Aggressive industrialization of Igbo land, the gate way to self determination and sustenance.

By Uche Aguoru

What happened on the floor of the house of representatives on Thursday the 1st day of June 2017, when a bill seeking to establish the South-East Development Commission was thrown out is simply a machination to keep the Igbo nation pressed down,intimidated, undeveloped and continuously marginalised.

For the benefit of those who do not understand what the bill is all about, the South-East Development Commission if established would be charged with the responsibility, among other things, to receive and manage funds, from allocation of the Federation Account for the development, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of roads, houses and other infrastructure, as well as tackle the menace of poverty, ecological problems and any other related environmental or developmental challenges in the South-East states and for other related matters, just as we have it in the north east and the Niger delta regions.

Though I do not believe that the window to still pursue this all important bill is closed, but the Igbo's should as a matter of urgent regional importance begin to think about industrializing Ala Igbo and bringing our investments scattered across the world home.

It's common knowledge that so many Igbo billionaires today all have their investments outside Igbo land in places like Lagos, Abuja Kano etc. Most of these people do not even have a home befitting their status in their villages.

Yes, we are aware of the theorem of citing of industries and businesses which has to do with accessibility to raw materials and market, but the availability of an enabling environment to a large extent defeats that argument.

Between 2005 and 2010. evidences abound on how the South South geopolitical zone lost billions of dollars and halted the progress and development of the region through kidnapping and undefined agitation, though many are of the view that what happened in the south south was a mastermind of the west who had carefully drafted a master plan on how to destabilize the south south and South east geopolitical zones so as to gain economic advantage and to a very large extent they made a huge success of it,  if the allegation is any thing to go by.

During that period multinationals relocated their administrative headquarters to Lagos and had to fly in expatriates from lagos to South south, daily, for the purposes of oil exploration and mining of crude oil deposits in their land after which they will be taken back to Lagos at the close of work to spend their earnings and add to their economy for fear of being kidnapped in Rivers, Delta, Akwaibom Cross river and Bayelsa states, and the multiplier effect is, while the economy of the Niger Delta regions are dying and development across the region pinned on the pause button, that of lagos and the surrounding south west towns were booming, while real estate business goes into coma, in the south south, Lekki, banana island and the swamps of lagos were being over price tagged, due to the high demand for property acquisition and accommodation in Lagos by multinationals, oil magnates and business men whose major source of income is from the Niger delta region.

While the security of lagos and the surrounding south western states are being strengthened so as to attract foreign investments, the Niger delta region became a one stop shop for sophisticated weaponry and high level insecurity.

As the economy of lagos progresses geometrically, the wealth of the oil rich Niger delta region ruinously nose dives, as millions of jobs are being created in Lagos and it's surrounding neighborhoods, companies both local and international are closing shops in the south south and relocating to a secure and investment friendly south west, as investors jostle for space in Lagos, unemployment, insecurity, environmental pollution, and youth restiveness became the lot of the Niger Delta region. As the likes of Asari Dokubo, Henry Okah, MEND and other agitating groups and persons from the Niger Delta are being declared criminals, the likes of Gani Adams and the militant wing of the O.P.C are being protected and celebrated.

Today, while we have OODUA and Arewa Investment houses, the Niger Delta is still struggling to rebuild what is left of the region after the alleged west induced agitation that sent them on self destruct.

While I am in full support of the struggle for self determination and the agitation for  Biafra as a pressure group for good governance and political accountability by our political office holders, I must state that I view the sudden vocal support of our south west friends like Governor Ayodele Fayose and Femi Fani Kayode with some level of suspicion, how the duo turned to the mouth piece of the Oha n,eze ndi Igbo and developed an over night love for ndi Igbo than the Igbos themselves is still one puzzle every right thinking Igbo man should try to solve, I am yet to decipher the developmental content in their support swing, but all I have noted so far in their tone is, ginger for war and violence.

I am not averse to any form of support by our south western brothers, but I strongly believe that both the political and economic solution required by Igbo's to fully develop Ala Igbo to the envy and admiration of the whole world lies underneath, all that is required is the collective political and economic will of both Igbo politicians and business men to actualize that which we have been seeking the support of the Nigerian nation or other ethnic nationalities to achieve.

If Igbo political office holders past and present should be meant to reinvest into their various communities,states and clans, that which they made while in office, by building industries, establishing businesses and attracting investments into their various states, rather than stealing from us and running back to the south western and northern states of lagos, Abuja etc. to invest such funds,build industries, create investment opportunities and environment, we may not even have need for the south east development commission bill.

My late grandfather used to say, that no amount of love will cause him to back a concubines child and drag his own child on foot through a journey.

What is it that the Igbo's really need towards this journey to self determination, is it self help, is it support from outside, where best do we need to source for solution to this cause, is it within or without?

Watch out for the concluding part of this article for the possible solution towards the actualization of Biafra of our dream.

Aguoru
Writes from Umuahia