Restructuring The Nigerian Federation (PART 1) By Nathaniel I. Ndiokwere)

Nathaniel I. Ndiokwere

Preamble

While the main topic of our investigation is “Restructuring the Nigerian Federation in the face of the renewed Biafra agitation” for a separate nation, we will equally focus attention on other important related areas, namely:
(a) “Igbo Presidency in Nigeria Federation – another bad dream”.
(b) “The Islamic Republic of Nigeria”.
(c) “Nwodo for the Republic of Biafra Presidency”.

The ancients tell us that a stitch in time saves nine. It is imperative that Nigerian leaders and lawmakers should take urgent steps to address the obvious problems facing the nation, now that no big open conflict or civil war has broken out. Many National Conferences have been held in the past to address the issue of Nigerian political situation and unity, a lot of money lavishly spent with no good results and statements about the outcome of such meetings. There is no doubt that it was the same laisser-faire attitude of past Nigerian leaders to very important national problems those days and non implementation of ABURI ACCORD that led to the disastrous Nigeria-Biafra War. Now a lot of dangerous crises are with us and our lawmakers are spending precious time and scarce resources debating useless issues like ‘Grazing Bills’, playing loud music and blowing loud grammar in their assemblies while ‘Rome continues to burn’ . When will Nigerian leaders learn the lesson they say is the best teacher?

It was not only Chinua Achebe who first identified the Nigerian problem as that of leadership. Leadership is world-wide problem which every nation and institution in this universe, ancient and modern, has to deal with. No one nation, big and small, developing, developed and under-developed,  has not tasted the bitter pills of bad leadership,  and history has good records of the outcomes. We often single out our fatherland Nigeria in this regard as ours looks like chronic and incurable cancer, and in fact irremediable bad situation.  The roots of the bad situation are there for everyone to see – lack of true patriotism and love of nation and people you want to lead, selfish motivations to lead, absolute ignorance of what selfless service is all about, ethnic and sectional interests placed before those of the nation, and of course total misunderstanding of differences between ‘to lead’ and ‘to rule’ and naturally too, corruption. The much quoted statement attributed to John F. Kennedy “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”, may sound funny or unrealistic to some Nigerians! What a pity!

It is the duty of the present young generation of political leaders from the various regions of Nigeria to rally together and discuss their immediate problems and prepare for the rainy day. There will be no more military coups or interventions of army officers to ‘rise in condemnation of evil and reestablish peace and order”. No! The army and police are more corrupt than the lawmakers and politicians. The youths are confused and dispersed all over the world in search of greener pastures. As an adult and concerned peace-loving Nigerian and Igboman, I am addressing the problems of my people hoping they will listen to me.

 IGBO NATION IN SEARCH OF CREDIBLE LEADERSHIP - EMEKA OJUKWU.

 After Azikiwe, Mbonu Ojike and some others in that pre-and-after independence bracket, and perhaps Ojukwu and Mbakwe, no other key figures worthy of emulation come to mind till today in the Igbo nation. Although Igbo people claim they don't recognize ‘kings’ and believe they can do without them and still move along, better organized than their counterparts in Nigeria, being led or ruled by kings, Emirs, Obas and other traditional and religious leaders, they, Igbos don't reject good leaders who serve their interests with commitment and passion, like the Israelites of Old who requested for kings, “….like other nations, who would lead them in wars…..” Although Jahweh, their God warned them about the consequences of their demands, they did not give up. Whatever the outcome of their requests, they learned from experience. For Igbos, however their vision of an ideal selfless leadership cannot be disputed.

Their expectations of good leadership and qualities of such a figure cannot  be described as mere dreams or illusions. The expectations are  real and exciting.
And at the time of great need there arose an Igbo leader by name EMEKA ODUMEGWU OJUKWU, a son of one of the riches Nigerians those days, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu (First and founding President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, President of the African Continental Bank, Chairman or on the Board of directors  of some Nigerian’s most profitable companies…….. (Today’s DANGOTE and more?), a man of rare intelligence and power! What were Ojukwu’s qualifications for leadership of very stubborn, proud, arrogant and stiff-necked, rabble and ungovernable Igbo race, who, like the Jews or Israelites of the Old are known to complain at the least provocation, and ready to stone their leader MOSES (for bringing them out of Egypt, freeing them from persecution in land of captivity and slavery, where they enjoyed Egyptian menu including delicious cucumber, mushrooms and salad, just  in the name of liberation and autonomy.)

