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Tag: Ndigbo

  • An open letter to Ndigbo

    An open letter to Ndigbo

    y article 2015 Presidential Election: Reality or Myth?, has general fast and furious reactions. Quite interestingly, most of the fan mail from the southeast geopolitical zone admonished me to “think and write like an Igbo man”! I’m not unaware that a lot of falsehoods and outrageous things are being peddled about Buhari. But it is this same Buhari who is the only presidential candidate of a major political party in the nation’s history that has nominated two eminent Igbo sons as his running mate – Dr. Chuba Okadigbo in 2003 and Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke in 2007.

    It is this same Buhari, then a lieutenant colonel, that Pastor Angus Okoli, a war correspondent of the defunct Spear magazine, testified went beyond the call of duty to not only provide for the welfare of young Biafran soldiers captured from the Umuleri/Aguleri sector during the civil war but also ordered their release back to their base in “Biafra II” (that part of Biafra that was cut off from the main enclave when the Nigerian Army occupied a long stretch of the Enugu/Nkpor Highway. Shouldn’t a loathing for Ndigbo be made of sterner stuff?

    I was completely taken aback when I read news report of the Harvard University-trained former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, declaring magisterially that there would be no elections as long as Professor Attahiru Jega remains INEC chairman – even after Jonathan and PDP national chairman Adamu Mu’azu recanted and passed a vote of confidence on Jega and vowed that the dates for the rescheduled polls and official handover are sacrosanct! Makes one wonder why members of our first eleven continue to have a man-Friday mentality and tend to weep louder than the bereaved at the drop of a hat.

    Ohaneze secretary-general, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, also recently disclosed that the most important reason why the body has endorsed Jonathan “and can do so 100 times again” is because between him and Buhari, Jonathan is the one likely to implement the national confab report. Really? How? It is this kind of pedestrian effusion from Ndigbo political elite that makes one wonder if there’s more to the endorsement than meets the eye!

    But there seems to be a silver lining in the dark cloud, as not all our highly illustrious sons have allegedly sold their souls to the devil for an oil block or government hand-me-down. In an essay captioned “The Buhari of my personal experience,” Ignatius Olisemeka, a former Ambassador to the USA and one-time foreign affairs minister didn’t mince words when he declared that “Of all the Nigerian leaders, with the possible exception of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Buhari has been the one that has most approximated my dream of what a Nigerian leader should be”.

    In another commentary published in The Nation on Sunday Eze Festus Odimegwu, former chairman of the Nigeria Population Commission, ex-managing director of Nigerian Breweries Limited and a close ally of both former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Jonathan, unapologetically faulted Jonathan for “seeing himself as a politician instead of the President of Nigeria” and one who “sacrificed and was ready to sacrifice anything and everything, anyone and everyone for re-election.”

    Odimegwu ended his piece by averring that “It is very clear to the discerning that that majority will vote for the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, to save Nigeria from bad leadership and an under-performing administration.” Phew! Truth be told, Buhari may not be a saint. No human being is; even the great Madiba, Nelson Mandela, rightly said he wasn’t one but see the stellar legacies he left behind after spending just four years in office. Buhari similarly embodies the new hope for hard-pressed Nigerian masses!

    Some have opined that voting for Buhari constitutes a movement backwards. If moving backwards means a naira that was at par with the American dollar, a more stable electric power supply, a more equitable society (through the supervised distribution of “essential commodities”), a more disciplined society when traditional values meant something, a safer and more secured nation and a time when corruption was less pervasive, then may we ever continue to move backwards, as a way of ultimately leap-frogging back to the future!

    If you look at the west, you’ll find three to five groups well represented in the major political parties. The same is true of the north. Such a strategic political diversification ensures that no matter which party wins, there’s still something in the pot for the different regions. It’s only South-easterners that have chosen to play the game with eyes blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs by placing all their bets on a racing horse without a thought for all the unmitigated risks of the horse neither racing nor winning!

    Before misgivings concretize and speculations run riot, let me hasten to add that I’m not canvassing for the splitting of our pan-Igbo organization as I believe it’s possible to achieve political diversification under one umbrella where honesty and sincerity of purpose subsist.

    What amazed me most in the course of my interactions with a random sample of south-easterners was that the broad consensus among them that if elections had been held as scheduled, Jonathan would have been beaten silly by Buhari! If we can see the handwriting on the wall, why then do we inexplicably insist on putting all our eggs in one political basket? Why are we allowing ourselves to be dragged by forces seemingly beyond our control (?) towards the wrong side of history? Our elders say that a prudent man must take immediate steps to dodge a stone he sees aiming straight for his head!

