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Tag: Igbo’

  • Varsity seeks to save Igbo from extinction

    The Faculty of Humanities, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State has undertaken to save the Igbo language from extinction. In 2012 UNESCO predicted that Igbo culture and language might be wiped off and subsumed by English in 50 years because of the general apathy by youths to speak the language, preferring instead to speak English or Pidgin.

    In a bid to prevent that from happening and encourage its students to speak the language and practice their culture, the Faculty of Humanities of FUNAI organised an Igbo culture day for its students.

    The language of the day was Igbo. No other language was spoken throughout the programme. The attire of the day was Igbo, and the students also performed various dances from the five states of the Southeast. There were also other presentations including Akuko Uwa (news in Igbo) and Igba Mgba (wrestling) all of which thrilled the students, lecturers and visitors.

    Ebonyi State troupe won the dancing competition. The troupe’s young dancers were so good in their presentation of the popular Nkwa Umu Agbogho of Afikpo that some visitors to the school were seen arguing if they were actually students or rented professional dancers.

    Also, the second place group, Abia also replicated so perfectly, the Ohafia War Dance to the admiration of the spectators.

    Speaking to our reporter after the event, one of the students, David Isu commended the school for staging the event.

    He said: “I am very glad this afternoon because Ebonyi took first position. Ebonyi has rich cultural values. I want to to tell our youths to help preserve our cultures because if you look now, you will discover that we have digital youths and most of them don’t know how to speak Igbo dialect. Igbo language is going into extinction, let us promote Igbo language. We should be speaking Igbo dialect very well because it is our identity”.

    “This avenue is one of the ways and strategies the school is using to sustain Igbo language because Igbo language is going into extinction. I urge all and sundry not to hide our identity, we have to showcase who we are because we are proudly Igbos and we should be proud of our indigenous languages”.

    Also a staff of the school, Chidinma Obiahu in her reaction urged the youths to imbibe the habit of speaking the Igbo language and imbibing other cultures of their people.

    “Igbo language is our cultural identity. I want to tell the youths to save it from extinction. They should be speaking their mother tongues. They should always join any time things involving culture is organized. Some of them who have they believe that Igbo culture is fetish should change that believe because culture is our identity. We have to be proud of ourselves and uphold our cultures. We should also be eating local foods instead of foreign foods that have replaced the local foods. It is very unfortunate that we have imported foreign languages and culture which has almost replaced ours”.

    Professor Austin Chukwu Dean Faculty of Arts traced the decline of the Igbo language and culture to the coming of the colonial masters.

    He said: “We are trying to resuscitate our language. Colonialism has really done some bad things to us. The Igbo man likes to show that he can excel in anything. When the colonial masters came, they were teaching English in schools. People ran away from few people that were teaching Igbos and said they don’t know what they were doing, they  met the colonial masters who taught them English and today we are seeing the implication”.

    The Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Prof GMT Emezue in her reaction, lamented the fast decline of Igbo values like hard work and honesty which such programmes aims to preach and re-enforce in the psyche of the youths.

    “The idea is to encourage people to go back to their routes, to understand some of those values that we have as people. Igbo people are known for being hardworking and honest, they are also known for being loyal. They believe more in good names and not necessarily wealth. These are some of the values that are fast going into extinct because of impact of acculturation”, she said.

  • Northern youths demand referendum for Igbo to go

    Leaders of the northern youth groups that  issued a three months ultimatum to Igbo yesterday called for the conduct of a referendum by the Federal government to enable Nigerians take a decision on whether the Igbo should be allowed to secede as being requested by separatist groups.

    The group spoke from hiding following Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s call for its members’ arrest.

    In the statement, the group lambasted the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima and El-Rufai for condemning their controversial statement and ordering the arrest of its signatories.

    Yesterday’s statement signed by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, who signed the earlier statement, urged the Federal Government to urgently initiate the process for a peaceful referendum to allow the Igbo to go.

    The group however denied calling for violence in its initial quit notice.

    The statement said: “At the end, we came up with a position paper which we presented as the Kaduna Declaration in which we primarily called on the authorities and the international community to step in to formerlise the actualisation of the dream of a people who say in words and in action, and the whole nation appears to concur, that they are Biafrans, not Nigerians.

    “We further urged those Biafran nationales to relocate from the North to their newfound country in order to allow other people have peace. We are today compelled to make this further statement to clarify our stand on some issues that trailed the Kaduna Declaration made on Tuesday June 6, 2017.

