We are All Biafrans in Chido Onumah’s new book

Chidi Onumah, journalist and the coordinator, African Centre for Media & Information Literacy, will on May 31, present his third book, ‘We Are All Biafrans’.

The book is a collection of essays published in various newspapers from 2013 to 2016.

The author says the book “focuses on the crisis of nationhood in Nigeria”. With five chapters, the book promises to be an inspiring read.

Onumah, in his book, problematizes Nigeria’s federalism as it is practiced and advocates true federalism and an “urgent” restructuring of the country so as to avoid a “a catastrophe that could endanger our collective well-being”.

“The country needs to engage episodic political convulsions that threaten its very foundation, including Biafra, June 12, Boko Haram, the “National Question”, citizenship rights, and “militocracy””, Onumah says.

He argues that the agitations of Biafra “may well be a metaphor as all ethnic groups in Nigeria are victims of the terrible misrule of the past decades and thus desire a change in their material conditions”.

Onumah, in his book, is critical of Nigeria leaders, past and present, civilian and military, some of whom he perceives as “scoundrels posing as statesmen, and conservative ideologues, religious bigots, and ethnic chauvinists posing as patriots”.

He poses existential questions on Nigeria and opines that Nigeria is deeply flawed and can only move forward if her citizens admit this and confront it sincerely.

“Chido Onumah raises opinion-making about Nigeria to the standards of great, uncompromising art,” notes Odia Ofeimun, author, poet and ex-President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). We are all Biafrans is a clarion call to reclaim a country that is on the verge of national suicide. It seeks to trigger the debate that will eventually nudge Nigerians towards kick-starting the process of a genuine re-invention of the country.

The book was published by Parresia publishers and will be presented in conjunction with the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy in partnership with Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation.

Onumah has written two other books titles Reclaim Naija and Nigeria is Negotiable.