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Tag: Ndigbo

  • Ndigbo and Jonathan

    God, in his infinite wisdom, created me Igbo. If it is possible to reincarnate, I will return to this world an Igbo. I don’t know any section of Nigeria that could withstand the rest of the Nigerian federation for a whole 30 months as Eastern Nigeria did between 1967 and 1970. Despite the severe economic and air blockade, Biafra was a bold statement about the blackman’s scientific and technological capabilities, as the preeminent American scholar of sociology, Stanley Diamond, reported to the world in 1968. Frankly,  I don’t know of any part of Nigeria that would come out of the catastrophe with practically no money, and yet within only three years there were scarcely physical traces of the war. Perhaps only the Igbo could challenge the Yoruba in educational development and within a mere 20 years  (from 1945 to 1965) “wipe out their educational handicap in one fantastic burst of energy”, as Chinua Achebe puts it in The Trouble With Nigeria.

     In any endeavour where merit is the sole criterion for determining recognition like sports, music and education, the Igbo would always excel. The Igbo are often referred to as the African version of the Jewish people whom Ali Mazrui, the most published African scholar, calls in his most ambitious book, Cultural Forces in World Politics, a race whose prodigious achievements in science, philosophy, finance and international politics are far in excess of their population. In her charming book, World On Fire, Amy Chua, an economist and distinguished professor at Yale Law School, calls the Igbo “an economic dominant” group in West Africa. The Bamileke people of Cameroon are called Igbo on account of their industry and entrepreneurship.

    However, the Igbo, once guided by such far-sighted men as the Great Zik of Africa, Michael Okpara, Akanu Ibiam, Ukpabi Asika, Pius Okigbo and others, are now in dire need of strategic direction. Already, it would seem we are not being taken seriously. On Thursday, January 30, Governor Seriake Dickson led a large delegation of Bayelsa leaders to thank Vice President Namadi Sambo for “supporting our son, President Goodluck Jonathan”. Sambo’s contribution to Jonathan’s presidency is a matter of speculation.

    Why does Governor Dickson find it important to constantly thank Vice President Sambo for his support but has not uttered a word of gratitude to Ndigbo who have given Jonathan unprecedented support, far more than he has received from his own Niger Delta region? Has Edwin Clark, the leader of the Ijaw, ever publicly  acknowledged Igbo support for Jonathan?

    Erstwhile Anambra State governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who for years was in the vanguard of the campaign that “it is either an Igbo president in 2015 or Nigeria will cease to exist” now threatens war if Jonathan is not returned to office next year. He probably borrowed the war threat from the lips of Asari Dokubo of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force. How did Ezeife, a former lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda and retired federal permanent secretary who holds a Harvard doctorate in economics, find himself in the same company as Mujaheed Dokubo? Indeed, there is a Jonathan frenzy throughout Igboland. But it is not founded on any discernible rationality. A very influential Igbo professor who is one of the architects of Igbo support for Jonathan is often the first person to admit in private that Jonathan’s development presence in the South-east is embarrassingly poor, saying it is worth about the sixth of federal government’s  projects in the North-central geopolitical zone.

    The Enugu-Onitsha highway is not passable. The Okigwe—Aba Road is a death trap. The Umuahia—Ikot Ekpene Road is probably the worst road in the world, after the road leading to Arochukwu. All federal roads in the South-east, with the exception of about three or four, are in a messy state. The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company has been handed over to Emeka Offor’s Interstate Electrics which the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the National Council on Privatisation in a joint report declared financially and technically incapable of doing electricity distribution business. Ironically, the consortium promoted by the five South-east state governments and the finest entrepreneurs from the zone and recommended by the BPE/NCP for the Enugu Disco was in a bizarre act overruled by the Jonathan administration. Electricity distribution is a natural monopoly, so it means all parts of Nigeria can develop in the foreseeable future but not the South-east. No place can grow without adequate electricity.

    True, a number of Igbo people have under Jonathan been appointed to “juicy positions”. There are more Igbo private jet owners now than ever. But in a world where the buzz expression now is inclusive development, as opposed to a policy which excludes the majority of the people from the economic process, the new concept of Igbo empowerment is anti-thetical to development. Igbo leaders are not asking Jonathan to help create a system which could accelerate development of Igboland which unfortunately is increasingly becoming an economic desert. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show the South-east and severely security-challenged North-east to be the least developing geopolitical zones in both relative and absolute terms.  No one is asking the president to build natural gas pipelines to the South-east, as there are in the South-west, so that heavy industries could be established in the area. No one is asking that a seaport be built in, say, Onitsha, for economic and strategic reasons.

    In his absorbing book, My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence, Dubai Ruler Mohammed Maktoum explains that the establishment of the world’s largest man-made port and other seaports in this desert emirate has been at the heart of Dubai’s phenomenal development. Igbo leaders are not even asking Jonathan to do something as simple as directing ministries, departments and agencies to patronize Innoson vehicles, so that this ingenious Innoson Motors firm would not go the way of Anammco in Enugu which collapsed on account of poor patronage by even government agencies across the nation. Igbo leaders are not asking Jonathan to help revive the Nigerian Cement company at Nkalagu in Ebonyi State.

    What we rather hear from these leaders is that Jonathan is a great leader because he has promised to build a second bridge on the River Niger so that traffic would flow easily from Asaba to Onitsha during Christmas and Easter when Igbo people return home en masse. Is this what is called strategic thinking in the 21st century? The Jonathan presidency is modernizing the Lagos—Kano rail which is bound to have a significant impact on the economies of these two states and their neighbours. Neither Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola nor Kano State governor Kwankwanso has ever kowtowed to the president for this strategic and capital intensive initiative. But the moment the president promised he would start the second Niger bridge, Peter Obi, in his capacity as chairman of the Conference of South-east Governors, mobilised large delegations of Igbo leaders in a well-choreographed show of endless public adulation and obeisance to Jonathan. Frankly, it is unrealistic to expect any major ethnic group which has chosen this inelegant role for itself to be taken seriously. Any wonder the president had no difficulty throwing out Festus Odimegwu, a particularly brilliant and gifted technocrat, out of office once Governor Kwankwaso balked at Odimegwu’s pledge that he would be the first chairman of the National Population Commission to conduct a credible national census?

    To be sure, Igbo leaders are at liberty to support any person. But such an endorsement should be on certain conditions which must hinge on long term interests of Ndigbo. The current hysteria over Jonathan without negotiating any deal for the development of our homeland belittles all of us. It is does not portray a people prepared, in Achebe’s words, to join the rest of the world step into the 21st century with restored hope and dignity.

    • Adinuba is head of Discovery Public Affairs Consulting.
  • Ndigbo and the waning traditional institution

    Ndigbo and the waning traditional institution

    Kingship in Igbo land is a sacred and highly revered institution. Its awe-inspiring mysteries, myths, glamour and royalty have been major preoccupation among historians and experts in mores of the land. It is essentially a unifying factor and custodian of the people’s norms, beliefs and cultural heritage. Being a highly respected institution, a king’s life, in principle and practice, is significantly free from any form of blame.