    Four years ago, Ohaneze publicly canvassed an Igbo bloc vote for Jonathan. An Ohaneze advertorial disclosed that among other promises Jonathan has accepted to use the powers of incumbency to facilitate the emergence of a president of Igbo extraction in 2015 (a tacit agreement that he would spend only one term in office) and create a sixth state in the Southeast. We were also assured that the president would approve the dredging of the River Niger and transformation of Onitsha into a thriving deep inland seaport. Furthermore, Jonathan pledged to build a second Niger Bridge before 2015 and complete the quality rehabilitation of the Onitsha/Enugu and Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressways.

    And our leaders – whose personal interests have probably been well taken care of – are now asking us to turn a blind eye at Jonathan’s scorecard in the zone, and as if hypnotized we are marching like sheep to the slaughter! Politics is a game of numbers and my greatest concern is that Ndigbo have myopically chosen to collaborate with those who cannot really help our larger interests while antagonizing those we ought to be fraternalizing with in order to realize our group objectives. We are not playing good politics at all; rather we are exhibiting pitiable naivety and wishful thinking.

    There’s neither sense nor logic to the opinions we continue to collectively hold. As things stand today, Ndigbo don’t occupy the plum offices of the President, Vice-President, Senate President, House Speaker, Chief Justice, Chairman and Secretary of the two major political parties, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Inspector-General of Police, Director of the Department of State Security, Comptroller-General of Customs and Comptroller of Immigration.

    Yet, we constitute the third largest ethnic nationality and have consistently given any PDP Presidential candidate the largest bloc vote! If Jonathan wins, the status quo would remain because the posts are already occupied. It is only with an APC victory – and by Ndigbo maintaining a strong presence in the party – that things can drastically change for the better for us. The hen said that why it screamed when the hawk carried away her chick was not so that the predator would release the prey but so that those around would bear true witness to what happened.

    So, you call me an APC man if you like, although I don’t possess the membership card of any political party, but if that’s the price to pay for telling the truth as it is then so be it. Ndigbo, chenu ezigbo echiche!

    •Okoye writes from Abuja

  • Ndigbo rally at Ojukwu memorial

    Ndigbo rally at Ojukwu memorial

    It was just as well that on the day an elaborate memorial event was organised in Anambra State in the memory of  the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, speeches of Igbo unity echoed.

    Some of the best regarded masquerades thrilled the crowd, as did various cultural dancers who displayed dazzling foot work at the Dr. Alex Ewueme Square, Awka, where all the 21 local councils of the state were represented.

    Dignitaries from the region were there including those who served in the military alongside the late leader.

    Ojukwu led Biafra during the Civil War and after his long exile, returned to lead Ndigbo once again. Until his death, he was still a force to reckon with, many coming to seek his advice on political issues.

    Yet, as the event wore on, dignitaries seized the opportunity to rally the entire Igbo people to unite and forge ahead.

    The event was organised by the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano.

    Former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme and his wife Beatrice; Col. Ben Gbulie, the man dubbed Air Raid because of his exploits during the Civil War and Chief Joe Achuzia, former Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, among others, were all present.

    There were some aspects which tended to portray the event as one to appease the spirits of some fallen Igbo leaders. The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, however, distanced himself from that perspective.

    The Bishop said, “I heard that our celebration today is understood by some people as a way of placating the spirits of departed and forgotten Igbo sons and daughters who are now blocking the progress of the Igbo nation, [and that] to open up the path of Ndigbo to peace and prosperity, these aggrieved spirits need to be celebrated.

    “This interpretation is indeed very far from our Christian belief about death and life after death. It also violates the challenge from the Book of Job to continue to trust God and know that in the mystery of God’s love and justice, virtuous and upright people could suffer.”

    Ezeokafor did not end his homily without imploring the people of the state and indeed Nigerians to exercise their civic responsibility of voting for candidates that they were convinced in conscience that would work for the betterment of the people in 2015.

    But he warned politicians and the society to desist from any act that would truncate the process. He also prayed for God’s intervention during the general elections.

    Governor Obiano described the remembrance of the Biafran fallen heroes as a unifying factor for Ndigbo

    “We must come together to re-unite the people of the Southeast,” he said, adding that, “the future of Ndigbo is guaranteed in one indivisible Nigeria.”

    Again, he said the event was equally about planting a tree of forgiveness in the minds of both the dead and living heroes of the war.

