The Reporting continues: Debating 
the question of reconciliation and
consolidation, various speakers believe this item represents the best possible
way to get the Igbo nation moving forward. According to the lead presenter on
this subject, Most Rev. Valrian Okeke, the Archbishop of Onitsha,
reconciliation is the most important thing. Is reconciliation not what the
whole judicial system is about�?
I do not know that what the Nigerian Judicial System or
any other is all about is reconciliation. I thought that the Nigerian Judicial
System is to determine guilt or innocence; apportion blame; and mete out punishment
as appropriate. Or does t the Archbishop mean the Justice Oputa Panel? However,
I think that for proper reconciliation to take place, healing of the sore spot
should, first of all, take place. The healing could be by way of soothing words
said to the one that is aggrieved or offended. This could be by way of
acknowledging the offense and an apology, followed with an undertaking to
remove the ticklish point or the offensive issue or matter, and a firm promise
not to repeat the offense again. Having laid the foundation of reconciliation
this way, by cooling the aggrieved heart and spirit, as if by dabbing it with
cold water, and being true to a saying of Ndi Igbo that: Ile oma ka ejuna ji aga n�ogwu (A snail crawls over thorns with
smooth tongue (made slippery with its saliva). It is also true to what Nelly
Uchendu said in one of her songs that; Okwu
di nlo, neweda onuma�! ( Soft words cools
temper���
The reporting goes on: The greatest way forward for Ndigbo
is by reconciliation. It was an emotional pitch, which touched the audience. In
his own contribution, second republic Vice-President, Chief Alex Ekwueme,
supported the notion of reconciliation being a wonderful instrument that can be
used to forge a better Igbo nation. He expiated further that for consolidation
to be achieved, it is important for reconciliation to first take place. The
starting point for each person is to accept that nobody has a monopoly of
wisdom and righteousness. Consolidation will come if we put aside (the attitude
of) pull him down syndrome and I know it all.
The Retreat further offered the discussants the
opportunity to look at the clamour for the presidency in 2007, reported Paul
Odili. It was the common view of some of those who spoke that it was an
objective worth every effort that is put into it. As tactics go there was a
variant of opinion that suggested toning down the clamour for Igbo Presidency,
and a little more leg work if the objective is to be achieved. Prof Joe Irukwu,
who was at the occasion, and indeed stayed throughout jotting notes did not
fail to wonder whether there was no need for clarification by the contributor
to help the struggle. Somehow because of the pressure of time the person who
made the statement could not resume the stand�.
Does the amount of unfinished business at the Retreat
suggest that there should be another follow up Retreat sooner that later so as
to give full vent to those ideas that were left unexplored or inadequately
finished?
The reporting by Paul Odili goes on: On the whole, there were
a lot of talking points at the retreat, which should help Aka Ikenga,
understand the degree of challenge before them as they gird their loins to help
in transforming Igboland. That of course could be possible if they make a
linkage with the political system. As one observer noted, talking and
articulating positions is one thing, but implementing them is another game
although. In other words, Aka Ikenga, must worry about lack of executive
authority to implement ideas enunciated at the retreat. Because clearly there
is little an organisation like that can do if it does not have persons holding
political positions to push the Aka Ikenga agenda, and then give effect to all
that was articulated�.
I think that there is a great deal that Aka Ikenga Ndi
Igbo can do and must do without having any executive authority linkage, once
they are not breaking any law. The Town Progressive Unions; Development Unions;
Improvement Unions; and Cultural Unions were able to achieve phenomenal
developments in the past, which altered to faces of their communities for the
better, without any governmental executive attachments. The much vaunted Umunna
System operated without governmental authority and, in fact, was at loggerheads
and daggers-drawn with the government of the day.
Perhaps, the greatest undoing of Ndi Igbo in their lack of
sustenance for their intellectual and technological achievements is the waiting
and the expectation for the Government to give the go ahead and to get involved.
If governmental support and approval comes, it will be all well and good. But
if they do not come, I believe that Ndi Igbo can get on with what they are
doing or have to do for, as the saying goes: Ogiga ka okwukwu mma! (It is infinitely better to keep moving than
to stand still). There are also some outstanding examples of such forging ahead
in Igbo land since the end of the War, to go by. It is probably, because of the
expectation for governmental executive support or linkage that people break
their heads and necks and go to any lengths to win political elections. The
power or linkage, of course, when achieved is mostly marred by bribery and
corruption. The political authority and power therefore turn out to be a curse rather
that a blessing for the people. Igbo land will remain one underdeveloped place
if Ndi Igbo will continue to wait for governmental executive power linkage. ����
Probably, the crisis of the Sovereign National Conference
will provide the crisis Ndi Igbo need to pull them together to produce a leader
who may just pop up and be accepted and followed by all. Or, probably, it would
be the 2007 Presidential bid, which many people are saying should produce an
Igbo for the Presidency. When I read about the statement or plea made by
General Gowon, that Ndi Igbo should be given the opportunity to present the
President for Nigeria in 2007, I wondered how that could be done, even if
General Gowon were the umpire. Would there be a National Election or a
Selection? Who would be the candidates if the selection would be by Ndi Igbo? That
is, who would be the candidates that Ndi Igbo would agree on and to vote for?