    Kingship is almost mystic in Igbo land. For instance, a king is seen a representative of the gods and is restricted by norms and traditions of the people from doing certain things, of which he must diligently observe.

    In the past, a king cannot be seen beyond his palace. This, however, had to be reviewed to allow the king the luxury of carrying out his wider responsibilities, which cannot satisfactorily be done within the confines of the palace.

    It is also a tradition in Igbo land that before a person aspires to become a king, his father must have been dead, for the simple reason that a king must not be subjected to the control of any person. He must be of impeccable character and free from all charges such as robbery, covetousness, indebtedness and drunkenness, among other crummy lifestyles.

    The king embodies all virtues and the people see him as a symbol of purity. This is outwardly confirmed by the fact that kings in Igbo land always wear white regalia.

    There are certain modes of behaviour which are characteristic of kings in Igbo land. For example, the king’s mouth cannot be seen while he is eating; neither does he eat in public places. He is regarded as a representative of the ancestors, who is above human errors and as such, is seen as an embodiment of truth and justice.

    Apart from being a secular ruler, the king is also imbued with spiritual powers and authority. He is the High Priest, and therefore at the head of all traditional religious functions in the community.

    The priestly duties of the king start in the early hours of the morning when the royal gong is sounded. He wakes and offers sacrifice to the gods on behalf of the people. After this, he retires to the palace to discharge his duties and receive homage from his subjects.

    In the yesteryear, the royal household is usually administrated by three servants known as Ngbaloto Eze meaning the naked servants .They are responsible for the king’s needs and must be naked while attending to him. They are usually very young boys who are considered virgins. Their heads are uniquely shaved in a traditional manner. One serves as the king’s interpreter while the other two are always in attendance during an audience; standing at both sides of the king bearing the royal sword.

    The wives and children of the king live apart from him. While he can see the children at all times, he can only see the wives only during the day. The king can marry as many wives as he desires, and cannot be asked to pay bride price for his would-be wife, though his in-laws are accorded great respect throughout the kingdom.

    They are also secluded from the public and are restricted to their royal quarters, but friends and relations can pay visits to them. Male visitors can only see them during the day with the permission of the king and guided by one of the palace guards.

    The process of being a king in Igbo land is extensive as it is expensive. In most communities, the kingship stool is rotational among royal families who take turns to produce the kings. But the age-long practice has often led to prolonged litigations that had torn most communities apart.

    In the past, potential contenders to any throne were brought before the Chief Priest who consults the gods to know the best person to be crowned king and the outcome is accepted by all without complaint for fear of the anger of the gods.

    In keeping with the tradition of secrecy that surrounds the affairs of the king, his illness and eventual death is kept secret from the public for a long time to allow the performance of all traditional rituals that precedes his burial to be performed.

    The news of the king’s death is broken to his subjects in a metaphor-laden linguistic expression such as igwe ejiri or igwe ejiele, meaning the steel or iron is broken.

    The Igwe’s second in command, the Onowu or traditional Prime Minister immediately assumes the office of the late king as a regent until a new king is appointed.

    But with the advent of civilisation, the concept of kingship in Igbo land has changed. In our day, it is no longer the revered institution it used to be. Gone are the solemnity, sacredness and royalty of the throne. The process of selecting a king now is manipulated by politicians who can also depose any king at will.

    There are also more reported cases of kingship tussle resulting from faulty selection processes than it used to be when the procedure was guided by established norms and traditions.

    Kings have also abandoned their hallowed palaces to hobnob with politicians thereby desecrating the traditional institution. With more political roles trusted to kings, the original role of providing leadership at the community level has been abandoned, resulting in increased impunity among the people.

    For instance, in Imo State, traditional rulers are no more restricted to their palaces from where they administer their kingdoms but are now given a new role that warrants them to participate in the day-to-day running of the government.

    Their new role, encapsulated under the newly created Traditional Parliament of Imo State has given the monarchs the opportunity to collaborate with the government and the people in the process of development and improving the well-being of their subjects.

    Commenting on the ‘dying’ traditional institution in Igbo land, Chief Ibeku Uzoaru, lamented that the once-revered institution has been hijacked and desecrated by politicians and money bags, stressing that except something urgent is done, Ndigbo will continue to grapple with kingship tussle.

    The octogenarian said: “What you hear in Igbo land today is that Igbo enweghi eze, meaning Igbo does not have a king. This belief results from the republican nature of Igbo land where every male adult that has attained the age of 18 has the right to contribute or air his view at a community gathering at the village square.

    “It was not so at the beginning but when people with questionable characters found their ways to the traditional throne using their wealth, the traditions of our people were destroyed.

    “Today once a man makes enough money, he returns home to buy the traditional throne of his people, even though he was an ex-convict, who has questionable means of livelihood. This has cost the confidence of the people on the traditional institution. It was a taboo to see kings indicted in serious crimes such as robbery and kidnapping. In the past, kings were men of impeccable characters.”

    Chief Uzoaru further criticised the polarisation of the institution. “It is now common in Igbo land to have a king in every village of few persons and this has weakened the once-powerful institution. The present-day kings are no less errand boys to politicians who assemble them to add colour to every little political gathering,” he said.

    For Nze Njoku Anthony, the collapse of the traditional institution in Igbo land is responsible for the high rate of criminal activities in several communities.

    “In the past, we never heard about crimes such as robbery, kidnapping, rape or any other heinous crime because they were regarded as sacrilege with serious consequences. But today, we are no longer guided by our traditions.

    “What you have as kings today are mere ceremonial heads who do not even know the traditions of the people. This is so because there are interferences in the manner the kings are selected.

    “For instance, if a community elects a king in line with their tradition, the government could have preference for another person who will be officially recognised as king and present Staff of Office to him,” he said.

  • Open letter to Ndigbo

    At the risk of being tagged once again as anti Igbo by rabid, commissioned slave traders who see Ndigbo as easy wares to be marketed to their political masters, I write this open letter to my people. At the huge risk of being called names by my brothers and sisters, I make bold to write this piece to my people. I have been called names in the past for speaking out and I may be wrong but please forgive me. I write because I know that a story that must be told never forgives silence. I write despite all odds because I know that when a writer is silent he or she is lying. I write because I want things to be done differently because I know that the greatest part of hell will be reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of great moral crisis.

    I write knowing fully well that I am not the best God ever created and therefore mine cannot be the last word. Two incidents involving Stella Oduah who was removed as a minister for corruption and General Ihejirika who just retired from the Nigerian Army necessitated this open letter. Stella Oduah was removed as Minister of Aviation for issues bordering on corruption. She was accused of financial recklessness.

    When the lid was blown open, our people went to town to defend her.  All Igbo organizations went to town with the chorus Leave Stella Oduah alone. The shouts came from our people all over the world and it was loud and deafening. When Stella Oduah was eventually eased out by the presidency, one thought our people will learn the lesson but not Igbo. Our leaders went to town with a project to honour her and others with awards in Lagos. In preparation for the ceremony one of the leaders spoke to the press: “We are honouring our own Mrs Stella Oduah to show the world that even when Nigeria mocks our brightest and best for doing a good job at the Aviation Industry, we must tell the world that we love and celebrate our own”.