    Obiano said, “We are a people of faith; those people died courageously and that is why we are offering them this final burial. Ndigbo have become the most successful set of people in the entire black race.”

    From the list compiled by the state government, Anambra lost over 5,600 people during the war, while the Anglican Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Alex Ibezim put the number of Ndigbo at 3m who  lost their lives during the war.

  • Must Ndigbo sink with Jonathan?

    Time for strategic calculationsIn exactly 18 days, Nigerians will go to what promises to be an historic presidential election in her annals. There is no doubt that this exercise on February 14, 2015 will change the political and socio-economic configurations of our dear country, Nigeria whichever way the pendulum swings. This is the time for geo-political zones to make strategic calculations and pitch for desired positions in the coming dispensation.

    As incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General MohammaduBuhari (retired) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), two front-runners in the coming election slug it out, where does Ndigbo stand? As a proudnwafor, I will be remiss to stand aloof and tell you, my brethren, that it does not matter how we vote on that day or that the outcome would be insignificant. No, Nigeria has a lot at stake and every ethnic bloc has something to gain or lose depending on how it votes. Let no one deceive you about this fact.

    Will Ndigbo swim and sink with Jonathan? In 2011, the Southeast cast the highest per centage of votes for President Jonathan’s election to office. Ndigbo voted him for various sentimental reasons that we all know too well, but understandably so.

    Now, with first term about ending, should Ndigbo vote overwhelmingly for President Jonathan once more? Let us answer by saying that there is need for circumspection; there is need for wisdom and there is need to ask a few critical questions. Let us also add that it is insulting that it is being taken for granted that Ndigbo would blindly throw their votes at Jonathan. That must never be the case.

    Circumspection: It was not Igbo vote alone that earned Jonathan presidency in 2011. Igbo vote alone cannot win presidential election in Nigeria, so since we are a collective, we must be mindful where majority of our compatriots are leaning so that we do not end up being alone and lonely when the votes are counted.

    Wisdom: no one can stop a moving train. If there is a national consensus that the time has come for a change, there is little Igbo vote can do to change that. If the overall mood of the nation is that of an urgent need for a change of dispensations, if there is a groundswell, a momentum sweeping through the land, then commonsense dictates that you cannot swim against the tide lest you sink.

    Critical questions: And if Ndigbo are bent on sinking with Jonathan (assuming he is truly under the water gasping for breath), the logical thing is to ask ourselves: why do we want to sink with Jonathan?One, has he run the country well enough? Two, has he fulfilled his promises to Nigerians and in particular, Ndigbo? If the answer to these questions is yes, then let’s vote him even against the tide of a negative electoral prospect. But if nay, it would be foolhardy, if not sheepish to insist on voting him just because he has asked us to or because he is our ‘brother’.

    One: Has he run the country well? In other words, has he provided leadership; has he shown that he truly understands the import and significance of the number one job in the land? These questions are deeper than they seem. There are leaders but few can truly lead a country well. Few have the capacity, the acumen and the gravitas to hold a country together for four years. My submission is that President Jonathan has not proven that he can lead Nigeria. He appears a man of good heart and gracious spirit (especially when he is not politicking) but leadership is made of “sterner stuff”, to chip in a bit of Shakespeare. President Jonathan’s ability to lead Nigeria or lack thereof is a topic for another day. Let’s note for now, that he has fallen short of our expectations.

    Of leadership and achievementDid he fulfill his promises? It is incredulous when some people outline rehabilitation of railways, airports, Benin-Ore Express road, etc. as some key achievements of this administration. Apart from the fact that these are paltry for a nearly six-year effort, right-thinking people know it is not about the effort but the vision, the strategies, the deliverables, the costs and overall impact on the individual and nation as a whole. It’s about leading.

    For instance, how can a president deign to be at work when under his bemused watch, corruption is ravaging the land and the damn thing is so odious that the whole world covers its nose because of the foul smell wafting from Nigeria? Examples are legion but a few outstanding ones would suffice.

    First, the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke is known to have wasted about N10 billion of public funds shuttling and carousing around the world. Note that this is not mere allegation because every flight is logged. But what is pathetic in this is not that a public officer played around with billions of public funds but the fact that she was buffered by the Presidency, the judiciary was suborned thus the National Assembly was cowed and hamstrung from calling her to account.The chain effect is that She did not only soil her office, she dazed the presidency, damaged the judiciary and the NASS. Why would any other minister subject himself to NASS’ oversight after Diezani’s refusal?

