Nigeria is now so volatile and divided that one just needs a few hours of interaction of people from, say, the South Eastern extraction and South Western region on social media. Social media platforms have been flooded with a varieties of posts, pictures, memes, and satirical comments on different tribes in the Nigerian social media space. One could say that this is as a result of the residue of the just-concluded general elections. The violence and bile that were released during the election became to be seen as targeted at a particular tribe.
Whether Nigerians like it or not, the memories of the Nigerian Civil War cannot be totally erased from history. It can also be argued that the continued neglect of any form of commemoration of the victims of the war, especially by the Federal Government of Nigeria, still leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps this is why people from the region which was ravaged by death and starvation during the three hellish years of 1967 to 1970 are sensitive to anything that the government does.
Other countries and nationalities do not avoid the past.
It is cowardly to ignore the past as much as it is foolish to do so. The former is because the past is a mirror into the future. It shapes the destinies of generations to come. The latter is maybe more important because of the former because only a fool does not look at the past, assess his mistakes and forge ahead with renewed commitment to not committing past mistakes. The African adage says that when a child falls, he looks forward; but when an elder falls, he immediately looks back to see what has caused his fall.
Africa’s most populous country can be described as a 63-year-old child who has kept falling and has refused to look back at what is causing the fall in order to solve the root problem. Compared to the rest of the world, it is a norm for many nationalities to remember such historic events and commemorate them. Major armed conflicts that marked sacrifices that strengthened the existence of a country are widely celebrated around the world.
Major celebrations similar to the Biafran War.
For instance, Russia celebrates the surrender of the Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union and her allies during the Second World War on May 9. Germany remembers various victims of war in a National Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag), while Israel celebrates soldiers and others that laid down their lives in various armed conflicts on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar. However, Nigeria has refused to declare any day to remember the heroes that fought on the Biafran side as well as millions of starved children who were caught in the middle.
If the reason for the Federal Government not following this route in commemoration of the Nigerian Civil War is to avoid celebrating those that fought on the Biafran side, it calls to question the declaration of ‘no victor, no vanquished’ mantra announced by General Yakubu Gowon after the war. This is really concerning considering that June 12 was made the Democracy Day and a national public holiday with so much ease during the last administration.
FG has to pay credence to the scale of sacrifices.
Although the Biafran War and the June 12, 1993 elections have remarkable distinctions, they are also similar in some sense. One of them is that the collective destiny of Nigerians were shaped by both events. However, the civil war was characterized by so much carnage that cannot be said of the June 12 election. The Federal Government does not have to celebrate the resilience and tenacity of the Biafran side, but they do have to acknowledge the sacrifices made by millions of people—sacrifices that were supposed to strengthened our co-existence in this union and chart a prosperous future for us as a nation.
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Civil War should be remembered as Unity Day – This will foster togetherness and unity among Nigerians across the country. – Express your point of view.
Celebrating the Civil War as Unity Day is a step towards fostering togetherness and unity among Nigerians. By remembering the war, we acknowledge our past, our strengths, and our dreams for a better Nigeria. It is a time to come together, celebrate our diversity, and strengthen our shared values. Together, we can build a better Nigeria, one united by peace, love, and respect for one another.
We have still not healed from the civil war and coupled with the way the election panned out, there is still this gross hard feelings Igbos feel. While the idea of Unity day is good, the most important thing is pacifying the Igbos.
While I understand the sentiment behind this idea, I do not believe that Civil War should be remembered as Unity Day. The Civil War was a tragic event in Nigerian history that caused a lot of pain and suffering for many people. It is important to remember the lessons of the past, but we should not glorify or celebrate a war that caused so much harm. Instead, I believe that there are other ways to foster togetherness and unity among Nigerians. We can celebrate our diverse cultures and traditions, promote peaceful coexistence, and work towards a better future for all Nigerians. We should focus on building bridges and finding common ground, rather than dwelling on the past.
The Civil War being commemorated as Unity Day is a step toward encouraging to work together and be united. We honor our past, our accomplishments, and our aspirations for a better country by remembering the war. This is a time to unite, recognize our differences, and uphold our shared ideals. We all should be remembered it as unity day
Civil War should be remembered as Unity day Nigeria history was tragically marked by the Civil War, which left many people in great anguish and suffering. We should all look into the past and see how we have suffered we should continue been united, using civil war been remember as unity day
Civil War should be remembered as Unity Day. All this things that lead to civil war are still happening till today. Our leaders are dividing us due to their selfish interest, their quest for power. Because most of them want to win election so they can do anything to divide us. They want to cause war between the citizens, god won’t allow them. Our Government is the reason for civil war and they want to cause another, but God won’t allow them this time
Civil war is a period we should be praying not to ever experience again in Nigeria navies it was very brutal during the time. Let us bound in peace and relate like a brother and sister for the same country for peace to continue to reign in our land.
Unity Day, which honors the Civil War, is a step toward promoting cooperation and unity. By remembering the conflict, we pay homage to our history, our successes, and our hopes for a better nation. It’s time to come together, accept our differences, and uphold our common values. It should be observed as a day of unity by everyone
The failure of our government from declaring a day of remember for the falling heroes, the soldiers that sacrifice their life for the unity of Nigeria is not far fetch. The government is avoiding including the Biafran soldiers in the celebration, they are scared of trees revisiting the pass horrific event. By and large that shouldn’t deter us from remembering this day which is very important to the present state of this nation.
In the civil war many soldiers lost their lives trying to uphold peace and unity in the land of Nigeria. Such soldiers should be honored for their bravery. A day should be chosen in commemoration of our falling heroes who chose to stand and say no Nigeria will not divide during the Biafran War. The government ignoring this fact could seen that they are perceiving it as a sensitive issue which shouldn’t be dabble into. However, that should prevent us from celebrating this great day that unity was fought for.