Joseph Evah goofed on Biafra

By Enite Benjamin . . .

Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah in a recent interview, talked about how the people of the Niger Delta wronged Ndigbo during the civil war, by not following them, but aligning with the Nigerian side.

In his words, the Niger Delta people “joined outsiders to kill them”. While justifying the renewed agitations for Biafra, the activist stated that Ndigbo had forgiven the people of the Niger Delta, for the part they played during the civil war.

Maybe it would have made Evah feel better if the Niger Delta brothers had joined Ndigbo to kill Nigerians from other parts.
Evah, in his self-acclaimed role of defender of the Niger Delta course felt it was his place to speak for a people who at no time appointed him their mouth piece, simply because he had attained a certain height by taking advantage of the ethnic divisions within the polity to line his own pocket, such that he doles out crumbs from the pieces he has been able to grab, in the name of activism.

Evah should realize that the war ended a long time ago, and while he and his generation of activists still play on the sensibilities of gullible Nigerians to forward their selfish courses, every single Nigeria, regretted, or at least felt bad for what happened during the civil war, hence the euphemism by then head of state, that there was ‘no victor, no vanquished’.

The activist gleefully told of how he organised a farewell for the late Biafran warlord, Emeka Ojukwu by mobilising over 5000 people to the National Theatre and paying about N1.5 million, which he took as a loan. “I took micro finance loan to organize it and I announced it”, he said.

Why won’t he? In an era when political mobilization is now a business venture. How did he hope to pay back? Simple: Theory 1: He identified with Ndigbo, to get them to support the Jonathan administration, an act which of course he would ensure did not go unnoticed by the powers that be, which is where the media guys come in. Of course he would be appreciated by Aso Rock.

Theory 2: Having an affinity with Aso Rock due to his Ijaw background, he is commissioned to put on a display, to come up with a scheme to show Nigerians and the world that Ndigbo is in full support of the Goodluck Jonathan government. Of course when Aso Rock commissions you for a job you can afford to take a loan to carry out the assignment.

Evah in one breath called on Nigerians not to see themselves as belonging to a particular tribe, but to have a sense of collective belonging, but then dressed himself up in a toga of one who does not see himself “as Ogoni man, Itsekiri man or Ijaw man”, but a champion of the Niger Delta.

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According to him, when Jonathan was president, “a lot of our people were actually misbehaving as if it was the time for Ijaw people, as if it was Christmas Day and the Christmas Day is forever and we cautioned them. We tried to caution them that Jonathan was representing all Niger Deltans.”

What shallow mindedness.
If the example of Evah and his generational ilk should be followed, then people from the north west part of the country can very well claim that Buhari is their president. Then all other geo political zones take a back seat, and wait till election period to install their son as president so they can have a claim to whatever Nigeria has to offer.

It is such shallow thinking, such tribalistic and ethno religious reasonings that got us as a nation into the present mess we find ourselves. A situation in which the best man never gets the job based on his qualification or capability, but because of the part of the country where he hails from.

The truth be said. How many of such political agitations are actually based on sincere desire to bring development to the part of the country they come from. How have such people who agitate and get political appointments actually benefited the people of that region as a whole, aside from advancing his family members and hangers-on.

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