Agricultural Revolution: The Need For Biafrans To Go Back To The Land
The recent call by the leadership of the Indigenous People Of Biafra(IPOB), requiring Biafrans' workforce(youths) most especially, to turn towards agriculture is a move in the right direction.
The ongoing war in Europe has really exposed a lot of loopholes in the world order. A lot of highly esteemed countries around the world, perceived of infallibility, are seen panicking because of their needed essential edible materials that happens to fall under the geo-location of the conflict zone. These consumables have been politicized in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. And one will imagine; 'if these outstanding countries and economies could be shaken, what then is the fate to Africa'?
Of course, Africans are not left behind in the game as they have always been dragged by the colonial overlords as dimwits. In the end, the Lords share the proceeds amongst themselves while their slaves groan in their misery.
Any nation or people that truly desire freedom, must take precedence over what they feeds on. This is why most revolutions in history started with agriculture. Infact, most of the renowned revolutionaries of Africa were Agric-oriented. For example, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso after taking power, insisted that no grants or loan will be taken from France and allies rather he tasked the people to work and till the soil to get what they need for their daily upkeep and In the short period of his leadership in the country, Burkina Faso made tremendous progress, of course to the begrudge of the French who later sabotaged that effort.
Mummar Gaddafi, Kwame Nkrumah, to mention a few. All had this dream of agric-industrialized society.
The Biafran ancestors that lived before colonialism also prioritized agriculture. Even though they also showed excellence in other areas of human endeavors; as those who contributed immensely to what we understand today as human civilization, they still did not overemphasize the need to be able to cultivate what they consumed.
Infact, before colonialism a Biafra man's wealth was usually rated with how many farms and barns they owned. So, every man and household in the society then, strived to attain this feat or at least be able to confortably feed his family. With this measure, there was no hungry man or family. Neither were there beggars in the pre-colonial Biafran society.
The contemporary Biafrans in Nigeria, having lost their political and economic worldview and values to British colonialism, lured to chase illusionary paper wealth while abandoning their rich arable and fertile land for the enemy to exploit, have been taught a lesson when we were pushed by the same deceivers and we fought for our survival. They decieved us into thinking that agriculture is an outdated venture in the present world, turned around and starved us in the Biafran genocidal war of 1967-1970. All our accumulated modern material wealth could not save the dying Biafran children suffering from kwashiorkor and other malnutrition deficiency syndromes, as they were either siezed or burnt.
As it is often said, people learn from their mistakes. The Jews learnt from their apolitical nature after the Jewish Holocaust, the Japanese learnt from that war as well to to avoid another Hiroshima in their history. But it unfortunately seems that only the Biafran race that has gone through such a significant ordeal and fails to make amends and adjustments. Everyone went back to the status quo and it seems history is about to repeat itself as those unanswered question of the 20th century are still pressing for responses. And our enemies will not hesitate to repeat what they have done in the past.
So, it is an issue of national importance for every Biafran(both home and abroad) to join hands, investing in agriculture; to rear our livestock, crops, etcetera in our land, since the IPOB leadership through Eastern Security Network(ESN) have taken it upon themselves to provide a secured environment for farming, ensuring that the marauding fulani terrorists no longer disrupt farming activities in Biafraland.
We must stop waiting for our enemies to feed us, knowing well that they do not wish our race well. We must understand that for we Africans to be regarded in the world as equal human beings, we must be seen striving to bring something to the engaging table and not always waiting for the master's crumb to fall.
And, we Biafrans being the harbingers(initiators) of this New Dawn in the black continent, we must begin to set the pace for our brethren to walk with us as we liberate the black race from shackles of slavery.
Written by Enenienwite Ikechukwu
Edited by Ogah C S Maduabuchi
For Family Writer Press International
No comments
Post a Comment