Governance - Nigeria

Igbo Antipathy Cannot Go On Forever: Nigeria - Bye-bye!

Nigeria’s anything goes breeds corruption. That notwithstanding, its uncontrolled population growth in a country where the rule of law barely exists, exacerbates the mix into a cocktail of undiluted palm wine gin derivative and cocaine. That mixture is bound to produce only one result – pandemonium. It is not that they do not know or like what is good - they know and like it very much anywhere but not in their own country. See how Nigerians in the diaspora are contributing to nation-building in their respective domicile in - politics, science, commerce, education, technology at the highest level and you might just come to the same conclusion as eluded in the aforementioned. This attribution is to all Nigerians - Yoruba, Edo, Igbo and Hausa-Fulani. With all that has been mentioned above, one is not surprise when tribal and regional hatred raises it head again and again. Do Fulani Herds’ men threaten or kill Fulani? Has Yoruba treated Edo as non-indigenes and asked them out of Lagos? Has Hausa despite all intimidation over it asked the Fulani for boundary settlement? No, but all have ceaselessly discriminated, threatened, and treated Igbo as non-indigenes in their respective localities. And the pre-dominant threat is asking them to leave or face the consequences – and you do not need to be a sociologist or anthropologist to know what that means. Nigeria is in its darkest age. There are some similarities with the current state of things akin to what those of us born in the 1950’s saw just before the civil war breakout.

People generally study and reflect on their national situations and circumstances all over the world such that grievances and other obstacles hindering progress can be addressed in an atmosphere that brings the collective under one roof so to speak to ascertain solutions. Nigerians highly educated are very much lacking in this sphere when their own nation is literally falling apart (Chinua Achebe we need you). Comparatively, Nigeria has a highly educated population with respect to other African countries. One is then forced to ask this question - how is education measured in Nigeria? Has the “Yard Stick” or measuring standard been calibrated and if so by what measures? Can we look back bearing in mind the corrosiveness of tribal and regional hatred of the educational attainments based on tribal basis? It has not worked out well in their togetherness in Nigeria. Quarrelsome marriage drives away God’s spirit that engenders constructive growth. Nigeria has had enough bickering, antagonistic and inimical national evolution that did not support its growth. It will amount to regret to continue.

There is a constant stream of highly educated Nigerians moving to America, Canada, Europe and Russia for advertised projects (work/scholarship) for immigrants. Is the current situation in Nigeria sustaining or draining off its educated human resources? Is what is left as a consequence, able to manage the country? Will greed of want and corruption ever shift in Nigeria to open way for true self-rule? With 200m people, without infrastructures, amenities, factories and industries to move and tame the people, how far will subsistence farming, herding and petty trading go? If a man or a nation knows precisely what to do to you or what epithet he can hurl against you to make you lose your temper or balance, he can always keep you under subjection. This is exactly what Nigeria has done to its Igbo, Yoruba; Hausa… peoples. When peoples are not on the same footing, the temptation of inequality rages that the stronger seeks advantage to subdue the weak.

This was the parity of the Romans until it collapsed in AD410. Thus, meaning that no condition is permanent. Nigeria is to motivate its citizens after independence to do what the erstwhile colonialists did not or what warranted the Independence. Who could believe what the so-called Nigerians have done and experienced since 1960? Has the aim of independence being achieved or about to be achieved with no better vision? It is still geographical and religious politics of 1959 instead of national politics; which is about production and trade; their relativism with law, custom, government (civil) process of distribution of co-existence, distribution of resources. It is still the facades of Benin Empire, Oyo Empire and Bornu-Kanem empires overshadowing. Your protection is to be guaranteed by the nation and respected by the minions of the nation. Can this happen without genuine rule of law? The Rule of law in a disunited nation is inherently fragmented by definition – disorder. Lack of national program/scheme set every able but idle people to matriculate in erection, ejaculation and conception, which have swelled the country’s population to an unprecedented and unmanageable level as observed by the UN. How can a nation cope with these worms? Nigeria failed to put control mechanisms to tame Nigerians because the governments had no good visions for developing the people and the nation. Many Nigerians live outside Nigeria and we all know why. This façade easily fades to show that Nigeria is not one in being, in might and in destiny. With what or which mirror does Nigeria see itself?

Any corrupt environment tempts people’s use of aggression to deceive and destroy its goodwill for co-existence. Antagonism, antipathy and mistrust have destroyed Nigeria. Look over your shoulders. The Northern Presidential Leader knows the Northern elites but does not know the Western or Eastern elites to trust; he uses his known associates to connect the people in his area. The West did similarly; it was only the East (Goodluck Jonathan) that spread government appointments. As a people or nation, it is not money but freedom and willingness to live in co-existence. This has been at the endearing hub of evolution - to be free to express self without annoying anyone but it has not happened in Nigeria. The positions of disturbed people of Korea by Japan and of the Jews by Greco-Romans; are cases in point. That position has analogously metamorphosed to face different peoples at different times. Anyone who allows his destiny, his quality of inner life to be determined by another has given into that another the key to hold his future. The emphasis is on the crudity of Nigeria refusing to grow properly. That the uninformed or ill-informed Britain made them (Hausa-Fulani (North), Yoruba/Edo (West) and Igbo and its brethren) one is a thing of the past. If 59 (1960-2019) years was not enough to untie, harmonize and retie the wrapper, no time will be enough because innate traits, upbringings and mentalities are hard things to change. Nigeria is now more naked than it was in 1960. With exploding population, no central government can handle the vagrant populations.

Thirty-four (34) new nations have been created in Europe since 1990 of the break-ups of USSR and Yugoslavia. They participate in the World Cup and European agendas. There is no hope for Nigeria and holding on is delaying solution. As the developments in Europe, people are better friends apart than internal enemies. The UK devolved power to its regions since 1997, which Nigeria saw and refused. What has Nigeria proved so common among the Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Edo and Yoruba to stay on as one? What transpires more in Nigeria’s disunity is that the Benin Empire, Oyo Empire and Bornu-Kanem Empire are very much alive and their ploys blindfold and hold Nigeria back. The Igbo custom dated back to 874th year of man on earth, forbids acts that put fear on the people. The Igbos have tolerated enough from that British mistake of merging irreconcilable mentalities and Nigeria’s incompetence. Time-up, they cannot rule themselves and have not been ruled well by others. As disappointed as Igbos, they face the test of self-rule. Rejected by everyone (West and North), there is no more hanging about in the air of molestation, abuse and intolerance.

Enough is enough for Nigerians to discriminate against Igbo. We all read the same law and interpretation should not differ. A nation binds its citizens like joint-tenants in which a mention of a part prejudicially works against that unity. Unfortunately, it was the honey bee that is disliked by the drones. The Igbos go anywhere, without state support work to establish themselves. When the Yorubas (Kosoko and Akintoye) squabbled and betrayed trust in 1845, it was the Igbos that fought their war (WAFF) at Iddo quartered at Onyeigbo altered later to Oyigbo. They thereafter labored to develop Lagos. Now, they are unwanted in Lagos. The Igbos were used to construct railways from Lagos to Kaduna and Port Harcourt to Kano and further developed the North, but have since been unwanted in the North. The Igbos will leave Nigeria eventually. Their life style is not met in Nigeria. It has been wasteful and regrettable to stay in Nigeria even after the genocidal war. Bye-bye Nigeria. Appeal is now made to the Almighty God (Chiukwu) to decide amongst brethren for a just solution and quick redemption. Igbo take courage - we do not marry to divorce but our neighbours have forced us to seek narrowly to defend our God/fathers’ names. Will the rejected reject himself?