Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko
Still on Ohanaeze, Igbo elders and political leaders. The Igbo contractor class did much damage to the post-civil war reputation of Ndigbo.
Desperate for patronage, they lick boots, donate their daughter and sister, and willingly sacrifice their honour, integrity and dignity, all for empowerment.
The hot pursuit of government contracts by Igbo businessmen created a peculiar industry. Where jobs are deliberately awarded to certain traditional rulers, opinion leaders and other influential persons, who in turn, resells or sublets the job order to desperate nyamiri, who will actually execute the job for a lower profit margin.
Nyamiri doesn’t care. He just wants to belong at all costs, to be relevant and to survive, by all means. Ndigbo gradually reduced and lowered their value and self-respect, for the sake of naira and kobo. With the contractor class leading the way, the entire Igbo elite club, unconsciously over time, began building their lives and by extension their future, on the platform of total dependence on connections and friendship with the people they willingly accepted as owners of Nigeria, the power base.
Those who are born to rule. The masters. The people who decide who gets what.
Slowly but definitely, everybody soon got used to that arrangement.
Nobody factored in any possibility that the younger generation Ndigbo would reject that arrangement at some point.
Igbo leaders didn’t think it would be easy, plausible and even achievable in their lifetime to reset this civil war defeat-induced arrangement.They chose the easier way out.
They preferred introducing their biological children to the owners of Nigeria as a way around the humiliating condition of Ndigbo.
They all knew Ndigbo were in a grossly disadvantaged position in the new Nigeria, they acknowledged it was unfair and unjust, but they feared the masters so much that they accepted it was a waste of time trying to fight for fairness and equality.
Moreover, they were deliberately turned informants against each other, such that they were all afraid to drive the demand for equity and justice, for there would be consequences, if the master identified anyone as the arrowhead of the demand for justice for Ndigbo.
They believe it was safer to kiss up to and huddle up to the master, get empowered in the process, give your kids oxbridge and ivy league education, introduce them to the owners of Nigeria, give them a head start over other kids, by handing them inheritance from the fortune you hustled up from Naija and then clear a pathway for them politically.
The Igbo elite club convinced themselves that was a safer option, than confrontation with the owners ofNaija, and demanding level playing field for all.
They feared that the same owners of Nigeria who empowered them, could also destroy them.
They failed to appreciate history. That the children of the poor masses will definitely rise up someday.
They believed it was safer to walk cautiously, moreover, so many of them had done so many dishonourable things they would not want made public. So many knew they were blackmailable. The owners of Naija had dozier on them.
They reasoned it was safer and wiser to remain loyal to owners of Naija. They reasoned it was safer to distance themselves from the aggrieved youths in order not to offend owners of Naija.
They had no idea that the younger generation had sworn not to bequeath the humiliating condition Naija reserved for them, to their own children. It has indeed become high noon.
They had no idea that the train had since left the station.
They failed to study the chromosomes and chromatin of the Igbo DNA.
They failed to read the handwriting on the wall correctly.
They failed to embrace their children and work together as one.
It was more important to them to denounce their children and please the master.
They assumed the master would crush the agitation easily.
They manoeuvred themselves to the point where they have become frightened bystanders.
The agitators decide a sit-at-home and the entire region complies 99%.
To save face, they advance the argument that the people comply out of fear. They know that is not true. Everyone knows those who comply out of fear, are certainly not the majority.
The elders, elite and the political leaders of my region lost control several years ago. They only found out now.
Blinded by self centred desire for self preservation, they couldn’t see that the oppressed rural farmers, hunted and slaughtered helplessly by the vicious and ruthless Fulani herdsmen will sympathise with the agitators.
They didn’t know that the oppressed student, teacher, artisan, civil servant, trader, etc, will lob in with the agitators.
They don’t know that they, and their properties in Maitama, Asokoro, Lekki, Ikoyi and Victoria island, dutifully distanced themselves from the suffering masses long ago, and that they are in a terrible minority.
They thought that pointing out the errors and mistakes of the agitators would delegitmatise the agitators before the people.
They shockingly found out that though the people may not agree with all the methods of the agitators, that the people found the current Nigerian condition, unbearable and unacceptable.
They underestimated the power and the effects of Nnamdi’s broadcasts, on the masses of the region.
They don’t know how to correct their earlier mistakes without losing face. Hubris won’t let them.
All those who sharply disagreed with me six, five and even four years ago on the need to engage Nnamdi then, would understand now, why I pleaded for unity and understanding then.
Those who yelled at me “Elliot, what do you mean, engage Nnamdi, who the hell is Nnamdi that you keep suggesting we should engage ” , can now see the importance of timing.
Doing the right thing at the right time.
The fact that the central government is totally opposed to engaging the agitators and addressing the issues that inspired and drive the agitation, doesn’t justify the reluctance and refusal of Igbo leaders to engage the aggrieved youngsters.
The commitment of the Igbo elite to the development of Igbo land in the last 51 years is disgraceful.
The interest of Igbo leadership in the welfare and challenges of the youngsters in the last 51years is zero.
The anger and frustrations of the aggrieved youngsters is real. Their link with Igbo diaspora is superb, completely eliminating Igbo elders and leaders in their equation.
They are solid, committed, dedicated and in their millions. They have the sympathy and support of over 90% of the population.
They found out long ago that they have no need of the leaders, who they do not trust.
That the leaders themselves, do not understand that they should engage and reconcile with the angry youngsters, beats me.
The 51 year old behaviour of the Igbo contractor class, political class, elders and leaders, defined their relationship with the youths and drove a wedge between them and the younger generation.
Only reconciliation and understanding each other, will help rebuild trust.
I worked very closely with Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Admiral Ndubisi Kanu, Comrade Uche Chukwumerije, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Prof Ben Nwabueze, Justice Eze Ozobu etc, they drew the younger generation closer and sought their views.
I have intense relationship with the most radical of the agitators, and I know they don’t trust the present crop of Igbo leaders.
I have pleaded with the leaders to engage the agitators, rather, they blackmail me before the security agencies as the leader and enabler of the agitators.
They shift the blame to everybody else but themselves.
They claim they are all knowing saints. Angels and perfect beings who made no mistakes.
They put all the blame on the agitators.
They resent any advice contrary to their mindsets.
They despise anyone pointing out their faults.
They believe they are omniscient, omnipotent and always right.
They seem to think that they know all things, things in heaven, things on earth and things beneath the earth.
The truth is that Igbo leaders need to mend their ways.
The truth is, their reluctance to present the truth to the world, is actually responsible for the delay in the resolution of the crisis.
I took Nnamdi to every Igbo leader between May and September 2017, the agenda was a pathway to a peaceful resolution through dialogue.
Nnamdi agreed with the roadmap Dr. Alex Ekwueme suggested.
At the meeting with the South East Governors and in my presence and in the presence of Prof Ben Nwabueze, Nnamdi accepted the Dr Alex Ekwueme roadmap.
Why some people chose to destroy that effort by attacking Nnamdi two weeks later, on the eve of the second meeting, remain a mystery.
Igbo leaders and elders should know that the ball is in their court.
Their earlier mistakes should be corrected.
They should build synergy with the youths.
