Re: Buhari, not Nnamdi Kanu, is the biggest enabler of Biafra
The above subjective piece, by Farooq Kperogi, appeared in the “Daily Trust Saturday” of 15 July 2017. For the umpteenth time, Dr Kperogi demonstrates that he is a lazy, irresponsible and reckless scholar. In addition he is a charlatan.
Tension over the Biafra affair has reached feverpitch in Nigeria. Efforts are in top gear to douse the tension. Our sagacious Acting President in tandem with all stakeholders especially the Northern Governors Forum are working assiduously to calm frayed nerves. But, nincompoops like Dr Kperogi are adding oxygen to the fire with halftruths regarding President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB).
Farooq Kperogi an educated illiterate that is why he does not know that the Biafran brouhaha predates PMB. The agitators have a number of issues which they summarize in one word: marginalisation. A senior citizen told me that alleged marginalisation of the Igbos has been advanced by prominent Igbos since the 1980s. In fact the word ‘marginalisation’ was popularised by a second republic presidential adviser of Igbo extraction since the late 1980s. This erudite Nigerian later led the Senate in the fourth republic. It demonstrates poor research and lazy scholarship by Kperogi to put the blame of agitation for Biafra on PMB.
The nebulous claim of alleged marginalisation of the Igbos hovers around on a number of factors like having five states in the south-east and seven states in the north-west of Nigeria. Meanwhile, the north-west geo-political zone is several times bigger than the south-east. Even Sokoto State alone is about the size of all the five states of the south-east combined. Besides, what about comparing the population of the two zones? Another factor is the struggle to have an Igbo president. For crying out loud PMB is not the stumbling block to Igbos having a president in Nigeria. After all in 2015 PMB did not contest against an Igbo candidate. Appointments at the federal level (read sharing of the national cake) are another bone of contention. Kperogi is so thick-headed not to notice that even states that contributed massively to PMB‘s victory in 2015 got junior ministers. These are Borno, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Yobe. I am not aware people from these states are complaining. Meanwhile, most states is from the south-east got senior ministers courtesy of Buhari’s statesmanship. This leadership quality of Buhari is reinforced by appointing the head of service of the federation and a service chief from a south-south state that did not vote for him. Cynics like Kperogi turned a blind eye to all these noble actions by President Buhari.
Farooq Kperogi should know that as far as “marginalisation” is concerned all the six zones in the country have one or two grievances. Thus, it is not only the Igbos that feels marginalised.
In paragraph 14 of the piece, Kperogi criticised PMB for advising corpers to admonish their brethren to forget Biafra. The exhortation by PMB to the young Nigerians was an acme of statesmanship. Truth is bitter and it must be told categorically no matter whose ox is gored. History will vindicate PMB - or “the just” - to quote the great Zik of Africa. Again, this shows that Kperogi is a worthless scholar for quoting Mr President out of context and for asserting that our imperfections should be swept under the carpet.
To buttress the fact that Kperogi is a disgrace to PhD holders he compared apples with oranges in the same paragraph 14. For Dr Kperogi’s information all well-meaning Muslims from the Sultan of Sokoto down to Youth Corpers and primary school pupils condemn terrorism: the obnoxious act is diametrically opposed to the ideals of Islam.
However, as regards the current Biafran agitation by Nnamdi Kanu no prominent Igbo son, until recently, came out to condemn him. He was spewing vitriolic, virulent and vicious language against Nigeria (which he calls a zoo), PMB, Hausas, Fulanis and northerners. How dare you Dr Kperogi blame PMB! This is unfair, uncalled for and misguided.
As an African child, avoid insulting elders like Alh Lai Mohammed and PMB. One day you too will grow old. As for PMB, at the last summit of African Heads of Government in Addis Ababa he was given kudos for his various policies. His wife, Aisha Buhari, was given the singular honour of reading to the whole world the communiqué of the resolutions of the First Ladies. And, most tellingly, even Baba Buhari’s staunchest critics acknowledge that he is not corrupt.
Unfortunately, narrowminded columnists like you do not see all these that Africa has enormous respect for our dear President Buhari. These are issues you should dwell on not the infantile, shallow and woolly-headed articles you write. On a positive note your column in “Daily Trust on Sunday’’, Politics of Grammar, is educative. Toe that line and become a universally acclaimed professor. For example, a Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie, was awarded a French literary award for one of her works (‘Daily Trust on Sunday’, 16 July 2017). She is focused as writer and does not blindly stray into an unknown terrain and turf unlike you Kperogi. So, borrow a leaf from Chimamanda Adichie. Avoid delving into troubled waters of social criticism without knowing your onions. Worse still, you employ crude, intemperate and unmagisterial language against our elders and leaders. Quintessential columnists in the stable of ‘Daily Trust’ like Dr Jibrin Ibrahim, Ibrahim Dooba, Gambo Dori, Al Ghazzali, Tunde Asaju, Wole Olawoye, Eugine Enahoro, Jideofor Adibe and Sonala Olumhense are effective as social critics without being abrasive and crude like you Farook Kperogi. Thus, I humbly advise you to drink from the mature and measured style of your aforementioned colleagues.
On a final note, please try and avoid this Biafran issue so as not to aggravate tension in Nigeria. There are a thousand and one topics you could address. We want peace, stability, economic development, employment, industrialisation, efficient infrastructure in our fatherland. All-peace loving Hausas, Igbos, Fulanis, Yorubas, Baribas, Batonus, Nupes, Efiks, Ibibios, Ijaws, Yalas, Tivs, Eguns, Kanuris and the over 250 ethnic groups want one Nigeria. And, on a serious note, irresponsible, crude and bellicose columnists like Dr Farooq Kperogi should be censored by “Daily Trust”. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Khalifa wrote this Kaduna. Muhammad piece from