    “After meeting to review the fallout of that Tuesday’s Declaration, our groups have noted hat some elements have for reasons best known to them, mischievously distorted the intent of our original script by alluding such words as ‘violence, ‘ ‘threat, ‘ ‘war’ and ‘mass action’ to it.

    “We find this mischievous because as cultured thoroughbred Northerners we have never anywhere and at anytime, under whatever circumstances, called anybody to violence as a means of conflict resolution.

    “In strict observance of that tradition we never employ violence as a means of pursuing our interest and, at every opportunity, we opt for peaceful engagements and implore people to eschew violence in all its ramifications.

    “This informs why, a majority of discerning Nigerians, not necessarily northerners alone, understood and identified with our express call for the Biafrans to be allowed to actualise their long-held secessionist aspiration.

    “We restate that we have never called anybody to violence and that people should discountenance the elements of fear and threat introduced by the distortions of merchants of mischief. We wholeheartedly endorse the moves made variously by our leaders to allay those fears and urge people to be peaceful and law-abiding while at the same time resolutely insisting on having the right thing done by allowing the Igbo to have and move to their dream country in accordance with the universal fundamental right to self-determination.

    “We restate our determination and commitment to ensuring that the North will never partake in any contrived arrangement that would still have the Biafran Igbo as a component. We reiterate our call on Nigerian authorities and recognized international bodies such as the ECOWAS, AU and UN to hasten the initiation of the process for the final actualization of the Biafran nation and with it the excision of the Igbos out of the present federation”.

  • Bello to Igbo: we’ll defend your interests

    Bello to Igbo: we’ll defend your interests

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has assured the Igbo in the state that the government will protect their interests.

    He spoke in Lokoja through his Director-General on Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, following an ultimatum by some Northern group leaders in Kaduna State, that the Igbo should vacate the North.

    His words: “As a nation, our strength has always been embedded in our unity in diversity. Nigeria is home to all and we must continue to see ourselves as brothers and sisters in a united nation. Ethnic segregation is unacceptable to humanity and we must continue to wax stronger and unbroken as a nation. The God that created Nigeria is a God who believes in the strength of unity.

    “The Kogi State government, under the leadership of Yahaya Bello, wishes to assure all Igbo that they are not only safe in the state, but that the administration will continue to consider them as partners in its New Direction Agenda.

    “Igbo should go about their legitimate businesses and continue to contribute to our economy as a state and a people.

    “With the appointment of Igbo into strategic positions in Kogi State, we are making a strong case for social integration in Nigeria.”

  • NHRC faults Arewa’s ultimatum to Igbo

    NHRC faults Arewa’s ultimatum to Igbo

    …Seeks prosecution of culprits

     

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has faulted the reported statement credited to some Northern youths groups that all Igbo people residing in the northern part of the country should vacate before October 1st 2017.

    Acting Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Mrs. Oti Ovrawah said, in a statement yesterday that the said  quit notice was provocative and a serious threat to national peace and security.

    She describe it as “a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of all Nigerians to reside, acquire and own immovable properties in any part of the country as guaranteed under section 43 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)”

    In the statement issued by NHRC’s Principal Public Affairs Officer, Mebrim Uchechukwu, Mrs. Ovrawah was quoted as saying the statement credited to the Arewa youths  “amounts to hate speech and inciting comments with potential to ignite ethnic and religious violence which constitute a serious affront on human rights.”

    She urged all relevant security agencies as well as the Federal and the various state governments to be more vigilant and ensure the investigation of those behind the statement a view to bringing any offender to justice.

    Mrs. Ovrawah urge the various socio-political groups in the country to preach the message of peace, tolerance and human rights and eschew all forms of provocative statements that fan the embers of violence.

    She urged the members of the public to report any form of human rights violation to the Commission; and never to resort to self-help.

    Mrs. Ovrawah advised security agencies to be alert and nip in the bud, any form of public disturbance that might arise as result of the alleged quit notice so as to reinforce people’s confidence in the ability of the government to protect them.

     

  • No one can stop Igbo demand for restructure, Ekweremadu vows

    No one can stop Igbo demand for restructure, Ekweremadu vows

    • World Igbo Congress kicks over ‘plot’ to take deputy senate president from S/E

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu declared yesterday that the Southeast is not prepared to forgo its demand for the restructuring of the country, no matter the odds.