Will there not appear as many candidates as there are communities in Igbo land?
Would that occasion make Ndi Igbo to agree on a King or a Leader, who may not
be the greatest, but one who is humble enough and willing to serve?
Perhaps, the Aka
Ikenga Ndi Igbo and the Oha Na Eze Ndi Igbo should co-operate to nominate a
candidate whom all Ndi Igbo would accept and vote for, no matter which
Political Party he belongs to? Or would Ndi Igbo float a Political Party to
complement the Association for Democracy (AD) in the West, in order to give effect
to the ideals of Southern Solidarity? Ndi Igbo have a lot to learn from the
political organizations of our southern neighbours. Right from the time of
Chief Awolowo, they have pulled together and voted together. They have not
scattered themselves and voted anyhow for the interests of other people unlike
Ndi Igbo.
At the same time it should not be out of place as the
group contemplates what next to do, that they consider the option of funding apolitical
movement that would pursue the struggle of emancipating the Igbo race from the
grips of corrupt leaders or, in the words of Marcus Garvey, �Misleaders�(high-lighting
mine), who have festooned themselves on Ndigbo. Because many of those who have
profited from the anarchy in the zone are not going to leave quietly, and this
may really lead to violent political struggle. Is Aka Ikenga, ready for this?
Does it have the stomach to push the dice to its logical conclusion?
Preachments and high ideas have obvious limits. Political changes do not come
easily to those who are squeamish. How Aka Ikenga tackles these challenges will
determine its relevance in the scheme of things�.
The point is: How committed are Ndi Igbo in forging a
political future for themselves? Was it not one of the men, who is regarded as a
leader and pillar among Ndi Igbo who, immediately after the Nigeria versus Biafra War, on joining the
National of Nigeria Party (NPN) gave his reason for doing that. He said that, like
the dog, he would rather follow a well-fed man because he would either vomit or
defecate, either of which would serve his purpose very well? When would Ndi
Igbo give up this kind of mentality of following the Hausa/Fulani man for the
material wealth they could collect from them, and try not only to do politics
on ideals, but also try to plant their own feet on their own ground? Is it also
not said that a fool at fourty would be a fool forever? Is the Nation of Ndi
Igbo not yet forty and of the age of wisdom?����
The reporting continues: From the lead paper presenter
Prof. Barth Nnaji, came a wide ranging submission on the state of the Igbo Nation,
and the strategy to get the (Igbo) race out of the morass it has fallen into.
Of importance, however, is his contribution on reviving education, Nnaji said:
We need to set a higher standard for students at all levels in our region.
Primary school graduates should be able to read, write, add, subtract, and
speak grammatically correct English and Igbo where possible. The high school
graduates should be capable of algebra, trigonometry, essay writing, poems and
typing�.
There was even talk about how to harness various resources
of the zone, Paul Odili continued. It was suggested that the home video
industry in Onitsha has over the years shown tremendous
growth and should be supported with financial and logistic support. Imo State was presented as having the best
corridor for oil and gas exploration that can help boost energy supply for the
zone. The Anioma area was adjudged suitable for the information and
communication technology centre, a Nigerian type silicon valley.
They should have good working knowledge of general
science. University graduates should be a developing economic sub-group of Nigeria. What is stopping us from
adopting UNN, UNIZIK and FUTO or others as Centers of Excellence for the
production of first class doctors, engineers, and business graduates. What does
it take for a few of our people to band together to adopt a particular faculty,
or even a department to transform it into first class programme.
�
Our finding, says Ekwe Nche Organization, is that
leadership has been a major problem for Ndiigbo since the end of the war. Igbo
society rose to its modern glory before and during the war largely because of
extremely efficient, dedicated, visional, selfless, and inspiring leadership at
all levels of Igbo Society. From the Umunna through Village Assemblies, Town
Unions, to Cultural Organizations like the Igbo State Union, Divisional
Associations and Improvement Unions, Igbo leadership was stellar. Leaders were
chosen elected by their own people. They did the business of the people. They
raised funds, built roads, bridges, hospitals, health centers, schools and
colleges. They awarded scholarships to brilliant students and sent them out to
distant lands to be educated. They organized cooperative ventures and provided
capital for young traders and businessmen to start new enterprises and
businesses. Most importantly, they accounted regularly to the people who
elected them and if their stewardship was found wanting at any time, they were
removed and replaced with more efficient and effective leaders. That was how
Ndiigbo took off on a high note of success. Where is all that today? The
Nigerian conquerors have totally destroyed this structure and replaced it with
thrash.
Today men and women who have no credibility in their own
villages and towns, who can not win an election in their own Umunna, village,
town or women organizations, parade themselves in Lagos and Abuja as Igbo Leaders. They do so
because they have donated large sums of money to political parties or because
they have been hobnobbing with some of the Northern and Western creeps who have
kept us in bondage. They leap over the stringent hurdles the Igbo have put in
place for choosing their leaders. (Ekwe Nche)
Who
is in Need of Healing of Sore Spots and Reconciliation?
