By Elliot Ugochukwu Uko

It has become impossible to keep quiet in the face of continuing sad preference by the authorities to consistently ignore the root cause of the problem whilst addressing only the symptoms of a much deeper disease.

Symptoms of malaria parasite in the body, includes headache, weakness of the body, high temperature, painful joints, dizziness and loss of appetite.

It would be proper to run tests, identify the degree of the mallerium parasite in the blood stream, apply anti malaria drugs, clean the blocked drainage, flush and wash away the stagnant dirty water that serves as breeding habitat for the mosquito and then sleep under treated mosquito net.

Within days the anti malaria drugs will demolish the malaria, the cleared gutters ensures mosquito are gone from our environment, while the net protects us as we sleep, and we’ll be fit as a fiddle. Our malaria gone for good.

But refusing to address the problem from the root, and addressing only the symptoms, by importing menthol balms from overseas to rub on the joint pains or buying trailer-load of analgesic just for the headache, or even soaking hundreds of wet towels in order to bring down the fever etc, will not take away our malaria.
We’ll only be addressing the symptoms while dutifully ignoring the root cause of the problem.

We have been doing just that with the agitation ravaging the South East for 24 years.

Ralph Uwazurike activated MASSOB in September 1999 with less than a hundred young men.

Weeks later their ranks grew to over a thousand. In less than a year, they’ve ballooned to several thousands.

They believed the self-evident injustices he presented to them, they listened to his rhetoric, agreed with him that:

1 The unitary structure of the country is retrogressive, anti growth and retards positive development, while encouraging sleaze. And that certain compatriots will never agree to a consensual restructuring of the country in order to enthrone level playing field for all.

That without a new constitution anchored on true federalism and power devolution, the country is doomed. Frustrating fair play and equity and making secession the only available option if you do not want to hand over the second class status imposed on you since 1970 to your progeny.

2 That the deliberate decision of denying their region, the South East, since the end of the war in 1970, of needed and critical infrastructure such as a functional International Airport with Cargo wing, a functioning Sea Port, railway services, including development of the much needed East/West rail link ( PH through Aba, Onitsha, Benin, Lagos to Cotonou, Accra etc), Dry Port at Aba, Export processing centre at the ninth mile corner Enugu, Electricity generation that would bolster industrialisation and good road network, creates a lasting feeling of alienation, that makes it difficult for youths of the region to have a sense of belonging in the country.

3 The refusal to invite and engage the aggrieved youths to a dialogue where they’ll present their grievances. While a coordinated activation of youth-friendly programmes, especially skills acquisition, career guidance, talent management and development, and counselling and mentoring will build patriotism and love for one’s country.

The youths agreed with him, began paying monthly dues and their ranks grew.
If they didn’t see truth in his rhetoric, they would not have followed him.

What did the authorities do? They called them miscreants and criminals.
Reserving only lethal force for them.
The shoddy response of “We will not engage you guys, you can do your worst”, only grew the agitation from a storm in a tea cup, to a hurricane.

Yet our leaders remain sworn to totally ignore the root cause and remain only interested in tackling the symptoms.
When Ralph Uwazurike appointed Nnamdi Kanu a decade later to broadcast and handle their new radio in London in 2009, the authorities still refused to address the root cause of the problem.

The agitators continued to recruit members.

Believers in their gospel of secession grew into hundreds of thousands over the years simply because the root cause of their grievances have not been addressed by any administration, instead the division widened, the dichotomy deepened, the corruption in the land snowballed into a huge monster, electoral process bastardised, sectionalism, sectarianism, religious and ethnic bigotry grew worse, even as the future looked bleak.

The authorities and their advisers only chose military offensive to contain the agitation.

Emphasis was laid on frivolities and banalities, ( symptoms ) while totally ignoring the root causes, even as the little flicker of flame grew into an uncontrollable inferno.

Sadly, twenty four years later, the motley crowd of young men Ralph Uwazurike gathered at his residence at 22 Ajidedidun Street, Agulejika in Lagos in September 1999, as he launched his MASSOB, watered by Nnamdi Kanu’s broadcasts, grew into millions, gingered and offended by several Military Operations over the years, until they finally grown big enough to paralyze the entire region, to the point that politicians are proudly bandying a handwritten letter from Nnamdi to help them put an end to the Sit-at-home phenomenon.

A sad but public confirmation as to who is truly in charge of the region.

Unfortunate.

Yet nobody is talking about addressing the root cause of the agitation.
Every body seems only interested in one young man in Finland.

Truth is Ralph, Nnamdi and the fellow in Finland and infact future leaders of the agitation, are all exploiting and taking advantage of the frustration in the soul of millions of Easterners, especially the younger generation, who feel isolated, mistreated and disrespected since 1970.

The offensive unitary structure, the winner-takes-all disposition of the central Government, will continue to make Easterners feel like permanent onlookers and eternal spectators in the Nigerian enterprise.

As long as compatriots refuse to devolve powers to the federating units, few folks will continue to determine the destiny of over 200 million citizens, engendering fears of marginalisation and domination, inspiring agitation. Driving away millions into the diaspora, as economic refugees.

Both the insecurity and Sit-at-home crippling the region are consequences and symptoms of a much deeper malaise.

The feeling of rejection occasioned by acute deliberate marginalisation and oppression of the region since 1970, gave birth to the agitation. Addressing this root problem, will resolve the agitation. Let truth be told.

Sit-at-home is consequence and symptom of the anger and frustration in the heart of aggrieved people.

Agitation itself is also a consequence and symptom of bitterness that has remained unaddressed since 1970.

Concentrating energy only on the wrong modus operandi of the agitators, while dutifully ignoring the root cause of their anger and bitterness, has not resolved the agitation since 1999.

Several Operation Python Dance and it’s attendant fatalities only inspired the agitators to sadly set up their own militia, convulating the crisis.

When will we face the truth, that resolution and closure will remain difficult until we begin to address the root cause, in search of lasting solution.

When do we realise that addressing only the consequences or symptoms of a malaise whilst dutifully ignoring the foundational cause of the disease, is unhelpful. When?

Addressing the foundation will resolve the agitation.The people of the region feel isolated. They are genuinely aggreived over the mistreatment of the region, less number of local Government councils, less number of states, fewer legislators etc, all deliberately designed to deny them justice and fairness.

We have attacked the symptoms for 24 years. When will the country begin to address the root cause of the frustration and bitterness that inspired the agitation.
When?

Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, is the Founder: Igbo Youth Movement (IYM);
Secretary: Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA);
Deputy Secretary: Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT)