Chimamanda Adichie, an award-winning author, says the Igbo people can’t unite towards selecting a Nigerian president — in what appears to be a dig at the “terrible leadership in the southeast”.
She bared her thoughts about the now-defunct secessionist state of Biafra in a recent interview with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, a television personality.
The 43-year-old writer said she fears her people won’t be able to unite politically should it come to selecting an Igbo president.
According to her, the Igbo people need to rethink how they strategise politically before talking about secession.
“There is no Biafra. There are new movements but, for me, it’s a question of being practical. Where would the border be? What is propelling these movements is a sense of marginalisation, which I think is completely valid,” she said.
“But this idea that the answer is independence is what I’m not convinced of. Nobody has made a logical case for me. Quite frankly, I’ve observed the terrible leadership that we have in the southeast.
“Igbo people cannot unite if, for example, we say we want an Igbo president. And then we’re talking about Biafra. There is a lot of political work we need to do in the southeast.
“We need to do a lot of rethinking on how we strategise politically before we can talk about Biafra.”
Speaking of the status of the feminism movement in Nigeria with regards to the Igbo subculture, the novelist said that one of the things she battles with is what she termed the “misogynistic” tendencies of many cultural practices in the east.
“There are things I quarrel with, in Igbo culture. It’s misogynistic, as are many cultures. That’s the problem. The world is misogynistic. At my father’s funeral, they showed where the widow (my mother) would sit,” she explained.
“And they showed where the sons in the extended family (umunna) would sit. That’s where those coming would go to present whatever they bring. It’s the sons’. And that was the end. My father had three daughters.
“There was no place for them. I raised the question and a man in my umunna said we would have to loiter around. There’s a problem with that. There’s a woman who apparently is going to run for governor in Anambra state.
“I’m having a conversation with a group of people and what they’re saying is, ‘Can a woman rule Anambra?’ Do you need a dangling organ to rule a state? It’s hard enough for both and female politicians.
“But women have this additional problem of perception, a reason for which many people won’t vote them. Igbo culture is just not very good when it comes to gender. Culture as we have it are rules men made to benefit men.
“In my hometown, I seem to have this status of an ‘honorary man’ and that’s because of my achievements. People adapt when they see some benefits to it which means that it’s changeable. It’s engraved on the stones.”
Chimamanda had earlier put out a short story titled ‘Zikora‘. When quizzed on whether or not she’s writing a new novel, the author said: “I’m writing now. I write where I can. My life in the US is quieter.
“So I write when I’m in the US. I’m trying to write (a new book). It’s important for me to protect my writing time.
“What I can tell you is that, because of old age, I’m now a much slower writer. When I was 22, another writer used to say I was writing one story on one hand and another on the other hand.
“I was churning these things that they’ll tell me rest. But, now? Old age my God! I write a paragraph that I’m happy with, in a week. It’s that bad o. It doesn’t necessarily matter where I’m writing but what’s happening at the time.
“It matters that I have silence and space. Now that I’m a mother, it also matters that I feel comfortable about where my daughter is and whether or not she’s getting care.”
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If Nigeria’s are united, why do they have a dead president, that other Nigerians did not know that their president died and buried in a foreign land? There is no such thing as unity, it only exists when humans want to get favor and they pretend, and after which watch them later to see their reactions. Please do not be fooled by that word because it is only the majority that counts better. In that case, more people side the majority of choice. So think like that and give us your loyalty, sister.
The political issues surrounding Igbos is far beyond Chimamanda comprehension and understanding. It is good thing she is interested in political affairs of Igbos as an Igbo woman, but what are involved are much deeper than she might think.
Igbos are are well united. A Yoruba man once told me that a people who are not united can’t progress. Igbos firm decision for Biafra Republic is not questionable. Igbos firm decision for Biafra Republic is because they know only Biafra Republic will secure Igbos existence securities and freedom worldwide, secure Igbos territorial borders, fix Igboland.
Igbos can’t be talking about president of Nigeria because any Igbo man or woman who wants to be president of Nigeria must win 24 states. Igbos have only five states. By so doing, only fulani criminals which control the 19 states of the north and Abuja decides if an Igbo man or woman will be president and must implement policies of fulani caliphate. Policies of fulani caliphate which subdue Igbos under fulani rulership. Which means it is just figurative Igbo president. In reality, it is fulani president.
The only question is how will Igbos get Biafra Republic? Ojukwu tried through secession and conventional bloody engagement of 1967-1970 to cover the former eastern region territorial borders, it didn’t work out. Uwazurike under Massob tried through secession without bloody engagement to cover the former eastern region territorial borders, it didn’t work out. Kanu under Ipob tried through secession without bloody engagement to cover the former eastern region territorial borders, it didn’t work out.
We the Group of Intellectuals: G-I think Biafra Republic is only possible via Disintegration with War in which the six geopolitical zones are sovereign states. In other words, we think through Disintegration of the fraud nickname Nigeria, Biafra Republic of south east will be one of the six sovereign states.
We think with Revolutionary Warfare against fulani criminals nickname FG, their fraud nickname fulani caliphate with its emirates, this territory natives who owns the land and are more than 99% population of this natives territory will Disintegrate into six sovereign states based on the six geopolitical zones.
We this territory natives who owns the land fought fulani criminals in Revolutionary Warfare more than three years and defeated them with their thugs nickname military, police etc. in 2020 in which the six geopolitical zones are sovereign states.
Igbos have got Biafra Republic via Disintegration with War in the Revolution War under the natives Disintegrated Republics which defeated fulani criminals and their collaborators. It is now about establishing interim government of Biafra Republic with Biafra military, police etc. to defend territorial borders of Biafra Republic, fix Igboland, economies etc.
Igbos must join Biafra military, police etc. now under interim government of Biafra Republic to defend territorial borders of Biafra Republic, fix Igboland, economies etc. Every community, town, city in Igboland must be fully armed now to defend territorial borders of Biafra Republic for existence securities and freedom of Igbos under Biafra Republic. God in heaven the owner of the world and everything in it, gave Igbos Biafra Republic. Only the Sword decides.
…. while your submission is very valid and interesting !. I humbly disagreed with you calling the Fulanis CRIMINALS severally in your write up as very UNCIVILIZED and DEROGATORY statement ???.
Lady hold your tongue.Biafran issue is spiritually sensitive.Devolving into it could ruin your career.
After reading this, I could only conclude that a woman who wants to publish a book or short story is seeking awareness and cheap publicity ; but wait…must it be on the altar of Biafra? What does this woman know about Biafra and Igbo nation? Putting up an entertaining novel does not justify or qualify one to be knowledgeable about a nation or it’s people.
Here’s a woman who had virtually lived 90% of her life abroad, a woman who never wrote JAMB to meet the cut off mark nor experienced the discriminatory quota system of admission into University in Nigeria
Here’s a woman who has never witness strike by tertiary institutions, a woman who doesnt know that Unity schools in the North admit pupils with score 9 against 150 for their counterparts in the South East. Here’s a woman who doesnt understand how NDA enrollment works in favor of North against South (Biafrans in particular). I see a woman who doesnt know the unity of any nation starts with the republican nature of Biafrans with every town union, village meetings, women’s meetings etc etc from clan level, village, community, town, LGA, Senatorial and State Unions. Igbos have always set the pace in Uniting their people at all levels. Igbo apprenticeship program can never be compared to any system of empowerment. What more are you talking about Igbo Unity? Let me remind her that mingling with Governors and the political elite doesnt give one knowledge about a people, those represents 1% of the people and they are the real problems of their peoples liberation because of their selfish gains.
Where does this woman live? Where does her husband live with their child? When was the last time she visited her community to interact with the people on ground, to sleep with 24/7 electricity without armed police guards? When was the last time her family went to farm in Igboland especially in Enugu where Fulani herdsmen are occupying our farmlands and forest? I ve lost the little respect I had for you. Please Mrs Chimamanda, if you have nothing better to say, simply SHUT UP and stop clamouring for cheap publicity on the altar of Biafra. Going to university doesnt guarantee wisdom.
She’s very myopic in thinking, asking “where would the border of Biafra be” just explains how stupid and dead in wisdom one could be. Chimamanda, please What defines a border?
Talking about a woman becoming Governor, that can only happen if there’s a nation called Biafra where fairness competition equity, competence shall prevail not in this dead contraption called Nigeria where no political office can be attained if you dont bow to a sultan in Sokoto or pledge allegiance of betrayal, sabotage against your own people. Dont ridicule yourself any further with such posts or interviews whatever that propelled you into writing this garbage.
Igbo nation had always recognized women with leadership qualities and most of them are making exploits in Politics and Govts despite the erroneous system we have in Nigeria. There are female senators and lawmakers from Biafraland, there are female deputy Governors in Biafraland and nothing stops a woman from becoming a Governor other than Nigerian system, not Biafra or Igbo as a people. How many women would be willing to soil their hands and dignity for the Governor’s position? Is the system built to accommodate transparency honesty and fair elections? How many women would have the mind to hire thugs and ballot box snatchers willing to kill anyone who dare stand on their way? In Biafra, competition and merits will be the order of the day and people of all ages and sex will be allowed to showcase their skills and experiences.
I wonder the type of imbecil she encountered in her debate who said a woman can not rule a state. Save yourself and your career from future embarrassment and desist from talking about Biafra. It’s way too deeper than writing a short story.
At 43 shes already considered herself old and complaining of old age, funny.