    He asked the Igbo never to “relent until the needful is done” on the agitation for restructuring.

    “If the dominant views in the public domain are anything to go by, then undoubtedly, the minimum Ndigbo demand of Nigeria is a restructure of the federation so that every component part of it can substantially harness its resources, cut its coat according to its cloth, and develop at its own speed,” he said at the World Igbo Congress (WIC) held in Enugu yesterday, 24 hours after armed security men raided his official guest house in Abuja.

    The Congress condemned the raid and warned the authorities against a repeat.

    Ekweremadu, recalled the ill-fated Aburi Accord, and said: “Instructively, the ill-fated Aburi Accord was about restructuring, even if it is not exactly as we want it today. But it was breached and discarded, plunging the nation into an avoidable fratricidal war.

    “Yet, 50 years after, the need and call for restructuring and return to a true federal state have only persisted. Although the call initially fell on deaf ears, it is heart warming that the right quarters are beginning to listen and the call is gathering traction daily, even from hitherto improbable quarters.”

    He said all the Igbo want is an equal and level playing ground for every section.

    He pleaded that the Igbo “peaceful struggle for a better deal within the Nigerian commonwealth should be sustained.”

    He added: “the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa was not achieved by violent struggle. The actualization of equal rights for blacks in the United States of America by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. was through peaceful struggle.

    “The actualization of Indian independence by Mahatma Gandhi was by non-violent means. Nnamdi Kanu and Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, before him, were released from their respective long detentions through lawful and democratic engagements.”

    He asked the authorities to respect the rights of Ndigbo to “peaceful and democratic engagements”.

    He said that alleged plan to exclude the South East, South South, North Central, and North East from the railway projects of the federal government is unacceptable.

    According to him, “the last request to the Senate by the Presidency for the approval of a USD5.185 billion China Exim Bank loan indicated that the Federal Government was still searching for concessioners to develop the Eastern Corridor.

    “But, the questions are: why will loans taken on behalf of Nigerians and to be repaid by all Nigerians exclude more than a half of the country from the benefits of such loans?

    “Why should the South East, South South, North Central, and North East pay for what they were inexplicably excluded from enjoying? Why must the Eastern Line be relegated to concession arrangement, to be paid for by our people as they use the facilities?

    “What is the likelihood of even getting a concessioner, especially given the history of concessions in the country? Fairness and equity, as espoused by the Federal Character Principle in Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution, demand that every part of the country should be carried along.”

    In a resolution issued at the end of yesterday’s talks, the WIC wondered why anyone should be thinking of taking away from the Southeast the slot of deputy senate president in the current dispensation.

    That was in response to the Friday raid of Ekweremadu’s guest house in Abuja which the deputy senate president himself believes is part of the effort by the federal government to intimidate him and remove him from office.

    The Congress asked where the security men who conducted the raid could have come from if the police denied sending them.

  • Obasanjo: civil war never meant to massacre Igbo

    Obasanjo: civil war never meant to massacre Igbo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday that the 30-month Civil War was never meant to exterminate the Igbo, but an altruistic attempt to bring “our brothers and sisters” back to the fold of one Nigeria.

    Although federal troops thought the war could be won within three months, they almost lost it, Obasanjo said.

    The former president, who spoke of the need for the Federal Government to negotiate with Biafran Republic agitators, recalled that he was one of those who wrote the war’s operational manual.

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said Nigerians must continue to learn from the history of the civil war and stop beating the drums of a second civil war. The wise learn from history, experience remains the best teacher for a fool.

    Obasanjo, as the Commander, Third Marine Commando Division, accepted the surrender of Biafran forces on January 12, 1970, after three years of war.

    He spoke at an event tagged “Memory and Nation Building: Biafra 50 years later”, organised by the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation,

    He said: “We really never had a national leader. We had three leaders at the beginning of our journey as a nation who were mindful of their different regions and that remains our problem till today.

    “Even in the process of our movement towards independence and when you compare with other countries, they were talking about freedom and unity. When you look at the speeches of our leaders, they talked of freedom, they talked of progress but they rarely talked of unity.

    “So, the unity they never talked about, and scarcely worked for, has eluded us and that should be our starting point. So when of course the military, for whatever reason, and I have maintained that the young officers who struck in 1966 were naïve, but there was an element of nationalism in some of them.

    “But, be that as it may, it set us back and we moved from the political instability to military coup and then the pogrom, the separation and the civil war. I was one of those who wrote the operation order for the civil war.

