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Tag: Ndigbo

  • Ndigbo; architects of own problems

    SIR: As Ndigbo, we shouldn’t pretend that all is well with us. Our house has fallen and the earlier we tell ourselves the bitter truth that we are the architects of our own problems the better for us all. We have reduced ourselves to object of ridicule by other regions because we have again shot ourselves in the foot.

    Ndigbo are avid travellers who migrate to many nook and crannies of Nigeria and beyond.. Ndigbo pride themselves with being republican, industrious, having great knowledge, generally smart, wise, adaptable and above all extremely hard working with impeccable success rates in many ventures or interest.

    With all these qualities postulated above, we are yet to put on our thinking caps and come up with a good solution to our problems. Most times we don’t even do our calculations before we take a decision and after such decisions we end up becoming victims of our own actions.

    Since the demise of the late Ikemba Ojukwu, the Igbos are yet to find a charismatic leader that will steer their affairs in Nigeria. The reason is not far-fetched; nobody is willing to sacrifice his life for the Igbo nation like the late Ikemba. Majority of our present Igbo leaders are port folio leaders, too self-centred and are more interested in what they will gain rather than sacrifice.

    There’s no doubt about the saying that we are proud achievers worldwide, the Jews of Africa that have conquered territories. But when are we going to get it right in national politics?  We accuse other ethnic groups of ethnic bigotry but yet in those regions we are accommodated and taken as one of them. They make their environments business friendly for our businesses to thrive, we are also given political appointments and recently we have started winning elective posts in their states but here in the South-east all those things are near impossible for outsiders.

    We have our own states but we want to control and determine who become governors in other states we are resident in, even when some of our states are still struggling and can’t even compete with some of those states we want to determine who becomes their governor.

    After all the insults against President-elect General Buhari by majority Ndigbo while the campaigns lasted, we have without remorse started hobnobbing with the president-elect. Some Igbo groups have started listing demands and giving the president-elect conditions. The most hypocritical of them is a South-east governor who barely a month to the presidential election averred that only a bastard from the South-east will vote for General Buhari is still the same governor that has gone to meet Buhari to beg that Ndigbo should not be left out in political appointments!

    Our major problem is that we are still neck deep in politics of bitterness because we have decided not to let go of the past. We still hold grudges against some geo-political zones over the civil war that ended decades ago. Hence the reason why we saw change coming from a particular region and failed to embrace it.

    Can someone tell me the region that is an ally of Ndigbo? Certainly not our Ijaw brothers.

    We are impervious to lessons of history, we can’t continue to do same things the same way and still expect different results. After many years in the opposition South-west have proven their political sagacity once again, through alliances they were able to strategize and form formidable opposition which has produced a president. Democracy without opposition is autocracy but can Ndigbo survive the murky waters of opposition politics? Ndigbo should loosen up from political inflexibility by being open and inclusive.

     

    • Joe Onwukeme,

  • ‘Ndigbo need leader like Tinubu’

    ‘Ndigbo need leader like Tinubu’

    Deacon Iyke Kanu was a governorship aspirant in Abia State on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA.) In this interview with Innocent Duru, he said the Igbo need a leader like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC National Leader to move to the next level, politically. Excerpts

    The 2015 General Elections have come and gone but the ripple effects still reverberate across the length and breadth of the nation.  What is your take on the conduct and outcome of the elections?

    I will say that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria; this is the very first time we are witnessing such level of maturity in this nation and within our neighbouring countries where an incumbent president concedes defeat and quickly congratulates the winner of the election.

    The underlining understanding of the whole exercise is that Nigeria is fast developing in governance and democratic norms and I hope the coming generation will emulate this commendable trend.

    Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s obvious leading role in the victory of the APC in the presidential election has been emphasized by some. What do you make of his person?

    The only way I can describe Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is that he is a political enigma.  He is a king and also a king maker.  He has the well being of his people in mind and his people realizing that, gave him all the support.  He’s a great leader.

    Tinubu is a bridge today between the south and the north because of his political charisma. So, I will say that Tinubu has done creditably well.