 Why did Moses bring them into a horrible desert environment, under scotching heat and no water to quench their taste! Was it not better to die in Egypt as slaves than in terrible desert conditions! Why all the suffering in the name of liberation and entrance into a Promised Land!
What was Ojukwu’s intention, type of mad decision in leading NDIGBO into a disastrous war with Nigeria, with the promise of Biafra? Couldn't it have been better to remain in Nigerian federation as slaves and vassals of the Hausa-Fulani Oligarchy, continue with our lives and businesses in the North instead of dying in Ojukwu’s Biafra? There were many other stunning objections against secession.

But Ojukwu won the hearts of most Igbos who vowed to fight and die with him on account of the survival of persecuted Igbos who have suffered untold hardship and persecution in Nigeria right from 1914.
There was no autobiography of ODUMEGWU OJUKWU we were aware of before 1966;  but from our Igbo elders, including my father and uncles,  I heard very important comments and remarks about Emeka Ojukwu,  and why they, Igbos supported his movement! “This young man that has left his father’s wealth at the disposal of Igbo people for the prosecution of this war is a rare patriotic Igboman,” my father continued singing and loudly! “He, the young Ojukwu, a military officer in the Nigerian army, unlike some rich Igbos was truly a selfless and rare leader…..” At least this important attribute of a patriotic and selfless leadership won for Ojukwu a good ticket to lead the race, if he liked, ‘for life.’


BIAFRA - THE “DREAM STATE” OF IGBO EXCELLENCE

This is the most important part of our write-up and I must warn our readers to give this a serious attention. There is no need to repeat the obvious, that Igbos are special people, talented, industrious, enterprising, in fact a rare species of humans among Nigerians of the other ethnic groups. Africans and Blacks and Whites all over the world admire and respect the IGBO, in spite of other vices Igbos equally exhibit. The Igbo priests and religious (Catholic Missionaries, men and women) found all over the world, ministering in different areas of the apostolate are rated the best and exceptional. Only recently an Igbo bishop has been appointed nuncio (Pope’s representative or Ambassador) to Ireland, once the country in Europe that produced the largest number of Catholic priests and sisters that evangelized the rest of the world including Nigeria.

The Igbo energetic and passionate commitment to succeed will definitely place Igbo-Biafra nation in the “First World” category or nomenclature when development and progress becomes a yardstick for measuring achievement, civilization and success. Yes! The Biafra of Ojukwu dreams as enunciated in the “AHIARA DECLARATION” must compete favorably in every world SOCCER competition and OLYMPIC GAMES and always return with trophies and countless number of medals, next to USA, CHINA, RUSSIA, and BRITAIN. Among all the nation-participants, graded on merits (not alphabetical order) BIAFRA must always appear in the top 10!

In technology BIAFRA will be competing favorably with the “First World Nations” in the areas of science and technology and behold too, in food and agriculture. BIAFRA does not and will never be grouped among the nations referred to as “Third World”. “Tufia kwa!!” Biafra will not be importing SECOND-HAND WEARS, USED CARS, shoes or other foot wears from Europe, Asia or America. Biafra will not be importing food, rice and Palm products from Thailand and Malaysia, when every village has abundance of palm trees, when for example, the special industrial city of ABA is there and the rice mills of ABAKALIKI are functioning and rolling! How can KEKE NA PEPE (made in India) dominate the streets of Nigeria, when NNEWI AUTO INDUSTRY is there? No! Biafra will be an exporting country, supplying these products to other African countries and the world at large!

IGBO NATION AND OHANAEZE NDIGBO - THE LEADERSHIP DILEMMA

 What will Igbo presidency achieve for Igbos, most embarrassed Igbos continued to ask? How have Igbos benefitted from the past governments, on the federal, state and even local government administrations led by IGBOS? Examples are not hard to find. Who in his right senses and can objectively speak out will not wonder what is wrong with Igbo leadership! Who will not agree with the author of the following disturbing observations? He categorically stated that in actual fact “Igbos are the ones marginalizing Igbos”. And so many honest Igbos agree. And went further saying:  “I remember a time in this country when all the 6 ministers in Jonathan's kitchen cabinet were all Igbos:
•        Ayim Pius Ayim was SGF,
•        Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla was in charge finance,
•        Emeka Wogu was in Labor and productivity,
•        Berth Nnaji was in Power and Energy,
•        Dieziani Madueke was the powerful minister for oil.
•        The 6 of them outside the Federal Executive Council would meet and decide what and what not to be discussed at the larger FEC. Whatever they decided would eventually be the position of government. In 6 years, this was the situation.
•        Okiro and Onovo had the police under their control. Ihejerika and later Minimah controlled the Army. These powerful Igbo's could do and undo. Nigeria was in their pockets……..

But comes the most frightening and disturbing questions!

“If an Igbo becomes President tomorrow, will there be any difference? Even if Biafra materialized, we have seen clips of what to expect!”