    “We thought we would end it in three months, and then bring our brothers and sisters back; we allowed six months, just for the unexpected. The civil war took us 30 months and the federal side nearly lost it.

    “Talking about reconciliation, right from the beginning of the war, reconciliation was on the minds of those of us on the federal side. If the plan was to exterminate the Igbos, the federal troops would not have operated by its own special code of conduct as well as the Geneva Convention, nor would the federal government have allowed foreign observers into the country.

    “If it was a war to exterminate; a war that did not put reconciliation in mind, then what would foreign observers be doing? We had foreign observers who were filing reports and even empowered to investigate allegations and they did.

    “Civil war is more difficult to fight than fighting in a foreign land or to exterminate because we were fighting to unite and if you are fighting to unite, how much do you have to do to prevent annihilation.

    “All the people who are agitating for Biafra today were not even born during the war. They do not even know what it entailed. Nigeria must be loved and we must treat Nigeria as we treat love affairs. It must be massaged.

    “Nigeria must be massaged by all of us. No exception. It’s like a husband and wife. If when you have issues, your wife would always say she is fed up and wants to go and everyday that is what you get, one day, you would become fed up and say, ‘ok you can go’, but if there is any misunderstanding and you come together to solve it, then you would almost live forever.

    “And I will say that we should even appeal, if anybody says he wants to go; not that we will say, ‘ok, you can go if you want to go. Do not go’. There is enough cake for each of us. And if what you are asking for is more of the cake, then try to ask in a way that is pleasant, not in a way that could make others feel that you are not entitled to what you are asking for.”

    Prof. Osinbajo, who delivered the keynote address, said while it is kinder to learn from history, experience is a harsh teacher.

    He said: “Introspection is probably what separates us from making mistakes. That ability to learn from history is perhaps the greatest defence against the avoidable pains of learning from experience because history is a better and kind teacher.

    “There is a saying that experience is the best teacher. It is incomplete. The full statement of that adage is that experience is the best teacher for a fool.”

    Going down memory lane, he said: “I was 10 years old when my friend in school, Emeka left school one afternoon. He said his parents had decided to go back to the East. I never saw Emeka again. My aunty, Bunmi was married to a gentleman that I cannot recall his name again, but I recall when my parents tried to persuade her and her husband not to leave. We never saw again.”

    “We are better together than apart. No country is perfect”, Osinbajo said, adding that the often quoted statement that “Nigeria is just a geographical expression”, originally applied to Italy.

    Ohaneze Ndigbo leader John Nnia Nwodo warned that if he nation’s leaders failed to build a nation that caters fairly for all its citizens and prepare us for the world of tomorrow, there will be new challenges in future.

    He said the challenges ahead of the nation were way beyond Biafra, adding: “Just like the challenge in Northeast Nigeria exploded in our face and has engaged our nation for almost nine years; we could face challenges anywhere and anytime. In my view, if we fail to build a nation that caters fairly for all its citizens; and prepares us for the world of tomorrow – there will be new challenges in the future.

    “We must find creative ways to manage a complex multi-ethnic and multi-religious state. History teaches us that no society is static; the status quo cannot endure forever. We must find creative ways to promote political, economic and social justice within a nation and between the people that comprise it. If not, then we are invariably opening the doors to future threats of chaos, disorder and societal dislocation.

    “The final challenge of our generation is to show that we learnt the right lesson from that sad conflict of 50 years ago. We must bequeath our children with a nation that works for all and one that looks ahead.

    “We want a Federal Republic of Nigeria which is collectively owned by all Nigerians as opposed to a Federal Republic that will be perceived as the private property of one group or groups of ethnic groups, depending on who is in office. The categorical destination is a Nigeria under the collective hegemony of the people of Nigeria.

    “In order to achieve this, we must have a flexible federation; strong enough to guarantee our collective defence and protect individual rights, agile enough to react to emerging tensions and threats, yet expansive enough to allow each state room to develop at its own pace. We must create a national order whereby each state bears the primary responsibility for its development.

    “Today, majority of Nigerians are yearning for a restructuring of the federation. The beneficiaries of our current system are resisting it. A famous British Prime Minister in the wake of nationalist struggles in colonial Africa said to the British ‘there is a wind of change blowing throughout Africa. Those who resist it do so at their own peril’.