    Being an Igbo man, do you think Ndigbo are lacking a leader like Tinubu?

    Greatly!  There is nobody like Tinubu in the entire Igboland and it didn’t start with this political dispensation.  The problem with the Igbo started during the colonial era.  When the colonial masters came to Nigeria before the amalgamation, they used the leadership in the Northern Protectorate provided by the Sultan of Sokoto and other Emirs to govern them; they came to the West and the Obas were on hand to assist in governing the people of the region because the people are subjective to what the Obas say, so it was easy because of the trust and confidence they reposed on their Obas, but in the East, there is a popular saying that “Igbo enwe Eze”, meaning Igbos have no King.  Everybody is a king in his father’s compound; so it will be very difficult for them to come together and say let us listen to one man.  This or that man can take us to the Promised Land.  No!  That is lacking in Igboland.

    I think it is high time the Igbo political think tank should start thinking of the best possible way out of this quagmire; otherwise the Igbos will continue to lag behind in the politics of Nigeria.

    What do you think is the place of the Igbos in the coming political dispensation?

    We are pure first class citizens of this nation and we still have our pride of place.   Secondly, I don’t believe General Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will marginalize any part of the nation for that matter.  That we don’t have APC Senators from the whole of South-East, though regrettable, does not stop us from having part of the national cake. There could be important appointments and I think in future, the Igbo will align with the national government.

    How would you rate President Goodluck Jonathan’s reign over Nigeria?

    I think Nigeria has been together without encumbrances and he has been able to come up with a clear democratic process.  I give him kudos for that.  At least to the best of our knowledge, he never tried to manipulate the democratic and electoral processes like most of his predecessors did.

    Beyond that, every government in Nigeria has been characterized with corruption and his administration is no exception.

    What in your analysis could be responsible for his losing the election?

    I think the people where fed up of PDP and secondly, this Jonathan’s tenure was rooted deeply in corruption.  Evidences abound here and there to buttress the claim.

    So, I think one of the major factors that made him lose was bad governance and corruption in high places.  He was unable to control those working under him.  He’s so soft that even when corruption is stirring him in the face, he lacked the will to either question or bring the culprits to book.

    Recall that in the past six years that his tenure lasted, nobody has been taken to court or jailed for corruption in spite of the massive outcry of looting that was the order of the day.  Does it mean that all was well; everybody was upright or that everybody is now saint in Nigeria?  No! I think Nigerians don’t want that anymore; we want to protect the sanctity of our nation.

    Do you see the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, as the much anticipated messiah this nation yearns for?

    Judging by his past records, I think he is an anti corruption crusader that could bring the hydra-headed corruption in this country to it’s kneel.  You know people are judging him based on his military era where he has a knack for high level of discipline but you know he is coming back as a democratically elected president who does not have all the autocratic powers to carry out what he wants.  He has the House of Representatives, the Senate and other agencies of government to pass through appropriately, who will contribute to the day-to-day running of government as required under democratic setting.

    Now the question is who are these people?  What is their aim in government?  What are their antecedents and social values?  These and many more should be considered to determine if they share the same vision with the President.  We pray that he will live up to the expectations of the whole nation who voted him.

  • Ndigbo deserve respect, says South-East Coalition

    Ndigbo deserve respect, says South-East Coalition

    As the results of the last Presidential and National Assembly elections are being analyzed by stakeholders and commentators across the country, some groups in the South-East zone, including South East Self Determination Coalition and Igbo Youth Movement, have lamented what they described as “sustained abuse of Ndigbo and threats against the race over their alleged ‘failure’ in the last concluded elections.

     “The 2015 election have come and gone, but the spate of abuses poured on the great Igbo nation by all sorts of characters, from all quarters is both annoying and eye opening.

    “Some blamed us for not abandoning President Goodluck Jonathan; others blamed us for not flowing with the band wagon. They mocked Ndigbo to no end, assuring us that the South-East has surely lost out completely in the National Assembly leadership.

    “Many assured us, we will be sidelined, oppressed and afflicted. All expected Ndigbo to switch sides and pursue solely political accommodation of any sort without convictions. What a great pity.

