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| *Igbo elder Men |
AMONG the different ethnic groups in
Nigeria, the Igbo are without a doubt, one of the most remarkable. So
remarkable, indeed, that some have even traced their ancestry to biblical
Israel, as the far-flung descendants of Jacob, the Jewish patriarch. Gad,
Jacob’s seventh son, is said to have had three sons who settled in
South-eastern Nigeria.
These sons; Eri, Arodi and Areli,
are believed to have fathered clans in Igbo-land and to have founded such Igbo
towns as Aguleri, Arochukwu, Owerri and Umuleri.
Igbo genius
Even the bitterest adversaries of
the Igbo cannot but admit that, as a people, they are very resourceful and
ingenious. Indeed, this has often been the cause of their envy and
dislike by others. However, more enlightened non-Igbo Nigerians see this
as a cause for celebration. While today, the centre-point of Nigeria’s
manufacturing is situated in the Lagos/Ogun axis, there is no doubt that the
real locomotive of Nigeria’s indigenous industrialization lies farther afield
in Aba and in the mushrooming cottage-industries of the Igbo heartland.
In one of the paradoxes of Nigerian history, the terrible
civil war provoked homespun industrialization in the South-East. Military
blockade left the Igbo with little alternative than to be inventive in a
hurry. While Nigeria as a nation failed woefully to harness this
profitably after the war, it has nevertheless ensured that the Igbo are at the
forefront of Nigeria’s economic development today.
Indeed, the way we disregard “made
in Aba” today is the same way we disregarded “made in Japan” yesterday.
For those of us who believe against the odds that Nigeria is the China of
tomorrow, we equally recognize that the ingenuity of the Igbo is an indelible
part of the actualization of that manifest destiny.
Hall of fame
The Igbo have been a great credit to
Nigeria. They have given us a great number of our favourite sons, including
international statesman Nnamdi Azikiwe; military leader Odumegwu Ojukwu;
regional leader Michael Okpara; vice-president Alex Ekwueme; mathematical
genius Chike Obi; literary icon Chinua Achebe; world-class economist Pius
Okigbo; world boxing champion Dick Tiger; international statesman Emeka
Anyaoku; and world-class artist Ben Enwonwu. Permit me to include in this
illustrious list even some of my very good Igbo friends: Pat Utomi, Ojo
Madueke, Olisa Agbakoba, Joy Ogwu, and Stanley Macebuh.
Let us get one thing straight:
Nigeria would be a much poorer country without the Igbo. Indeed, Nigeria
would not be Nigeria without them. Can you imagine the Super Eagles
without the Igbo? Not likely! Who can forget Nwankwo Kanu, Jay Kay
Okocha and our very own Emmanuel Amuneke?
Can you imagine Nollywood without
the Igbo? Impossible! Just think of Stella Damascus-Aboderin; Rita
Dominic and Mike Ezuruonye. And then there are the diaspora Igbo who many
are unaware are of Igbo descent, including concert singer and actor Paul
Robeson; Oscar award-winner Forest Whitaker; mega-pastor T.D. Jakes; Olympic
champion Christine Ohuruogu; and BAFTA actor award-winner Chiwetel Ejiofor.
You may well wonder why I have found
it necessary to present this small litany of Igbo who-is-who. I think it
is important to emphasise how the Igbo have been very vital to the Nigerian
project. They have more than represented Nigeria creditably in virtually
all walks of life. This makes it all the more absurd that this same
people have been consistently denied the position of executive president of the
country in all but six months of Nigeria’s 54 year history.
Civil-war legacy
Of course, a major reason for this
was the 1967-1970 civil-war which had the Igbo on the losing side. But
that was over 40 years ago. If there is really to be “no victor, no
vanquished” in anything more than mere rhetoric, then the rehabilitation of the
Igbo back into post civil-war Nigeria will not be complete until an Igbo man
finally becomes president of the country.
That imperative should be of
interest to every Nigerian nationalist, committed to the creation of one
Nigeria where everyone has a deep sense of belonging. The problem,
however, is that the Igbo themselves seem to be their own worst enemies in this
regard. They appear to be doing their very best to ensure that this
inevitable eventuality continues to be denied and delayed.
The Igbo need to forgive
Nigerians. No one who lived through the horrors that precipitated the
secession of Biafra and led to the civil-war cannot but admit that the Igbo
were abused and maltreated in one of the worst pogroms ever. It was not
just that they were senselessly massacred in their own country; it was that
they were butchered.