There are sections and groups and individuals that need to
be healed and reconciled. It would be na�ve to think that it should be enough
to stop just at where the Government does. For instance, in chieftaincy
tussles, the Governments begins and stops at just recognizing one contender and
believing that the other would easily down weapons, embrace and accept the
proclaimed winner willingly. The smoothening of this rough edge should be the
greatest challenge facing the Aka Ikenga Ndi Igbo Organization in its bid at
reconciliations among themselves and with the other peoples. To my mind, there
should be a three-pronged attack so as to reach those who have grouses against
one another. There should be an arrangement to meet with:
persons who have grouses against each other;
groups of people who have grouses against the other;
sections of the people who have grouses against the other.
sections of the people who have grouses against Military Administrations.
Women and the Girl-child (Wives and Daughters and Widows)
of Igbo land;
To serve these purposes, there should be some Peace or
Reconciliation Committees, which would delve into these areas and make
recommendations for healing and reconciliation. One of the ways should be for the
so-called winners declared by Government to reach out for the losers. Americans
do this very well. They start with the loser in an election, as soon as the result
of the election becomes clear, to publicly concede the victory to his opponent.
He must also be present at the swearing in of his opponent. But not in the way
the Babangida Military Administration did it. They did it by changing the
guards without as much as informing the persons holding the offices, even if at
the very last minute. The Ministers or Officers being changed were left to find
out only while attending the occasion of the swearing in of their successor
in-office, in their normal line of duties. This method and kind of tactics is
callous, wicked, sadistic, and devoid of compassion and patriotism.�����
These are some of the major reasons why Military men,
Retired Military men and the Step-Asiders should steer clear of Nigerian Politics,
Elections and Governance. This is because they neither make good administrators
nor good transitional ones to civilian rule. By their actions, they confirm the
reality that: Once a Military man always a Military man! Changing from the
Military Uniform into Civilian Clothes does not make them civilians any more than
the Hood makes the Monk. Their disposition, training, orientation and
performances have become military, forceful and dictatorial in nature and content,
which cannot wear off by the mere change of clothes and claim of civility.
These grades of people should leave Nigerian Politics
alone for Political and Social Scientists who have the disposition, training and
orientation for it. �Professionals should
go back to their professions and uplift Nigeria and Ndi Igbo by their
performances there. The people who enlisted in the Army did not choose the profession
where they could learn to govern, and they have not been trained to do so.
Their up-start intrusion into Nigerian politics and governance, so far, is
enough! Their performance has disorganized Nigeria beyond comprehension and has
given her a very bad name and image beyond description in the committee of
nations. Enough is Enough! Retired Military men and the Step-Asiders should go
and form Military Auxiliaries to give expert support to the Military for the
defense of Nigeria and the various Nations of Nigeria,
including Ndi Igbo, when called upon to do so.
Above all, the Military should stop interfering in the
governance of Nigeria by way of their Coups D�etat �
bloody or not, palace or public. They should limit themselves to doing well
what they are trained to do, and that is only to stand up and defend the safety,
integrity and sovereignty of their country, as is the case all over the
civilized world. Thereafter, the Military should retire to the Barracks and
stay put. The Retired Military men and women should likewise retire to their
own homes and enjoy their leisure. They could globe-trot and see the world and
also tour Nigeria to appreciate the depreciation
and degradation of the place and the dereliction of the people. In addition,
those of them who have starched away their wealth overseas should bring them
home to help rectify the economy of the country and the well-being of its
citizenry, which their mal-administrations contributed largely to wreck upon
them. They should also engage in some charitable work, by floating Foundations whereby
they could spend some of their acquired money and wealth on the people to help assuage
their poverty and misery. In other words, let them try their hands at the healing
of some of the sore spots of the people and reconciliation with them.�
Women and the Girl-child and Widows, that is Wives and
Daughters and Widows, need particular attention in order to right the wrongs
that have been done to them throughout the ages in Igbo Omenana. They have been hurt: mentally, spiritually and
psychologically by placing greater emphasis on the boy-child; disregard of them
as God�s creation also in God�s image; by female genital circumcision,
cutting� and mutilation; by the
imposition of the Descent-based Osu and Oru Caste System and the Stigma on
them; by childhood marriage and the denial of their childhoods and gradual
growing up and maturity; by childbirth at underage and on top of genital
mutilation; by mental, psychological and physical violence; by disinheritance
as wives, daughters and widows either at their paternal homes or at their
matrimonial homes; by condemnation to illiteracy and abject poverty; etc. Only
the putting to a stop of these practices will begin to heal the sore spots, to bring
the much needed reconciliation and the bridging of the gaps.