    “Nigeria cannot prosper, as it should, unless we redress some aspects of our current condition. I believe we have enough men and women of vision and experience in every part of the country to help us plot a bright future. I commit Ohanaeze Ndigbo to this path. It may be difficult but it is doable.

    “True leadership evolves in historical circumstances like this. Our country is at crossroads. You can feel the tension every day. It is palpable, it is potent, it is real. Let us wake up to the change imperative at this moment and claim a glorious judgment by history.”

  • Lagos at 50: Igbo Community holds solidarity session

    Lagos at 50: Igbo Community holds solidarity session

    The Igbo Community in Lagos State will hold a solidarity session on Sunday, May 28 in commemoration of 50 years of creation of Lagos State. The event will take place at Cinema Hall 1 of the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu Lagos at 12 noon.

    At a press conference jointly addressed by Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State, Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu (JP) and the member representing Oshodi/Isolo State Constituency 11 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. (Sir) Jude Emeka Idimogu (KSM) on Sunday at the Lagos State Igbo Community Centre on how Ndigbo are preparing for the solidarity celebration, Eze Nwachukwu said: “The event will serve as a platform for the Igbo Community in Lagos State to bring to the fore the immense achievements and contributions of Ndigbo to the development of Lagos State.

    “For the Igbo Community in Lagos that cuts across the Igbo-speaking peoples of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Imo and Rivers states, the celebration of 50 years of the creation of Lagos State is a moment of truth. This is the finest hour to demonstrate Igbo solidarity with the government and people of Lagos State.”

    “It is also what inspires publishing the book, Ndigbo: A Factor in Lagos State Development; a synopsis of individual and corporate roles of Nigerians of Igbo extraction in shaping what is today known as the Centre of Excellence by one of the Igbo scholars, Chief Geoffrey Umeh.”

    Eze Nwachukwu revealed that awards would be given to some Ndigbo who have distinguished themselves in their various professions and who have contributed to the growth and development of Lagos State.

    “The Igbo Community in Lagos will honour those who have attained greatness; whether dead or alive. It is incontrovertible that there are some Igbo men and women whose achievements and contributions made Lagos become a model city,” Eze Nwachukwu said.

    Speaking glowingly about the achievements of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Eze Nwachukwu noted that “Ambode’s development strides since he assumed office have been tremendous. He has made development get to the grassroots.

    “The Igbo Community in Lagos State under my leadership congratulates him on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Lagos State. Ndigbo in Lagos are happy to identify with him and the entire people of Lagos State.

    “The relationship built over the years by our forebears over five decades ago is worthy of celebration. We thank Governor Ambode under whose administration the state is celebrating its Golden Jubilee.”

    He appealed to Ndigbo at home and in the Diaspora to turn out in large numbers to be part of the celebrations.

    He disclosed that a book entitled Ndigbo: A Factor in Lagos State Development has been written in an attempt to showcase how the Igbo Community in Lagos State that comprises Igbo-speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Delta, Imo and Rivers states have immensely impacted positively on the economy and development of the most populated Black City in the World, adding that it symbolises Igbo solidarity with Lagos State Golden Jubilee anniversary celebration.

    “The book chronicles the existing affable relationship among the Igbo and Yoruba as well as the contributions of Igbo sons and daughters to the development of the state in the past 50 years,” Eze Nwachukwu said.

    Commenting on the essence of the event, Hon. Idimogu stated that Ndigbo in Lagos are known for their enterprise and hard work, even as he said their cosmopolitan nature gives them an edge over others in areas of adventure and investment.

    “The Igbo race has invested so much in Lagos State. In terms of population, they are the most populous ethnic group residing in the state. The essence of our celebration is to wish the government and people of Lagos State well. We are happy with them for attaining 50 years as a geographical entity. We also wish to show our solidarity with them for being good hosts.

    “Again, we want to appreciate Igbo men and women who are enthusiastic about Igboism as a movement. We are optimistic that the event will bring about unity among the Igbo. The ideology that Igbo have no king is never realistic because leadership is critical to development.

    “The Southwest states have Obas who direct the affairs of the people and that is why Southwest states have recorded tremendous development. By the time we succeed in this project, we would have blazed the trail and other states will want to emulate what the Igbo had done,” he said.

    The lawmaker revealed that the Igbo do not consider being away from their ancestral homes before they invest in areas outside their homelands because they consider every part of the country they find themselves in as their homes.