    She was given an instant title of ADA IGBO. As I write this, billboards are at strategic locations in Igboland celebrating her as ADAIGBO.

    Now enter General Ihejirika, former Chief of Army Staff. General Ihejirika just retired from the Army after serving for more than three decades. General Ihejirika is now eyeing the governorship seat in Abia State on the platform of PDP just few months after pulling out of the Nigerian Army. But just recently an Australian peace negotiator, Stephen Davis who was allegedly contracted by the federal government and who spent four months in Nigeria negotiating with Boko Haram to get the kidnapped Chibok girls out, told the world that the former Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and Ihejirika have hands in sponsoring Boko Haram. The moment Steven Davis’ statement hit the public space, hell was let loose once again. Our people went to town with the usual mantra: Leave Ihejirika alone. Almost all the Igbo organizations have issued press statement suggesting that General Ihejirika is being persecuted for staking his life to fight Boko Haram for Nigeria. Again the noise was so loud and deafening. According to our people, Ihejirika is being persecuted because he is Igbo. Even Igbo World Assembly (IWA) in far away United States was not left out in the drama. In the social media it is Igbo versus other Nigerians.

    Now the questions are: do we need to defend Stella Oduah and General Ihejirika? Are they not competent to defend themselves? Were our people with them when they were serving? Can we swear we know them very well to continue this noise? Do we really know the character of these persons? Why this prebendal politics?

    If we continue to defend our tribes only, who will then defend Nigeria? Who is working for Nigeria if I may ask? Is it not bad for Igbo to continue to defend what they know nothing about? Are we not making ourselves objects of ridicule in the eyes of other Nigerians? When we pour invectives on other Nigerians or people who are different from us, are we not endangering the lives and businesses of Ndigbo scattered all over Nigeria?

    Have we forgotten that our people are the most mobile in Nigeria? Do we know how other Nigerians rate us in this predictable defence? Do we consider the feelings of other Nigerians? What signals are we sending out?

    Don’t we have men and women who will say enough is enough in this madness of defending the indefensible?

    We know Igbo history, philosophy and sociology. When did it tolerate blind and unquestionable defence of someone who might have compromised his or herself while in office? When has Igbo become so ethically compromised that they do must defend even thieves from Igboland? Are these Igbo not aware that such fight, like in the case of Stella Oduah not only ridicules the Igbo but belittles them before others? What happens to the sanctimonious resolve of our fore fathers never to get involved in war of blame?

    When Professor Grace Grange, Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, and Speaker Patricia Etteh, were removed for corruption, did the Yoruba resort to this kind of blackmail? What is the North saying about Ali Modu Sherrif, the former Governor of Borno State implicated in Boko Haram insurgency with Ihejirika? These are just few cases I wanted to mention for emphasis.

    I do not think the way we are going now will help us politically. I do not think other Nigerians will trust us if we continue this way. I have slim hope that other Nigerians will take us serious in matters of Nigerian politics. I am not led to believe that we are getting it right, rather I think we are going the wrong way.

    For emphasis, Ihejirika may be guilty or not; but it is his to prove. I am not saying he is guilty for I do not know the details. He doesn’t need all the cahoots of persuaders now striving to show their support for him to do so. The best for Ihejirika is to step out and put a solid defence and shame his accusers. If he believes he will get the mob to extricate him, he is making a mistake and getting himself indicted by history and that is far more dangerous for him.

    I suggest that Igbo should stop creating enemies for itself in Nigeria. I suggest that Igbo should rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward. If we are still one Nigeria, Igbo should consider the feelings of other Nigerians. This attitude of defeatism must give way to politics of ideas. This persecution complex must stop. This leadership complex must cease.

  • Ndigbo demand reversal of police postings

    A group, Ndigbo Cultural Society of Nigeria (NCSN), has condemned the postings by the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Suleiman Abba.

    It said that Ndigbo, a majority ethnic group, could not head a police zonal command of the 12, was unacceptable.

    NCSN said it demanded immediate withdrawal of the postings, adding that new postings should be done with at least four AIGs appointed from the Igbo extraction in the Southeast and Southsouth.

    The body urged President Goodluck Jonathan and the lawmakers from the Southeast and Southsouth  to ensure that “this neglect of the 21st century does not see the light of the day.”

  • Ndigbo should remain where they are and defend themselves –Orji

    Ndigbo should remain where they are and defend themselves –Orji

    Chief Theodore Ahamefula Orji is the governor of Abia State as well as the chairman, South East Governors’ Forum (SEGF). He is passionate about moving Abia from her inglorious past to a new era of freedom, growth and development. In this chat with Steve Osuji, member, Editorial Board, he admonishes Ndigbo to ignore the call for them to return en masse to the South- East among other issues in the news. Excerpts: 

    What precisely is your government doing about the Ebola Virus Disease?

    In order to ensure that the disease does not come to our state, the first thing we have done is to form committees: Rapid Response Committee – a mother committee and a subcommittee. The first includes all the people that are supposed to be there: commissioner for health, laboratory technologists, chief medical director of the diagnostic centre of our university teaching hospital and the likes. That committee has the responsibility of making people to be aware of Ebola because many don’t know about it yet; the causes and the prevention and to sensitise people to what Ebola is all about.

    Also, the commissioner has put in place designated isolation centres where you have to quarantine those who might have been infected with the disease. We have a centre in Agbaja and another in Nkwoba. Then, the commissioner himself went to Lagos to buy the protective wears. Other things that we have done are the local government chairmen working in line with our awareness programme because that is the area that touches the grassroots. So, sensitisation is very essential in making people to be aware; that people who have signs, this is where you have to report to. You know doctors are on strike, but in our special diagnostic centres, doctors are there working because of this disease. But all the same, we don’t have anybody reporting Ebola case. Except that woman who went to Deeper Life camp.  She came back to her village and people started spreading rumours that she had Ebola. But doctors went there, examined her and found that she didn’t have Ebola. Despite that, we took her blood sample back to Lagos for analysis, and the result was negative. The woman is now being treated for drug reaction in our hospital. We don’t have any case of Ebola in Abia.

    Is there a concerted effort by South- East governments against the EVD?

    No, we have not held any meeting to that effect. But when next we meet we are going to discuss it. As of now, the governors are making their own individual efforts in their different states. The states are essential and every governor is proactive in handling the Ebola case; we don’t need to discuss it globally on the South- East platform. But we will talk about it in our next meeting to see the assistance we can offer in general terms, but as of now, Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia governors, on their own, are doing their best.

    MASSOB leader, Chief Uwazurike has been calling on Ndigbo in the north to return home to the east. As Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum (SEGF) what is the South – East consensus on this matter?