    “Surprisingly, so many pretended they have conveniently forgotten where Ndigbo stand in the debate for a successful Nigeria.

    “Ndigbo stand for a restructured Nigeria, anchored on true federalism, based on regional autonomy. They told the world so 48 years ago at Aburi, Ghana; they re-echoed it at Gen Sani Abacha’s Constitutional Conference 20 years ago. They reaffirmed it at the 2014 confab, because they truly want Nigeria to survive,” they said.

    In a statement signed by Evang. Elliot Uko, the founder of Igbo Youth Movement and leader of South East Self Determination Coalition, the groups said, “Our vote pattern is synonymous with our conviction that only true federalism will take us to the Promised Land.

    “Yes, we all know that the political class is dominated by hypocrites and crass opportunists, who will decamp and join Boko Haram tomorrow if (God forbid) Abubaker Shekau seizes central power tomorrow. These politicians who do not believe in anything except their pockets, will shamelessly and gleefully  announce  that Abubaker Shekau is the saviour Nigeria needs, just like they did 17 years ago at the 2 million man rally in Abuja; Men without honour; apostles of any government in power.

    “These leaches and vultures who dominate the political space cannot take away the core values and   beliefs of a people, no matter how much they tried. Ndigbo believes in a restructured Nigeria, where no man is oppressed, where the unjust containment of Ndigbo in five states is removed, where all are equal, where no section is born to rule.

    “Mocking us, abusing us and telling us we will be punished by the next government, probably vindicates our vote pattern and reminds the younger generation of the task to sustain the struggle for freedom from internal domination.

    The joke really is on our compatriots who promise to wage a war of attrition and pursue a scorched earth policy towards Ndigbo. They probably do not know that we are used to all that already, neither do they understand that amongst the fruits marginalization and oppression bear is the production of a next generation of liberators and warriors. The struggle has just begun.

    Finally, for those who are celebrating the seizure of central power under this unworkable unitary structure, we ask them to please respect us, our views and our beliefs.

    It is a pity, if they still do not understand the urgency to restructure Nigeria. It is a tragedy, if the fact that only a restructured Nigeria can fly, is completely lost on them.

    The multi religious, 180-man strong country of over 250 tongues has just entered an important stage in the search for true nationhood.

    The months and years ahead, are truly pregnant. But we insist that our views must be respected. End of discussion,” said the leader of South East Self Determination Coalition.

  • Ndigbo: My people, my people! 

    SIR: I believe the above slogan, ‘my people, my people’ is peculiar to no other person but the present amiable governor of Imo state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. This is one Igbo man who over the years has seen himself qualified to be the president of Nigeria. Despite being unsuccessful in various attempts, he has shown an attitude of one who is not just aspiring to be the leader of just a tribe in this country but one who will one day be remembered as a national leader.

    The choice to lead a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), which is seen as an Igbo party to the All Progressive Congress (APC) proved this point. He doesn’t want to be a tribal champion. Though not successful in the outings for the presidential ticket in the APC primaries, one thing is sure; he wants history to reckon with him for something more. I see a man who wants to do more for his people and country.

    Nigeria, which is still struggling to be a true nation in the midst of so many ethnic groups and affiliations, does not need leaders who care more of their tribal origins to be at the helm of affairs. It will only polarize us more, increase tension and take us back to the dark ages of tribal wars and conflicts. We can’t afford to make the mistakes or tread the path of our founding fathers, who at their time thought having parties representing their ethnic groups would make us better forgetting we were more than Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba.

    The just concluded election that brought in General Muhammadu Buhari will be seen as an alliance between the north and south-west against the South-East and South-South. The south-south obviously voted massively for the incumbent, which I think is a problem. The Igbo as it were have always cried that it has been marginalised in the present dispensation but when you look closely, Igbos have been the cause of their woes. Our people have refused to look beyond personal ambition by focusing on the big picture called Nigeria. From the results of the elections, no Igbo politician under the APC was able to secure a seat in the Senate as at the time of writing this piece.