Propensity For Self-Hate,
Self-Destruction And Intra-Group Discord
Ndi Igbo know how to self-hate, self-destroy and sow
discord among themselves. See what happened during the Pogrom (they wept and
mourned together), the On Aburi We Stand Crisis period (they pulled together
and demanded confederation), and during the Nigeria versus Biafra War( they fought
and suffered together, but the hunt for saboteurs nearly destroyed the
struggle), and after the War (petitions to Nigeria against people astounded Nigerian
authorities). But if Ndi Igbo decide to stick together and to pull together,
the situation changes dramatically. That is when Ndi Igbo would come out enmass
and announce in unison:���
Charity begins at home: an�esi n�uno adili mma we
puva ezi!
Let us face the battle of the outer chambers first before
the one of the kitchen hearth:
Ka anugodi ogu obi
tupu anuva nke mkpuke!
If fish is snatched from one riverine person, it means
snatching from all the riverine people: Anali
ofu onye Olu azu, imali na obu Olu nine ka anali azu!
There are brothers and sisters in a foreign land: Nwanne di na mba!
Unity is strength: Igwe bu ike!� Mmadu
ka eji aba-a! Mmadu ka eji aka!
United we stand, divided we fall: Ka anyi di ka ukwu aziza evio-kolu onu!
Let our Yes be Yes! And our No be No!: Ka okwu onu anyi bulu ovu � ka E anyi bulu
E, ka E-E anyi bulu E-E!; Ka nkata anyi kpali d�erina mmili!(May the basket
we have woven not be porous); Nzogbu,
Nzogbu, enyi mba, enyi! Beat them, crush and sack them, mighty people:!!
The Igbo society is really a plural one comprising various
sub-groups between whom there is little common identity beyond that based on a
common language and broad cultural patterns, says Prof. Nwabueze quoting
Elizabeth Isichei. There is, for example, the division between the riverine
Igbos and the upland Igbos (Olu and Igbo) and, in Anambra State, between Anambra North and
Anambra South. The sub-groups are marked apart from each other by differences
of dialect, customs, political organization, occupation and outlook. The
division between the riverine and upland Igbos is that between slave-dealing,
kingdom associated peoples and slave-providing, kingship lacking populations.
The Olu, with their well-watered farms and protein rich diet, writes Elizabeth
Isichei, despised the Igbo for their food and water shortages, and their role
as slave suppliers.� The people of Owerri
felt superior, as warriors, to the neighbouring Isu, who were Traders. The
smiths of Agulu-Umana looked down on the neighbouring Oheke who did not share
their skills. The people of Arochukwu called themselves the children of God. Even
within the sub-group, the sense of attachment grew weaker as the unit grew
larger the family, the lineage, the village, the village group, the clan and so
on.
�The relations between the members of a village or
village-group, and between one village-group or clan and another are marked by
social discord. They are always disputing over one issue or the other land,
water, ceremonial rites, traditional offices and titles, etc. None is prepared
to accept the leadership or authority of the other. Everyone is king unto
himself. The quarrels are embittered by the poverty of the traditional Igbo
society.
The Igbos thus come to the politics of modern Nigeria with some inbred propensity for
intra-group quarrelsomeness. Within the group, unless you are able to get them
all in one political party, partisan politics of the modern Nigerian state is,
in the tradition of that of the traditional community, approached in the spirit
of a feud, which is fought with vehemence, with no quarters given on either
side.
And so we find, he continues, as l think everybody
acknowledges, that the political feud of the Second Republic was more vehement and bitter in
Imo and Anambra than in any other State. Igbos in different political camps
were at each others throats, with frequent clashes between their organized
armed gangs which left in their trail considerable casualties in human lives
and property. There was in particular the sad case of the Igbo Governor of
Anambra State locked in hateful political feud with the Igbo Vice-President of
the country, also from the same state. And when the Second Republic was eventually overthrown by the
military, every Igbo turned informer against his brother, writing endless
petitions to the authorities.
As Onye Igbo would ask whether he was your slave in his
strong-headedness, the same spirit of revolt extended to those who are slaves
to their owners who, after the illegalization of slavery, tried to accommodate
them. Prof. Nwabueze continued: The Igbo propensity for intra-group discord has
been further aggravated by the modern government in two other respects. At the
time of the advent of the modern government in Igboland, slaves and their
descendants formed a large element of the societies of most Igbo communities.
The assimilation proceeded upon a social fiction where-by slaves and their
descendants were regarded as having originated from the same ancestral stock as
the free-borns, so that terms implying kinship, such as brother and sister,
were used between them and the free-borns. But the disabilities remained in
actual social life. There was thus in the system the seed of social discord
which eventually germinated and grew under the stimulus of certain measures of
the modern government implementing its democratic ethos of freedom and
equality.
Feuds
in Igbo Land: Chieftaincy and All
Then come all types of feuds, especially of land ownership
and chieftaincy.
