By Cajetan Mmuta
The much-talked-about General Yakubu Gowon’s three Rs- Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation have remained a fluke due to the mismanagement of the concept even to date. The odorous and erroneous perception of an Igbo as suspect and even treated with derision and contempt has continued to hurt and haunt the people in all spheres despite their rich endowments in skills, industry, and intellect.
No doubt that since the end of hostilities on January 15, 1970, the country has been enmeshed in an endless and effortless battle to keep its people’s various sections together and to tackle the myriads of socio-economic and political problems. These problems were instrumental to the initial conflicts that sparked the first bloody civil war. Many had vilified Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu for leading the then war, but Ojukwu’s conviction and reasons, today, are still haunting the polity and the consequence are obvious.
The recurrent upsurge of ethnic militia groups and agitations are deafening and the echo of silence by leaders is telling its dangerous and disgraceful toll on all fronts. While the massive deaths, destructions, pillages, and impunity of leadership excesses have combined to push the polity far backward than ever before. What is more?
The global community is helplessly watching with aloofness and those with interest are pushing forward and deeply to further boost their divisive influence and to foist their colonial administration. The northern oligarchies are reeling in vantage political admiration while the southern puppets are clapping in servitude to their penury and deprivations.
For the Igbo, the reverberating echo of compromises, fence-sitting, political idleness, self-destruct, lack of unity, lack of political cohesion, and zero tact and doggedness as well as seeming timidity is their bane. The unidirectional urge for affluence and self-recognition in vain glory as against core national values and attainment of macro-economic height has helped to leave many folks at the crossroads.
The North has with obvious strategies deployed all known schemes to assert, strengthen and position itself in the political and economic frameworks of the country while the Southeast and few others in the south are locked in shadow chasing and therefore gropes in the dark amid aloofness. The fact remains that power is grabbed or seized and not given.
The clamour for a president of Igbo extraction is overdue, and as expected only Igbo ethnic nationality can perfect the quest for the plum seat at the nation’s seat of power at Aso Rock. There must be collaboration and extension of hands of fellowship with other geo-political zones and groupings across the Niger River in utmost understanding, sincerity, patriotism, mutual trust, and agreement to pave way for Igbo speaking area of the country to ascend to the exalted seat of power.
The long summary of these damning political misgivings, apparent hurt, and hateful marginalization, is what has paved the way for the current activities of members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), a movement spearheaded by forces within the Igbo ethnic nationality, aimed at self-freedom and emancipation of the people from the shackles of age-long history of hate, political and economic subjugations.
That is what Nnamdi Kanu represents today in the region. It holds therefore that the trial and detention of Kanu is the totality of the fate of the entire Igbo race because an injury to one is an injury to all.
It is injustice, absolute denial and against the principle of equity, fair play, and inhuman treatment for you to flog a child and expect it not to cry or hold unto what also belongs to him or her and not bring down your hands down.
Today, everybody is looking for where to hide for safety but a time comes when that won’t be found. The once vociferous aura of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB), led by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has died down. But like a relay race, the quest for Biafra remains an undying one.
The agitators in the oil-rich Niger Delta region are grinning with fat food, drinks, and contracts designed to silence them and future generations by slave masters and blood spillers who laid long stretch of crude pipelines to the far Niger Republic, while the east is suffocated with massive wagons load of blood-thirsty security operatives out to complete and accomplish their elimination task of mindless and endless pogrom and political desertification.
Yet, some vested interest political class of Igbo are reeling in a staccato of a sing-song to satisfy the still feeding crumbs from the master’s table of death and destructions.
The 2023 political gimmick is here. Ndigbo is at it again to the chorus, ‘it is our turn to produce the next President of Nigeria.’ Last year, former Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar with his presidential campaign team was in Anambra state to seek the support of the Anambra people and Ndigbo towards realising his ambition next year.
It is obvious that apart from his timely move to curry the support of Ndigbo in his self-esteemed, exhaustive, and overstretched ambition, the Igbo people with rich culture, huge economic and human potential, and political capability, harbour an inexhaustible array of able-bodied men and women with the wherewithal to turn around the fortunes of this country and bring it at par with competitive global trends.
Such calibre of Igbo personalities with a rich and thick fibre of peace, harmony, nationalism, industry, and understanding of the feelings, problems, and challenges facing the different segments of the polity, to bind the diverse people together in sincere love, progress and development are, not far-fetched from the South-East geo-political zone.
It must be clearly stated, that Ndigbo at home and in Diaspora have declared that, never again, would be cowed into yielding and admitting to serving as the second fiddle of a vice president and anyone from the zone who dares such over, is damned forever and would face the obvious consequences. The calculations and permutations favour the Southeast geo-political zone, rightly or wrongly, to produce Nigeria’s next President. The world is watching and critics and opponents are not sleeping.
