By Femi Aribisala
Out of the three major ethnic groups in
Gad, Jacob’s seventh son, is said to have had three sons who settled in South-eastern
Igbo genius 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
Maduekwe, 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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