    This is why, he said, the first set of Igbo men and women that resided in Lagos over 50 years ago such as Sir Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu, among others, who was considered as the richest man in Africa during his time did business and invested heavily in Lagos, thereby contributing to its development.

    Hon. Idimogu noted that since Lagos became a geographical entity 50 years ago following its creation as a state in 1967, the Igbo have become instrumental to the development of what is now the Centre of Excellence. He expressed the necessity to celebrate those who had been immensely involved in moving the state to the current level of advancement.

    Noting that “the celebrations would be a showcase for bringing the positive contributions of Ndigbo to the growth and development of Lagos State to the front burner,” he emphasised the need for the Igbo who are critical stakeholders in Lagos affairs, to demonstrate their support to the Lagos State government and its people in celebrating 50 years of the creation of the state.

    The event, which will hold at Cinema Hall 1, National Arts Theatre, Iganmu Lagos at 12 noon prompt will have in attendance the five Southeast governors of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Henry Ajomale and some Senators from the Southwest among others.

  • How Igbo can produce president, by Okechukwu

    How Igbo can produce president, by Okechukwu

    •‘Ohanaeze should be strategic’

    Following the release of 2019 election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Osita Okechukwu, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) has called on the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, to be pragmatic, strategic and introspective in advancing the interest of Ndigbo.

    Okechukwu agreed that there are  fault lines, but it should not warrant abuses when President Muhammadu Buhari had congratulated Nwodo and offered an olive branch.

    Fielding questions from reporters in Enugu at the weekend, Okechukwu explained that Nwodo should have compiled all Ndigbo’s grievances and meet with President Buhari for discussion.

    He said: “Is this how to regain lost grounds? Chief Nwodo wants to repeat the costly mistake of Dr Joe Nworgu.”

    The VON DG re-affirmed Buhari’s commitment towards fulfillment of his promise to revamp Enugu coal.

    He dismissed as ‘baseless and unfounded’ claims by former Central Bank Governor, Prof Chukwuma  Soludo that  the President made the country’s bad economy worse.

    Reiterating his position on the debate over whether Ndigbo should contest for presidency in 2019 or 2023, Okechukwu said the best thing for Ndigbo is to vote for Buhari in 2019 and then rely on the zoning convention to harvest the benefits in 2023.

    He recalled that Ndigbo did not vote for Buhari in 2015 and time has come again for them to vote  in 2019 and then reap the benefits in 2023.

    “There are two contending issues in the political domain. One is the law with its legal teeth. It is written. It can pull down any mountain.

    “The other one is the convention. It is not written but with its moral weight, it can also pull down mountains.

    “For Igbo presidency to be germane, we must key into the convention. So that we could harvest the goodwill on our side because we have done a small analysis; when you come to Lagos and ask any indigene of Lagos to stay on one side and the next ethnic group, it is the Igbos

    . When you come to Kano, you tell the truly Kano indigenes to stay one side, the next group is ? Ndigbo.

    “We are only third in four states-Edo,Kwara, Niger and Kaduna. We are one of the most acceptable groups in the country. So, the country is waiting for us.

    “The convention has weight and mark you, like I told some Northern friends, the Igbo president will be a win-win situation because the Igboman will accommodate all sections.

    “And he will bring the entrepreneurship to bear on the economy and the growth of the country. I told them that it is going to be useful to the whole country if a proper Igboman becomes President, not a lackey. We should look for the best within our crowd.

    “So, my position is that my people might be in a hurry, yes. But at my age, 62, one will not jump in on sentiments.”

  • Igbo leaders endorse lawmaker’s defection

    Igbo leaders endorse lawmaker’s defection

    Igbo groups in Lagos under the platform of Ndigbo United have  supported the only Igbo lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Jude Idimogu, who defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC). He defected along with five other PDP legislators.

    At a meeting held in Isolo by Igbo leaders, the traditional head, Ugochiniyere Asianya, said they were satisfied with the reasons adduced by the legislators for his defection.

    Asianya said the decision taken by the legislator was wisebecause it will protect the interest of the Igbo in Lagos.

    He said: “Go out and say it loud that we are in support of your defection,we will follow you everywhere you go. Tell the leadership of the House that the Igbo nation in Lagos support your action,we give 100 percent support to the ruling party”.

    According to him, the lawmaker has all it takes to go far, as he has demonstrated high level of humility in the office.

