Separatists chants is so real, it greeted me at a bar in Imo
There have been an intense activism pushing for eastern Nigeria occupants, the Igbos, to secede from Nigeria.
I took one recently and found myself in an overrated Owerri, the capital of Imo State, Nigeria.
During my course of study at the university, I had a bunch of my friends especially the ones from the state tell me it is the place to be.
They proudly talked about the beautiful women, the nightlife as well as the scenery. But on my visit, I found that to be inaccurate.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yes! You will find a number of exuberant youths in party houses getting their groove on, but it is nothing spectacular. Not like where I am from - Olowogbowo, Lagos Island. A detail about myself I am very proud of.
What I noticed mostly in Owerri were the bad roads and abandoned projects. The drive past the Control roundabout down to the government house won't particularly thrill a traveler compared to what greets you when you enter Onitsha.
After the seven hours trip from Lagos to the capital, a curious me walked into a bar (what better place to explore the people right?) and arrived to the chants of "long live Biafra".
Seriously? At a bar? These folks aren't just drinking booze and socializing like they do in the west, they are building an army. Shortly after that, I saw a youngster who shouldn't be above 15 years of age rocking a green shawl, one of the tricolours of the Biafra flag around his neck.
I guess I had it coming. An earlier stop at a bus station in Onitsha introduced me to the east wide frenzy of the Biafra concept. An agent of one of the road transport companies also wore a green cap with the bold IPOB inscription on it.
ADVERTISEMENT
The morning came in Owerri and I set off to continue the journey down south and I couldn't help but notice the expression "Biafra is a spirit" clearly written on the white-painted wall of a house along the Owerri-Umuahia Road. It was hard to tell if the writer was an agitator or a critic.
This brought the awareness that the call for separation by majority of the Igbo communities is as real as Diezani's corruption scandal.
The individuals supporting the secession agenda are basically your average people. Some are rich while some are poor.
They only want a better life for themselves and have hopes that things can be a whole lot better if they are all alone, but can it?
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
Recommended articles
You should avoid boat rides for these 5 reasons
How to save a life by doing CPR during an emergency
Avoid these 3 common mistakes when cooking fried rice
3 reasons most airplanes are painted white
How 1 woman became first lady of 2 different countries — she married 2 presidents
A billionaire is building a new Titanic ship — when is the first trip?
African Nations to dominate top 10 growing economies worldwide in 2024
No deadline extension for phone lines not linked to NIN — NCC insists
I stand with you - Buhari assures Tinubu during birthday phone call
ADVERTISEMENT