple with poverty and underdevelopment. Meanwhile, the resources of the region have been exploited to develop other regions, a modern form of colonialism masquerading as federalism.  

And yet, they ask us to reconcile. Reconcile with who, and on the basis of what? With the murderers of our ancestors or with a nation that despises us but cannot let us go? Biafrans have forgiven, but Nigeria has refused to forget how to marginalize us. 

If the Nigerian government were honest about reconciliation, perhaps they would rename "unity schools" as "hypocrisy academies" or rename the national motto "Unity and Faith" to "Division and Manipulation." How can a nation that cannot guarantee justice speak of reconciliation? Unity cannot be decreed, nor can it be coerced. Gowon's sermon on "keeping Nigeria one" is like a preacher urging congregation members to be fervent and never absent from church because secretly pocketing tithes is his goal.  

For over five decades, Biafrans have endured this charade of unity. We have watched as our youths migrate to distant lands in search of opportunities that should exist at home. We have witnessed the deaths of our kith and kin in poorly planned military operations, tagged as criminals or terrorists simply for agitating for a better life. We have mourned the betrayal of those who called us brothers.  

The road to true reconciliation lies in justice, not in empty platitudes. Gowon’s statement, while sweet to those ignorant of history, is a bitter pill to those who lived it. The Biafran people cannot continue to be part of a nation that thrives on their exploitation and silences their cries for equity.  

The gospel of national reconciliation, as preached by the architects of Biafra’s suffering, is a sham. It demands submission without accountability, forgiveness without restitution, and unity without justice. If Nigeria is truly one, why do Biafrans continue to bear the brunt of marginalization? Gowon may have fought to keep Nigeria one, but his actions and the actions of those who followed him have only proven one thing: Nigeria can never truly be one!

Even if Nigeria acknowledges its sins now and decides to make amends, the Biafran people will not sing hymns of reconciliation with those who murdered their ancestors. Yes! Because, you won't shake hands with the executioner of your father.

Family Writers Press International