Professor Nwabueze continues:
Feuds over chieftainships instituted by the modern
governments are yet another factor that has exacerbated social discord in
Igboland. The modern governments conception of authority as something
requiring, subject to checks and balances, to be more or less concentrated in a
single person, as opposed to the diffused or massed character it assumed in
Igbo traditional society, led the British colonial government in Nigeria to
appoint so-called warrant chiefs to assist the colonial district officer in
superintending the affairs of the village communities of Igboland. Those so
appointed were, for the most part, upstarts, people smart or bold enough to
come forward to meet the white colonial district officer. They quickly
established a regime of incredible corruption, rapacity and oppression, which
created widespread resentment among the people, culminating in the famed
Women�s Riot of 1929, which at last forced the colonial government to abolish
the system, and to recognize in its place the traditional system of
administration by family, lineage and village heads and other elders.
The conflict of authority created by the warrant chief
system between the government-appointed chiefs and the traditional authorities
was rekindled in 1950 when the government of Eastern Nigeria established a new system of local
government based on elected councils empowered by law to conduct the affairs of
local government in the various local communities. Since the people still
identified the source of legitimate authority in the lineage, village and clan
heads, the new elected councils found themselves more or less obstructed in
asserting their statutory authority against that of the traditional
authorities. In the ensuing conflict, not much development could take place.
Instead, the councilors devoted themselves to corrupt enrichment just like the
warrant chiefs before them. The conciliar system had again to be abandoned, and
was replaced with a system of direct administration by the state government
through its own civil servants, the so-called system of deve1opment
administration, which in turn was abolished under the Local Government Reforms
of 1976.
Chieftainship continued to be a thorn in the flesh of the
government of Eastern
Nigeria
which eventually yielded to pressure for conformance with the practice in the
two other Regions of the Federation. Following the report of an inquiry on the
position, status and influence of chiefs and natural rulers in the Eastern
Region, a law was passed in 1959 empowering the government to grant recognition
as a chief to persons selected in a manner prescribed by the law. Chiefs so
recognized were classified as either first or second chiefs. The 1959 laws have
since been replaced by new ones.
Thus was unleashed on Igboland the struggle for
recognition as a chief. Rival contenders or rather pretenders to chieftainships
which either never existed before or originated in the discredited warrant
chief system, or which have been in abeyance for more than half a century
mushroomed overnight, splitting the communities into feuding factions. Few, if
any, communities in Igboland have been spared the embittering social discord of
chieftaincy feuds. And even after the contest was supposed to have been
resolved by the government recognition of one of the contenders, the losing
factions have remained unreconciled, so that the feuds have continued almost
unabated. As Ediboss Okolonji of Onitsha put it: They are bread-bakers and
sellers at Otu Onicha during the week, and monarchs at the weekends, celebrating
their Ofala with the remainder of their products.
Prof. Nwabueze quotes Chinua Achebe�s remarks on the
present situation regarding chieftainship in Igboland seem to me most apt and
worthy of our attention:
The
bankrupt state of Igbo leadership, he says, is best illustrated in the alacrity
with which they have jettisoned their traditional republicanism in favour of
mushroom kingships. From having no kings in their recent past the Igbo swung
round to set an all-time record of four hundred kings in Imo and four hundred
in Anambra! And most of them are traders in their stalls by day and monarchs at
night; city dwellers five days a week and traditional village rulers on
Saturdays and Sundays! They adopt traditional robes from every land, including,
I am told, the ceremonial regalia of the Lord Mayor of London!�
�As reported in the Champion Newspaper: But Prof. Pat Utomi
who spoke on the theme "Leadership and Rejuvenation," stressed that
Ndigbo must be focused as a people with vision and value for their existence.
Prof. Utomi challenged the people to reflect on the values from the public view
about them and embrace sense of humility and service. He urged them to eschew
the philosophy of "me "myself" and "I", (ego) which,
he said had led the group to the erroneous concept that the end justifies the
means.
He
described education as a global issue, which stared the people in the face and
which must be tackled by governors of the south east and south south zones.
"We must learn how to bury the ego as a critical step in the realisation
of the unity of Ndigbo," he stated. Senate President Chief Adolphus Wabara
toed the same path of honesty, love and patriotism as a basic step to be taken
by Ndigbo. He also cautioned against divisiveness in matters affecting them.
Chief Wabara noted that excessive quest for power and lack of respect for
traditional institutions were the major bane of the people. These he said had
led to what affect the reputation of the people and denigrate the Ndigbo
traditional institutions. He also challenged Ndigbo to ponder over why
Northerners and South West traditional rulers wield much respect and honour
than their counterparts in the South east
Prof. Nwabueze went on in his Ahiajoku Lecture 1985: Chieftainship
continued to be a thorn in the flesh of the government of Eastern Nigeria, which eventually yielded to
pressure for conformance with the practice in the two other Regions of the
Federation. Following the report of an inquiry on the position, status and
influence of chiefs and natural rulers in the Eastern Region, a law was passed
in 1959 empowering the government to grant recognition as a chief to persons
selected in a manner prescribed by the law. Chiefs so recognized were
classified as either first or second chiefs. The 1959 laws have since been
replaced by new ones.