    Another Igbo leader, Ikem Agbasi,  said :”I am pleased with the way the lawmaker has conducted himself so far. We will support you anywhere you go ,we are fully behind you,” he assured the lawmaker.

    The Lagos APC Publicity  Secretary, Mr Joe Igbokwe, called on  Ndigbo in Lagos to support and be loyal to the ruling party. He urged the Igbo people to change their strategy in politics and remain united to protect the interest of the Igbo nation in Lagos.

    Igbokwe said: “We have developed this country together, we have investments everywhere,  we are not going to leave them for anybody. Adding that, “there is no permanent friend or enemy  in politics, our people need to change strategy, Igbo people should work with APC. I want to appeal to all of us to sit down and play better politics.”

    A member of APC Board of Trustee, Dr Ken Modi Ken, also expressed satisfaction with Idimogu’s defection to the APC, saying the decision was right for the Igbo vision. “I am happy that you have joined the ruling party,we need to protect the Igbo investment in Lagos, the economy of Lagos is in our hands. The APC will not disappoint you all,” he said.

    Explaining why he defected, Idimogu said he took the decision in the interest of Igbos in Lagos and not for any selfish reason.

    He said:  “As the only Igbo member in the Lagos Assembly, l am supposed to be the voice for the Igbos in Lagos but it’s difficult for me as a member of opposition party, PDP.

    “Four years will soon be over, and many of you will ask me directly or indirectly what are my achievements. I want to achieve, I don’t want to be a failure.

    “Of course, the government of Mr Akinwumi Ambode has shown me love, the leadership of the House has be magnanimous enough but the truth remains there are things I wouldn’t get as a PDP member.

    “We should not forget, we are in Lagos, this is Lagos, I want all of us to support Ambode to achieve greatness. At our villages, we can do whatever we like, but here in Lagos, the party is the way.”

    He informed the Igbo leaders that since he moved to APC, some infrastructural projects had been penciled ins by the governor for the constituency.

    “As I speak with you now, since I join APC another four new roads have been approved in my constituency. So, we will miss so many things if we play opposition here. I should not be a fool.

    “So, I have thought about it, this step is necessary to protect the interest of Igbo people and my constituents. Majority of Igbo in Lagos are businessmen and women, we must try and support the ruling party.”

    Earlier, the Chairman of the event, Chief Ejikeme Okeke,   called on Ndigbo to support Idimogu for second term.

  • PMB: 43 days on, plus one Igbo question

    It’s 43 days today since President Muhammadu Buhari hurriedly left his domain for a 10-day leave. The leave became tarrying a while for test results; further time to rest and now, a full blown and indefinite medical vacation. If nothing else, we have been availed the joy of new executive terminologies, as concerns vacations.

    While we do not know how much longer our President will be away, the drama of this presidential ‘virtual’ infirmity brings unexpected twists and themes.

    Now this one is for the laughs. Let us consider quickly, the little matter of the Igbo question and the eternal whimpers of marginalisation. Those who feared that PMB had always nursed a personal animus against Ndigbo may just have another straw to grab at. Here is it: for the entire 43 days Nigeria’s president has been ominously absent, no Igbo man (or woman) can affirm or confirm his well-being or actual state of health. This is because none has been allowed to venture near his now hallowed presence.

    Here is a list of those who have been afforded that most privileged information of vouching on PMB’s status: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief John Oyegun, Senator Bola Saraki, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Hon. Yusuf Lasun, Malam Abba Kyari and of course, the redoubtable Mamman Daura. And on telephone from London, the President has spoken with the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the governor of Yobe State and most recently, Mr. Femi Adesina reported his telephone conversation with his boss.

    It is likely that in private capacity and at work related levels, some Igbo may have spoken or even had contact with our new London House power locus. But the politics and power equation lie on who is found around the President at this time; who is consorting and consulting with PMB right now. Of course, every call, every photo opportunity comes with a strategic undertone.

    That is power relations 101. And no Igbo man is near the centrifugal arena; he is not in the picture; he is an outsider, he is the man on the other side of the fence, in the cold waiting for second level directive or even reading the lips and studying the body language of close aides.

    It is the same logic and mindset that denied Igbo nation a seat in the National Security Council (NSC) and in the entire superstructure of the military, security, intelligence and paramilitary hub in Nigeria. If this London episode is not yet another proof of Igbo marginalisation then what is?

    Well never mind that small digression there. The issue of the day is that 43 days have raced by and we are still counting, since our President left our shores in a most unclear and indeed hazy circumstance. And certain crucial issues won’t quit tugging at our consciousness.