    We have discussed this thing at the meeting. You see, our concern, first and foremost, is for the lives of our people to be safe.  You know our people travel a lot to pursue their businesses, since especially we are traders, so we move everywhere. So, our concern is that Ndigbo should live in peace with their host communities, whether it is in the south, north or west.  But right now, our concern is the north where they are being killed. As long as they are there living in peace, we don’t want them to be killed because we are not killing the visitors in our midst here; we are appealing to our other brothers in the north to stop killing our people who have come to live peacefully with them in the pursuit of their livelihood because the constitution allows that. Therefore, our stand is not for Ndigbo to come back en masse, but to remain there and to protect themselves by any means possible.  Because this is Nigeria, owned corporately by all of us; you can’t drive anybody away. So, we urge our people to remain where they are, do their businesses peacefully and protect themselves; because if you allow all Igbos to come home, where are they going to begin? These are people who have added value to wherever they have been. These are people who have hotels, houses and industries where they have been living from generation to generation. Once they are not causing trouble in your community, allow them to stay; that’s our stand.

    We hear about the Abia Charter of Equity. What exactly is this?

    The Abia Charter of Equity, like the name says, prescribes the way to live here peacefully in Abia. If you come to Abia, we are made up of many ethnic groups, with the Okwa/Ngwa and the Bende being the two major ethnic blocs that occupy Abia State. Since the creation of Abia State, Bende people have had the upper hand in the occupation of the governor’s office and good positions. Even before the creation of Abia State, Bende people have had the upper hand both in the military and the civil service. So, those who created Abia State felt that since Abia is a united entity, they would like Abia to continue being united by giving chance to every group to participate in governance and every other thing. Like in the production of the governor, if Bende has produced the governor now, the office should move to Okwa/Ngwa for equity and fairness, and that’s exactly what we want in Nigeria.  We don’t want any group to be marginalised, and that’s what the party, the PDP, I belong to believes in and insist on. So, for fairness and equity, we are saying for this election, people are free, but these people should be considered, so that they will participate in governance.

    We normally hear out-going incumbents say they don’t know their successor but they know those who will not succeed them. Is it the same with you?

    Yes, of course, you don’t know who will succeed you but you know those who will not succeed you. But I know every governor, at least, must have somebody in mind whom you believe, ‘if this person succeeds me, he can perform better than myself, he can carry the state to the next level’, because that’s what every governor wants. Because if you don’t do that, people will turn back to blame you to say that you purposely supported someone who will not bring development to take over and who will subjugate the people. Every governor has that in mind, but the difficulty is to get such an ideal successor. So, you have to pray to God to give you the man who will actually develop the state. As far as I’m concerned in Abia State, we are not imposing any person; the party will not impose any person on the people. PDP has a system of picking somebody, and if that person passes through the system and succeeds, he would be supported to do his best. When I leave here, it’s not my intention at all to come back and lord it over the person who will succeed me; I will not do that.

    You have accomplished many big budget projects, what we normally refer to as legacy projects. Tell us about one or two you are most passionate about?

    I am passionate about all of them. If I wasn’t passionate about all of them, I won’t embark on them. Are you talking of the International Conference Centre? Are you talking about the Secretariat? Or the secretariat for the traditional rulers that you saw? Are you talking about the e-library? Or the offices we have built in the different ministries? I’m passionate about all of them. I’m always urging myself on and praying to God to provide all the resources I need to complete them all. Is it the Government House which we have not had, that we want to have now? These are projects which are dear to my heart and to the hearts of Abia people.

    How would you like Abians to remember you after your tenure?

    I would like Abians to remember me as the governor who brought unity and peace in Abia. Because, before I came on board, Abia was polarised. You had Abuja politicians, you had Lagos politicians; you had different names ascribed to different people, Talibans and all. So, we were just like that. Since I came in, I have been able to unite Abians into one political family and we are working in cooperation. So, Abians will remember me for that. So, one other thing Abians will remember me for is a governor who put up a dogged fight against kidnapping and insecurity in the stat. Abians will also remember me as a man who has put on ground legacy projects; projects that are fundamental to the development of Abia State. And most especially, the Abia youths will remember me as a governor who came and had compassion on them and tried all he could to remove them from poverty.

    Abia is supposedly an oil-producing state but this does not seem to reflect on the size of her federal allocation?

    It depends on our production.  You cannot compare us with Rivers State or Akwa Ibom. Our production is very minimal, very small. Since it’s small, that’s also what you get, but people don’t know about that. The oil revenue is calculated based on what you produce. And there was a time we suffered a lot here through breaking of pipe lines and spilling the oil, so it was reflected in the calculation against Abia, so our percentage fell. So, once our percentage went down, so will what we get from the 13% derivation fall.

    In your view, were Ndigbo properly represented in the just concluded National Conference?

    Yes, I’m satisfied. But from all indications, the world is insatiable; you cannot satisfy everyone. But from the sample of opinion that we have, the delegates did very well, especially in terms of creation of states. So, the delegates did very well for Ndigbo.

    Ndigbo have been upfront in urging President Jonathan to contest for a second term in office. Are they not being too hasty?

    You see, it’s important to us for the fact that what we, Ndigbo, have seen in the president. What he will do for the Igbo, it’s all about politics. You will want to vote for a person who will remember you when he gets into power, not somebody who will cast you away. This is a man we have confidence in. If he goes for the second tenure, he will do better and better for Igbo people. In governance, it’s very difficult to accomplish all your tasks within four years; four years is too small. Now, a president has come and has done well and is doing well for the Ndigbo within these four years. We also know that if he’s given another four years he’s going to do more for us. So, it’s better to go with the man whom you have tried, who has at least said, ‘Igbo, have this, let me give you a sense of belonging; you are a part and parcel of Nigeria’. So, the more support you give him, the more you get from him. That’s why the Igbo feel we must support President Goodluck Jonathan.

    When will it be the turn of Ndigbo to produce a president in Nigeria?

    Well, let Jonathan finish first. Then we will start talking about that. We will produce the president one day. We must; because the thing is going round. It must come to South – East some day. As of now, 2015, Jonathan should complete his tenure. After that, we will start talking about the turn of Ndigbo.

  • Ngige: APC’ll give Ndigbo platform they’ve craved for

    Ngige: APC’ll give Ndigbo platform they’ve craved for

    Senator Chris Ngige, former governor of Anambra State, and senator representing Anambra Central Zone in this interview with reporters in Awka speaks on the governorship election in Osun, 2015 General Elections and Igbo presidency, pointing out that All Progressive Congress (APC) will give Ndigbo the platform they have craved for in the country. Nwanosike Onu was there. 

    In the last governorship election in Osun State, your party, APC, won.  What is your impression of the election?

    My party won the election convincingly. We defeated our major opponent, who is the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a wide margin. He scored about 292,000 votes while our candidate scored 394,000 and won overwhelmingly in 23 local governments. Therefore, one would say that because we won, we would not say that that election had pitfalls. Two important things there are that, first and foremost, the state was over militarised and secondly, our strong supporters, the key people who anchored our elections in their local governments were hounded. If you go to Ede North, Senator Adeleke, who was former governor, was hounded.

    They arrested our spokesperson, Alhaji Lai and arrested one other technical person working with us who is an Assistant to former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Mr. Sunday Dare.

    They arrested them for no just cause and without reason.  So, even though Osun people rose up in defence of their votes, in defence of their sovereignty, one would not say that there wasn’t intimidation in Osun State.

