My Dear Igbo People

My Dear Igbo People

I am both perplexed and confounded at what is currently happening in Igbo land. For starters, this sit-at-home order which we all know no longer exist, is still being observed every Monday and, in some places even longer. What is happening in ala Igbo today is not only unconscionable and despicable, but totally alien to the Igbo tradition and customs for which I am aware. My dear Igbo people, we are quickly spiraling to the bottom of this pit and what consequences I cannot yet fantom.

Throughout Igbo land, there is chaos everywhere! Prior to the Anambra elections, individuals bent on destabilizing the region believe they could terrorize Anambra citizens into not conducting elections, but that effort failed - and Anambra citizens showed their mettle by coming out to exercise their civic responsibilities. It worked, that election is about the freest election ever conducted in the entire Nigeria. Now throughout Imo state and especially at the boundaries of Anambra and Imo states, chaos continues unabated. Shootings, and killing, cannibalism, ritual killings, human sacrifices has become the norm. These are behaviors totally alien to the Igbo culture and customs! Barely a few years back, we all stood on a very peaceful Igbo land while we discussed what is going on in the North and Boko Haram. Well guess what, those chickens have come home to roost. Those atrocities are now happening in our own backyard, and it is time to do something.

Part of my frustration is our inability to come out and admit that we are the cause of our own problems. I have been outspoken about some of the choices that we have made in the past, expressed my concerns about the escapades of IPOB, and how they squandered their political capital and the huge support they had with the entire Igbo race, all due to unnecessary exuberance. I have written about this quest and agitation for a separate Biafra, and how it will affect us in the long run. I have challenged my peers about blaming our leadership for our plight while absolving ourselves of any responsibility when we are the ones who voted these leaders into power. My position is that, just like in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, the first step to recovery will be admitting that we are all complicit in this decay and carnage that is eating our society from the inside like cancer. Until we admit our part in this disintegration of Igbo land, we will never be well enough to begin to talk about fixing this current dilemma.

Since IPOB formed the Eastern Security Network (ESN), Ala Igbo has not been the same. One may argue the reasons why it was necessary to form such a group, however, I warned that you cannot challenge the security of any sovereign nation and not expect some form of force being deployed. In one of my articles, “Nnamdi Kanu, Nigeria, and Wasted Opportunities” I pointed to what happens in some civilized countries whenever they feel their territory and security is being threatened. They will unleash their might not only to crush the insurgency and threat, but to send a message to others having the same thoughts.

This same IPOB declared the Sit-at-home order and later cancelled it! But our hapless Igbos have been observing this same order despite IPOB coming out publicly to denounce their own order. This phenomenon has brought about tremendous loss of revenue to the Igbos which invariably will impact our economy. So, when you say no jobs, be mindful that you are part of the problem when you do nothing to create jobs for our teeming youth. Up till today, a lot of Igbo areas still close shops and commercial activities on Monday to observe this sit-at-home order despite IPOB absolving itself from this illegal order. Other groups have taken advantage of the vacuum created by IPOB to harass, torture and in some cases kill other Igbos all in the name of enforcing this sit-at-home order. But rather than rise against these other illegal perpetrators, we continue to fool ourselves by blaming others for our lack of will to police our own people. Rather than address the ills being perpetrated by our own people on their people, we bury our heads in the sand and blame Abuja for what is unfolding in our neighborhoods daily.

Igbo land especially in certain axis of Imo and Anambra states are on fire! These constant conflict between the military, Ebube Agu, ESN and the so-called unknow gunmen is exerting too much damage to the lives and psyche of our people. Each week, we are bombarded with images of dead and decapitated bodies all the result of direct or collateral damages due to conflict by these groups. My question is when will these killings stop? Why do we continue to put our lives and those of our loved ones in danger for no good reason? This is totally absurd, and I am sick and tired of listening to those individuals who preach to us that these are the prices we need to pay to gain independence… and my question would be independence from what? What is most annoying is that a lot of these individuals encouraging these confrontations are doing so from the comforts of their homes in diaspora. If you love Biafra that much, pack your bags and go home to join the agitators! Don’t sit in a country and comfort created by others to destroy what is yours.