    Second, how can we speak of any achievement when the economy has virtually been run aground? This administration seems dead on arrival with our strategic national asset – oil and gas – in the hands of an errant and uncontrollable minister? Instead of building new refineries and growing the sector, we have witnessed over four years of unmitigated looting and diversion of our oil and gas resources through dubious importation of products, phantom subsidies, opaque crude oil swaps, stealing and such miasma never experienced in the industry.

    Third, one Abba Moro, said to be Minister of Interior organized an employment scam to fleece jobless youths.

    The sheer ineptitude that characterized the exercise caused the death of 19 and injury to scores of hapless Nigerians. One would expect the president to summarily dismiss such a fellow. But he is still glued to his soiled seat, an ugly reminder of President Jonathan’s crippling inertia.

    What about the mind-numbing matter of handing Nigeria’s maritime security to an erstwhile renegade who raised arms against the country? One can list over a dozen sordid cases of unspeakable graft and gross dereliction of duty under Jonathan’s charge.So much for achievement and leadership.

    Two: Did he fulfill his promises to Ndigbo? Let us admit and admonish that it is not about Ndigbo. If Jonathan had been a great president for all, his specific promises to Ndigbo may not matter. His promises to Ndigbo would be a topic for another day but suffice it to say thatNdigbo have not enjoyed any extraordinary benefits or favoursunder Jonathan.

    In summary, Ndigbo must refrain from voting sheepishly; we must eschew the sentiments of four years ago; we must be clear-headed. Also, let us ignore that horde ofAso Rock contractorsposing as Igbo leaders, whosay Ndigbo has endorsed Jonathan;ask the right questions and vote wisely.Igbo wu Igbo, ucheunu o di kwaya e? Kaanyi were ire anyiguoezeanyionumakanaanaghiagwaosintisi agha esule.

    Fayose: who unleashed the dragon?

    To think that this fellow, Ayo Fayose, is the governor of a state with the fate of millions of Ekiti people placed in his hands? One would think he learned some useful lessons from his past stint in office which came to an ignominious and abrupt end. Apparently he neither learned a thing nor changed a bit. Are there no wise and learned people in Ekiti anymore? Why are they living with a bull in their china shop and no one is speaking up?

    Why won’t Fayose face the onerous task of serving the much-deprived Ekiti people? Why does he delight always in playing in the muck? From defiling the courts to routing the State’s Assembly and handing out stomach infrastructure chickens to policemen. Now it’s a morbid advert about heads of state that died in office and a hint that APC candidate, General Buhari might die if voted into office.

    How would families of these demised leaders feel seeing their patriarchs in such grim light on the front pages of national dailies? Besides, death comes to us all… how can he tell he would serve out his term unless he has anti-dote to death?

    Just because Fayose‘won’ election does not make him all wise. He surely needs help. There must be people in Ekiti who must make it a duty to offer him some wise counsel even if unsolicited.

  • ‘Jonathan has failed Ndigbo’

    A socio-cultural organisation, Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF), has expressed its disenchantment with the Jonathan administration, saying it has failed to live up to the promises made to the Southeast.

    The forum in a communiqué signed by its president Augustine Chukwudum and Secretary-General Chinedu Onyebuchi, said the development amounted to neglect and marginalisation, a clear proof that the administration did “not appreciate the unalloyed support of the Southeast.”

    “We unanimously agreed that having failed to fulfill most of his electoral promises to the Southeast region when compared to other geopolitical regions in the country, that it is now obvious that the President Jonathan-led government does not appreciate the unalloyed support of the region.”

    The group said Dr Goodluck Jonathan has failed to “deliver on the Second Niger Bridge as he promised in 2011, and rehabilitate about eighty per cent of death traps of federal roads in the Southeast.”

    The NUF also accused the government of reluctance to upgrade the Akanu Ibiam and Sam Mbakwe airports to international standard.

    The group, which said it was helping to unite Ndigbo through seminars and orientation sessions, among others, so that they can speak with one voice on issues that affect them, added that its members were disillusioned because the federal government had not built any  industrial estate in Anambra and Abia states and that the Jonathan administration had been unable to harness the agric potentials of Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo state, “thereby denying the youths from Southeast employment in these sectors.”

