I am Nigerian I careless of the president ethnicity but more about his or her honesty, integrity, intelligence, leadership quality, good judgment, soundness of mind but above all his/her patriotism to Nigeria and love for its people. Only one man has shown these qualities post independent Nigeria and even onto his death. And this man happened to be the father of Nigeria independence, an Ibo man Dr Nnamdi Azikwe. Azikwe believed in Nigeria even when his people were being slaughtered in hundreds by the Nigeria he freed. From Inception, with his followers mostly Yorubas, Chief Awolowo never had faith in one Nigeria until the ostracizing of the Ibos became the recoiling force that turned him and his Yoruba followers from Pan oodduaism to one Nigerianism. To many Yorubas political elites one Nigeranism means the subjection of the Ibos; it means the Hausa/Fulani- Oodua hegemony with Ooduaism as the inferior partner.
The North’s initial dislike and rejection of the construct called Nigeria was never a secret and were evident in the infamous statement of the North’s foremost political leader’s mincing words that represented the North’s distaste of the Nigerian idea. Ahmed Bello who actually was the de-facto Prime Minister of the first republic said that his allegiance was first to Islam and second to the north. To the Northerners Nigeria became a sovereignty to defend at all cost after 1966 counter revenge coup that brought Gowon to power. Before the Gowon’s 1966 coup and that was just 6 years after independence there were already hate and fear of the Ibos. Ibos were already envied, feared and hated (fear leads to hate) in the early 60s. So no one would in honesty and logically claim that Ibos’
contemporary or recent misbehaviors were the reason for their present dislike by the many today and even by the early 60s. By early 60s and before, the British White Masters were in charge and could not have condone such misbehaviors by Ibos. There are no colonial records to support rampant unethical behavior by Ibos. Except the fear of South domination raised by the North; in the years leading to1960 all attention, concerns and discussions before independence was less of ethnicity but instead more of colonialism and independence. But following independence, for different ethnic groups and for different reasons the fear of Ibos enveloped the polity. Soon and with Ibo defeat (militarily) in the civil war this fear of domination completely disappeared and was completely replaced with envy, hated, disdain, and disassociation of Ibos by almost all other ethnics groups including by groups that are actually Ibos occupying outer sphere of the Ibo territory. The peripheral dwelling Ibos were geo-political and psychologically carved off of Igbo main land by Gowon as war strategy. It is regrettable that many Ibos living in River state, Akwa Ibom, Delta State, etc deny their Igboness and even try as much as possible to disassociate and dislike Ibos living in 5 Igbo states.
So the hate and dislike of Ibo by other ethnic nationalities has nothing to do with the evil or wrongs the Ibos did. But instead Ibo hate and disdain are envious in nature; Ibo hate are due to Ibo’s unmatched competitiveness, carrier successes private and public. This fear of Ibo domination as voiced by Sardauna of Sokoto Ahmadu Bello (in interview with a british journalist in early 60s); as voiced by Akintola in his yoruba vernacular political campaign gibberish soaked with tribal sentiments envious and fearful of Ibo and as voiced by others Nigeria nationalities were informed by the progress Ibos had already made before the1966 coup, the leaderships and leadership positions Ibos exhibited before, leading and immediately after independence. These Ibo hate and envy are the mainstay reasons that even though Zik led Nigeria to independence he was never to be the chief executive of the country he gave his all. Zik is one of the very few independent foremost leaders that never led their country.
It is an Irony that this Nigeria other ethnic groups are sharing its wealth and riches at the detriment of the Ibo; is the same Nigeria that was made possible by Ibo leadership. But such is life; that is how it has been, that is how it is and that is how it may forever be. So Ibos should get over it; prophets are neither Known, recognized, liked nor love by the kith and kin. Even within clans, villages, towns, communities, if one is love, he or she is evidently not doing well. Human nature or heart is but envious, jealous, hateful, and evil. And this is not just humans in Nigeria but around the globe. Envy can not envy against nothing otherwise it is no envy, jealousness can not jealous against nothing otherwise it is no jealousness and hatefulness could not be against nothing otherwise it is no hate and evil could not be against nothing otherwise it is no evil. So instead of complaining about this inevitable hate, Ibos should rejoice for it because it definitely signifies success. The bible counsels that we should rejoice when we are wrongful hated but repent and turn a new living when we are loved and liked by men.
