Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko
Six years ago, Nnamdi was arrested in a hotel in Lagos and a huge daily demonstration erupted in the South East, powered by his followers calling for his release. One political leader called me over and showed me a photo of the agitators on his iPad, in his office and confessed to me that he had never seen such a huge crowd in his life. He also said he never knew that Ndigbo could muster such a crowd in defence of a man who isn’t in government.
I used the invitation by the leader and the opportunity of the meeting with him to patiently espouse the situation to him because, at that time, I had realized that my close association with Igbo youths over time had afforded me a unique insight into their world. Something I noted politicos didn’t have. Deep understanding of the mindset of the younger generation Ndigbo.
I told this particular leader, how I discovered years ago, through my monthly IYM seminars for Igbo youths, that we would come to this sad situation someday, how the frustrations of Nigeria and the unending humiliation meted out to our people over the years had created a huge division between the skilled and educated Igbo, who could always meander through the dichotomy and find a way to survive and the unskilled, poorly educated ones who bear the brunt of the marginalization of our people.
I shared with him the experience I had with Dr Alex Ekwueme, who called me over an interview I gave the same week President Buhari was sworn in for his first term in 2015 and demanded to find out from me what I meant by my assertion in the said interview that the agitators for Biafra may do something crazy. How after I explained to the former Vice President that my worries stem from Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu’s fears that the agitation will definitely spiral out of control if the angry youngsters are not closely monitored.
I reminded the former Vice President that the fellow, one Benjamin Onwuka, who angrily walked out of my 13th annual IYM convention at Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, in his very presence, in protest that I didn’t recognize their presence, was the same guy who stormed Enugu Government house to hang the Biafran flag in 2014, and stormed the Enugu Broadcasting station studio, a few weeks later to announce the Biafran Republic.
I showed him on my device, the video of the event at Nike Lake hotel in 2012, where he, Dr Alex Ekwueme was asking me ” Elliot, why are some people leaving the hall ” and I replied that I didn’t invite them in the first place and I refused to announce their presence because I didn’t agree with their ideology and they took offence and left. Of course, my event went well after their exit. I also revealed to this political leader, that same Dr Alex Ekwueme invited me again, months later, to find out from me, if I knew anything about a quarrel about the misuse or embezzlement of what they termed ” Biafra defence fund “, and what exactly they hoped to do with the defence fund. How Dr Alex Ekwueme’s fears that they could erroneously begin to think about armed struggle, made him plead with me to stay close to them, since I seem to have their trust and bring Nnamdi to him, so he will explain to him the inherent dangers in adopting violent methods.
Dr Alex Ekwueme also pleaded with me to bring all the leaders of all the agitating groups to him, so he would dissuade them from ever contemplating violence as a strategy. I did that. He had several productive meetings with them at his Enugu residence.
In all the meetings, both Uchenna Madu of MASSOB and Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Coordinator-General of the IPOB assured him in my presence, that they will completely eschew violence of any sort in their agitation. I went further to reveal to this leader, how Dim Ojukwu consistently averred that the awkward political situation and condition of Ndigbo in Nigeria, meant that the central government would ignore pleas from Ndigbo to listen to, look into and try addressing the issues inspiring the agitation and how the Igbo political class will be extra-careful not to run into trouble with Aso rock and how that would delay sensible engagement until things get really messy. How only a very messy situation will finally force the hand of the owners of the land, to reluctantly engage “nyamiri”.
That the deliberate refusal and delay in engaging “nyamiri”, until things get really bad, is derived from the fact, that nobody wants “nyamiri” to get ahead. Addressing their grievances will solve their challenges, moving ahead of the same people who are already ahead of everyone else in trade and commerce, who dominates the local economy and intimidate everyone with their property acquisition all over the land. Listening to their cries and softening their yoke will only help them advance higher ahead of everyone else. Something nobody wants to see.
I concluded by telling this leader that Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu also said that the day it will become imperative that engaging the agitators have become inevitable, they will look for a scapegoat to sacrifice. A scapegoat to heap all the blame on, a scapegoat to sacrifice to the angry gods, an excuse to cover up their fears and their delays in engaging the agitators earlier.
I pleaded with him to get other leaders together, meet with the agitators, draw up their grievances, build synergy with the Middle Belt, South West, and Niger Delta leaders and present the truth to Aso rock and tell them that Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko pleads that the desire to militarily crush the agitation, may not work. Remember this meeting was in late 2015 when Nnamdi was yet to be transferred to Kuje prison. He was still held at the DSS facility in Abuja.
The deliberate delay to see when the owners of Nigeria will accept as the proper or appropriate time to listen to the agitators, brought us here. The defeat of 1970, the fears about Igbo resurgence and the mindset of the occupant of the villa, all played a role in forcing Eastern political leaders to tread very carefully.
They all knew that engaging the angry youngsters and addressing their grievances, which everyone knows, is real, will heal the land. But they were all scared of the grave consequences of offending the Oga at the top. Nobody was willing to sacrifice his political career fighting for justice in Nigeria.
Now that so much blood has been shed, so much despair envelops the land, it is rumored that the very careful political leaders may have finally found their voice to do what should have been done six years ago; which is advocate for engagement. Engage the agitators and identify their grievances and frustrations and begin the inevitable healing process.