For those of you screaming and whining about marginalization, do not forget that our fathers and grandfathers were given only twenty British pounds after the civil war and under the most oppressing conditions. These brave men and women never complained about marginalization but used the Igbo ingenuity to build the wealth that you and I enjoy today. But look at us all spoiled brats, rather than apply the same God given talents of grit, creativity, and ingenuity, we whine and complain about the Fulani herdsmen, the unknown gunmen, the state and federal government. The British left Nigeria since 1960 and we continue to blame them for our woes. If up till now we are unable to figure out how best to govern ourselves, maybe we were not meant to govern ourselves. Creating Biafra will not make things better – that is a total fallacy! Until we take responsibility for our own lives and well-being and stop crying to these foreigners for help and assistance we will continue to wallow in our own chaotic plight. For anything to change in Ala Igbo, it must be initiated, planned, and executed by ndi Igbo. Wake up My Dear Igbo People!

Today the carnage continues and we as the hopeless citizens that we are, continuing to whine and cry of marginalization. We continue to curse and blame president Buhari, the state governors and elected officials for not doing much to change our quality of life. If our fathers cried and whined about not having power, do you believe that you and I would have the life we have today? Do not forget that the war ended in 1970 and this constitution that we are complaining about was not drafted until 1999. Could you imagine what those bold and brave men and women from endured from 1970 to 1999 despite being removed from leadership of all federal government agencies in Igbo land? I remember as a teenager having conflicts with the military who lived on half of my school complex – such was our conditions then, but we still managed, engaged, survived, and thrived! Wake Up My Dear Igbo People.

Early this month, there was conflict in Ihiala which resulted in so many shops being consumed by fire. Why, because the military to arrest a supposed native doctor making charms for IPOB, set her shrine on fire, which ended up affecting nearby shops owned by innocent citizens. Such is our dilemma today! Untraining and undisciplined military abusing their authority while attempting to enforce the laws of our land. Because we have brought into the house firewood with insects, we cannot complain when lizards invade our homes to consume those insects. My dear Igbo people, it is time to say enough is enough! It our children that are caught in these conflicts between our military and these faceless groups purporting to defend our homeland. It is our businesses that are being burned and destroyed by these conflicts. It is our economy that is being decimated by these fires, sit-at-home, and fear. It is our children, cousins, brothers that are being lured into joining gangs, smoking methamphetamines (Npkuru Mmiri) by these unknow groups where they sacrifice their lives for no good reasons. It the Igbo economy that is being degraded every day that we sit-at-home and refuse to conduct business. It is our quality of life that is degraded every time any of the above happens in our homeland. My Dear Igbo People enough is enough!

Today, a lot of groups are fighting for the inclusion of the Southeast back into the Nigerian mainstream. They are looking for a good candidate of Southeast be given the opportunity to become the president of Nigeria, this effort is being fueled mostly by concerned citizens who understand the concepts of short-term objectives and low hanging fruit. But most of the Igbo family is being distracted by lofty goals that we all know will never come to fruition, lead to war or will take a long time to materialize. Meanwhile, our sons and daughters are being killed, maimed, raped, and used for rituals. Our children are no longer interested in hard work or succession. They have opted instead to become millionaires without lifting a finger. Cannibalism, human sacrifices, kidnapping and sale of fellow human into slavery and servitude, or for rituals are the order of the day while we continue to blame others for these atrocities, which you and I know fully well is being perpetuated by our own people.

My dear Igbo people, changing a system from the outside seldom work! To effectively change a system, you must find your way inside the halls of authority first and only then could you begin to influence decision making one word at a time. Mind you, this only works if we as a collective body elect the right people to represent us inside these halls of authority. Let’s not fool ourselves, it took time for our societal norms, customs, and traditions, to breakdown, and it will take time and effort to restore Ala Igbo to it previous glories. Let us today commit take those baby steps necessary by making sure we get registered to vote in 2023. Let us lend our collective voices to all groups agitating for a president of Southeast extraction, let us resolve never to allow ourselves to be suckered by some of these elements currently in those halls of authority and claiming to represent us, let us be like our fathers and mothers, “bend down low” to truly see what is going on. Electing a president of Igbo extraction is but a first step to our liberation. Umu Igbo, please come and join the cause!