    The NUF also dismissed the claim the president made a little over two weeks ago while on a campaign tour in the region that he has rehabilitated 2,000km of roads in the Southeast within the past four years. The group said Dr Jonathan “promised to upgrade Enugu Airport to International standard within 18 months in office if he is re-elected for second term,” but “this is another plot to hoodwink Ndigbo so that we continue to be their political slaves who we are today unless we wake from our slumber and reject this PDP president candidate because he has nothing to offer Ndigbo.

    “The Onitsha seaport was commissioned on August 30, 2012 amidst fanfare by President Jonathan; it is three years now, but we have yet to see a canoe not to talk of a big ship there.”

    The NUF said its members resolved to ensure that only candidates who have the interest of the Igbo at heart will have their votes.

    “Ndigbo Unity Forum is calling on all eligible voters to vote for credible candidates notwithstanding party affiliation.” [We also] want to inform the various candidates vying for elective posts, from governorship candidates to State House of Assembly candidates, to start enlightening us on their manifestos or risk rejection at the polls.”

    The NUF assessed the performance of the region’s governors, saying that “notwithstanding the abysmal performances of Governor Theodore Orji and Governor Martin Elechi of Abia and Ebonyi states, I can say without fear or favour that the other governors in the region have done fairly well. For instance, Governor Obiano has done well in the security sector and also Governor Rochas Okorocha has also impacted the live of our people positively through his free education scheme.

    Mr Chukwudum expressed his disappointment with the nation’s agric plan.

    “It is shameful that a country that arguably has about fifteen to twenty per cent of the world’s natural resources still has people who live on below one dollar a day. Personally I believe that federal and state governments can do a lot by investing in the agricultural sector; it is shameful that a country like Nigeria that has the capacity to feed the whole of Africa still imports agricultural products…I also believe that the federal and state governments can show that they are sensitive to the plight of the common man through building of industrial estates and also encouraging young entrepreneurs with loans and also providing a conducive environment for them to flourish.

    On te controversial Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka, who lampooned President Goodluck Jonathan, the NUF president said, “Rev. Mbaka…is in order; he did what was expected of a good citizen. When a government is not doing well it is the duty of every well-meaning citizen to call the government to order. We all know that President Goodluck Jonathan has not delivered on his numerous promises.”

     

  • I won’t disappoint, Jonathan in Abia assures Ndigbo

    I won’t disappoint, Jonathan in Abia assures Ndigbo

    President Goodluck Jonathan has promised the people of Abia State and the Ndigbo in general that his administration will provide them with the enabling environment for entrepreneurship to thrive if voted into power in the forthcoming election.

    Speaking in Umuahia during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign rally, President Jonathan said he would give the people of the zone freedom to express themselves in the way they know best, which is business.

    President Jonathan said that despite the challenges faced by Ndigbo, they have been able to overcome such and improve in their various businesses, stressing that such innovation has helped to improve the economic base of the country.

    He said: “Though there are challenges Ndigbo have faced over time, despite such challenges they have done well. We will encourage them to move faster and do more. All we need are prayers from everybody to succeed for the interest of the country.”

    The President noted that the country has been moving in the right direction, saying: “No government can give the people all they need, but what my government can do is to give them the right direction to fast track the even development of the country.”

    President Jonathan assured the youths of the country that if elected into office for a second term, his administration will focus its attention on empowering the youths in the country, stressing that he had already started doing that through YOU-WIN programe.

    He said he had created over 1.2 million jobs recently for the youths through the YOU-WIN programme for the youths and promised to create two million jobs annually when he returns to office in May this year.

    The President assured the people of the state that his administration will not disappoint the people if given their votes and mandate, stressing that with the return of the railways in the transport system, the economy of the country will improve.

    Earlier in his speech, the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji, told the presidential entourage that they had no need coming to the state.

    “Abia State is a PDP state and with your wife having her maternal roots here, Mr President, you are one of us, as everyone is a campaign manager for you.”

    Orji said that the state and its people are ready to return the President to Aso Rock Villa come February,

    “We did it before in 2011 general election when we gave you 100 per cent and we are going to do same again. This time around, no vote will be missing.”

    He noted that the people of the state have been showing apathy in the collection of their Permanent Voters’ Cards [PVC].

    “But Mr President, because of you, our people have increased their collection rate through our sensitization programme from 24% to 82%. So we are ready for the election.”

  • Publisher rallies Ndigbo at magazine launch

    Publisher rallies Ndigbo at magazine launch

    It was a gathering of who-is-who in the Igbo community in Lagos as a new publication, Igbo Ezuo, was launched. The event which took place at Euc De Modern Hotel and Suites, Okota, Lagos, witnessed a large turnout of guests.

