CHINUA ACHEBE'S BIAFRA MEMOIR AND AWO'S IGNORANT APOLOGISTS

While I’m anxiously waiting for my copy of “There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra” by Prof. Chinua Achebe, I couldn’t believe the barrage of critics of the Novelist, the most celebrated writer in the world by nobodies and nonentities including the unruly Femi Fani-Kayode, a political idler who ought to be serving jail sentence if Nigeria had been a genuine democratic and civil society.

The piece “Obafemi Awolowo and Chinua Achebe’s tale of fantasy” by Femi Fani-Kayode reveals his ignorance and lack of grasp of the dark, sad and sordid history of a nation he once served as a thug under former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Femi Fani-Kayode is simply rude and ignorant. Perhaps, he has not read Professor Wole Soyinka’s book on the Nigerian-Biafran civil war and how the Nobel Laureate spoke against the atrocities perpetrated against Ndi-Igbo. Even his masterpiece treatise on the nation: “The Open Sore of a Continent – A Personal Narrative of the Nigerian Crisis” by the Nobel Laureate for Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka talked about the flawed origin of Nigeria. I just couldn’t believe how the ignorant Femi Fani-Kayode could criticize a true and historic book memoir written by one of the celebrated story-teller of all time. His rush to criticism clearly shows that Femi Fani-Kayode is rude, arrogant, and ignorant.

Prof. Chinua Achebe wants to set the record straight before he departs this earthly realm. I think that the novelist is a very wise man. I join millions around the world to thank him and pay gratitude to him for setting the record straight about those who perpetrated such malicious atrocities and genocide against Igbo people. The Nigerian State should simply seek for genuine reconciliation by sincerely repenting of its hate and maliciousness against Ndi-Igbo and ask for forgiveness. Otherwise, Nigeria will never have peace and prosperity until sincere apology is tendered and genuine forgiveness and reconciliation made.

There is no doubt that the late Obafemi Awolowo was and even in death, remains a revered political figure in Yoruba. We all have respect for visionary people like him. The political history of Nigeria cannot be written without his name being mentioned many times. He was a great political figure and icon, who fought for the welfare of Yoruba people. The high level of enlightenment and educated Yoruba people today is attributed to his vision for free education in the Western region. However, the answers to why he, the Finance Minister during Gowon regime then, introduced monetary policies that were purely punitive and spiteful treatment of the Igbos, whom he had already defeated in war remains to be answered. His monetary policies such as – change of currency, twenty pounds policy, starvation measures, abandoned property, etc., were so detrimental to Ndi-Igbo. It was a nine years of spiteful and pernicious treatment of people who had already lost everything. That was evil and malicious.

And so the rambunctious Femi Fani-Kayode may help the nation to heal by answering these questions:

1. After the civil war, who and why was the twenty pounds policy introduced?

2. During the war, why was starvation policy implemented?

3. Who and why was change of currency introduced after the civil war?

4. Who and why was abandoned property introduced and implemented across Nigeria after the civil war?

If Femi Fani-Kayode cannot answer those questions, then he should simply shut-up his mouth and stop being an ignorant apologist for a revered leader, who simply made mistakes as a great leader. Mr. Fani-Kayode should stop criticizing and writing against Prof. Chinua Achebe memoir concerning one of the most dastardly mayhem and atrocities meted against Ndi-Igbo – or even write about a sordid history he’s so ignorant about.

Written By C. Kingston Ekeke, Ph.D