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A REPLY TO PROFESSOR OMO OMURUYI'S ---
NEITHER A CANDIDATE NOR AN OFFICE HOLDER BE!! [1]
by
OSITA CHIAGOROM
Sir,
I have always admired you as one of the outspoking Nigerians of our time and a HUMAN
RIGHT ACTIVIST.
I have always loved reading your articles but I must say that your article, NEITHER
A CANDIDATE NOR AN OFFICE HOLDER BE!! [1], is full of serious errors which
I feel you have to address as not to great a wrong impression.
One who knows nothing of Nigerian politics on reading your article will conclude that in the Nigerian context,
the IGBOS have always been a spoiler
when it comes to the YORUBA man's
affair.
Prof, that is of course an opposite if we can really put ethnic sentiments apart and face the truth.
You gave your reason mainly using the ABIOLA
issue. I am very suprised that a man of your intellectual capacity have fallen to this very cheap blackmail that
the Igbos were used by ABACHA.
Who and who in Igboland? Can you tell me their names? How many are they?Did the number of Igbos in Abacha"s
cabinet surpass that of the of the YORUBAS?
Why should the acts of these few Igbos like JIM NWOBODO be used to generalise that Igbos planned Abiola's failure.
Thats a blatant and cheap propaganda. Apart from NWOBODO,how many prominent Igbo men served under Abacha?
If the sins of these few IGBOS
are very grevious, then what shall we say of ABIOLA'S kinsmen, very notable YORUBA men like JAKANDE, ONAGURUWA, BABATOPE, who held very sensitive posts
and played a major role in this act.What of the role of the strong man of IBADAN POLITICS, ALHAJI LAMIDU ADEDIBU? These are just the few that I will
remember their names.
It is very unfortunate that the history of this country for some YORUBAS today started in 1993.
Majority have continued to be ignorant that JUNE 12 emerged as a result of the past history of Nigeria in which of some of their leaders misbehaved
and sold out. They should study the history of Nigeria very well.
Some Igbos who participated in the unfortunate ABACHA goverment with their counterparts from other parts of NIGERIA
did it for one or two of their personal reasons.
Many Igbo leaders who played neutral in the ABIOLA issue were influenced by the history of Nigeria and maybe the
so called "YORUBA TREACHERY".
Infact, I remember the public opinion in Owerri then at the appointment of these notable YORUBA"S into Abacha"s government. Many of the
people I viewed their opinion then were very suprised and shocked that notable YORUBA men like JAKANDE can abandon
the quest of realisation of ABIOLA'S mandate.
The impression was like this "Ohhh !! the YORUBAS, THEY ARE AT IT
AGAIN. YOU CAN NEVER TRUST THEM".
Remember, it was because of the so called YORUBA treachery that costs the IGBOS a million lives in the realisation of BIAFRA.
Why have the IGBOS continually
distrusted the YORUBAS? Remember
the entire SOUTH wanted to boycott the 1964 elections. What happened after? The elections were boycotted in the
EAST, and most parts of the MIDWEST, but what happened in the WEST? The yorubas went on with the election which culminated in the breakdown of law and order
and earned WESTERN REGION the
name "WILD WILD WEST"
This is treacherous.
It was because of the development of the WILD WILD WEST of 1964 that led the so called coup of 1966 that was labelled as an IGBO coup and in which
later led to the civil war. It started in the WEST and ended in the EAST. The Igbos ended up being the sacrificial lamb.
PROF, many igbos losts their beloved ones and it is still fresh in their memory.Almost a million Igbo lives were
sacrificed!!!
In 1993, when the unrest started again in the WEST, many igbo leaders preffered to play neutral[although there were many who fought for ABIOLA"S
MANDATE], and I will not blame them for there neutrality posture, when the then so called AWO'S LIEUTENANTS have abandoned ship and joined the military
junta. What a shock!!
I told my YORUBA inlaw that judging from what happened to the IGBOS in 1966 because of the so called YORUBA TREACHERY, it will be very stupid for the IGBOS to start any unrest in the EAST when notable YORUBA
LEADERS have since abandoned ABIOLA. This time,the IGBOS did not want a repitition of the pre-civil war situation where it
started in the WEST and ended
up in the EAST. They don't want
the EAST to be use as another
sacrificial lamb. The situation is not feasible when most people are still suffering from that civil war trauma.
What do you want the IGBOS to
do when the JAKANDES, the TINUBUS, the almighty ONAGURUWAS are already dining and having friendly noctural
meetings with ABACHA?
