It is regrettable that while many Nigerian patriots are assiduously banding together on the workability of the Nigerian nationhood through national cohesion and unity. However, some unpatriotic citizens whom we can refer to as Merchants of War, are deepening contradictions of the Nigerian state, promoting micro-nationalism, parochial ethnic identity. It is worthy to note, that the fight for growth and development of any country in the world usually encounters ill-willed obstacles aimed at hindering its actualization of nationhood and greatness. History is replete with records of struggles of nationhood for all countries globally.
Currently, Nigeria is now precariously balanced along ethnic and religious fault lines generated and regenerated by the ruling elites, which has become more glaring in recent times where people like Nnamdi Kanu are exploiting these differences maximally to promote his secessionist agenda. Groups like IPOB and its affiliates are cashing on the unfolding events to whip up sentiments with aim of attracting public sympathy along these fault lines which has become a potent tool for them to cause national disunity.
Some unpatriotic members of these groups are also not helping matters through their act of raising funds for sponsoring their so-called "ethnic movement." Meanwhile, this recent innovative money-making scheme it is only playing out to the advantage of the acclaimed officials where the majority of raised funds are used for self-aggrandizement.
One of the antics of these unpatriotic merchants of war is to whip up parochial sentiments laced with a tint of misinformation and fake news. Most of the narratives commonly depict the Igbo's as victims of persecution from all the tribes in Nigeria. These merchants of war easily forget the history that pre-dates 1967-70 civil war, which is a lane in history anyone would want to tread again. Be that as it may and without prejudice to the industry of the Igbo's, they are easily one of the most nationalistic group in Nigeria, even as they are found in every Local Government Area in the country because of their entrepreneurial acumen and industry. But that nationalism is been called to question with recent happenings in the southeast of the country.
One such fake news is the allegation of "slaughtered Igbo Christians" in Kibiya, Kano State which is definitely an eye-catching headline when you are naive of their antics of playing the victim card. This is a pure propaganda tactic by IPOB separatists' organizations to further incite violence, garner religious/ethnic sympathy across the country for their selfish reasons.
If this headline were anything to go by, there is “MaziNdigbo” in every state of the Northern part of Nigeria, Kano for that matter has a complete local government called Sabon-Gari in Kano Municipal where it is being dominated by Igbo people to an extent that they are landlords of Sabon-Gari area. They own every big property in that area and without any person disputing same with them.
What readers should ask as objective and pertinent questions are, How come the Igbo leaders in the said region/community have not reported about this alleged killing of its kinsmen? How come the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in that community decided to play dead in the wake of an alleged pogrom against Christians? Have they joined the enemies of the church by playing the Iscariot trick to sell their Christian brothers to the enemy?
It should be noted that reports on the purported murder of Igbo Christians in Kano State has so many unsubstantiated details about the said pogrom. The website which published the fake news is one of a plethora of propaganda channels positioned to further divide the nation along ethnic lines and also advance the separatists agenda. They are one of the virulent fake news merchants who pose as media outlets to deceive people through propaganda. No one is opposing the right to argue that the conflation of various ethnic nationalities into one country with some more dominant than others has a workable solution to attain true nationhood and greatness. Let us remember that division is detrimental while unity is supreme for the development of the country!!