    This just means that the post of the third person in the political hierarchy that would have gone to an Igbo man/woman since the north-west and south-west have taken the first two will now go to another geo-political zone. It then means that elective positions have eluded the Igbo and we would now be compensated with political appointments. Does this mean there are no Igbo politicians of goodwill that their people can confidently give the mandate through their votes? Does this also mean we have no Igbo who can be tagged as a progressive with the clout to garner votes of his people?

    I am a proud Igbo but first I am a Nigerian and I believe every Nigerian should speak this way. The diversity of our roots has made it such that we try to consider the ethnic affiliations in choosing some of our political leaders that everyone can be well represented and development coming to every part of the country.

    The Igbo, I will say, have been myopic except for a few who see themselves as more than just Igbo leaders but national leaders hoping to be remembered by history as such.

    Our democracy is improving and the outcome of the elections has proved just that. It will be a thing of joy to see that the third largest ethnic group, which I am a part of, will one day, take their place in deciding the future of our great country. We just must be part of this history that is being made in our democratic process. My heartfelt prayer is that the younger generation of not just Igbo extraction will act differently across the country.

    I love Nigeria as a Nigerian and as an Igbo I would like to contribute to the greatness of Nigeria that will in turn affect the Igbo and every other ethnic group.

     

    • Emeka Azubuike

     (eurekamagazine.com.ng)

  • Ambode and Ndigbo: O biara be onye abiagbula ya…

    It is one of those dictums a child picks up as he grows up in an Igbo household. O biara be onye abiagbula ya, mgbe o ga ala  mkpu mkpu apukwa la ya. Let the visitor bring no ill-will on his host so that no harm accosts him as he departs. It is a maxim that re-echoes the basic truths of life about reciprocity; mutual co-existence and social graces. Igbo society and culture pay ample attention to mutuality, to meting equal measures to all. This must have spawned the other deep saying: egbe bere, ugo bere; nke si ibeya ebela nku kwa ya: let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch and let he that will hinder the other lose his wings.

    It is from this standpoint that one reads what seems like a looming face-off between Ndigbo in Lagos and their host, the Yoruba. The 2015 election is turning out to be a watershed in the relationship between these two great ethnic groups in Nigeria. First is the scenario at the national level where Ndigbo chose to go down with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ostensibly to spite the Yoruba dominated All Progressives Congress (APC). There is no doubt that the age-old rivalry between the three major tribes in Nigeria has been at play here.

    With the Hausa and Yoruba dominant in APC, Ndigbo naturally opted to stick with PDP. As Ndigbo and PDP took a shellacking in the presidential election, Lagos presents the next political turf. Apart from what may be considered an eternal rivalry with Yoruba, the teeming mass of Igbo in Lagos had felt injured by certain policies of the state government which must have led many to vow to vote against the APC government at this election. PDP was quick to latch on to those grievances. There was also a crowd of estranged elements in APC too. And the result was a close contest as never been seen before in Lagos during the Presidential and National Assembly polls of March 28. PDP had swept five of the 24 Federal House of Representative seats with Ndigbo getting two of those slots and one for an Edo indigene. Even Accord Party won one federal seat.

    It is indeed quite a feat surely unprecedented in Lagos if not Nigeria’s politics. It is a sure sign that Ndigbo in Lagos has numerical strength which if properly harnessed, is capable of causing a political tsunami sooner than we think.

    In fact, as soon as tomorrow when the governorship and state house elections hold: the PDP crowd (with a highly sellable candidate in Jimi Agbaje), the non-conformist Yoruba like OPC and Afenifere, all the south-south ethnic groups plus the horde of Igbo voters could spell trouble for the ruling APC in tomorrow’s governorship diadem in Lagos. And indeed, Ndigbo may have the block/swing vote that might decide tomorrow’s fate.

    This explains why this matter of Ndigbo in Lagos has gotten so very tacky in the way of most inter-tribal issues. Let’s do a cliché and say that the atmosphere in Lagos is tense and electric. For the first time, the ruling party in Lagos sweats profusely over a guber election which was hitherto taken for granted.