Till today, JAKANDE has allegded
that it was BOLA TINUBU who convinced
him to serve under Abacha!!!! Till today,TINUBU has not debunked that statement. Today, TINUBU, one of the people that brought ABACHA to power
is now a HERO in YORUBALAND.
Remember, the great AWO'S widow and family in general were openly opposed to ABIOLA'S presidency, because of the late sage's past problem with ABIOLA. And the present president? What of his role? Is he innocent? NO!!
So as there are many YORUBAS who fought for the realisation of JUNE 12, there are also many that worked against it.
Today, the YORUBA leadership have refused to share the blame for ABIOLA"S mishap. They know better. The recent
death of BOLA IGE should be an
eye opener.
That some Igbo leaders served under ABACHA,does not mean that all IGBO people served under ABACHA.
Sir, It will be very unfair to say that. That means that Igbos who stunchly stood for JUNE 12 did nothing.
What of NDUBUISI KANU, SAM MBAKWE, RAPH OBIOHA, whose bank ABACHA froze, BOB NWOSISI that died in exile, the EASTERN MANDATE UNION, compromising of ARTHUR NWANKWO and my university lecturer UDENTA UDENTA. This is just to mention the few that I can remember.
What of NNANNA UKAEGBU, who did
an open hunger strike cum fasting at the ASSUMPTA ROUND ABOUT in OWERRI to protest ABACHA"S stay in office?
Today, nobody is remembering the late BOB NWOSISI the role he played.
Proff, with your article,you are insinuating that these people did nothing. Thats very unfair.
This men and others and their families were continually haunted and harrassed by ABACHA"S henchmen.
They supported ABIOLA in fairness
and fought for justice.With the present political development in the country today, it is now clear that most YORUBA
who stood by ABIOLA did so out of tribal sentiments. They will not have cared a bit if ABIOLA was a non YORUBA.
Apart from WOLE SOYINKA, how many
Yorubas suffered or even condemned the unwarranted genocide of the entire EASTERN
PEOPLE, just before and during the civil war. Is it not AWO the self acclaimed Yoruba leader who took
delight in making negative policies that was made to slow down the rehabilitation of the IGBOS after the war? How many have shouted foul to the
continous destruction of IGBO life and property during riots in the NORTH?
Today,the only reason why most of the so called JUNE 12 combatants from the SOUTHWEST are giving for supporting OBASANJO re-election today is that he is a Yoruba man, inspite
that his administration have failed completely.
Apart from the period of 1966 to 1970,
Nigerian have never witnessed a great loss of human lives and property as it is currently having under Obasanjo
present leadership.
With regards to Professor Nwabueze,
personally I don't share most of his views,because as far as I am concerned he is a politician and most of Nigerian
politicians are selfish and many a times they are after their personal agenda's.
What I want to say is that although Prof. Nwabueze is an IGBO leader his statements which are not from the general
press release of the OHANAEZE is not binding on other Igbo leaders and Igbos in general.They are his own personal statements
which most Igbo people might not share with him. In page 134 of his book, THE POLITICAL CRISIS AND SOLUTIONS[Ibadan
spectrum books,1994], he made the following comments --
It is for the reasons that a serious fear
is created in the minds of other Nigerians
that two successive terms of eight years of a Yoruba
president, many federal establishments
would have been thoroughly Yorubanised
This book in which you find this negative comment on the two terms of ABIOLA'S presidency is published on his name
and not on the name of OHANAEZE.
Take note of this my dear PROF. Personally, I don't agree with his opinion.They are uncalled for and very unfortunate.
At the same time,there is some element of truth in his statement in which in said in page
134 of his book--
Nice and friendly as they, the Yorubas
have no sense of fraternity with other
ethnic groups in Nigeria when it comes
to federal appointments.
They see nothing wrong in monopolizing
all positions in a federal establishment,
from messenger to chief executive.
To them, that is how it should be,
the natural order of things.
Any other Nigerian in their midst
in such establishment is resented
as an unwanted intruder.
In a Yoruba dominated federal establishment,
Yoruba becomes the medium of communication
in which government business is conducted.
The recent crisis in the Nigerian football house which culminated to our dismal performance in the just concluded
WORLD CUP is a pointer.
Apart from agile IKE SHORUNMI,
the other Yorubas in the team earned their places in the team on tribal grounds. Everybody knows that.
I will not fail to mention the crisis of the appointment of the AUDITOR
- GENERAL.
Sir, the IGBOS are not saints and most of their leaders just like others must have misbehaved in one time or the
other but they remain the most distribalised Nigerians.
Critism is good but let it be done accurately and not with sentiments.
Thanks a lot.
Yours,
OSITA CHIAGOROM
Changchun, CHINA
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