Who will not get worried! Hope some people will not get heart attack reflecting on our failures, contradictory and selfish lifestyles, and worse the inability of Igbos to unite as a people, under one credible and selfless and dedicated leadership! Igbos struggle for leadership and big names but perform poorly. Even in foreign lands and states and regions of Nigeria where they are strangers and mere visitors they install themselves kings, ezes, chiefs and monarchs and their flamboyant lifestyles irritate their neighbors and owners of the land, who order Igbos ‘to leave, vacate and go home!”

IGBOS GO HOME! DISTURBING AND FREIGHTENING WARNING!

It is only Igbos among all other ethnic groups, who make up what is still called Nigeria, that are always rejected, insulted and ordered to ‘pack and go home!”, by Hausa-Fulani (recently Arewa Youths), by Yoruba leaders and Obas, by South-South Youths and others. Igbos get annoyed. But they wouldn’t listen. Let me quote from the most recent “Yes, Ndigbo, go home” write-up by Ochereoma Nnnanna, to help Igbos get the right message. “”First, let me deal with the issue of “going home”; what it is not and what it is”, the author directs his readers.

What ‘Igbo go home’ does NOT mean

·        “It does not mean: pack your belongings and leave the place. It does not mean that you should uproot from where you currently live and go back to Igboland or your hometown in Igboland. Why should you? You are a Nigerian, and the Constitution entitles you to settle and live peacefully and lawfully in any part of the country without harassment.” …….“Go home” is a very useful piece of advice for any sensible Igbo person willing to listen. Anyone who tells you “be careful”, “mind yourself” or “be warned”, is not insulting you. He is your friend, maybe in disguise…….”

Let me however, break up the write-up in smaller paragraphs and highlight some areas that every serious Igboman must pay special attention and equally be very thankful to this author, lover of Ndigbo who decided to tell them the bitter truth though several Igbo elders have continued to issue the same warnings, and as well express great fears about the future of Igbo race, at home and in the Diaspora.

What ‘Igbo go home’ means, what Igbos are being made to understand!

1.      The Igbos are the only group in Nigeria who require this time-out advice: “go home”. The Yoruba man in the North or any other part of the country does not need it: he hardly “leaves” his roots, no matter how long he lives outside Yoruba-land (including abroad). The Arewa man does not need it. He hardly plants down any tap root outside his aboriginal enclave. He never builds any permanent structure. He lives among his own cultural types, maintains the purity of his religious culture and is in touch with “home” by radio and other channels, no matter how long he lives outside Arewa land.

2.      It is only the Igbo man that takes the “One Nigeria” dictum on the surface level. He is like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who says: “let us forget about our differences”. But other Nigerians are like Sardauna Ahmadu Bello who says: “let us remember our differences”. It is this misguided float of mind that leads the Igbo man to settle and develop where he lives, forgetting that where he comes from also requires to be developed.

3.      History once taught the Igboman a painful lesson when the coups of 1966 took place and the pogroms in the North led to the civil war. When the war ended, the Igbos came back and were allowed to reclaim their property in the North and West, but were denied that right in Port Harcourt, a city built on the land of the Igbo-speaking Ikwerre sub-national group. Why? Because Port Harcourt had become the oil booty of the civil war’s winners.

4.      The Igbo-Biafrans were not allowed to be landlords/stakeholders in this city after losing the war over its oil. However, the Igbos went back to the North and West and soon forgot all the lessons that Port Harcourt was meant to teach them: understand how to live with other Nigerians in this “One Nigeria”. They recovered from the scars of the war and started ravenously building mansions, markets and even industries in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Kano and elsewhere. Not only that, they totally neglected their own aboriginal homeland. Igboland feels very little of the famed commercial and technological acumen of the Igbo people. It is essentially an economic and infrastructural wasteland.

5.      The Igbos became so “comfortable” outside their own homeland that some misguided elements among them even started setting up some fake traditional institutions and installing what they referred to as “Eze Ndi Igbo” in those places, to the utter irritation of the indigenes and those of us who feel the shame of it all. These hustlers (“Eze Ndi Igbo”) who don’t understand the implications of their tomfoolery go as far as conferring chieftaincy titles on relevance-seeking nonentities who, invariably, are people of questionable roots and means of livelihood. These fakers have come under increasing scrutiny by the owners of the land: their commoners, kings and political leaders. This is long overdue!

6.      If Ambode says no more “Eze Ndi Igbo” in Lagos, he is right.
Anybody whose ancestors did not come from the geo-cultural boundaries of Lagos cannot be an indigene of Lagos. If you are not an indigene of Lagos, how can you be a “king” in Lagos? How can you dispense chieftaincy titles? It is a barefaced usurpation of the “inner privileges” exclusive to those whose ancestors first established their traditional authority in Lagos. In any case, what value does “Eze Ndi Igbo” add to Igbos in Lagos? It is not even a cultural trait of Igbo people………………….”