The greatest problems and danger Ibos face today in Nigeria is not the hate, the envy and or the dislike by others but these same things they themselves have against one another. For three years Ibos were able to prosecute the Biafra war because of the comparative love, harmony, togetherness, among them. But these days Ibos hate themselves just as others hate them. And this Ibo to Ibo hate is the actual war that Ibos lost and the loss that will lead to their demise. No amount of hate, envy, jealousness, marginalization without is capable of defeating a determined united people that knows the forces without and within against them. Internal or intra-tribal love, harmony among hated people is the reason tiny Israel against all odd is one of the most economically, technologically, agriculturally, militarily force in the world.
Since after the civil war more than 70% of the governors that have governed Igbo states are Ibos. Not only did these Governors not Governed but they stole the states to oblivion with the exception of less than 5% who honestly did their best to uplift the citizenry. Orji Uzor Kalu is one such thing if not the worst thing that happened to Ibos and to Abia State in particular. Yes, it will be right to give Igbo man the opportunity to lead this country. An Ibo presidency, that is not just for the sake of having an Ibo president but a presidency that will usher in and unleash massive development into Nigeria; development that will also benefit the most undeveloped parts of Nigeria that are without doubt do not lie within Ibo lands and habitations.
It is not an over statement to say that the degree of development of any city in Nigeria is synonymous to city’s degree of Ibo touch. So Nigerians need Ibo presidency and more so than Ibos need Ibo president. The logic that Nigeria for its development and survival needs an Ibo presidency is but a simple one. And that is, for 53 years after independence, under 34 years of Hausa/Fulani presidency and about 14 years of Yoruba presidency and 4 years of Ijaw presidency, Nigerian went from a thriving nation to a dying one, in all development indexes. It cannot be clearer that what Nigeria needs now is an Ibo touch. The same touch that in spite of marginalization, deprivation, in general, Ibos as individual citizens are not worst-off than Hausas, the Fulanis, the Yorubas, the Ijaws etc or any other Nigeria group. Lest I forget, the 4 years of Ijaw presidency has done far much better than the combined 48 years of Hausa/fulanii-Yoruba presidencies.
Some call Ibos names, like thieves, fraudsters, prostitutes, and all worth not. Yet Ibo culture remains virtuous. Just as there are bad, good and ugly in any society and civilization so it is in Ibo land and in Nigeria. The most thieves in Nigeria are evidently not Ibos because the billions of dollars in public wealth leaving Nigeria to private foreign accounts are not perpetrated by Ibos that have been for long shot out by the ruling groups. The previous President in order to steal more from the public coffer arranged for a British husband for one of his daughters. Sorry, my fault, the marriage was not arranged rather I heard somebody say that the Briton married this baby baboon because white people like chimps and one can imagine how much they would like a baby baboon with a lot of money. Anyway, today Nigeria is dying because of corruption by its leaderships that are devoid of Ibos yet in irony of fate Ibos are the ones called corrupt and thieves.
So hate, dislike, envy and jealousness are Ibo’s fate in Nigeria and the earlier the Ibos, recognize and accept this unjust fate and work in love, harmony, uprightness among themselves the better they will appreciate the bad fate of the blessed. Ibos should not be begging to lead a drowning ship. Instead passengers in this dooming ship called Nigeria have seen the 53 years of incompetence of the past Captainships and ought to be begging for a proven leadership exemplifies by Zikism or pre-independent Zik Movement and Ibo successes in the midst of all odds stacked against them.
The Ibo’s experience in Nigeria is adversity that should leads to the optimum harness of human potentials and abilities. This is the kind of adversity presented by the snowy weathers of Europe that unleashed European creative potentials that led to its conquering of the entire known world. So instead of begging to lead a drowning ship, Ibos should implore their Nigerian adversity to build a new and a better ship that will salvage the passengers of the dooming one.
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