I remember vividly gory pictures of
scores and scores of the Igbo with hands chopped up and with legs
amputated. And then there were the ravages of the three-year civil-war
itself, resulting in the death of millions of Igbo; many through starvation and
attrition.
The end of the war brought no respite,
as the Igbo were pauperized by fiscal decrees that wiped out their savings and
their properties were blatantly sequestered by opportunists. All this is
more than enough to destroy the spirit of any group of people. But God
has been on the side of the Igbo.
It is a testament to their
resilience that, in spite of this terrible affliction, they have survived,
bounced back and have even triumphed in Nigeria. Forty years have now
gone by. The Igbo may never forget what happened to them and, indeed, should
never forget. But it is past time for them to forgive.
We are sorry
This is one voice in the Nigerian
wilderness saying to the Igbo from the depth of his heart: we are sorry.
We are sorry for the way we mistreated you. We are sorry for the way we abused
you. We are sorry for starving your children to death. We are sorry
for killing your loved ones. We are sorry for stealing your properties.
We are sorry for making you feel
unwanted in your own country. Please forgive us. It is time to
forgive us. It is way past time for the Igbo to forgive Nigerians.
We beg you in the name of God.
There was a civil war in the United
States, but the defeated South rose from the ashes. Five of the last nine
presidents of the United States have been from the South, including Jimmy
Carter from Georgia, George Bush from Texas and Bill Clinton from
Arkansas. The time is overdue for an Igbo president of Nigeria, but it is
not going to happen as long as the Igbo continue to hold a grudge against
Nigeria and Nigerians.
There is no question about it: the
Igbos cannot elect a president of Nigeria on their own. To do so, they
have to join forces with others. They have to form alliances with
people from other parts of Nigeria. That is not going to happen as long
as the Igbo continue to bear a grudge against practically everybody else.
The Igbo have a gripe against
virtually all the people they need. They have this tendency to antagonise
their possible alliance partners. They keep dredging up the past,
refusing to let sleeping dogs lie. Until they drop these gripes, they are
not likely to realise their dreams.
Demonising Yorubas
For example, the Igbo have this
tendency to demonise the Yorubas. It is alarming when reading the Vanguard
blogs today to see the animosity often expressed between Igbo and Yoruba
contributors. The hatred is most unhealthy. Insults are traded with
abandon. What is the point of this? For how long will the Igbo
demand emotional retribution from every Yoruba for the betrayal of
Awolowo? Most of the contributors were not even born when the civil-war
took place more than a generation ago.
There is now even transferred
aggression against Babatunde Fashola, who made the blunder of repatriating some
destitute Igbo from Lagos back to their home-states. The man has apologized
for the infraction. He should be forgiven. Blunders are not the
exclusive preserve of the non-Igbo. The Igbo have made more than a few
themselves and will yet make others.
Paradoxically, the redemption of the
Igbos to prominent national office moved apace under President Obasanjo; a
Yoruba man. Recognising that Igbos are some of the most seasoned,
competent and experienced public-servants, Obasanjo relied heavily on their
expertise.
Thanks to him, we got Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala at Finance, Charles Soludo at Central Bank, Obiageli Ezekwesili
at Education, Ndidi Okereke at the Stock Exchange, and Dora Akunyili at
NAFDAC. Indeed, Igbo statesmen came into more prominence under Obasanjo
than did Yoruba statesmen. But for some strange reason, this does not
seem to have succeeded in assuaging the ill-feeling of the Igbos toward the
Yorubas.
Bad politicians
Within the framework of Nigerian
politics, the Igbo also have a fundamental problem. Out of the three
major ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Igbo have by far the worst
politicians. They have no recognizable leaders, and have no discernible
strategy as to how to negotiate power at the centre. As a result, the
Igbo have tended to be short-changed at the federal level. Traditionally,
the inconsequential ministries, such as the Ministry of Information, have been
zoned to them.
The Igbo need to work out a plan
that will take them to Aso Rock. First, they need to choose and groom a
de-tribalised leader of the Azikiwe mould who can be sold to non-Igbos.
Then, they need to give him undiluted support. At the moment the internal
politics of the Igbo militates against this. The Igbo seem to hate
themselves as much as they hate others. They seem to fight themselves
with as much venom as they fight others. Every potential Igbo leader
seems to have more enemies within than without. This must not be allowed
to continue.
The Igbo need to help themselves in
order that their friends can help them. In this centenary of Nigeria’s
amalgamation, as we embark on the arduous process of crafting our future
through a National Conference, we salute the Igbo for their fortitude and
implore them to stake their claim in Nigeria. Nigeria cannot survive
without the Igbo.
