The south-east almost always places its emotions ahead of rational thinking anytime Biafra or anything that sounds like it is mentioned. Given our history, this emotional attachment is understandable. Yet, we must strive to grow past the traumas and learn how to put things in proper perspective.
Truth is that IPOB, just like the politicians they routinely condemn, have, at least in the past few weeks, placed their agenda ahead of the collective interest of the people they claim to be fighting for.
No matter how down things come to the wire, you cannot truthfully claim to love a cause more than the people that cause is meant to benefit.
IPOB, thanks to the near-absence of people-centric political leadership in the south-east, acquired power through manipulative rhetorics.
The thing with large scale emotional manipulation is that it may help one acquire power, but it is largely not enough to sustain it. IPOB knows this. That is why it quickly helped itself with a strong instrument of coercion in the name of ESN, unknown gunmen and its upcoming mutations.
The question to ask is this; If the power IPOB obtained through convincing rhetorics is being maintained through brutality and terror, how then are they different from the politicians and “otellectuals” they roundly condemn?
Regardless of what they say their intentions are, IPOB will remain dangerously explosive until the power they wield is made to be accountable to the people. This risk is even compounded by the absence of protocols to protect their power from being susceptible to the emotional outbursts of either IPOB leadership or their angry mob.
All is not well with the south-east. May our present day gamble with IPOB not cost us an arm and a leg before we realise that six is not different from half a dozen.
Chima Christian
