In a post shared, Prof Akin Omoz-Oarhe was quoted recounting his experience as he engaged the unenlightened Biafra beer drinking Igbo separatists.
Below is the piece. Enjoy it:
I went to see some Igbo friends in their ‘computer village’ residence one Sunday. I have many of such not-so-educated friends. The ones we call ‘the masses’.
They were all gathered enjoying themselves quaffing beer that evening and discussing their experiences during the week. It was at the peak of Nnamdi Kanu’s show in SE so “Biafra” dominated their gist.
They asked “Ah Oga, you come see us? Welcome. There must be plenty to gist today”.
**“Do you take beer, but the only one we take here is ‘Biafra Beer’”.
**I told them: “I don’t take beer. By the way which one is Biafra Beer?”
**They were surprise that I did not know Biafra Beer – “Biafra Beer is Peter Obi’s beer. Cant you see the ‘Rising Sun of Biafra’ logo on it?”
They pointed at the picture on the label. They were right. There was that logo on On Biafra Flag.
During the War, they called Rising Sun but each time I looked, it looked like a Setting Sun. They were wrong and I was right because on 15th January 1970 the ‘Sun’ finally went down.
The truth is, no less than 95% of Igbo really want Biafra but unfortunately, not more than 20% know what it entails.
At the mention of ‘Biafra’ I got excited. I told them to give me a chair and we shall discuss this Biafra today.
I was shocked to the marrow that, of the 20 friends I met that day that grew to about 30 during the discussion, all were shocked when I asked them If they were aware that when they get Biafra they will all return home.
They all thought that they would still be where they are in their shops and the difference would be, when asked “Who are you”? They will say “I am Mr. Okafor, a Biafran”.
I educated them that when Biafra is created, they will all sell their shops and return home. Those who desire to return, will struggle to get visa like they are going to the US. And the few that succeed in getting the Visa Will struggle through the tedious process of a foreigner establishing a business.
One of them said: “What about all those shops at Alaba and Ladipo in Lagos. We built them with our own money”. I told them that their properties will not be taken from them. They will be free to sell them or perfect their papers as foreigners owning properties in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa etc.
I have never been so surprised that these seemingly educated people thought it would be business as usual. I was shocked.
Before I left all 30 people said, “if that is what it Is then we must fight against Biafra”.
By the time I was leaving, their meeting was closing abruptly. There were probably 30 opened bottle of “Hero Beer” still half full but no one had appetite to drink.
Nigeria don’t know how to Communicate, Sensitize or Educate. Most people move around with false info.
Back to Peter Obi’s Hero Beer. The logo is the Biafra Setting Sun. Yet he wants to be President of Nigeria. That is ‘Pandora’ e nor possible…