• Marginalisation Not Peculiar to Igbos, says Ihejirika
Nseobong Okon-Ekong
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma yesterday lamented the marginalisation of the Igbos in Nigeria, saying they had not got fair deal from Nigeria since civil war ended in 1970
Despite their marginalisation, Uzodimma urged all Igbos to must coexist with other ethnic nationalities as equal partners and enforce their inalienable birthright as the citizens of Nigeria.
He made this remark at the public presentation of his book, Reflections on the Igbo Question in Owerri, the Imo State capital yesterday, challenging them on the urgent need for self-rediscovery.
The presentation was attended a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, who chaired the occasion, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prof. Placid Njoku; President of Ohaneze Ndigbo World Wide, Professor George Obiozor; a former President of the Senate, Dr. Ken Nnamani, among others.
At the book presentation, Uzodimma explained that the book, a collection of his speeches in the last eight years, was his “modest contribution on how the Igbos can overcome the existential challenges facing them today in project Nigeria.”
He said: “Igbos are citizens of Nigeria by birth. They should never allow themselves to be cajoled out of their father’s land and inheritance. This is our country. We must stay here and collectively enforce our rights as bona fide citizens of Nigeria.”
He lamented that Igbos “have not had a fair deal from project Nigeria since the end of the civil war. They have continued to cry to high heavens over the sordid dilemma they face in their own country. I believe we have cried enough and it is time to wipe our tears.”
Recommending a way out of the quagmire, Uzodimma pointed out the urgent need for self-rediscovery “as a people; as the resilient, tenacious and enterprising people that God, in his wisdom, has made us to be.
“It appears to me that we are gradually losing the true identity of the Igbos we are. It was that resilient Igbo spirit that helped us to survive the harsh socio-economic environment we were faced with, right after the civil war.
“The most cruel of them all is the inhuman decision to pay a flat rate of only twenty pounds to every Igbo man irrespective of whatever amount of money he had in the bank.
“It was that spirit that made the Igbos record many firsts in many fields of human endeavour in the pre – and immediate post Independence era, which is captured in my book.
“It was the same spirit that propelled the young Igbo men who came to Lagos in the 70s to rise from hawkers and Obioma tailors to become captains of commerce and industry and establish much sought – after fashion outfits.
“We must rediscover that spirit, including the one that inspired us to produce “ogbunigwe” and build many modular refineries during the civil war.
“These are the spirits we are known for which always lead to excellence, not the spirit of timidity, self – defeat and crave for easy money, which appears to have possessed our young Igbo men of this generation.”
Speaking to endemic violence in the Southeast, Uzodimma challenged the agitators “to turn away from criminality and appreciate the opportunities before them and embrace such instead of bemoaning the marginalisation of Ndigbo and resorting to violence, which is self defeat.
“They should come up with pragmatic ways of conquering their fear. I do not want our youths to think that somebody is holding down their destiny. I also do not want them to continue to be frustrated by the deliberate policies of exclusion.”
Instead, he urged the youths to be focused on the larger picture of liberation through technology, trade and commerce through which we can dominate Nigeria and dictate the pace of development.
He said: “We have been bemoaning the marginalisation of Ndigbo in the Nigerian project. That, to me, is trite. What is cogent is to address a rational and realistic way out of it.
“I have been unambiguous in my diagnosis of the Igbo question. In spite of the state of affairs since the 1966 counter coup, we are still better off staying in Nigeria. Some may not agree with me.
“We need to reclaim our rightful place in Nigeria by building on the comparative advantage we have over other Nigerians. We have to leverage on the special talents bestowed on us by God to ensure that we are accorded our dues in Nigeria.
“One of the talents is technology. The other is commerce and trade. Currently, the evidence is there that it was helpful to us in the past and is still at our disposal today.
“We are dominating in commerce and trade in Nigeria. But we can do far better than that as a people, if we put our thinking caps on. In the real estate business in all the major cities of Nigeria, the Igbos are leading. Most standard provision stores in any remote part of Nigeria is likely to be owned and operated by an Igbo man or woman.
“The second most populous ethnic group in any city in Nigeria outside the indigenes of the city are Igbos. How then do we harness these huge potentials to our advantage?
“From available statistics, Igbo students across the globe and even in Nigeria are making waves with their technological innovations. The individual accomplishments can only make meaningful impact if they are collectively harnessed and channelled to a massive production hub to set the stage for the technological leap Nigeria has been yearning for all these years. Igbos can lead the way and dictate the pace.
“We also have a huge landmass to conquer, dominate and exploit. We have boundless markets to tap into. We have unassailable ingenuity and opportunities presented to us to explore to emerge leaders again in this land of Nigeria that we are equal owners.”
Also at the book presentation, Ihejirika commended Uzodimma for his courage to reflect on the issues of issues of marginalisation, restructuring, Igbo presidency and unity of Nigeria.
He noted that Uzodimma deserved kudos for advocating fairness, equity and justice as a basis for the Igbo drive in a united Nigeria, and for canvassing “policies that will further unite us as a country and strengthen our fragile unit, while also championing the security and well-being of the Igbo race at home and in the Diaspora.
He explained that his experience over the years “has shown that our greatest weapon as a nation lies in our unity, further enhanced by our diverse culture, population and rich history.
“Our continuous desire for an Igbo president, or rather president of Igbo extraction, is a just and inalienable right but can only be realised through strategic alliance with other zones and not by any hostile agitation,” Ihejirika explained.