    Akin Ambode, the APC candidate is not only a quality proposition he has proved to be an election warrior – indefatigable and pragmatic. His academic and work records are unmatched by any of the other candidates.

    Noticing the ace held by Ndigbo after March 28, he had swiftly moved round all the Igbo groups and clusters in Lagos reaching out and showing them why they would be better off with him at the Round House, Alausa come May 29. Even when the Oba of Lagos dropped a clanger, (see box) he was quick to reassure all ethnic groups that his would be an inclusive government and Lagos would be home to all.

    Five reasons Ndigbo Lagos are better off with APC: I must add my little voice to the call from numerous quarters that Ndigbo in Lagos would be better off voting for the APC candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode. Here are just five reasons:

    First and most important in my estimation is that Ndigbo must cut their losses. Having lost at the centre with PDP, Lagos is the next most important bloc both politically and economically. By my rough estimation, there are millions Igbo living and working in Lagos. There are some third generation Igbo living in Lagos with investments deep and wide. Ndigbo could get a foot into the ruling party through Lagos by voting Ambode. Politics is another word for pragmatism – practical solutions and benefits. Though Agbaje seems a nice guy, to vote him is like entering into a cul de sac. For Ndigbo, PDP today is a road that leads to nowhere, ‘one chance’. Let Ndigbo consider for a moment that Ambode scrapes through without Igbo votes, we would have lost both Abuja and Lagos – that will be very costly!

    The second reason Ndigbo should prefer Ambode is that APC has over these years, shown a better record of performance than the PDP. In nearly every state, APC have out-performed PDP.

    Third, Agbaje has no public service experience so will require at least a year or more to understand the service environment while Ambode will touchdown running.

    Fourth, with APC government at the centre, Lagos is bound to get the requisite special status it requires to make life more bearable for us Lagos dwellers. There is a sore need for more and improved infrastructure here, especially, roads, transportation and power.

    The fifth and last reason we must vote Ambode is that Ndigbo have made their point and the lesson has been learnt. We are in a better position to consolidate in APC Lagos, bargain better as a group, and influence and shape policies. A golden moment presents itself in Lagos for Ndigbo through APC and they must show wisdom this time around.

    Going forward for APC, it is my opinion that the party is gradually coming to terms with the fact that Lagos is a multi-ethnic cosmopolitan city. That is the harsh reality. To seek to change that or circumscribe that fact will probably amount to bringing the entire place down. The party that will win and rule here will always be the thinking and most strategic one. It is almost like in the US with plural ethnic groups like the Hispanics, Blacks, Chinese, Jews, etc.; any party that must win these block votes must court and manage these groups most delicately. Our political maturation must arrive with a truckload political pragmatism in tow.

  • Buhari won’t disappoint Ndigbo

    An organisation, Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) has assured the Igbo that the in-coming Gen. Muhammadu Buhari administration will not let them down.

    NUF gave the assurance in a statement issued from its Onitsha, Anambra State headquarters. The statement was signed by the organisation’s president, Augustine Chukwudum and publicity secretary, Ugochukwu Obinka.

    The organisation also congratulated Gen. Buhari on his victory at the presidential polls.

    The statement said: “NUF is confident that the President-elect will give Nigerians the desired change that will steer the economic and security situation towards the right direction. We also want to assure Igbo that the incoming administration will not undermine our collective interest. So, everyone needs to co-operate and make our needs known. This message also applies to our brothers in the Niger Delta and to all the ex-militants that threatened to go back to the creeks.”

    NUF equally listed what they termed “urgent demands” to include building the Second Niger Bridge as scheduled, having reputable persons from the Southeast in the Buhari government, give the Southeast one additional state to balance the regional equation, reduce accidents by constructing dual-carriageways on our federal roads andimplementing the report of the National Conference.

     

  • A word for Ndigbo

    SIR: Today, I will be speaking directly to our compatriots from the South East for two reasons through Chief Lamidi Adedibu’s stories shared five years ago by Tade Ipadeola in his “Adedibully: A Dinosaur’s last Dance.