    There was a mighty and gargantuan show of force aimed at cowing and intimidating the people because in the main, the people of Osun State were ACN supporters and sympathizers. So, I am telling you on good authority that if we remove those elements of intimidation, our candidate would have gotten double the votes that he got, especially in his area; Ijesha, Ilesha and even in Ebe. And these are the populous areas – Osogbo, Ijesha, Ife and Ede. But if you go to Ife, the PDP candidate had a field day. They allowed his people to come. They allowed them to mix freely with the polling clerks and everybody and you can see the result that they produced from there. So, that result from Ife is a rigged result. It is a rigged result. I mean the result of Ife, the three local governments of Ife.

    How would you assess the logistics for the election in Osun compared to what happened in Anambra?

    In terms of logistics planning, INEC did better than they did in Anambra. Anambra was a colossal failure for INEC in terms of logistics. In terms of staff deployment, personnel deployment for the Anambra election, INEC did not even get pass mark. And in terms of corruption of the electoral process in the Anambra elections, which means colluding with one political party against the others, which means the Resident Electoral Commissioner deploying APGA people as ad-hoc  staff, which also means and connotes and entails disenfranchisement of voters in areas where my party in particular, All Progressives Congress, was strong, in areas of Idemili North, Idemili South, parts of Ogbaru, especially Okpoko, parts of Awka South, especially areas where previous results show that the former ACN had been able to do wonderfully well like Government House area, GRA, St Thomas  Aquinas, Esther Obiakor booths, all those areas were starved  of electoral materials, such that voting could not take place in those places. And then I had to score zero and for them also to score zero. But in the final analysis, our party was the biggest loser. So, compared side by side with what we saw in Osun, where the people were very resolute and were ready to die and confront any security men, I will say that INEC had been pressurized to improve. This improvement, I don’t know whether they can carry it on to 2015.

    We will watch and see what they will do in the bye-election of Adamawa which is coming up in the next two months because Adamawa, as you all know, is an APC -friendly state.

     Why did you say so?

    It is our stronghold. It is an APC state. So, I use this opportunity to congratulate our brother, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

    You talked about militarisation in Osun. Would you say this may have contributed to the loss of Ekiti because APC didn’t envision the large presence of security men and therefore lost as a result?

    Yes, partly, it was one of the major reasons. We were prepared for this over militarisation. I am a member of the National Election Committee of APC and we visited Osun State twice before the election to assess the situation on ground. And in our last visit, the militarisation has started.  So, we did indoctrination and sensitisation of our party members, to the extent that we had a leadership structure in every booth that had alternates. If you arrest one person, there is another person to take over. If you arrest that person that has taken over, there is another person to take over. We did that structure, expecting what had happened and they played that game. And you know that in military warfare, if you know the strength of your enemy, and know the war tactics that he uses, you can be able to confront him, to stop him on his track. So, Osun people were not afraid of all the guns and the hooded and masked people that they saw because we told them that they were coming. But my take again on this is that in the general election, it will not be solitary election. Election will be taking place in all the states of the federation at the same time.

    So, where do you get this number of soldiers or number of police and State Security operatives to pump into one state? May be they can earmark some few states and do the over militarisation there but then, we will again apply our Osun strategy in dealing with such situation. My worry about 2015 is that INEC will not then be in a position to dispense with Resident Electoral Commissioners. Jega will not be able to dispense with them-the commissioners that are corrupt or deemed corrupt or who have compromised themselves with politicians. In Osun, PDP wrote a petition and did press conference and the man was transferred, Akeju and a new person was brought. In Anambra State, the man there had been there before the last general election, conducted general elections, conducted governorship election and conducted bye-elections and everything and he is angling to stay there again and do the next general elections. We are saying no to that. Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra, Onukaogu should leave.

    We know you are now in the Supreme Court, challenging what happened in Anambra. Irrespective of that, what is your assessment of Governor Willie Obiano’s administration so far?

    Well, I won’t be able to do a good assessment for you for two reasons: First, the man who is on the saddle is about 130 days in office. 100 days is about three months. It is not enough for anybody to settle down and do something tangible as such, more so when the person has not been in government. For now, he says the major thing he is doing is security. I won’t also assess him by the number of various Hilux pickups donated to the Nigerian police or given to vigilante services in the state. I will assess him when the results start coming out. For now, kidnapping is still going on. For now, armed robbery is still going on. So, I will be unfair if I start assessing him now. May be I will do that after his one year in office. And I am in court. If I also start doing anything now, I will be a jaundiced assessor. Any assessment that I make, will be jaundiced. And I am jaundiced in my view because I think that he didn’t get in there the proper way. I have nothing against his person. He is an amiable person. And those who dealt with him know him and say he is an honest person. They also say he is frank like me. He talks straight. I don’t do double speak. I don’t do double talk. So, I don’t want to be unfair to him now.

    2015 general election is fast approaching, are you contesting for any office?

    2015 is February/March election and your question is good but if you calculate now, you can see it is about seven months away. And six/seven months away is a lot of time in politics. A lot of things can change.  But we learnt party primaries will hold in October. Primaries start in October. My party will do their presidential primaries first. We are starting with presidential and from there we move to other primaries. Positions that are there to be contested are many. President-I am qualified to be President. I can contest it. It doesn’t then make it an Anambra election. There is also Senate or National Assembly. Well, National Assembly, but I cannot be a Senator and then go back to House of Representatives.

    That again is a seat that is available to be contested for. But more importantly, I am in the court challenging the last governorship election of November 16.  We have just finished at the Court of Appeal. This week, our lawyers have submitted their papers to the Supreme Court and if you look here, you will see my own copy. They just delivered them today. If the Supreme Court says that the election in Anambra State was not right and agrees with APC and PDP that there were electoral flaws that made for non substantial compliance by INEC with the Electoral laws in declaring Governor Willie Obiano as the Governor of the State, and ordering a re-run, then we will go for a re-run to repeat election. If they also finds that Mr. Willie Obiano did multiple registration in two places and also did a transfer of his old registration in Lagos State which is  third registration, and they concur with us and agree with us that he placed two voters cards which to all intents and purposes are voting certificates, voters ID certificates, and extrapolates from there to affidavit he swore in CF001, that we are not presenting any forged certificates because  that is what we asked, if they extrapolates into that and agree with our counsels that these voters cards are voters certificates, voters identification certificates, it then means that one of them was forged. And if it is forged, it has contravened information given in form CF001 because people mistake that area of forged certificate to mean only academic certificates from institutions whereas a certificate is anything that certifies you as Mr. A or Mr. B. of this particular identity. And that is what also we have. It is a voter’s card because it has a VIN number. It identifies you with a voter’s identification number called VIN number. It identifies you with an address. It identifies you with your trade or business. It identifies you with your photographs, everything.

    So, it is a certificate. So, if they agree with us, they will disqualify Willie Obiano as prayed and then order for fresh election. But if they don’t do that, we leave them to God. We leave the whole matter to God for final judgment and in which case if they agree with us like I said, we will re-run the election. And I will be qualified to run. If it were a question of whether I choose to run or I don’t choose to run. It depends on my party.

    From the grapevine, we learnt the Vice Presidential candidate of APC has been reserved for you. Is this true?

