My Dear Igbo People
On May 29, 2023, we witness an inauguration that could be classified, in the annals of Nigerian history, as a day of depression, shame, and infamy. This is a country that prides itself with overachieving all over the world, but has found it daunting to do the right thing or to get our act together. I am confident that every patriotic Nigerian on this day, regardless of your religion or tribe, is as disappointed as I am with that sick feeling in your stomach as you witnessed what has become of this nation. This purported giant of Africa called Nigeria cannot do anything right! Also, it is very clear what this election was all about. We should no longer wonder or delude ourselves regarding the Nigeria elite. If any right-thinking Nigeria believes that what is happening in Nigeria is the right thing for the country, then all I can say is shame on you.
Social media is agog with mocking images of the transition and personally, I felt both a personal and collective shame. An Igbo proverb reminds us that “an insane person has no shame; the shame is his or her people to bear.” I say this to remind all Nigerians that the shame of our collective failures belongs to all of us (or the sane ones among us) understanding that our leaders are all insane and have no shame. Regardless of your position on the election of Tinubu as the 16th president of Nigeria, be guided when you ridicule the process because it is your process as well. Having said all this, let’s get to the reason for my writeup today.
First, we should not continue to delude ourselves thinking that Nigeria and Nigerians will ever allow a person of Igbo extraction to ascend to the position of presidency in Nigeria. This phenomenon is due first and foremost to the fact that the Igbos simply do not have the numbers to elect a member of their tribe to that position in Nigeria. For that to happen, we will have to collaborate with another tribe or tribes to make Igbo presidency a reality. But we all know that will never happen and that is a story for another day.
Second, that this election has clearly exposed the underbelly of tribalism, sectarianism and religion sentiments as the major bane on Nigerian progress. it is clear that this election, as it was manifested underscores the fact that the Hausa/Fulani will continue to control this country given their numbers and ability to partner with willing tribes to continue to destroy our nation. Yes, it is true that Tinubu is Yoruba, but how effective do we believe he will be given his physical and mental conditions. Invariably most decisions will be left to the vice president who is Fulani and the cabals that surround him to run the country. This election has further exposed the disdain that most other tribes have for the Igbos whose son, was the most qualified candidate in this last election, contested under the Labor Party and was effectively rigged out of winning. So, make no mistakes about what transpired in this last election, the Northern hegemony have vowed to maintain their dominance and control over Nigeria and its citizens. It does not matter that the country has made zero progress since independence and the control of the country’s resources since then has been in the hands of these same group and tribes. What matters to them is that they are in control.
The Igbos fought a civil war to secede from the country or at a minimum create a level playing ground, but it is now apparent that the Nigerian civil war only served to magnify our differences, while increasing the hatred for the Igbo man! During the last eight years of the Buhari administration, the Igbos were simply relegated to the background despite supporting Buhari and his administration. In fact, the federal government has deployed its might to make sure that even at the state levels, we achieved nothing. With the exception of Anambra state, which has managed to maintain some elements of control of their governance structure, other so called core Igbo states are simply puppet administrations controlled by the federal government just to subjugate its citizens to perpetual poverty like the Northern states.
So, now that it is clear that the pathway to Igbo presidency has proven to be elusive, my question now is what options does the Igbos have? How and what do we need to do to, at a minimum, gain control of our resources and effectively manage our collective destinies. For starters, we the Igbos must agree to stop chasing waterfalls (ghosts). We invested in IPOB, it backfired, we invested in Buhari’s second term, it backfired, we invested in Peter Obi and the Labor Party, it backfired. My dear Igbo people, what else is left for us to do? Shall we continue chasing that shining object on the hill (the presidency) that has so far proved to elusive? Or shall we now pivot and find a new achievable goal to pursue? Shall we continue to allow the federal government to hoist and impose leaders on us, or do we come to a collective agreement that regardless of their antics, any elected governor in a true Igbo state, must be elected by the Igbos. The question now is whether the Igbos have the collective will to make a difference. Could we make governance impossible whenever stooges are imposed on us to send the message that we want control of our destinies.
