Biafra: How The Consultation Advocates Lost The Argument Written by Mazi Onyebuchi Eze 17th February 2021 One outstanding confirmative factor that has singled itself out over the years, is the fact that freedom fighting is not the concern of elders but youths (young men and women), in every given society. There were times and generations wherein elders were consulted during freedom bouts and such ventures ended in abysmal failures, regrets and shame. Every serious bible student will understand that when God raised Moses and Aaron to confront Egyptians for the liberation of Israel, He never consulted with the Israeli elders. This was because their values would not add up to the needed requirements of the time. God only selected two vibrant young men named Moses and Aaron, same way He chose Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the promising youths of Biafra. It was even in the course of Moses' leadership of the people of Israel out of the land of captivity (Egypt), into the wilderness on their way to the promise land, that the then Israeli intellectuals in the mold of Miriam and Korah amongst others, just like the crop of present day e- rats in the Biafra restoration quest, emerged. They compelled Moses with destructive criticisms until he yielded into consulting with the so-called elders of Israel during their march into freedom. This will be the mistake that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, will never want to make in as much as the Biafran youths flock around him, with his shoulders held high just like Aaron and Hur did with Moses in the wilderness. The bible emphatically stated that the twelve elders of Israel went to spy out the land of Jericho and of course, sounded like Ohaneze Ndigbo and the South-East governors as they got back home with their negative reports. There was gross unbelief and negative confessions which made them to journey for forty years in an expedition that would have gloriously lasted for just forty days. As usual, ten of the Israeli spy elders out of the twelve not only spoke but maintained their unproductive stance like the Ohaneze Ndigbo and other discouraging and shortsighted elders across the globe would. They told Moses that they were like grasshoppers in the sight of their adversaries occupying the land of Jericho. The current scenario clearly paints the picture of intellectuals who have woefully failed to understand just like the Israeli elders, the reality on ground. Ohaneze Ndigbo would ask: "Why is Nnamdi Kanu talking about Biafra when we are not ready to fight another war? Leave Fulani herdsmen to be destroying farms because their brother (kinsman) is the one ruling Nigeria. We cannot challenge them". The South-East governors on the other hand, will say: "Do you not know that if we chase these Fulani herdsmen out of our farmlands, bushes and forests, Miyetti Allah will deny us 2023 presidential opportunity?". All these clearly boil down to the fact that elders do not essentially need to be consulted with on anything that is freedom fighting related because old men (elders) only dream dreams, they not see visions. Recently, there was a village meeting wherein very classical security matters where extensively deliberated on. The deputy chairman of the village suggested the importance of giving some elders invitation for them to attend the meeting. The chairman himself pointedly opposed the suggestion by making it known to the attendees that discussion of security matters do not need the presence of elders. This is due to the fact that if some very drastic measures will be considerably adopted, the elders would out of fear, kick strongly against such plans, thereby discouraging the youths who are determined to bring about the desired changes or results. Summing up all these therefore, it becomes clearly necessary to state here once again that those advocating for the consultation with elders in Ohaneze Ndigbo, South-East governors and other political office holders pertaining moves in the Biafra restoration struggle, have completely lost the argument. If consultation with these crop of individuals in Biafraland would be initiated, then let it be clearly stressed here that such a step will only redound to an embarking of forty years risk into a tainted and clueless freedom journey, just like the forty years of Israelites’ experience in the wilderness. Written by Mazi Onyebuchi Eze Edited by Peter Oshagwu For Family Writers Press International