    First, what really is the problem with our President, what is this health issue that has kept him away for so long – incommunicado and indefinitely.

    We, the citizens who voted him to office deserve to know the exact health status of our President. It is our inalienable constitutional right. In fact, we ought to just click a button and find all the details of our President’s health records. That is today’s standard of transparency in governance. The Fidel Castro example continues to be the touchstone. Pictures of him on his sickbed was there on the cyberspace for the world to see.

    Beyond the issue of transparency and integrity, apologists would say so along as PMB handed over to the Vice-President, nothing is amiss and government is running unhindered. But this is a fallacy, a mere placebo to make us feel well. When President Umaru Yar’Adua was in the same situation – ensconced in Saudi Arabia – some party wags insisted the President could rule from anywhere in the world.

    But we must not allow stalwarts, beneficiaries and a cabal of usurpers to lead the narrative. They say the Veep (Acting President) is in charge, yet only yesterday we were told that he consults PMB on important issues. And there lies the problem. What are important matters? Is there any matter of State that is not of specific importance and significance? And if for any reason the Veep cannot reach the President, such ‘important’ matter remains in abeyance? How long would the Acting President wait on instruction from London to act?

    And by Jove, do we know who really is issuing instructions from the London end on behalf of PMB – a cousin, a personal assistant or chief of staff? APC bigwigs are right now sulking that some fellow speaking on behalf of the president in London would not let them come see their prez. Such is our national dilemma.

    If the Veep is truly in charge, can he elect to rejig the cabinet tomorrow to make for a more effective team or to suit his style? Can he reshuffle the service chiefs, and the security and intelligence brass in order to have people of his own character and temperament? In other words, is he the Commander-In-Chief when the commanders recently pledged loyalty to PMB? We wait… indefinitely!

    Again, are the President’s personal aides who are in some cases untouchables and larger-than-life answerable to the Veep? Let’s not kid ourselves, many of these are the fabled members of the cabal who manage the President and run the presidency. Make no mistake, they still hold the levers of power and they pull the strings still. By the way, these strings are located in the office of the president which is still live and alive. Our dear Veep is at best, a marionette; as long as this episode lasts, he is only re-enacting a semblance of motion and movement. No man can be number one while seated in the office of number two…

    This is the rude fact of our current situation. Thus, while many will want to pretend that all is well, we are actually in a most precarious situation right now. The country is actually in abeyance. An Igbo proverb admonishes that a man who is truly healed must discard the crutches. But here we are, dangling on double-handed stumps and we insist all is well.

    Apart from the other issue of exposing our President to all sorts of security risks out there (a desperate cabal can actually contrive to keep him there for as long as they can swing it, while they milk the treasury), we cannot continue like this. No country excels that lies to itself or lives an extended lie. Most of us are afraid to confront the truth, the crude truths of our national life today. We are loyal to our presidents instead of to our country. We revere our president at the detriment of our country. This is why our service chiefs will tell us to our face that they are loyal to Buhari and not the government or country.

    . The other day in the House of Representatives, it was ribaldry raised to an art as they quarrelled over whether the president is sick abroad or on medical vacation. But unbeknown to us, we seem to gaily commit collective regicide; this is self-immolation. If we are a thinking people, if we have a legislature, the current crisis ought to be grist for fresh laws that would peg upper age limits for presidential candidates; laws to insist on full disclosure of a candidate’s health records. This is how a nation makes progress.

     

     

    What’s the MTN-Arsenal deal worth?

    My heart breaks each time I see big corporate bodies in Nigeria dole out huge sums to English Premier League (EPL) clubs in the guise of seeking marketing buy-ins. MTN is the latest in this thing I like to call flight of fancy. Many big companies in Nigeria are shovelling millions of pounds to clubs in England and Spain while football in Nigeria suffers acute kwashiorkor.

    Here is a roll call – MTN, Glo, Nigeria Breweries, Chi Limited, Sterling Bank, to name a few. In the last few years, managers of the Nigeria Professional Football League have done a damn good job in spite of odds, to lift our football.

    They need huge corporate support; our clubs could use revenues from jersey and stadium branding among other marketing and promotional buy-ins.

    It aches the heart when one sees the profit from the beer we drink here or recharge card I buy, being shipped to Arsenal or Manchester City. You don’t carry water to the river, do you?