A very popular Ethiopian proverb says “when spiders unite, they can tie down a lion”. And according to the statement of Sukarno, “we must all build national unity, build all revolutionary forces into one powerful wave to sweep away our main enemy, political and economic imperialism”. Ravi Zacharias added his voice by saying “where destruction is the motive, unity is dangerous”. George Orsborne had this advice in mind essentially for Biafrans when he said “we must bring unity of spirit and purpose, and condemn hatred and division wherever we see it”.
Man no doubt, is a free moral agent but yet unavoidably dependent on his fellows. There is absolutely no single person anywhere that is exclusively all to himself. He produces one thing while others produce the rest. The moment we are now is really an auspicious moment of unity and cooperation as a people. One cannot live without the help and assistance of others. All Biafrans must therefore strive to work as one because if we fail to learn from the evolving developments in Nigeria with particular reference to the relentless victimization of our people, we will be of all men most miserable. “Any unity which does not have it’s origin in the multitudes is tyranny”, says Blaise Pascal.
Unity means oneness or togetherness. When unity abounds, there exists commensurate strength in opinion, action, purpose and character. A very touching story given in my childhood days about one man, readily comes to mind: This man in question had four sons who remained quarrelsome and antagonistic to one another. Their father was helplessly unable to resolve such disputes each time they came up. One fateful day, he summoned them together in his room. He wisely gave them one drum stick and asked them to break it. It was an easy task for them to accomplish as the stick was expectedly broken without problems. The man additionally brought a bundle of broom and asked them to break it. Naturally, this task in itself is daunting because of the force of unity and togetherness, the bundle of broom posed a very difficult task for them to destroy. Lending credence therefore to the axiom which says that “Unity is Strength”, that essential and indispensable moral lesson has to be not only learned but imbibed.
In Unity, there is Strength realistically. Biafrans can surmount whatever mountain, the frightening structure notwithstanding as far as the force of unity remains their guiding principle. The absence of unity is a direct invitation to disaster. Without it, we are victims. “Stay united”, Bill Bailey pointedly enjoined. The above instances are signposts of cardinal principles of nature which is Unity. Nature itself, remains a very crucial example if we comprehensively take a critical look at it. It justifies the saying : “in union, there is strength”. A significant look at the provision of nature on the flowers of the field, the rivers, the forests etcetera, drives home the point. A single petal is not attractive. It is a number of them beautifully configured by nature in their unison that captures the heart. The mighty ocean amounts to nothing if there exists no unity of the tiny droplets of water. The wind and even the animals that lack human intelligence still move around in groups. The most intriguing aspect of it all is the unity of the ants. They are unanimous in their existence and any intrusion in their midst is short-lived as they quickly re-converge in files. They hunt for food and stock such in togetherness. They even confront their enemy in unison and not in isolation of each other. Unity in it’s very nature is a driving force that is irresistible.
Suzy Kassem once said and I quote: “Unity is a beast in itself, if a wolf sees two little boys playing in the woods on one side, and a big strong man on the other side, it will go to the one who stands alone”. Whatever we are, whosoever we are, whatever identity we individually possess, our true identity is incomplete as a people if we do not assimilate the principles of unity under the umbrella served by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), that we consciously or unconsciously belong. Be it Annang, Efik, Ibibio, Igbo, Igede, Ijaw, etcetera. Let us peep into different spheres of our existence as Biafrans and the truth remains rightly and easily adjudged.
The unfortunate experience of the Chief Executive of Innoson Motors should serve a good lesson to all Biafrans and other ethnic groups in Nigeria. They surreptitiously caused divisions amongst us so that we engage one another in needless conflicts that engender hatred and impotency. They partitioned us into South-East and South-South regions for their selfish gains. But now that we have realised ourselves through the dogged, courageous and uncompromising stance of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we most assuredly, will rise to the horizon.