    Firstly, I served in Adu Achi, Orji River Enugu in 2000 and I was fairly treated. Secondly, I have Igbo family friends-The isiolu’s from Arochukwu, Abia State who are detribalised Nigerians. Because of these two personal facts, Ndigbo must re-appraise their political exploits in the context of Nigerian State.

    Last week, electoral blitzkrieg seriously altered the Ndigbo political equations leaving in its wake a despondent and despairing Igbo nation. Ndigbo became dazed because of the disoriented leadership who misled many people to always go with the conservative centre. I know they will rise AGAIN. Ndigbo must make a hard resolve now. The kind of resolve Lamidi Ariyibi Adebibu made one day in 1967 at age 39 when he decided that he would live the rest of his life a teetotaler. Before that fateful day he drank sixteen bottles of stout on the average daily.

    1967 was also important in the life of the man for another much less personal reason. In that year, he decided that he would seriously pursue political relevance and power. He was in his own words,”errand boy” in the Action Group up until that point. For good or ill, Lamidu Adedibu has been true to himself in this regard also, and Ibadan, the seat of political power in Oyo state felt his exploits throughout his lifetime.

    The feat performed by Adedibu in local power politics through sheer resolve is the mental equivalent of becoming a grandmaster playing blindfold chess. Unlike inanimate pawns in the game of chess however, the many years of Chief Adedibu was full of many casualties, who bled and die.

    The positive sides of Adedibu’s resolve despite all his atrocities and shortcomings are still relevant to many people today. The coming governorship elections provide good opportunities for Ndigbo to pitch their tents towards the incoming progressive Centre.

    Civility and maturity have always guided my engagement on national discourse but there come a time when your primary identity cannot be wished away even if you want to do so before I’m accused of ethnic sabre-rattling or raking up old wounds.

    Attempting to use Lagos to replicate last week fantasy in the South East will not STAND. Never in history has success brought so much profound contradictions. How come they are claiming political sophistication in Lagos and not the South East? Let the re-organization starts from home and not abroad. As they say charity begins at home and they must be guided accordingly. They must exercise their civic responsibility in Lagos and throughout the country with clear conscience. It must not be based on parochial prejudices or trying to prove a point.

    It is my wish that other zones should support Ndigbo for Presidency after Buhari’s administration but they must not rock the boat of progressivism so that they do not become a decaying animal in Nigeria political environment. I trust Ndigbo to make right political decisions this time around.

    God Bless Ndigbo!

    God Bless Nigeria!

     

    •  ’Leke Odumuyiwa

    Lagos

  • OPC: No rift between Lagos and Ndigbo

    OPC: No rift between Lagos and Ndigbo

    A faction of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) yesterday warned against any affront on the Lagos monarch, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, over his recent intervention in the political process.

    The group said any attempt to drag the royal institution in the mud will be tantamount to disrespect for the cherished custom, culture and tradition of Yoruba.

    OPC National Coordinating Council (NCC) also said that the Yoruba and the Igbo will continue to co-exist peacefully in Lagos.

    A council member, Monsuru Akande, urged Igbo people to reciprocate the kind gesture of Yoruba in Lagos.

    Akande said in a statement that OPC will resist any attempt to rubbish the royal stool of Eleko for Partisan reasons.

    The statement reads:

    “The attention of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has been drawn to some unruly and unbecoming comments purportedly in reaction to alleged comments by the paramount ruler of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and warn all those involved to desist from such unbecoming acts forthwith.

    “The institution of the oba is one the Yoruba race hold in high esteem, and the OPC as irredentist defenders of Yoruba culture and heritage would therefore not tolerate anybody -irrespective of their places of birth of conviction- to denigrate what their hosts (Yorubas) hold sacred.

    “While we accept that that institution should remain non-partisan, it must also be acknowledged that the Palace of the Oba of Lagos has already claimed that the royal father was misrepresented in the press and pleaded for understanding.

