Trending in Nigeria: 50 Years after the Civil War
Coincidentally or intentionally, the Nigeria Armed Forces Remembrance Day and the 50th Anniversary of the Civil War fell on the same day.
Yesterday, January 15, 2020, was a day of varying reactions from the citizenry of Nigeria. I saw a myriad of videos and pictures online paying tributes to the brave men in military khaki. Some Nigerians shed tears in form of emoticons to express heartfelt respect for those who had died for Nigeria.
What baffled me was that no one recognised the trauma and calamity that befell the people of Eastern Nigeria; no one (in my online community) acknowledged the bravery of those young boys of tender age, who had to stop their basic education in order to fight a war for the emancipation of their fatherland. There were also men of high and low calibre who paid the utmost price to birth a better posterity for their sons and daughters. No one paid respect to them, not even a digital remorse.
I was going through an anthology and read one of the poem written by an "enigmatic and yet fascinating" word-smith, Christopher Okigbo. He was described as the pioneer of the development of literary culture in Nigeria. His poem title "Come Thunder" published posthumously in 1967 was a masterpiece.
The poem was actually prophetic (written before the start of the war) and warned of the imminence of a civil war, however, no one paid attention. He died fighting for the Biafran course. The sacrifice of Christopher Okigbo and other Biafran soldiers may be easily excused by the now Nigerians but I choose to pay my respect. Their sacrifices can and will never be forgotten.
The Nigerian Civil War of 1967 was a "period of reckless and fierce political rivalry and victimisation in which many horrendous acts were committed..." Nigeria has learnt from the mistakes of this war and come to accept that war is never the answer.
50 years after the Civil War, we appreciate the sacrifice and patriotism of our Nigerian men in military uniform. We are aware of the danger in most part of the country and we dread them. But these brave ones stood out and choose to fight for other citizens. It is the absolute show of love.
Romans 5:7 (NIV) says, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die." Despite the high rate of corruption in the country, the Nigerian Armed Forces still fight for peace. I am grateful. Nigerians are grateful.
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