As the time ticks fast, forces from the two major political parties of the ruling APC and the PDP are bent on their schemes to favour their camps for a possible credible candidate to fly their flags for the epic battle. A lot of deciding factors and options are also in place.
Presently, about 10 presidential aspirants from the zone have shown keen interest to contest for the number one seat in the Presidency. They include former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim. He was an ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), former Governor of Anambra State and businessman Mr. Peter Obi, ex-Abia state (1999 to 2007) Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, and presently the Senate Chief Whip, incumbent Governor of Ebonyi state, Dr Dave Umahi, Dr Chris Ngige, Kingsley Moghalu, Peter Umeadi, and Sam Ohuabunwa.
The aspirants are eminently qualified and have shown great interest, strong desire, and willingness, backed by the geo-political zone, to seek election and to rewrite the history of Nigeria, by taking a shot at the Presidency coming next year.
Interestingly, one out of the many will be chosen for the plum job. The poise by Ndigbo in the southeast is now the singsong. Other Nigerians, especially, those who join in the determination to change the narrative and aim to reposition the country are also not allowing anything to chance. It is instructive; therefore, that the realisation of this project depends on how discreet, reach, united and serious the people are at harmonising, working hard, and speaking with one voice towards achieving the set goals.
Also, the southeast zone needs to realize that a tree cannot make a forest and it beholds core stakeholders from the zone to align with other geo-political zones in their quest.
However, the obvious threat to the quest by the Ndigbo in the Southeast zone for the presidency of Igbo extraction is ominously timely, and signals danger to the future if the years of crying by the people against injustice, marginalisation, and lack of equity are not addressed.
Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo (South-East zone) Chief Damian Ogene, said, “What brought about Biafra is injustice. So, the issue of Presidency or Biafra, the injustice brought Biafra. If justice and equity prevail, fine; if they didn’t the sun will grow and the sun is Biafra.”
He insisted that the only solution to the questions begging for answers “is for the Nigerian state to address the injustices meted to the Igbo and the time is now.”
Also, the Publicity Secretary of the Igbo apex socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Chief Alex Nnadozie, said the Ndigbo want the Presidency to come 2023 and have demonstrated that in all ramifications that they are part and parcel of the country but frowned at the attitude of the Nigerian government towards Ndigbo and their welfare.
He noted that the question is not whether Igbo want Presidency or Biafra but that President Muhammadu Buhari must as the President of all segments of the nation treat the Igbo with every sense of fairness, equity, and justice and that’s what the youths are saying because it is the refusal of the power that to address the basic needs and welfare of Ndigbo that prompts the insecurity and agitations here and there.
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“No person wants Nigeria more than Ndigbo. What our youths are saying is very simple, you want our people to say we want Nigeria but the Nigerian government should be able to say to Ndigbo that they are needed for the Nigerian project. The president of Nigeria today is Muhammadu Buhari and he should be able as the father of the nation to treat all segments of the country equally and ensure that life is good for them.”
Nnadozie said, “We want Presidency and it’s a fact well proven. When the Yorubas wanted to cede as a result of what happened to late Moshood Abiola they were persuaded by all the Presidential candidates then, AD, ANPP, PDP, and the centre. So, when there are a lot of agitations in the Southeast it’s not the first time.
“When Boko Haram threatened in the north they were persuaded with Buhari as the candidate, so it’s not the first time and above all banditry is even worse than what is happening in the Southeast. Let nobody read what is happening in the South-East as anything, it’s not as high as what’s happening in the North-East, Middle-Belt, North-Central, and Kaduna. That issue has been overtaken and the right thing should be done.”
“If you go on doing the wrong thing you will continue to get wrong results. The right thing is that the Igbo should be given the Presidency; when they do the wrong thing, definitely there will be a wrong outcome and there cannot be stability in Nigeria so long they embark on the wrong track. So, if the Igbo are deprived of the presidency again, the insecurity will be worse and it will affect everybody.
“If you were the Igbo what would you say when you are being side-lined and marginalised? What we are saying is that if they don’t want us they should allow us to go. It’s very simple and that’s what our boys are saying but let them show that they want us and the person who’s in charge of Nigeria today is Buhari. He likes his people to say we want you by giving us the presidency; Obasanjo did it by giving the presidency to Katsina in the North-West, deliberately and singlehandedly. Buhari can do it to the South-East.
“So, what our youths are saying is that if you don’t want us, let us go, and they should show that they want us. Nigerians want Igbo and the Igbo want them and no person is more Nigerian than the Igbo.
“In all parts of Nigeria they build their businesses and establish homes, assimilating themselves with the rural communities and others that are a sign of unity and the Igbo have shown that more than any other ethnic groupings in Nigeria.
“We want Nigeria but the attitude of the leadership right now is not indicating it. So, what our youths are saying is very simple. We want Buhari to prove to them that we want you,” he added.
