Written
by Femi Aribisala
These sons; Eri, Arodi and Areli, are believed to
have fathered clans in Igbo-land.
Out of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria,
the Igbo have by far the worst politicians. 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.
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. Pemit 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 Jay 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 mal-treated 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 Ibos
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 apologised 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.
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