By Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko
Pointing out the laxities of the leaders isn’t in any way suggesting that the youths, especially the agitators, have conducted themselves in standards of the very best global practices of agitators. Far from it, but all their errors and mistakes does not justify the strategies adopted by the central government in dealing with them. That everyone disagrees with some of their methods, for instance, their endless weekly sit-at-home and the very wrong approach of terrorizing the people, in their bid to enforce same, also doesn’t vitiate their struggle for justice. The truth is that everybody knows that the sympathy the agitators enjoy from the masses, will certainly wane over time if the endless sit-at-home order continues to bite hard on the economic life of the region.
The reluctance of the leaders to identify the root of the agitation and truthfully present same to the central government, more than anything else, created a feeling of “us against them” that deepened the division between the elders and the aggrieved youngsters. The application of lethal force and the silence of the leaders granted the agitators huge sympathy.
Ohanaeze’s failure to put her house in order negatively affected her credibility. The factionalisation of Ohanaeze, greatly weakens her.
Her style of seeking the approval of the owners of Naija at every turn, diminished her respect. The attitude of resenting and despising independent-minded but committed Igbo activists, who sincerely seek the good of the people, effectively separated both camps. The attitude of the elders, that the youths should take instructions from us, obey us like zombies without a mind of their own, and refrain completely from arguing with us or asking any questions whatsoever, is wrong. It is this attitude that created the gulf.
Same elders failed to invite and engage Ralph 22 years ago when he launched MASSOB. Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe told me he drove Ralph away from his office, when Ralph came to tell him what MASSOB was about, Ralph confirmed the story to me when he visited me in Ikeja, the following week. Prof Ben Nwabueze, as Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, placed a full-page advertorial in the Champion Newspaper, denouncing Ralph and distancing from him.
About the same time, a very young furniture maker, and OPC member I met at Dr Frederick Fasehun’ Century hotel, Isolo, worked well with the elders of his region, that he is today the Generalissimo of his ethnic nation, still playing a useful role. If he were Igbo, he would have been demonized, ostracized, blackmailed and isolated. He would have been fed to the oppressor.
Before then, the elders of his region had mobilized under Senator Abraham Adesanya and put up a great battle to defend their honour and to get the country aright. The elders of our region have never challenged the system that marginalises and oppresses our region so brazenly.
Rather, they give the impression of and their behaviour sends a message of collaboration and acquiescence, with the government, which pisses the younger generation off.
It has never happened that Igbo leaders were seen and noted by the younger generation, inconvenience themselves in any way, fighting for the good of the land, as Afenifere leaders did between 1994 and 1999, earning the respect of everyone. Rather, they are seen, hurriedly taking sides with the central government and admonishing their own children, completely distancing themselves from their own children.
Chief Edwin Clarke and other Niger Delta leaders do not do that. Rather they tell Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio, to go visit Tompolo and talk with him, just as they advised Oil Minister Ibe Kachukwu to go engage the Niger Delta Avengers himself, some years back. They do not suffer from phobia and paranoia of any kind allowing the central government to engage the young folks of their region.
They do not feel insecure that the central government engaging their youth would mean that they the elders have abdicated their position as elders, rather they guide and work with their youth.
In June 2014, more than seven years ago, under President Jonathan, two similar events occurred in Enugu.
On one occasion, Biafran agitators stormed the Enugu state Government house past midnight and hung up the Biafran flag, on another occasion, within the same period, the same group stormed the state radio station in order to air a recorded CD ushering in Biafran Republic. Lives were lost, including one of the police officers guarding the radio station.
I sent for the leader of the group, who was in my house the previous year with a rather weird story, but I was shocked to note that the same Igbo leaders who detest the boys so much, asked me not to discourage the boys. Wow! For them, the more the boys did something crazy, the more they, the elders have hope that the central government will invite them. In other words, they prefer situations where the agitators would upset the peace, the authorities would respond by cracking down on them, because the rumpus presents an opportunity for the authorities to invite them. Period.
The proverbial “Obodo adighi nma, bu uru ndi nze”. Loosely translated: Crisis in the land, is always to the benefit of titled men.
Very similar to their Igbo Day celebrations set up. In which immediately after the Igbo Day speeches at Okpara square, the visiting Igbo Ministers and other Abuja based government officials, retire to the home of the Ohanaeze leaders to rounds of cognac and talk about favours and patronage, which seems the main business of the day. I was disappointed that aside from hoping and praying that the activities of the agitators would help them get the attention of Aso rock, the elders and leaders actually have no other use nor need of the agitators. They are not interested in seeking a solution to the Igbo question within the Nigerian project. They are not interested in resolving the loss of faith in the system demonstrated by their youths. They erroneously assume the agitation would be easily crushed, therefore, desire to get whatever they can get out of it only.
I was horrified to note that all the Igbo politicians who approached me when Nnamdi was released from prison, were only interested in using him and his group to win elections, period. Not one of them is interested in resolving the crisis by addressing the underlying issues. Not one of them is interested in resolving the root cause of the agitation. Not one of them cares about the agitators. Every one of them only needed me to bring Nnamdi to help him achieve a certain self-serving political agenda that doesn’t in any way help the land. This self-centeredness and self-advancement agenda of the politicians blind them to the fact that the good of the land should actually be the goal of all.
The unaltriustic agenda of the elders and leaders informed the distrust of the younger generation.
For the Igbo to make progress, for the Igbo to make political advancement, to find a resolution to the crisis, Igbo elders and leaders must search their conscience and come to terms with the truth.
When I took Nnamdi between May and September 2017, to meet with certain Igbo clerics, traditional rulers, elders and political leaders, my plea was to locate a meeting point for reasonable agreement, because unlike the members of the political class, I had a pretty good idea of the strength and determination of the agitators and therefore knew that it was wrong to dismiss them with a wave of the hand, as the leaders were doing at the time. But non of the leaders understood the realities on ground.
I am of the view that it is not too late for reconciliation and resolution of the issues. I suspect that the only thing delaying the resolution of the crisis is the preference and determination of the authorities to crush the agitation, crush even activists and totally wipe away any voice or voices DEMANDING for justice. It is this desire to crush everybody, without addressing the underlying grievances that give both vent and impetus to dissent and agitation.
The belief by the leaders that the errors and mistakes of the agitators will in time cost them public sympathy and support, isn’t entirely true. The frustration in the land is deep and the elite who mostly live in comfort, do not have a clear idea of the misery the masses are made to face.
Igbo leaders need to ask themselves deep questions. If we are getting it right, how come the young folks do not trust us? Has our desperation to survive and succeed in post-civil war Nigeria cost us something? Is it too late to make amend? Is it possible that our post-civil war format of survival needs upgrading?
The 51-year-old format of survival and advancement has become obsolete. It has not only expired, it has been overtaken by the anger of the aggrieved youngsters. It will cost nothing to correct past errors. Only hubris perhaps.
