We have to go back to ‘66

The youth should read history and the old should not tell lies ~ Paddy Njoku

Every time we have had a question about the unity of Nigeria and there have been calls for secession or war as the case may be, the singular narrative where there has always been disagreements has been the January 15, 1966 coup.

What happened? What exactly happened?

The fact that we cannot agree on this singular fact is what ties us to the disunity amidst us and we have an historical obligation to first of all agree on the premise of what happened on that day.

The foundation of our disunity is the narrative of the motive and eventual occurrences of the events of this coup. It is from this singular event that our hatred and mistrust of each other was born and like the holy books say, If the foundation is faulty, what can the righteous do.

What complicates this is the removal of history from the curriculum of the education been given to young Nigerians and the farther we go from 1966, the skewed this narrative becomes. That the Arewa Youths decided to then go ahead with their Quit Notice narrative is therefore not far-fetched.

We should ask how many of them know the history of their country and what history do they know. The same question should be applied to the young Nigerians in the South East clamouring for Biafra.

We have to go back to ‘66