BIAFRA & NDIGBO: Situating the issues
Ndigbo or the Igbo is one of the ethnic groups in Nigeria. It is a people with their own unique way of life, aspirations and ambitions, friends and foes
On the other hand, Biafra refers to an imaginary country that was to cover all of the lands of Ndigbo and some parts of non Igbos
To situate it properly, Biafrans or say proposed Biafra refers to the Igbos and non Igbos who subscribe to the idea of Biafra as a separate State from the Nigerian State. That is, while Ndigbo is an ethnic group, Biafra is an imaginary country or state
Biafra does not automatically mean Igbo and Igbo too does not automatically mean Biafra, both words do not mean same and are not interchangeable
An implication of this is that not every Igbo person is necessarily a Biafran as there are hundreds, thousands and millions of Ndigbo who themselves do not subscribe to the Biafran ideology
It therefore makes absolutely no sense to view every Igbo person as a natural Biafran
By Ikenda Elechi