By PAUL NWOSU
Any South-Easterner, or indeed anyone from the old Biafra enclave in the South-East and South-South, who watched Ali Modu Sheriff on Channels Television’s Politics Today would have been alarmed by the depth of the hateful tirade unleashed against Peter Obi from a man whom many Nigerians, despite his repeated denials, still associate with the religious sect that helped to nurture the cancerous insecurity which has gradually but relentlessly brought this country to its knees.
Before this intervention is casually dismissed as a partisan defence of Peter Obi, let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not a member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Since Seun Okinbaloye hosted Sheriff on his programme, apart from Senator Victor Umeh, who promptly appeared on the same platform to rebut Sheriff’s divisive and incoherent diatribe, I am yet to see any other robust pushback from our political leaders in the South-East.
In Ogbaru, where I come from, we say that when you seize a fish from one Ólú person, you have seized it from all Ólú people, and they will respond accordingly. Likewise, slaves who watch unconcerned while one of their own is buried with a rickety digger should expect that the same indignity awaits them.
As far as I am concerned, Sheriff’s reckless outburst has profound implications for Nigeria’s political cohesion. If Peter Obi, who was barely six years old when the Nigerian Civil War began, can today be held responsible for events that occurred nearly six decades ago, then what hope is there for the future unity of this country? The implication of this is that one day, generations of Ndi Igbo yet unborn would inherit the alleged sins of their forefathers.
Such comments coming from a man with a controversial political pedigree should never be dismissed lightly. Some may wave them aside as the rantings of an irrational politician. But every politician has followers, equally impressionable minds who absorb such poisonous narratives as political doctrine. One day, such people may swagger out to demand that the grandchildren of present-day South-Easterners apologise for a war they know nothing about other than what they read in history.
This is precisely the kind of divisive politics that every Nigerian, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, region or political affiliation, should condemn unequivocally. Hatred, once normalised in political discourse, develops a life of its own, capable of breeding senseless violence of unimaginable proportions. This country has enough problems, and we cannot allow one dimwitted politician to begin to brew another Armageddon for us.
This was how a fringe sect with a bizarre ideology that rejects Western education, an ideology alien even to mainstream Islamic thought, was once tolerated, manipulated and exploited for political convenience and dumped in the North-East. It later mutated into Boko Haram and festered, leaving Nigeria with one of the gravest security crises in its history. Had that dangerous ideology been confronted early instead of being politically indulged, perhaps the insecurity ravaging our nation today would never have reached its present catastrophic level.
Let me also state that Sheriff does not represent the best of Northern political leadership. We have many brilliant and distinguished Northern statesmen who genuinely desire national reconciliation and unity. Unlike Sheriff, they recognise that Nigeria cannot continue fighting the Civil War nearly sixty years after the guns fell silent.
Most advanced nations have experienced civil wars and internal conflicts. What distinguishes them is not the absence of painful history but their determination to learn from it, reconcile and build stronger nations that respect diversity while pursuing common aspirations.
So, what exactly was Peter Obi’s offence? Seun Okinbaloye simply asked Sheriff to react to Obi’s call for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign over unfulfilled campaign promises and the country’s worsening economic and security conditions; a perfectly legitimate and common opposition rhetoric. Ironically, Bola Tinubu himself deployed similar rhetoric against President Goodluck Jonathan while he was in opposition.
Rather than address the substance of Obi’s criticism, Sheriff descended into historical confusion and political bigotry. He could not even remember the name of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, referring to him simply as “Nnamdi.” He simplistically gave the impression that the Civil War was fought by Northern and Western leaders alone to preserve Nigeria, completely ignoring the sacrifices of the Middle Belt, which suffered some of the heaviest casualties, as well as the role of the then Mid-West. But a more fundamental question to ask is: was the war avoidable? Certainly yes. It only became inevitable because of the poisonous politics and mutual distrust propagated by people of Sheriff’s disposition. Sheriff then declared that Peter Obi was pursuing the disintegration of Nigeria. A visibly surprised Seun Okinbaloye asked the obvious question: “How?”
Sheriff’s response was astonishing. According to him, Obi believes in Biafra because he had never publicly condemned Biafra or IPOB, which he embarrassingly mispronounced as “IPOT.” He insisted that while previous Nigerian leaders fought to keep Nigeria united, Obi is working to divide it. Clearly perplexed, Seun pressed further: “How can someone aspiring to become President of Nigeria want to divide it?” Sheriff repeated his allegation, insisting that Obi should publicly deny supporting Nigeria’s division. Then I ask: How does one deny what does not exist? Perhaps Sheriff was unconsciously projecting his own experience of endlessly denying allegations linking him to Boko Haram. Sheriff concluded by claiming that anyone aspiring to lead Nigeria must stand for Nigeria rather than a section of it.
It’s important to note that throughout his apparently false accusation, Sheriff failed to produce or refer to a single statement, speech or action in which Peter Obi advocated the breakup of Nigeria or campaigned for Biafra. He cited none because none exists.
That was the point at which I completely lost patience. What nonsense! Does Sheriff really understand the import of “surrender” at the end of the Civil War? Did the magnanimity embodied in General Yakubu Gowon’s famous declaration of “No Victor, No Vanquished” amount to nothing? Did President Shehu Shagari’s official pardon of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu on May 18, 1982, mean nothing? Did Ojukwu’s reintegration into mainstream Nigerian politics count for nothing? Is Sheriff suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a mistake by appointing Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the widow of the late Biafran leader, as minister of state for foreign affairs?
If Sheriff had been president, perhaps he would first have demanded that she publish full-page apologies in national newspapers before considering her for public office. That is the dangerous implication of his warped reasoning. This is hate speech disguised as political commentary, and every Nigerian who genuinely believes in national unity should condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
Indeed, in the interest of the present administration itself, I would respectfully suggest that those who routinely appear in the media to defend government policies should first be properly processed, schooled and prepared before facing experienced and knowledgeable interviewers Nigeria media parades. Loose talk, historical ignorance and unwarranted ethnic bias do more damage to the government they seek to defend than to the opposition they seek to attack. Nigeria should thank God that Ali Modu Sheriff, or any politician with his mindset, will never occupy the office of president.
History will forever remember that Borno State, under his watch, produced a virulent religious sect that has metastasised across Nigeria, consumed thousands of innocent lives and spread terror far beyond the North-East. That, regrettably, remains his most enduring political legacy. He may not have had a direct hand in it, as he claimed, but the fact remains: it happened while he was the chief executive of his state.
Finally, let me join millions of Nigerians in commending our gallant security agencies for the successful rescue of the pupils and teachers of Oriire School allegedly abducted by a Boko Haram cell that migrated from the North-East and established itself within the old Oyo National Park forest. May the soul of Michael Oyedokun, the mathematics teacher who was brutally beheaded by the terrorists, rest in perfect peace. Amen!
•Nwosu, PhD., writes from Lagos.