    Where did this grape come from and where did the vine come from? In which vineyard is this vine coming from?

    But we thought it has been zoned?

    We have not zoned any position of our party to any zone. We have not. As a matter of fact, organs of our party are now being put in place. After our last convention, what we now have is state, local government and ward executive. But we are going to put in place, our booth executives in the respective states. At the national, what we put in place at the Eagle Square Convention of 12 and 13 June is our working committee. By next week hopefully, according to the timetable drawn up by our National Chairman, we will inaugurate our full NEC, which encompasses all officers in the working committee, their deputies, two Senators per zone, three House of Representatives members per zone, zonal officers of the cadre of youth leaders, women leaders, even the zonal chairman who is also a member of the working committee, zonal secretary and zonal treasurer. These are members of the full NEC and our governors who are sovereign in their respective states. After these, we are also putting our Board of Trustees. Nominations are ongoing now as we speak and members of the national caucus. Luckily, I am a member of all these organs of our party by my being the only Senator from the South-East. I am automatically a member of the NEC of our party.

    I am a former governor. I am automatically a member of the national caucus and the Board of Trustees of our party. So, there will be no decision taken in all these places that I will not be privy to. So, as far as I know, we have not zoned any office. The only zoning that we did was for party offices. In the next few weeks, we will meet as elders of the party and fashion out what we are going to do about our presidential candidate because we don’t have time anymore.

    There is no time. As we sit here, my very good friend, President Jonathan is campaigning every day. In all the media, you will see various groups, transformation agenda, gift, Jonathan for President, over our dead body, if Jonathan doesn’t become President, we shall die, etc. These organisations are there and campaigning. You can’t also stop them because they have not said vote for Jonathan. They are only showing that he did this work, he did that work. But luckily enough our brother in Imo State is also showing his own work now. And when Mandela’s photograph and Obama’s own come out, his own comes out too. So, we as a party, we have realised that we don’t have time. In the next few weeks, it will be run, run, run for us.

    There are speculations that President Jonathan, who is your very good friend, has been prevailing on you to join PDP to run for Senate in 2015. Is this true?

    There is no law that for two persons to be friends forever or continue to maintain their mutuality, they must belong to the same political party. As a matter of fact, you can lose your friend when you go into the same political party. So, to me, our different political parties don’t matter. What matters to me is good governance.

    What is your opinion about the impeachments going on in the country now, especially the ones affecting your party the APC in Nasawara and Adamawa?

    Well, the impeachments have gone down now. As you can see, the impeachment in Nasarawa has fallen like pack of cards. The panel has dismissed the allegations. When the House of Assembly reconvenes, they will get their report and the constitution is clear. When you get such a report, the whole processes have died. You cannot do anything about it anymore. In Adamawa, yes, that one was successful. But the good thing about Adamawa is that we are going for a new election, brand new election and we have put in place, processes for our primaries, to get a solid candidate that will win back the state for us. Do not forget that that state was won by us under ACN when Nyako was PDP. So that our ACN structure that delivered that state to Gundiri is still there. So, we are raving up that structure and we rave that structure, with Atiku Abubakar as the anchor man there, and then we will take over that state in an election. We will go there just like we went to Osun and make sure that our people are not intimidated again and we shall win the election and get back that state.

    In the country, especially in the South East here, we see people calling APC all kinds of names. Some people call it a northern party, others call it Yoruba party. How are you going to convince Ndigbo to vote for APC with all these name tags?

    Some people call it northern party, some people call it Yoruba party, so why is it that the third leg of the tripod in Nigeria, in terms of major tribes in the nation, is not finding that party attractive to go and put their leg there? It then means that the political strategists in that region are not thinking. But some of us who are empirical and analytical, in whatever we do, in line with my principle of not deceiving myself, we decided to go and form that third leg for our people. Nobody knows tomorrow. We are not soothsayers but I know that we have a leg in PDP, therefore why should we not have a leg in the main opposition, because as the Igbo would say it, “tomorrow is pregnant.” Nobody knows tomorrow.  So, we are going to work very hard in the South-East, to convince a lot of our people that we should not put all our eggs in one basket because for us to do that would amount to political suicide.

  • Ukiwe’s title rallies Ndigbo

    Ukiwe’s title rallies Ndigbo

    It was just as well that on the day retired Commodore Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe was honoured with one of the most significant titles in the Southeast, the region’s leaders were there to witness it.

    Ukiwe, Chief Chief of General  Staff (CGS) in the General Ibrahim Babangida regime, was conferred with the title “Akajiofo Ndigbo” meaning, Igbo symbol of authority.

    Who bestowed the honour? Traditional rulers from the region led by the king of Nri, Eze Obidiegwu Onyesoh.

    Nri, in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, where the event took place, is the ancestral home of the Igbo ethnic group.

    That was fitting enough, for Ukiwe is regarded very highly by his people and also many across the ethnic divide.

    Illustrious citizens of the region saw every minute of the event. Former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi was there, as was Senator Chris Ngige representing Anambra Central.

    Others were Senator Ben Ndi Obi, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh and former Minister of Women Affairs, Chief Mrs. Josephine Anenih, among others.

    Ukiwe himself came with his wife from his Abiriba home in Abia State, complete with a befitting entourage including the traditional ruler of the town, the Enachioken, Eze Kalu Ogbu.

    At Nri, the Abiriba war dance entertained the audience while  another cultural troupe from Calabar simply called “Mmang” also thrilled. A cultural group from Nri made of women would not be outdone in what appeared like a cultural contest.

    The podium was colourful, decked with cream and wine hue. In the general background, a stream of praises for the new title holder as well as the Nri monarch erupted intermittently.

    Also, the prestigious “Otu-Odu” (Iyom) in the community led by Hon. Mrs Uche Ekwunife and Chief Josephine Anenih featured prominently.

    Ukiwe is the latest prominent  Igbo leader to hold the revered symbol of authority. Others who held the position before included the former Nigerian President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Premier of Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Okpara, the late Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo and the Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, among others.

    While performing the traditional breaking of kolanut, Eze Onyeso lavished praises on Ukiwe, saying that he embodied undying spirit of Ndigbo during his service to the fatherland.

    The king maintained that choosing Ukiwe for the significant title was easy and natural because of his manifest contributions to Igbo unity.

    He said as the custodian of Igbo culture and traditions, Ukiwe had stepped into the shoes of prominent Igbo sons and daughters who had in various areas touched the lives of the people.

    Furthermore, he said he had in one way or the other contributed immensely to the sustenance of Igbo unity, culture tradition and held sacrosanct to the ethos of Ndigbo.

    The monarch stated that the Ofo title which he gave to Ebitu Ukiwe was a solemn duty of Eze Nri as the custodian of Igbo culture and civilization.

    Again, he added that the Ofo in Igbo mythology simply means the conscience of Ndigbo, saying “the holder of  Ofo Ndigbo therefore must be a role model from whose hands, the spirits ensure equity and justice in all matters before him. He must be a good listener, make the affairs of Ndigbo his and must handle this great responsibility with wisdom.”