7.      Igbos will never live in dignity outside Igboland until they have done this. Their children will continue to speak English and the native tongues of their hosts without the ability to speak and behave like Igbos. If Igbos do not “go home”, they will be lost! They are already losing their Majority status, anyway, and their language is rapidly vanishing. It is in the vital interest of the Igbo people and their children to “go home”. Anambra State is showing that it can be done…………….”

IGBO LEADERSHIP – WHO WILL NOT, NEVER GO FOR US!

There are many unworthy Igbo leaders, past and present that don’t qualify and in fact should be disbanded and even sent into exile. The following types of leaders or leaderships must not be allowed by the awakened Igbo youths to smell (again) the seat in the government house or any political and traditional positions in Igbo nation. We try ‘elimination’ method first:

(I)Those Igbo political leaders, who abandoned the great city of ABA to disgracefully rot away, Aba, thought by many could have been the pride of, not just Nigeria, but the entire black continent and world, to compete with Japan, China, India, South Korea and even some western countries in manufacturing industry and development, was left to decay for whatever reasons?

(II.) Those political leaders who allowed the ABAKALIKI rice mills to close down or cared not to develop it but encouraged the importation of rice into Igboland should not represent Igbo people anymore. Elsewhere, (NDI-OGU-UKWU), powerful agricultural people of EBONYI STATE, known for cultivating the land with large hoes and shovels and spades and NDIGBO those days used to harvest big yams and farm products in abundance and knew little of famine , starvation or hunger (except) during the civil war.

(III.) Those Igbo political leaders who abandoned Palm oil produce industry, the main source of Igbo economy, and handed over this ‘project’ to foreigners, including Malaysia must be asked to search their consciences. Igbos today import palm oil from Malaysia and Ghana!

(IV.) Those Igbo leaders who allow erosion to ravage Igbo states and little or no attention paid to building of good and durable roads to serve our people have lost credibility. They should not be allowed to smell the government premises any more.

(V.) Those leaders who embark on elephant projects and never complete them, those who embezzle public funds and fail to pay suffering workers’ salaries and pensions, should be informed quietly that as far as politics in Igboland is concerned, their days are numbered.

(VI.) Those Igbo leaders who create disunity, and discriminate against ‘non-indigenes of their states’ are saboteurs and must be regarded as enemies of Igbo nation. They should not be allowed to hold any more key positions in government.

(VII.) Igbo leaders- governors, senators, lawmakers in local, state and federal levels who have not Igbo interests at heart must be dismissed and disowned by Igbos. These are Igbo politicians who have made Igbo nation look irrelevant today in Nigerian politics, who have abandoned “Igbo political party” – NCNC/APGA and joined Hausa-Fulani  and Yoruba parties – NPC-APC-CAN- PDP. Igbo politicians on political party jamboree remain strangers in those parties. They must uphold APGA as IGBO party. This is how it works in Nigeria. Any other type of political alliance is a farce, funny and ridiculous.

(VIII.) Dishonest Igbo politicians who steal public funds and open accounts in foreign countries must not be supported by NDIGBO. The God of the Igbo – CHUKWU ABIAMARA (Igbo corrupt version of GOD OF ABRAHAM), the God of the Jews and the Supreme God of Igbo people does not welcome thieves and dishonest people into his kingdom. Honesty and integrity must be our guiding principle in everyday life.

(IX.) Igbo leaders who engage in drug trafficking, scam and 419 affairs and Yahoo business should be ashamed of themselves as they have scandalized Igbo youths and taught them evil. God’s punishment for adults who cause scandal is there for every Christian to read- a big stone should be tied on their necks and they should be dumped into the sea to drown and perish there in eternity. Chukwu Abraham, who Igbos worship, is God of justice, truth and love. Igbos don’t worship Satan or god that manufactures and distributes money. Igbos believe in hard work and don’t engage in ritual killings and illegal accumulation of wealth.

(X.) Igbo traditional leaders or rulers who fail to guide their people in the footsteps of good Igbo religious ancestors of the old, who always abhorred “ARU” (crime and abomination), and maintained peace and order in their communities, should be dethroned if they lie and make a mess of the sacred offices entrusted to them.

(XI.) Igbo traditional leaders who cause disunity in Igbo communities, and call for proliferation of AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES, fragmentation of Igbo communities, for selfish purposes must be told to uphold Igbo unity instead of disunity and endless village litigations and acrimonies.

(XII.) Igbo traditional rulers who are not there at their traditional palaces or OBI to serve their people, but operate from Abuja, Lagos, Kano or even from Europe and America must resign or relinquish the sacred office to worthy traditional leaders, who are there in the village to administer justice and maintain peace and order in Igboland.