    Welcoming guests to the event, publisher of the magazine, Prince Kelechi Torti said that the aim of taking on the venture stems from the need to afford the Igbo far-away from home an opportunity to socialise and come together. In his words, Igbo Ezuo is purely an Igbo magazine designed to boost cultural integration.

    The magazine, he said, covers the social life of Igbo at home and in the Diaspora. Torti stated further that his wish for the Igbo Ezuo is that in 10 years, it must have expanded more.

    “Our undoing as a race and people is that we misplace religion in terms of our nature and calling as God’s own children. We were Igbo people before we became Christians. A people without God’s given culture, customs, tradition and language are a valueless people. Today, we embrace with alacrity the Western culture in disguise, believing we are worshiping God. Many have stopped giving Igbo names to their children. Igbo Ezuo magazine is born to correct our misconception as people and embrace our values,” Torti stated.

    This first issue of the magazine presents the great and ancient clan, Nnewi, its history, culture, custom, tradition and great people. A section of the publication is dedicated to celebrating the life and times of HRH, Dr. K.O.N Orizu III, the Igwe of Nnewi Kingdom and Nigeria’s longest serving monarch.

    Present at the occasion were Eze Ebube Nna, Engr. J.O.C Ezenuo, the Chairman of the occasion and a lot of prominent Igbo Chiefs resident in Lagos.The event also witnessed a high dose of comedy music and dance.

  • Rallying Ndigbo in town halls

    Rallying Ndigbo in town halls

    Town halls are coming in handy in rallying Ndigbo. At such settings, regional leaders are setting new goals for the people. One such leader is the National Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie.

    Explaining why he adopted the strategy, Okorie told The Nation that town hall meeting is more effective than huge rallies.

    “For a growing party like ours, this strategy is more effective because in a rally, many of the participants do not hear or assimilate the message of the speakers. In fact, people who watch rallies on television get more information than most people. Since we have a new message which we want to put across to the common people, town hall meetings are more effective,” he said.

    This year alone, Okorie has used this strategy to “re-sensitise Ndigbo” resident in various communities, locally and internationally. Among the areas he has recently carried out this unique campaign are Aba, Houston, Newark, New Jersey (September 6, 2014) and Lagos. He said he will soon take the message to Onitsha and Abuja where he would meet with Igbo leaders in the 19 northern states.

    At the World Igbo Congress held this year in Houston, Texas, he successfully halted what would have amounted to an unconditional Igbo endorsement of Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. At that meeting, Okorie challenged the claim that Ndigbo as a whole have endorsed the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 elections.

    He argued that the alleged endorsement is a party issue not Ndigbo as a race, adding that UPP has zoned its presidential ticket to the South-East and will field a candidate at the election.

    Explaining it further, he told The Nation in Lagos after the Sheraton town hall meeting that “any time Ndigbo did not contest in presidential elections, we usually loss out completely. But each time we contested, we are able to negotiate at least for alliances and this has always resulted in fantastic dividends, in terms of relevance, in terms of positions, in terms of respect, adding, “And that was the question I put to Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu in Houston, when he said Ndigbo should negotiate from inside. I asked how Jonah, inside the belly of the Whale can negotiate with the Whale?”

    Okorie added that even if Ndigbo will end up endorsing Jonathan or any other candidate for that matter, such an endorsement must be a result of careful and satisfactory negotiations.

    At the New Jersey meeting, Okorie said a tripod had always existed, between “Igbo-controlled, Yoruba controlled, and Hausa/Fulani-controlled national parties.” The UPP, he concluded, is the only chance of restoring that tripod in the 2015 general elections.

    According to him, “Just by the mere strategy of zoning the presidential ticket to the South-East, the UPP has been elevated to be among the top three parties in Nigeria because only three parties will field presidential candidates in 2015,” Okorie said.

    He added that the Igbo “constitute the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, have the second largest population in all states outside Igbo land, are present in every local government in Nigeria and will ultimately choose to be masters of their own destiny when the UPP presidential candidate emerges.”

    People who attended the Lagos meeting late November said Okorie’s use of the town hall concept is not ordinary but “fresh and unique.”

    “Unlike what other politicians call town hall meetings, where they fill the halls with rented crowd and touts, Chief Okorie, the Ojeozi Ndigbo, has shown that this common concept can be truly utilized to reach the masses and to give the common people the opportunity to express themselves,” said Mazi Udodinanma Ukuku, at the Sheraton Hotel venue in Lagos.