    He stressed the need for the perpetuation of Igbo culture, tradition and language, insisting that despite the fact that westernisation and the mass media were fast eroding Igbo language, the people of Nri ancient kingdom shall stand tall and hold firm to the culture and tradition of Ndigbo as the custodian and leader of all Igbo.

    In his response, Commodore Ukiwe thanked Eze Nri for finding him worthy of the prestigious Ofo Ndigbo.

    Furthermore, he assured him that whatever was the good reason he was chosen he shall continue to do to bring Ndigbo together as one indivisible entity.

    He said he would never disappoint Ndigbo, who found him worthy of stepping into the big shoes the likes of the great Zik of Africa, M. I. Okpara and Odumegwu Ojukwu wore in different times of the Igbo struggle.

    Senator Ben Ndi Obi described Ukiwe as a man with great antecedents and a man of few words.

    He recalled the contributions of Ukiwe towards enthroning democracy in the country even while still serving in the military.

    Senator Chris Ngige said Ukiwe as a Military man was a humane gentleman whose Igboness was very conspicuous even during his years of service, and during Nigeria Civil war.

    He said the outpouring of encomiums on him was a clear testimony that when he had the opportunity to serve, he performed creditably well.

    Ngige further said his elevation to the height of the great Owelle of Onitsha, M.I. Okpara and Odumegwu Ojukwu was an honour well deserved.

    He also used the occasion to call on all Igbo sons and daughters to be more united in the country and eschew playing politics of bitterness but work together as a people with common aim.

    For Hon. Ekwunife, who is also a member of prestigious Otu-Odu (Iyom) in Nri ancient kingdom, said the Ukiwes have paid their dues towards Nigeria unity and were very well deserving the bestowment of the prestigious Ofo Ndigbo by His Majesty Eze Obidiegwu Onyesoh.

    Speaking with reporters, former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi said the need for Igbo culture and tradition to be held tenaciously was apt especially in the face of challenges facing the Igbo language.

    He described Ebitu Ukiwe as a refined man whose love for his people was total while his commitment to the unity of the country was unquestionable.

    He however commended Eze Nri for finding him worthy to be honoured with the prestigious chieftaincy title of Ofo Ndigbo.

    Chief Joe Ifedobi said Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe was a gift to Igbo nation, adding that without the role he played in Igbo unity, Ndigbo would have been Balkanized.

    They said he was a man of great vision and courage and a man who stood by the people who were oppressed.

    He is a man that never supports injustice, he stands by the oppressed irrespective of ethnic differences. He resigned his position at the Supreme Military Council, not on the ground of corruption but on the ground that he was disenchanted with high level politics of divide and rule, injustice and other forms of vices”

    Former Minister for Women Affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih said the honour was deserving and called for celebration.

    She said Ndigbo had evolved a certain consciousness to not only celebrate a great man at death but celebrating certain individuals while still alive.

    A freedom fighter, Emma Okocha, told the Nation that Ukiwe stands for the oppressed and suppressed.

    Okocha, who came all the way from Delta State to grace the event said since Ojukwu died that Ndigbo have been wallowing in the wilderness in search of a leader, adding that with Ukiwe, that has been resurrected.

    Also, Prof. Obiajulu Okonkwo from the United States of America, described Ukiwe as the only Iroko that can bring Ndigbo together again.

    Uche Okwukwu, the leader of Congress for liberation of Ikwere people told the Nation that Ukiwe who they refer to as (Ochiagha-warlord) is a gift to the black race.

    He said it was because of Ukiwe that Ikwere in Rivers state was not balkanised, describing him as a man of great vision clothed with integrity.

  • 2nd Niger Bridge: How Jonathan suckered Ndigbo

    2nd Niger Bridge: How Jonathan suckered Ndigbo

    A native saying in Igboland interprets to the effect that if you make yourself a house rat, the pussy cat will have you for meat. There is no doubt that the current crop of Igbo leaders has morphed into ignoble rats and President Goodluck Jonathan has been playing cat with them. We all remember how the Ohaneze under the leadership of Chief Ralph Uwechue (recently demised and may his soul find repose) personally signed those obnoxious adverts endorsing Jonathan on behalf of Ndigbo. It was unprecedented in the history of Ohaneze or any other major socio-political group for that matter to issue such blanket endorsement. But that was what a sordidly compromised Ohaneze did in 2011. And that is how the southeast states handed Jonathan the highest votes in that election. That is how Ndigbo spread across the country contributed immensely in giving him victory (25% of votes cast) in many states.

    If you thought Ohaneze was compromised three years ago, today, whatever is left of that much-debased body has been handed over to the presidency for a cold, sodden pot of pottage. It does not matter that hardly any of the promises President Jonathan had dished out to Ndigbo from 2007 has been met but have we not seen a stream of even more endorsements gushing from our so-called leaders for Jonathan’s second term even before he has formally declared? As many Igbo leaders scurrying around Aso Rock know, Ndigbo are more deprived now and kept in the fringes under Jonathan’s administration than at any other time. Records show that under this dispensation, the southeast zone got the least vote and disbursements for capital projects.

    Jonathan made numerous promises to Ndigbo but we have come to know that his promises are forgotten the moment he is done reading his speech. Name them: dredging of the River Niger and completion of the Onitsha Inland port (the twain haphazardly executed and abandoned); the dualisation of the Enugu-Abakaliki highway, construction of a dry port in Aba and completion of the power plants in Alaoji and Egbema, to name just a few. Today, there is no power plant functioning in the entire southeast, the private effort by Prof. Barth Nnaji is being frustrated and the much celebrated international airport in Enugu is no better than a wretched domestic wing of an airport.

    But in all these, the most galling is the Second Niger Bridge. The first misconception about this bridge is that it is a southeast project, but we say no; this is a strategic national monument that bridges the divide between the north and south of Nigeria. Remember former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s vote- for- project caper over this same bridge. Obasanjo promised Ndigbo this bridge during his 2003 election campaign among several other projects. It was bad enough that he forgot to deliver it; a few days to his exit from office in 2007 he staged an elaborate ground-breaking ceremony which turned out to be the mother of all deception and mockery of a people. After Obasanjo was gone, the Ministry of Works revealed to a shocked world that the ceremony at the Niger Bridge was a ruse as there was no file to start with.

    A second bridge on the great River Niger is a vote catcher any day in the Southeast. This explains why when Jonathan came along in 2011 he played the same old bridge trick on Ndigbo. I will build this bridge for you before the end of my tenure if you vote me, he told the gullible tribe down the banks of the old River Niger. Now totally disconnected from his previous pledges, he had gone to Obi of Onitsha recently for a rehearsal of the 2015 election campaign when he was reminded about the bridge. Yes, the bridge, the bridge! It actually ought to be nearing completion. Pronto, the project was ‘kicked-off’ in an elaborate ceremony about two weeks later. It is to be a PPP to be completed in 2018 and the bridge will be tolled for 25 years by the concessionaires, Julius Berger.

    What manner of arrangement is this that allows for 25 years tolling? Will the bridge be paved with gold slabs? Who controls this 25-year bondage? Yet Igbo leaders gushed with appreciation; one particularly who spoke at the occasion of the ground-breaking said, “President Jonathan has demonstrated an uncommon love for Ndigbo and Nigeria at large by the commencement of work on the second Niger Bridge.”