But wait a minute, someone will have to be blamed for the delay. Someone should be blamed for inciting and assisting the agitators. To completely exonerate our leaders and paint them as angels and saints, an activist should be blackmailed and blamed for the agitation. He should be accused of helping the agitators and empowering them. He must be indicted somehow and roped in at any cost. The only way to justify and cover up the delays and the refusal to engage the agitators earlier, which strengthened and deepened the agitation over time.
The decision on what time is the proper and appropriate time to engage the agitators, is the bit of the central government in Abuja really.
The earlier decision to ignore the agitators for years and apply only lethal force on them was theirs in the first place. Nobody expects the Igbo Governors, elders, traditional rulers, clerics and elite clubs to draw courage from the moon and challenge Abuja. They had to study the body language of Abuja and the situation on the ground.
Nobody is blaming anyone, I am only enlightening the general public on historic events of six years ago.
The loss of the war cost us our political clout and muscle in the country, the battle to regain the same, will not be easy. The refusal to engage the agitators earlier than now, stemmed in part from fear and also as a result of deliberate lies woven that the agitators were sponsored by disgruntled politicians and also due to lack of knowledge that the agitation had been simmering for years, long before Ralph took advantage of the frustrations of Igbo youths in 1999.
I remember Nnamdi asked Prof Nwabueze at the second meeting I arranged for the two, as I sought a meeting point for the resolution of the crises, what happens if President Buhari rejects the restructuring agenda we were selling to him, and Prof responded that he was sure that President Buhari will see that restructuring Nigeria remains the only solution to the agitations rocking the land. That was four years ago. Nobody is sure even today, if those opposed to restructuring, have come to see the impossibility of quelling the agitation under the 1999 unitary constitution.
One unanswered question even as feelers emerge of the recently rumored amenability of the authorities to dialogue, is, are they hoping to somehow resolve the crisis without reconstructing the polity? As we await answers, we must thank God for the softening of their earlier hard stance and the opening of a window of engagement. May God be praised. There’s no need for recriminations whatsoever. The people whose scorched earth policy and war of attrition by other means, inspired the bitterness and frustration that led to the agitation, are not willing to take any blame for their hostility towards Ndigbo, why then would Ndigbo fight each other, dividing our ranks. We should put behind all the mistakes that were made, as our leaders misdiagnosed the agitation. Nobody is angry with anyone. We should all be grateful to God that at least, there now appears signs that our leaders are finally willing to stand up and be counted.
Glory be to God.
I am not angry that the Governors didn’t believe me that this would get out of control unless they invited and engaged Nnamdi years ago.
I am not pained that my several meetings and plea for them to set up a joint committee that will engage the agitators and save the impending headache, was jettisoned. I am not disappointed that even my last-ditch effort in begging the South-East Governors Forum DG, Prof Simon Ortuanya, as recent as two and half years ago, immediately after the last general elections, to plead with the Governors to immediately without delay, reach out to Nnamdi and engage him in talks, as things may spiral out of control, was again ignored. I am not apportioning blame; I am only saying, now that everyone has seen that engaging them is the proper thing to do, the world should kindly note, that the decision to choose the PROPER AND APPROPRIATE TIME to engage them, was beyond our people.
The Governor who warned me to stop disturbing him, as he was elected to govern Ebonyi state and not to engage Biafran agitators, should note that I am not angry that they chose to let things degenerate to this point, just so Abuja will finally understand and authorize engagement with the agitators. I understand. The clerics, elders, leaders, who are now, finally finding their voices, to say what they would have said six years ago, when the agitation reared its head, should note that we are grateful that they have finally woken up to the truth.
Nobody is angry over their silence all these years. After all, they were carefully studying the political barometer and body language of the Alpha Male. The decision to choose the proper and appropriate time to do what would have been done six years ago, healing the land and moving forward, had to be informed by new realities. Things simply had to get real bad, so Abuja could finally authorize engagement.
All the bloodshed, all the madness, all the agitation everywhere, happened and took this long because some people were waiting for the proper and appropriate time to do the right thing, and not get into trouble with the powers that be. Everyone was waiting for when it will be safe to raise their voice.
Don’t get angry over the needless delays over the years.
Do not blame our leaders for being extremely careful not to risk their necks.
Do not blame the agitators for their language that offended many, resonated with their followers, and provoked the authorities.
Do not blame the authorities for choosing only military action as a response to the agitators.
Do not blame the nepotism, impunity, dichotomy, marginalisation and oppression that drove the anger, bitterness and frustration that inspired the agitation.
You may, like the Security agencies are desperate to achieve, rather blame the activist, pointing out the hidden facts to the leaders. He should have kept quiet. Now that the suggestion of engagement he has been relentlessly hammering on over the years has become imperative and inevitable, he must be blackmailed and taken out. The sad reality of our clime and times.
The stark reality of the emotions that informed the decision to ignore the agitators all these years and finally only beginning now to slowly adjust to the reality and inevitability of engaging them is closely related to the place the Igboman occupies in the heart of his fellow countrymen. The dislike of the Igbo man, if you will.
We should thank God that they may have finally seen the need to engage the agitators and heal the land. Do not worry or wonder why it took them so long. The overlords decide what TIME IS PROPER AND APPROPRIATE to do the right thing. Pray rather that they follow through with the engagement. Pray that peace and harmony return to the land.
And always remember that to justify the delays and the bad blood in the land, a scapegoat will have to be found.
Pray for the land. It is well.