    In that meeting, Okorie, besides sensitizing his audience to be part of the political process in Lagos State, used the opportunity to market his political party to his people, explaining to them that “given the unfortunate developments in All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which he said had led to derailment of APGA, UPP has come on the stage as the credible alternative. According to him, “UPP, which was registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission on October 4, 2012, is designed to be a mass movement of Nigerian people all over the country.”

    After the Sunday town hall meeting, Okorie, who had encouraged participants to express some of the problems facing Igbos in Lagos; their aspirations and desires, paid a special visit to Governor Babatunde Fashola the following day, Monday, tabling before him his people’s desires and needs. He also called for healthy rivalry between political parties.

    The governor, joined by some members of the State Executive Council, including the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ben Akabueze, Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Ademorin Kuye, Home Affairs and Culture, Hon. Oyinlomo Danmole and Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, warmly received Okorie and some UPP officials like the National Vice Chairman of the UPP in South West, Prince Segun Olusola, and Lagos State chapter chairman, Mazi Mike Okereke.

    Fashola assured Okorie and his team that his government would continue to implement policies that would create room for everyone, emphasizing that as far as electoral issues are concerned, “residents who are interested are welcome to join the fray since it is an election.”

     

  • Ndigbo cautioned against apathy

    A socio-cultural group, Odimma Igbo, has urged the Igbo community in Lagos State to participate in the coming elections.

    The National Leader of the group, Chief C.E. Ekeke, who spoke in Lagos, said the days of voter apathy on the part of Ndigbo were over, as the people were poised to make themselves relevant in Lagos politics.

    He said: “Odimma Igbo is a socio-political organisation on a mission to emancipate the Igbo from the political strangulation of other ethnic groups.

    “We have been liaising with other Igbo associations in Lagos State to sensitise the people on the importance of participating in the voter registration, starting from today and end on November 9.

  • Ndigbo and the festivity of their day

    Ndigbo and the festivity of their day

    The Old Parade Ground in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory was a beehive of activities on Monday, September 29, this year when Nigerians of Igbo extraction gathered to celebrate the World Igbo Day.

    It was a day set aside by the umbrella body of the Igbo race, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to celebrate the rich culture of the Igbo across the world.

    From hundred of metres to the venue, visitors could hear the sound of Igbo music; well dressed men and women danced to the melodious rhythm of the music. Interestingly, even though the atmosphere was a festive one, organisers of the event were, no doubt, conscious of the security challenges in the country.

    Right from the entrance of the venue, the security was tight as visitors were subjected to serious security scrutiny. The fact that the venue shares boundary with the Defence headquarters, may have contributed to the tight nature of the security put in place by the organisers.

    Dressed in their traditional Igbo attire, with flowing beads and traditional caps, among others, both young and old added colour to the event as the different Igbo traditional dresses beautified the place, conveying a typical Ndigbo style of celebration.

    Typical of an Igbo celebration, visitors were ushered into the venue with fanfare as guests were entertained by masqueraders and other traditional dances. Those who were witnessing the day for the first time may think they were watching a film that should not end. There were assorted foods and drinks for everyone’s satisfaction.

    Even though they came from the FCT with their leaders for the celebration, it was not all merriment as they found time to express their thought about various issues which include the need to promote the Igbo language at home, the need for Igbo businessmen to invest more at home rather than states outside Igbo land, the need for equal representation in governance non-imposition of candidates on the people during the 2015 general elections.

    President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Abuja, Chief Emeka Mbagha was excited about the success of the event, especially the large turnout of Igbo resident in the FCT, even though it was a working day.

    He told our correspondent that he had passionately appealed to all Igbo residents in the territory to suspend everything they were doing in order to attend the event. He was excited that the people listened to his appeal, suspending their trading and other businesses to participate actively at the event.

    Mbagha was, however, concerned about the security situation in the country. He said the problem of insecurity in the country has greatly affected his people, even though it was not restricted to the Igbo alone. He expressed optimism that the situation would be resolved through collective effort.

    The Igbo leader in Nyanya, Chief Ifeanyi Nwoye, said the importance of the celebration to them was enormous because it was a showcase for the rich cultural heritage of the Igbo, their character and their identity.

    He said: “What the Igbo are celebrating today is pure culture, custom, what to do, what to eat and what to avoid. Everything being celebrated here is totally Igbo. As men who have versed knowledge about tradition, we want to tell the world that everything we do, we do it for the Igbo.