    But Igbo wu Igbo unu mu kwa anya? Will you allow yourselves be suckered again. Ta bu gboo; what you do not get now you may well say goodbye to.

     

  • ‘Ndigbo are not maginalised’

    ‘Ndigbo are not maginalised’

    abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji has said President Goodluck Jonathan has not marginalised the people of the Southeast geo-political zone contrary to some people’s notion.

    He said in the recent time some Presidents have ruled the country and that none of them have touched the lives of the people from the Southeast as the current President, even as he urged the people to ignore such views as they do not wish the zone well.

    Speaking with reporters in Umuahia after his return from the ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of the building of the second Niger Bridge at Onitsha Anambra State, Orji said the people of the zone have never had it so good since the current republic.

    Orji further said the building of the Second Niger Bridge will open up the economic potential of the zone which has remained untapped, stressing that the bridge will serve as the link to both the people of the zone and some parts of the South-South zone.

    He said: “For a zone that has been marginalised, will the President lay the foundation stone for another bridge when there is an existing one, set the money aside and also set a deadline for the delivery of the project.”

    He said the Second Niger Bridge is very important because the old one is becoming weak and over used, adding that the bridge will help in reducing the pressure the people from Southeast and some parts of South south zones experience during festive periods.

    Orji also mentioned other projects the Federal Government has executed for Ndigbo which include the reconstruction of the Enugu-Onitsha express way, the Onitsha-Owerri road, making Enugu Airport an international one and the ongoing reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt express way.

    On the prospects of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in the zone, Orji who is the new South East Governor’s forum chairman, said that the party in the zone under his leadership, will be stronger and are going to reclaim the lost states in the forth coming elections.

    He said: “The PDP is not afraid of any elections in the zone, we lost Anambra State due to internal problems, which we have resolved, while

    Imo State which had a similar problem is being handled. The people of Imo State have learnt from their mistakes and they are ready for any elections right now”.

    On what he intends to do as the new South East governor’s forum Chairman Orji said that he is going to forge a common united front for the zone in the area of economics, “ We want to leave a legacy for the people of the zone”.

    The governor explained that the people of the zone are noted for their business acumen, stressing that the greatest legacy the present governments in the zone will leave for the people is sound economic background that will stand the test of time.

     

  • Ndigbo needs greater stake in apc

    Ndigbo needs greater stake in apc

    This column will write on politics today. After all, public power in a democracy is premised on politics. And by section 221 of the 1999 constitution, political party is the platform for politics. I therefore, intend to argue the potentials for a more vibrant All Progressive Congress (APC), among the states of Ndigbo, principally made up of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. Notably, there are also, very significant Ndigbo, in Rivers and Delta states. Presently, within the Igbo states, APC controls only Imo state, Anambra is precariously controlled by All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), while the rest are Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled states.

    As the famous Tatalo Alamu, in his gripping column, Snooping around in The Nation, correctly argued recently, Ndigbo are individualistic in their politics. Ordinarily that tendency is a plus, in an egalitarian polity, but in our present democratic environment, it is also a burden, as group interests are most times sacrificed. But still, Ndigbo need to aggregate the basic fundamental democratic interests of her people, and of course that of our nation, as presently configured. Then, the commonly accepted cultural organs, should pressure individuals to pursue those basic programs through the diverse forces of individualism. Anything short is group suicidal.

    So, my major contention, today, is that Ndigbo should invest more political interest, in the newly formed APC. Conversely, that APC should train its hurricane through the states of south east, for political harvest. Take Enugu state. There are potentials there. The Governor of the state, Barrister Sullivan Chime, who I have praised handsomely for his infrastructural achievements, has yet again exhibited his careless political marksmanship. Just as the Governor cherry-picks for councilors and chairmen of local councils, he hopes to do same for the governor, senators and representatives in the 2015 elections.

    While Governor Sullivan, can railroad the PDP to his destination, since the state party machinery, is substantially in his pocket, his potential victims, we must note, have established themselves as political forces in the present dispensation, and APC should plan to harvest them. Most notable, is the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu. Sullivan is angling to supplant him as the next Senator, representing my senatorial zone, and the fight should yield a harvest for the APC. Just a breath away, the governor is pushing to retire the deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, from politics prematurely. Just recently, the deputy governor’s residence was raided by a state environmental agency, and the poor fellow, was humiliatingly disgraced.

    The motive for that political rascality, against the deputy governor, is just to pave way, for one of Governor Sullivan’s women in politics, to gain greater ascendency. Here I am referring to Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo, the present chief of staff to the governor. Another neophyte, that Sullivan turned a champion, is Mrs. Fidelia Njeze. With the next governor zoned by the Governor to the Enugu north senatorial zone, the deputy governor who is from the east senatorial zone is being destabilized, so that he should not dream of a senatorial ambition, which the chief of staff, Mrs Nwobodo, wants for herself. Of course the current senator representing the zone, Gilbert Nnaji, a scion of the Igwe Nnaji family, is already crying out, that, the most powerful official in Enugu state is working to covet his seat. So APC should move in for a harvest.

    There is also the potential that the governorship candidacy, within the north senatorial zone, will result in a fight. The senator ably representing the zone, Ayogu Eze, ordinarily should deserve the governorship seat. But I doubt if Governor Sullivan will allow that. The rumour is that he is angling for a minnow. It is just possible that when the push comes to shove, Senator Ayogu Eze, who has done very well in the senate, first as senate spokesman and now as the senate chairman on works, may need the political oxygen that the APC can provide for his rumoured governorship race.

    Abia state is also a potential harvest for the APC. The current state governor, Chief T. A. Orji has never sat pretty. And no amount of visits to Aso rock by well dressed women and men will change his precarious condition. With a major political godfather, Chief Apugo, and the governor’s former boss, Orji Uzor Kalu harassing the governor, it is understandable why the circus to Aso rock. But I doubt, if President Jonathan and his wife, can change the potential catharsis of the state PDP, as the people of Ngwa, engage in the battle to secure the governorship seat. Just like his other colleagues, T. A. Orji also wants the senate seat, and the rancor will further tear the leaking PDP umbrella.

    Anambra, the most sophisticated Igbo state, already has a large APC followership, ably lead by Senator Chris Ngige. Unfortunately in the last governorship election in the state, Senator Ngige, Onwa, came up against a well oiled political propaganda, led by the credible governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, Okwute; that APC is a Yoruba party. Luckily for APC going forward, it is now clear that the party is as much a Yoruba party, as the Yorubas invest their political energy in it. Of course, with the leadership of the beloved, astute and sagacious Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the party, the Yoruba understandably should have an edge, with the majority Yorubas following this incredible leader of men.

    The most import reason why Ndigbo must invest in APC, I dare say, is that President Jonathan has not shown the capacity to turn our country around. Also importantly, the signs that he wants to use and dump Ndigbo is glaring. Ostensibly, he has failed to deliver his campaign promises. So, it is time, to lead the charge to APC.