    “Be that as it may, the Yoruba’s accommodating and loving nature should not be misconstrued as timidity.  As hosts, we have given all our visitors enough space and opportunity to bloom and flourish without molestations, and of all the tribes and visitors in Lagos, none has enjoyed the benevolence of Lagos and indeed all of Yorubaland as much as the Igboman and nation.

    “The evidence of the claim above can be found in the fact that Yorubaland as a whole is the most cosmopolitan area in Nigeria.  We Yoruba have allowed other tribes to own businesses, properties and even contest and hold political positions on Yoruba soil in a manner unreciprocated anywhere else in Nigeria.

    “Using the same Lagos as an example, the fact that the likes of Pastor Ben. Akabueze and Joe Igbokwe have become an integral part of the political frame work of Lagos State for years now is proof enough that Lagos and indeed the Yoruba are excellent hosts. Akabueze has for the last ten years been directing and coordinating the economic direction of the state from his enviable position as the honorable commissioner for budget and planning while Igbokwe has held sways general manager at LASIMRA and head, UFRU.

    “Others such as Ngozi Nwosu the popular actress from Imo State who got N6million for overseas surgery, the late comrade Chima Ubani whose family got cash and a gift of 3bedroom accommodation at Marwa Gardens as well as First Consultant Hospital that got N50 million as compensation for involvement in the Ebola case are evidence that the Igbos are not despised in Lagos.

    “Nowhere in Nigeria -east of the Niger- is the Yoruba or any other tribe accorded the kind of gesture the Igbos have been enjoying in Lagos in the last 12 or so years since these bonafide Igbo men entered into the Lagos political scene.

    “As for the likes of Bode George, Fani-Kayode, Musiliu Obanikoro and their party the PDP, their outcry is the reaction of a person or group without shame and critical thinking (arojinle). Is it that they have a case of memory dysfunction or are they just plain mischievous. Have they so quickly forgotten that it is their party that started the politicisation of the institution and monarchy with the President’s visit to the same Oba of Lagos earlier this January as the forerunner to visits to many other obas in Yorubaland.  None of the PDP members complaining now saw any thing wrong with the attempts to involve our obas in partisan politics until it backfired against them and their party.

    “This brings us to the warning we issued earlier, when Gani Adams in his treacherous, sycophantic and reactionary move turned on the good people of Lagos unleashing violence and threat of violence against the perceived enemies of his paymasters.

    “If Adams had not behaved like an omo ojuorolari, he should by now be defending the sacredness of the stool of the Oba of Lagos or any other one in Yorubaland for that matter.

    “If Adams had not collected the billions he did, along with MASSOB and other ethnic groups, his co-travellers would now be degenerating and abusing our hospitality the way no one can replicate in their homelands.

    “In closing, we enjoin all members of the OPC and indeed the Yoruba nation to beware of the enemies within like Gani Adams and with one voice condemn all fifth columnist within our fold. And with the foregoing it is abundantly clear that Gani Adams who brought this odium upon us must quit the OPC.”

  • Ndigbo congratulate Buhari

    •Demand true federalism

    Ndi-Igbo Germany (NIG), the umbrella organisation of Igbo ethnic groups and associations in Germany, has congratulated the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.

    In a message, signed by the its National Coordinator, Chief Joe Mmeh, said: “We rejoice with President-elect Buhari on his success at the polls and urge him to be the president of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religion and political affiliations.

    “The campaign has come and gone. It’s now time for national healing and governance. In every civilised society, no one takes personal what is said during campaigns. So Buhari should look forward to uniting Nigerians and avoiding advice from former office holders, who brought hardship and corruption into governance.

    “Ndi-Igbo Germany congratulates Buhari as Nigeria’s President–elect and the citizens for peacefully exercising their franchise to elect their leaders. We salute President Goodluck Jonathan for establishing a legacy of democratic freedom and peaceful expression of a vibrant democracy.

    “Ndi-Igbo Germany advises President-elect Buhari against ethnicity. He should be magnanimous in victory by forming a government of national unity; picking the best brains among Nigerians, both home and abroad. Meritocracy, instead of mediocrity, should be the watchword on how to move Nigeria forward economically, politically and technologically. We believe that the God, who gave President-elect Buhari victory, wants him to rebuild the country. We enjoin him to ensure fairness, justice and equity for all.