A rejected person does not reject themselves! It is time we Igbo develop a different plan, mindset and pathway that is controlled and managed by us, for the quiet existence of the Igbo nation within this contraption called Nigeria. I am not an advocate of secession, nor would I support another war (I have been to the land of the dead and can attest to the size of their heads. One war is enough for me). What I think will serve us better is to concentrate on that which we have comparative advantage. I heard it once on social media that the Jews are respected all over the world because they possess economic power. Likewise, the Chinese have gained tremendous respect around the world due to their manufacturing prowess, economy and economic dominance. If we ever want to earn respect in Nigeria, the Igbo should do what the Igbos do best, earn money, grow our local economy, invest in our region, buy from our people and build industries and employment in our areas.
Enough of looking for a messiah to come and rescue us from bondage. We have tried several times and ended up deeper than we started. Instead of solidifying our hold on commerce and the middle class, we opted to be distracted by the Biafra ideal, what was the outcome; this so-called Monday sit-at-home while the region loses billions of Naira in revenue. Then along came another messiah in Peter Obi and the Obi’dient movement, we invested heavily in it and “have no pot to piss in, or a window to throw it out.” We as Igbos will be effectively shut out of this administration due to our support for the Labor Party. That’s how Nigeria politics work! So, please tell me, who are the insane ones? The Hausa/Fulani who have perfected the game of political brinkmanship or the Igbos who continue to try the same ideas and ideals and hoping for a different result? It is now time to rethink our strategy of existence in Nigeria. If I thought for one moment that seceding from Nigeria is feasible, or will get us to utopia, I will advocate for it. But it is common knowledge that the rest of Nigeria will never allow the Igbos to secede from the nation. Do not delude yourself in believing the Igbos do not represent a pivotal, if not the main ingredient, without which Nigeria may not survive. But remember that our contribution will never rise to the level of other tribes granting us access to the office of the presidency. Is this right, probably not but that is what it is for now!
My dear Igbo people, the time is now to rethink our strategies for co-existing with others in Nigeria. We cannot continue to wait until a year or six months to the next election to begin this work. Also, we cannot continue to hope for the appearance of another messiah to begin this work. My dear Igbo people, the time is now to ask the question of whether ascending to the position of presidency is truly the best option for the Igbos that will produce the best outcome for us as a people? Remember what happened with racism in America following the presidency of Barack Obama? African Americans did not fare any better than they did prior. So, who will guarantee the rest of us that having an Igbo presidency will improve our lot overall? Only time will tell.
Please I am hoping that no one would think that I am advocating for the exclusion of a person of Igbo extraction to become the Nigerian president, to the contrary. I believe that having someone of the Igbo extraction will be best thing for Nigeria – but the realities on ground and the pathway are simply not there today or does not exist at this time. For now, Nigeria politics is a cash-and-carry politics, and that kind of politics does not allow for the ideal to happen.
My dear Igbo people, we must go back to the drawing board. We should all ponder the following questions.
First, what will be the best pathway forward for Umu Igbo in Nigeria? Is it focusing more on creating a haven within our region in the Southeast, or continuing this quest for a place that is untenable at this time?
Second, do we redirect our efforts and focus our collective strength towards harnessing the synergies that exist between our core states, Abia, Anambra, and Imo and any other Igbo states that would want to join to build a utopia world in the Southeast?
Third, do we today begin conducting outreach and negotiations with other ethnic groups or anyone willing to embrace the Igbos and build that coalition that will allow us to contribute to the affairs of our country? Remember that we are as much Nigerians as any other person, just that we have benefited the least in the sharing of the country’s wealth!
My dear Igbo people, agba mbu, otuo n’ogwe, agba abuo, otuo n’ogwe, Umu Igbo you all complete this proverb. Now is the time to rethink our strategy, now is the time to reevaluate our ways, now is the time to begin to put our house in order because Ala Igbo is on fire! Now is not the time to continue to cry over spilt milk… we came, we tried, we competed loudly and assertively, but we lost! What is left is to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves clean, and start all over (Peter Tosh). Today is that time to begin to plot the best way forward for Umu Igbo!!!
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