Biafra: Drums of War, By Tobenna Obiano.

In Igboland, how many families have as little as double barrel or "egbe-nta", hunting gun. How many families have a pump action? How many homes can get their hand on an AK-47 or any other such class of powerful ammunition. Infact, even conventional hunting catapult used with stone in hitting down birds is scarce in Igboland.

How many families or umunna's or kindreds have trained personnel that have ever handled or can handle a gun if handed down to them? Well, in sum, your guess is as good as mine.

In fire and gun-power, the Northern Nigeria, Jos alone has virtually every home with trained Nigerian soldiers. Plateau State has a Union of both man and woman soldiers in their numbers and they can handle virtually all arms. It is safe to agree that whatsoever arm known to mankind can be found in Jos. The Hausas and Fulanis also have the whole lot of bows, spears and arrows, we all know that!

Are these the people young Igbos, Biafran apologists who like my very self didn't see the Nigerian/Biafran conflict have continued to hit the drum to go for even as far as war with?

Even so, have we lost the past events of history, there has been Iraq/Iran, there was Sudan, Libya, Egypt and lately, before our very eyes, Syria is a diastar and has been raised down to rubbles. It only began with inscription on walls of schools by school children to street protest, then violence took over and to the latest, even to gassing these people.

Ofcourse, the Igbos have suffered untold neglect, hate, abuses of various standards, deprivation and many more. Ndi-Igbo have suffered loss of properties and people. Ndi-Igbo have continued to suffer yet near-miraculously survive the ill-wind within this entity, Nigeria. We must accept we aren't wholly prepared for whatsoever that is to come, war or nationhood.

Even amongst ndi-Igbo, there is this bad blood and hate that can quake anything. Even in Anambra, the Aguleri and Umuleri war is almost in the offing. These are brothers and neighbors.

A Priest of Awka Diocese was appointed and consecrated Bishop for Ahiara Diocese in Imo State and five years after, Ahiara, Mbaise people including Religious leaders, Catholic Priests and lay faithful clearly took a silly bold stand, against the individisbility of the Holy Mother Church and against their oat of obedience to their Bishop, they failed to accept the Bishop. Even as I write, on the invitation of the Pope, they are in Rome for thesame case.

Also, an Mbaise man was appointed Vice Chancellor of a Federal University, UNIZIK in Awka, Anambra State and it took series of intervention from the Federal Government for him to be accepted by Anambrarians.

Till this day, certain Igbos look down on others, an average Anambra man takes every Abakiliki person as only good for "farm boy". An Imo man takes an Anambra man as an illiterate trader. Enugu person takes Abia man as a loosely reckless clown. Other Igbo States take all young ladies, particularly undergraduates in Imo State as cheap prostitutes, and Enugu, as conventional "houseboys and maids". As sad as they may sound, these are verifiable facts!

The Igbo nation has to be united first before anything else, if not, everything is hitting to backfire.

While hitting the drums of war, the privileged and few sponsors of the mass movement and protests have their own kids and kit studying or having a good life in the Western world, where rich man pikin talks to rich man pikin. They are all enjoying and there is indivisibility between Nigerians on ethnic ground, meet them at dance halls, pubs and clubs, they are living the life, while back home, we are fighting the fight.

Even their parents, they have their visas waiting on any call for war coming to reality, they also jet out to those safe havens. And we would be the underprivileged that will be consumed by the disastrous imminent danger and catastrophe of war, God forbid!

And save me the unintelligent excuse that we aren't subscribing for war. It is neither here nor there, no one is sure how and when it may come. These things often mistaken as little are what always lead to war, the world may choose to remain indifferent and watch while they die again. It is happening in Syria, where the world has become helpless and hapless. Even I for one, anytime I'm to travel abroad, I make sure never to book for or board any flight that will come anywhere close to the air-zone of Syria, Ukraine, Crimea or Russia, anything can happen and it will be taken as a mistake.

Yes, every mean Biafran agitator, especially young people that I have met on the streets or have had a chat with speaks proudly, that even if war that would consume us all is to come, that they are ready and willing too. Ofcourse, these class of individuals like my very self, never saw the war. The Igbos say, "o bu nka nka, ka okenye ji agbara ehi oso", that should inform our outburst and takes.

Igbos ofcourse have an unequalled, unparalleled and unmatched capacity and capability in their outreach and stands of limitless possibilities. The world fears what ndi-Igbo can do, a people who at time of war were able to produce the weaponry of mass destruction, the Biafran Ogbunigwe which has a quaking capacity even with scarce resources and unavailability of make-ups for the ogbunigwe. Ofcourse, we would have improved it, but no, we didn't. Infact, we dumped it and now, hope for miracles.

If they, from the other side finally choose to bring war to our doorsteps, ofcourse we would protect ourselves and fight back, but for now, let's soft-peddle as regards this endless push for war. Many of our young able bodied men and women have been shot during protests which are often termed peaceful which always escalate to violent. Protests can lead to war!

My father saw the Nigerian/Biafran war, infact, he was of the RedCross, he will always state about that war, "I pray and hope that neither you or every generations after you may never see any war, not to talk of the magnitude of the Biafran experience. It's something you don't wish even your enemies".

Daddy would conclude, "agha-ajoka", which when losely translated reads: "war is evil".

Tobenna Obiano.