    “Ndi-Igbo Germany supports the indivisibility of Nigeria, but condemns any sort of domination of any part of the country by another. We reinstate our demand for a true federalism and a greater autonomy to the geopolitical zones and that federal allocations and amenities be shared on equal proportion among the six zones.

    “We thank President-elect Buhari for his promise during the campaigns to build a second Niger Bridge where no tollgate fees shall be paid by Ndigbo and other Nigerians. As a matter of fact, Ndigbo cannot and shall not accept any bridge where tollgate fees shall be paid, a system not obtainable in others parts of the country.

    “We also demand that roads in the Southeast, Enugu International Airport and Trade Fair Complex be completed. Seaports and dry ports in the Southeast should be established and made functional. We are sad when we see the lopsided nature of distribution of amenities by the Federal Government and the neglect of Ndigbo 45 years since the Civil War ended. We hope President-elect Buhari will correct these imbalances.”

  • 2015 elections: Whither Ndigbo?

    The outcome of the recently conducted presidential election was both predictable and predicted. A majority of Ndigbo simply chose to be driven by sentiments and parochialism rather than stone-cold logic and vested interests. I must confess that I was considerably alarmed by the fact virtually all those who hurled unprintable expletives at me for having the ‘animal boldness’ to ask Ndigbo not to hang the entire fate of the tribe on the puny shoulder of an individual were below 30 years of age – a clear evidence of a lack of deep intellectual content among our youth!

    During the presidential and national assembly elections, I watched with rising consternation as Ndigbo gleefully engaged in all manner of shenanigans just to deliver absolute victory to President Goodluck Jonathan and his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And when it became clearly obvious that the PDP had virtually won all the Senate and House of Representatives seats contested for in the Southeast geopolitical zone, a majority of Ndigbo had a Cloud Nine feeling of ‘mission accomplished’!

    But it is now morning after and time for sober reflection. Just consider this: the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 64 senatorial seats while the PDP won 45. This means that the APC would constitute the majority party in the incoming 8th Senate and would fill the positions for Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Majority Leader and Chief Whip. It is the same story in the House of Representatives where the APC will fill the posts of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Majority Leader and Chief Whip. Since no APC candidate emerged victorious in the last national assembly elections in the Southeast, it means no Igbo would occupy any of these principal offices in both chambers of the National Assembly!

    The reason is simple: you can only harvest what you plant. Only a dubious fellow would work in Anambra Manufacturing Company (ANAMCO) and then expect to be paid by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)! An Igbo adage cautions that a farmer foolish enough to defecate in the entrance to his farm on his way home would meet the smelly faeces on his way back to the farm the next day.

    Let me categorically state without any fear or favour that Ohaneze totally failed Ndigbo. The current leaders of the supposed pan-Igbo organisation were arguably more interested in what was in it for them than what was in it for the greatest number of Ndigbo. Yes, they can argue that their hands were tied because Ndigbo had already decided that they would deliver a block vote to one individual. But why are they leaders?

    Leaders are meant to lead from the front. Leaders are not meant to follow the crowd because the tail does not wag the dog.

    Just before the March 28 elections, an intriguing advertorial was placed in several daily newspapers by a group calling itself Igbo Conversational Group (ICG). The chief convener is former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim. At the last count, he was still a top-ranking member of the PDP but here he was raising posers that majority of his colleagues in the PDP would consider very discomfiting.

    I fully share ICG’s position that although it may appear on paper that presidential power may become less accessible to Ndigbo, given the outcome of the 2015 presidential election, the current state of affairs actually gives Ndigbo a golden opportunity to redefine their politics and forge a new and purposeful leadership.

    Similarly, for the sake of the likes of Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, Ralph Obioha, Dozie Ikedife and Senator Chris Ngige, among several others, who chose to courageously swim against the tide, Ndigbo can renegotiate a new understanding with the incoming governing party.

    By Ichie Tiko Okoye