    “Ohanaeze is the backbone of the Igbo. Anything that happens to an Igbo man here in FCT, he runs to the Ohanaeze. So, our purpose and aim is to protect the interest of every Igbo person in the FCT.”

    Also speaking, Chief Cosmas Okolo said, aside from being a day set aside by the Igbo to celebrate themselves, it was a day to celebrate the new yam festival. For Mazi Paul Nwachukwu, the celebration is a special day to the Igbo race.

    “It is meant to remember their beginning and the events that have evolved in Igbo nation until today. It will enable us to assess and re-assess all that had happened to the Igbo in the time past,” he said.

    The founder, Movement for the Restoration of Igbo People Dignity and Unity, Archbishop Chy Oriaku described the occasion as an opportunity to encourage Igbo parents to always interact with their children at home in Igbo language.

    She said plans have commenced to come up with measures to inculcate Igbo language in school curriculum.

    “If it is enforced, teaching and learning the Igbo language will be made easy. More so, in occasions like this, we won’t need to speak the English language but our Igbo language,” she said.

    Prince Bashiru Osondu Emetumah said the event aimed at preaching peaceful co-existence and progress of the Igbo Kingdom. Emetumah attributed the survival of the Igbo race to God, even as he implored Ndigbo to be at peace with other religions and ethnic groups across the country.

    President, Solid Women Initiative for Development, Chief (Mrs.) Queen Ezike urged Ndigbo resident in Abuja to always remember to invest at home.

    She said: “Whatever we make here, don’t invest all here in Abuja. Go back to Igbo land and invest your money. That is why Chairman of Chisco Transport Company has relocated most of his establishments to Igbo land, especially in Anambra State.”

    Chief Daniel Atuonwu restated the importance of the festivity and urged every Ndigbo to be united in order to forge a common front.

    “We review our activities and see what we have done well. Where we failed to do well, we improve on it. Normally, it is one thing that will bring us together. There is nothing that will bring us together here in Abuja except this celebration,” he said.

    Another resident, Chief John Okpor said there was the need for Ndigbo to come together and assess the progress and achievements recorded by the Igbo people within the previous year, adding that “we are doing these things in remembrance of Igbo Day. Every Igbo community will come out and display what they have to offer.”

  • Re: Ndigbo and Jonathan

    SIR: I refer to comments published at page 21 of The Nation of Friday, September 26, written by C. Don Adinuba, wherein he wondered about the illogical, blind and uncommon support by Ndigbo to Goodluck Jonathan without reciprocal return by Jonathan and his brothers to Ndigbo.

    I wholly adopt the said write up by Adinuba and by way of amplification, I add that how can Jonathan take Ndigbo and their leaders seriously when leaders like Peter Obi, Sullivan Chime, T.A. Orji, Orji Uzor Kalu and others are outdoing each other in their struggle to mount canopies and beg Jonathan to run in 2015?

    When Jonathan finally accepts to run, who then will he go to in Igbo land to beg for votes and made to pledge what he will do for Ndigbo in return?

    It has not bothered these so-called Igbo leaders that except the civil war, the only thing Ndigbo did with one mind, in totality, commitment and as a block was voting for Jonathan in 2011.The percentage of votes Ndigbo gave to Jonathan in 2011, they have never given to any Igbo man either dead or alive. Not even the Great Zik of Africa or Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu. Yet, what do we have in return?

    Aba – Ikot- Ekpene (Federal Road) has been completely closed for three years now. Umuahia – Ikot – Ekpene road is as good as condemned. The Enugu- Port Harcourt Express road is today a death trap; ditto for Enugu- Onitsha Express road – condemned.

    Aside the general epileptic power supply situation, what about the abandonment of Isi- Ala-Ngwa dry port approved by former President Obasanjo?

    All travellers who used Port Harcourt-Enugu Express road who got near Osisioma portion of the road on Friday September 26, slept at Osisioma Junction because of the terrible state of the road yet, Ndigbo are supporting Jonathan blindly.

    The systematic neglect of all federal roads in Igbo land is deliberate by the Jonathan’s administration as an extension of abandoned property policy to frustrate the economic growth of Ndigbo which is predominantly based on movement of persons and goods in and out of Igbo land. When nobody comes into Igbo land to buy our goods, how then will Igbo land develop? When there are so access roads into Igbo land, who will invest there?

    The so-called Igbo leaders are only concerned about their stomach infrastructure rather than developmental projects that will open Ala- Igbo for an in-look from the outside world.

    • Victor C.Nwaugo. Esq.

    174 Hospital Road, Aba.