The politics of modern Nigeria had produced a pan-Igbo
organization - the Igbo State Union. In the heady days of nascent ethnic
nationalism, the birth of the Igbo State Union was a logical development. It
had its counterpart in the Yoruba State Union (there were also other pan-
Yoruba organizations like Egbe Omo Oduduwa and Egbe Omo Yoruba), Ibibio State
Union, Idoma Tribal Union, Igbirra Tribal Union, Ijaw Progressive Union and
Bornu State Union. All of these have, lamentably, suffered demise in 1966 along
with the First Nigerian Republic. A decree of the Federal Military
Government (FMG) in 1966 has dissolved and proscribed them specifically by
name. Altogether twenty-six named tribal or cultural unions were so dissolved
and proscribed.
����
He goes on to say that:
A new pan-Igbo organization, by the name of Ohaneze,
formed after the 1979 restoration, was high-jacked by the politicians of the Second Republic, and thereby prevented from
serving as a pan-Igbo platform. It too is now also proscribed by a 1984 Decree
of the Federal Military Government which, without specifically mentioning
particular tribal or cultural associations by name, as did the 1966 Decree,
dissolves all movements and organizations (howsoever known or designated)
established for the creation of more states or local governments in Nigeria or
for boundary adjustments or otherwise meant to promote ethnic differences or
likely to destroy or disrupt the unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The method of the 1984 Decree is rather insidious. Whereas
the 1966 Decree left no doubt as to the identity of the associations affected,
under the 1984 Decree dissolution hangs over practically every tribal or
cultural association, of which it could be said by any one, however
ill-motivated, that it is meant to promote ethnic differences or likely to
destroy or disrupt the unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. With the risk
of imprisonment for not less than five years, a tribal or cultural association
can continue to function only at its peril�.
Healing Personal Sore
Spots and Reconciliations
There are two outstanding cases for personal healing of
sore spots and reconciliations that, to my mind, should be attended to by the
Aka Ikenga Ndi Igbo na Oha Na Eze Ndi Igbo. These are:
i.�
Alex Ekwueme and Jim Nwobodo; and
ii. Chris Ngige and Chris Uba (Two
Baptismal Christian-Names-sake. (What a shame they are at daggers-drawn and at
each other�s throat!)���� �
The story of Alex Ekwueme and Jim Nwobodo is an old one
That was when both of them belonged to different Political Parties: Alex
Ekwueme, belonged to the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the Vice President
of the Federal Government of Nigeria; and Jim Nwobodo was a member of the
Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), and the Governor of the Old Anambra State. They
disagreed and fought over who would control the project of the construction of
a Federal Road in Anambra State. Spheres of authority and
responsibility in Government are usually demarcated then as it is now, which are
usually followed. Since the Road in question was a Federal Road, the Federal Government, in which
Alex Ekwueme was part of should have been left by Jim Nwobodo to do the job.
After all, the Federation is make up of the States, and every Federal Road runs through one State or the
other. If every State claims control of the Federal Road that runs through its territory,
then the Federal Government would have no locus standi in Roads in the States.
Besides, what each of the two gentlemen wanted and wished
to do was very noble: to use Federal Government resources to develop the Road
in Igbo land for the use of Ndi Igbo and other Road-users. There was no need
for a fight. Rather, what was indicated was the spirit of brotherliness and
co-operation. But youthful exuberance and the wish to be the one that performed
the task, so as to take the credit took the upper-hand. However, probably, the anger
is still seething inside them over the years, and polluting the mind for
vengeance and feuding; or perhaps, the ember-stubs of their annoyances have
burned themselves out and extinguished. If unfortunately, the angers have continued
to seethe inside both of them, between them, and among their supporters, it
follows that there would be evidences of it between Anambra and Enugu States, camouflaged under secret agenda and
wrecking havoc.
Nevertheless, �now that
both of them belong to the same Political Party, the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), it is expected that they are more likely to share the same ideals and the
need for co-operation. However, I do not believe in letting the sleeping dog
lie undisturbed, because it may be lying there for being hungry and angry. If
the sleeping dog is actually left to lie undisturbed, when it wakes up, it
might wake up thoroughly hungry, mad and rabid with uncontrollable venom.
Therefore, I believe in awakening the sleeping dog with �proper nourishing food and a good drink of
water and left, probably, to sleep again. This time around, it would be in the
hope that he would wake up a properly fed, rested and sober dog. On the other
hand, if two dogs are seen fighting, the best bet is to separate them by giving
them proper food and a good drink of water. After the feeding, invariably, the
two dogs in turn would give a good dog howling or barking of satisfaction and
walk away.� �
In the case of Chris Uba and Chris
Ngige, both of them must be told to lay down their weapons, unconditionally,
and be seen to do so. Chris Uba should give a public undertaking to Ndi Igbo
that Chris Ngige should return to Anambra State in peace and quiet and safety. I
am sure that what both of them are doing and by going to the Okija Deities
Shrines is thoroughly embarrassing to their families. �Their activities and tactics must constitute a
face-off with their families and friends by accosting their Christian
credibility. The are also an embarrassment of un- told proportions to Ndi Igbo
and the Nation of Ndi Igbo, world-wide. What ever Chris Ngige might be guilty
of does not warrant the kind of hunt Chris Uba mounts for him and the
destruction of his official residence and of Anambra State in its trail. This is the kind of
action that Ndi Igbo equate to: Iji maka
iwe oke we sue uno oku; that is: Setting a house on fire for an annoyance
caused by a rat!�
Besides, whoever that is in authority that is giving Chris
Uba the support and covering- fire should stop it. Ndi Igbo also have an adage
which says that: Onye Nna ya zili ori
n�eji okpa agbawa mgbo; that is that: He who was sent to burgle a house by
his father breaks in by giving a forceful kick to the door! It is also said
that: Ive n�akulu nwa nza egwu o�nagba
n�ogkpolo uzo no n�ime ovia; that is that the music to which the sparrow is
dancing on the road is coming from the bush. One can conjecture that the
authoritative supporters of Chris Uba are camouflaged somewhere. Probably, they
are the people who do not want the newly created Anambra State to survive and thrive.
