The emergence of the MASSOB

The emergence of the MASSOB was due to the injustices meted out to Ndigbo in Nigeria after the civil war. The declaration of no victor or vanquished by the then federal government of General Gowon was not only an empty promise but also a ploy to bring Ndigbo into the fold and be delt with as a defeated bunch. I must say that Gowon as a good hearted christian had good intentions but the implimentation by subsequent governments has shown us that we were really defeated. For almost thirty years since after the civil war, the scars of the years past has been there for all to see. No meaningful effort has been embarked upon to show the Igbos that they are a part of the Nigerian nation. Most concerned citizens of Ibo extraction have kept mute for fear of what might happen to them should they complain. It took 27 years for the government to even begin to pay the entitlements of some ex-Biafran soldiers who were originally enrolled in the Nigerian army.
Uwazurike, one of the few successful lawyers at the risk of his personal safety and that of his family embarked on a civil disobideince without violence. He has been cajoled, arrested and denied his fondamental human rights because he questioned the rationale behind the treatment of Ndigbo. I dont know who he is and have never met him but I think that a lot of credit should go to him and his group for the way they have gone about their business without any loss of live and property. I sincerely hope that the federal government should not see their none confrontational stance as a sign of weekness. For beginers, the Ibos have been tested and were not found wanting. The sooner the powers that be starts to take this group seriously and start to address the issues involved the better.
We all know that if MASSOB has been confrontational it would have made the crises in the Niger Delta look like a cultural wrestling match in the village square. We have seen war, tested our own blood, smelt death, watched our brothers and sisters die. No one especially those of us that saw war wants to relive that expirience. While we demand to be treated fairly like any other part of the country, we also should warn that we reserve the right to chamge our tactics when ever occassion demands. For the purposes of full disclosure, this writer has no affliation with MASSOB.