The New Anambra State
The new Anambra State started on a very clean and
dismal slate � without any kind of infrastructure or base. She was just shown
an empty expanse of land known as Agu
Awka, the Farmland of Awka. Probably, the people who are aiding and
abetting the destruction of the new State are not happy that, with the
well-known ingenuity and spirit to rally round at a crisis, Ndi Igbo are making
something out of the nothingness.� Now,
whatever that has been set up or achieved, since the ten years of its
existence, has been razed to the ground and turned into ashes in a matter of
minutes in arson. The time, life, effort and spirit put into building the place
up, as well as records and history destroyed and obliterated. This action has set
the hand of progress backwards for only-God- knows-how far back.
The disappointment is that the Federal Authorities have
not said or done anything appreciable about it. I will say this. As it is the
case in civilized world, and as I have come to learn, the person at the head
takes all the credit for all that have gone well, as well as all the responsibility
for what has not gone well, during their watch. Therefore, it is the
inescapable responsibility of the Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the
Nigerian Armed Forces to take all and full responsibility for what has happened
to Anambra State.
It is his direct responsibility to call Chris Uba to order
and to control his excesses. It is also his undeniable duty to effect personal
healing for Chris Ngige and Chris Uba and to bring about healing of the sore
spots and reconciliation between them. After all, the Head of State confesses
to being a Born-Again Christian! No where else in the world are elections and
elected officers and legally constituted authorities and their officers handled
or treated the way they have been in the new Anambra State. The Head of State should bow his
head in shame and not stump about looking at people in the eyes. If Chris Uba
is interested in holding elected political authority and power, he should go
about it in the proper and acceptable way. He should stop being a power-broker
or a king-maker. There is no such thing in the civilized world. If ever there
were such a thing, such people lay low, stand by the sides and take whatever
they get without constituting themselves into a nuisance to the people and the
Government.
Humility is an attribute of power. Brute, untamed and
unbridled force is for primitive, uncivilized peoples whose actions defy any
kind of good upbringing and education for today�s life in a civilized world. It
is also a responsibility resting squarely on the Head of State to rebuild
Anambra State and re-assemble its scattered Government in peace and quiet and
harmony. There is no need or use in this kind of hide and seek, that is in the
game of setting up Anambra State with the right hand and taking it away or
destroying it, stealthily, with the left hand, by planting and encouraging
feuding and criminal destruction. This can be seen as part of the ruse for
punishing the people and Government of the Igbo heartland and the home of Emeka
Ojukwu. If that is the plan, why does Chris Uba not see through it and desist
from being part of it? Why should he allow himself to be used as the tool for
destroying his people and their State? What a crying out shame!
Also this reaching out by Aka Ikenga Ndi Igbo and the Oha Na Eze Ndi Igbo should extend to
the sections of Igbo land that have been excised from Igbo land by way of the
creation of new States. The creation of new States has not changed the
chemistry of the biological blood and the ethnic cultural relationships of Ndi
Igbo. Such people will belong to their States for now, but their ethnic
cultural relationships and ties should be sought for and maintained for, as Ndi
Igbo put it and believe: Obala nwanne
n�esi isi!; the blood of a relation has an aroma! A blood relation can be shown, that means that he or she can be
introduced as a relation, but not so a friend � Ana eziko nwanne eziko, ma na an�ezikoro oyi eziko! This means that
your relations are known but one has to pick and chiise his or her friends.
Therefore, the members of the Nation of Ndi Igbo should be reached wherever
they are while extending the right hand of fellowship to the neighbours for
good-neighbourliness. This extension of the right hand of fellowship to the
other ethnic groups would also be for healing and reconciliation and for mutual
and peaceful co-existence.
The new relationships and reconciliation should include
the acceptance by Ndi Igbo to be law abiding. This is because all the laws
passed by the Eastern Nigerian Government, at least since 1956, to streamline
and control some of the traditional unsavory practices of Ndi Igbo, are not
being adhered to. These Laws are, namely: the Law for Bride Price; the Law
Prohibiting Child Marriage and Setting the Marriageable Age; the Abrogation of Osu
and Oru Caste System and the Stigma. Now there is also the Federal Law
Prohibiting Female Genital Circumcision; Law Against Human Trafficking; Law
Prohibiting Disinheritance of Women. Other such laws, which should follow and
which have already been enacted in some States of Igbo land are: the
prohibition of Punitive Widowhood Practices; the Prohibition of Violence Against
Women; etc. To the traditionalist Igbo, the thought of passing these Laws would
sound like a very distant drum and act like water poured on a rock or on the
back of a duck, which does not sink in at all. The ideas of such laws may not
sink in until the Apex Organizations take them up and make them go down to the
roots by way of their interactions with Ndi Igwe and Ndi Igwe in-Council, Town
Unions, Development Organizations, Community and Village Organizations Of Men
and Women, Age Groups, and through the Umunna, Umuokpu or Umuada and Inyom Di
Organizations. It is then and then only that Ndi Igbo will begin to feel and to
know that the laws and the order are coming from the right source and
authority.
To Popularize Igbo
History
At the Retreat: Onwuejiogwu, was to make further
intervention when he debunked the notion that the Igbos never had kings, or the
syndrome of Igbo enwe eze, which Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, corrected as Igbo
amaru eze, which means Igbos do not recognise their kings. According to
Onwuejiogwu, it is untrue that the Igbos never had kings, because from
available anthropological records, the Eze Nri had existed since AD 60. He
pointed out that Prof. Kennth Dike, had set up the Institute of African Studies
and part of the mandate of the institution was to look into Igbo history, and
had from anthropological investigations found that there was indeed, kings in
Igbo. Prof. Onwuejiogwu, explained that there were about 300 Igbo communities
and that 1/3 of these communities had kings, which the British ignored, to set
up the warrant chief system. He was puzzled that even though these findings and
so many others were available in documentary forms, Igbos behave as if they
have no history. His submission prompted calls that greater effort should be
devoted to popularize Igbo history�.
It is agreed that the efforts should be not only for Igbo
history, but also to recapture their lead in formal education. This will
strengthen the ability to read and encourage the need for general reading,
which Ndi Igbo do not have now. Reading should not be only for schools,
students and teachers or limited only to the reading of newspapers which most
people, especially women, do not read�.
It is a very plausible idea to dig out and popularize Igbo
History. That is why the work being done by the Institute of African Studies
and the Ahajoku Lecture Series is very far-reaching. It is all the more so
because Ndi Igbo have a saying that: Onye
n�amaro ebe mili di mava ya, adi ama ebe ono we cheko aru (He who does not
know where the rain started beating him, does not know where he dried himself
of the wetness).
The Kind of Leader
Ndi Igbo Want or Need to Search For
For a leader or ruler, Ndi Igbo would want a literate, knowledgeable,
compassionate, extrovert and cultured person. The person should be an intellectual.
He has to be a political, social and out-going person of a character that is
understanding and accommodating. It is needless including �SHE� as a woman
cannot tell an Igbo man what to do, let alone lead Ndi Igbo. Yet there are tens
of Igbo women who are qualified for the role and who can fit in creditably. But
it would even be anathema to conceive such a thought.� Even for Nigeria, I honestly think that men should
give a chance to a woman to try a new hand and direction for the country. Men
have misdirected and disorganized it enough. Other countries that tried women
Chief Executives � Israel, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Argentina, etc � are much better off for
it.
The leader has to be humble, modest, approachable and
ready to serve. He or she has to be a tough, but not rough, character who loves
peace, justice and equity. He or she has to be industrious and hard-working. He
or she does not have to be rich or the richest or the poorest. But he or she
has to be a transparently honest person and non-corrupt. He or she should neither
be tight-feasted nor a spend-thrift. But he or she has to be compassionate,
empathetic and generous. If a man, he should be the husband of one wife who
loves his wife and children and family life. He should not be immoral. And if a
woman, she should the wife of a man, a good wife and mother. If a widow, she
should live with dignity.
He or she has to be a person who has respect for societal
ideals and principles of respect for age and seniority of man and woman. He or
she must have deep respect for constituted authority � local or remote. He or
she must be somebody who respects the rule of law and stands by it. He or she must
be a lover of Ndi Igbo and the nation of Ndi Igbo. He must be a defender of the
truth and the rights and security of Ndi Igbo, but does not hate the other
ethnic groups. He or she should be aggressive but not obstructive. He or she should
have deep respect for women and children and see to it that they are accorded
their fundamental human rights. He or she should love people and like to be
among people and to interact with them in a clean and healthy way. He or she should
be a godly and religious person who knows and worships God in spirit and in
truth. He or she should not be a Shrine Deity worshipper or of Juju, mystical and
magical orientation. If he or she is in politics, he or she must do clean
politics without bitterness or acrimony! In other words, he or she should be an
Angel of God!���
All
Rights Reserved.������������
Cite as: Oyibo Odinamadu on the Newspaper report of Aka
Ikenga-Ohaneze Asaba Retreat 2004 Part Four.