By Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko
Twenty-five years ago, Chief Bob Onyema, Special Assistant to Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, asked me over to Villaska Lodge, 29 Queens Drive, Ikoyi, to meet with Dim Ojukwu. When I walked in, Dim Ojukwu had a copy of Daily Times Newspaper in his hand, my full-page interview was of interest to him. He asked me if I believed all I said in the interview I gave, especially about my call for a national conference and a new constitution. He also wanted to know who and who, my Igbo youth group was working with.
After expressing my gratitude for the invitation and the meeting, I told the great man, that I was particularly reluctant to work with Igbo leaders and politicians because I feared if my vision and dream would make sense to any of them. I had chosen to inspire and wake up the younger generation with the truth and hope to see a greater awakening with time. I also believed that the path I had chosen was not compatible with the expectations of the regular Igbo politician, who only desires accommodation within the system.
I explained to Dim Ojukwu that I made up my mind to inspire, educate and enlighten the Igbo younger generation on the need to stand up for their rights and to demand equal treatment and fairness for themselves and their children. That I found out from the Igbo younger generation, that the uncomfortable condition the Nigerian state designed for them, was unacceptable to them, and that affirmative action, to address the inequalities was our desire, goal and demand from the central government.
I confided to him that I treasure the independence of my organisation above all else and that I was unwilling to allow politicians influence, let alone teleguide my organisation. I told him we were independent of the manipulations of politicians and ran our own show, our own way. He liked that and asked me to work with him. I told him it was a great opportunity, honour and privilege for me.
He was excited about that and asked me to write and forward to him what I thought should be the youth perspective of the Igbo agenda at the General Abacha’s constitutional conference, which was about to kick off at the time.
Thus began an intense relationship that greatly empowered and enriched me with knowledge and deep truths. An experience I found invaluable and priceless. In the over fifteen years I carried his bag, I saw many come close to him just for political reasons. I learnt that people had different interests and different dreams. Some drew close to him only to use his name and influence to achieve political relevance and political prominence. Others wanted power and political promotion. Different strokes for different folks. Few were interested in resolving the Igbo question.
Most importantly, I learned that the Igbo question was deeper than I earlier imagined and that the Igbo were trapped, so to speak, by the actions, inactions and desires of the Igbo political class. I began to understand the complexity and intricacy of the Igbo situation.
The interests of the colonial master in Nigeria, the threat he believes the Igbo man poses to those interests, the fears of other regions about the growth of Igbo economic and political power, the fears of even the minorities and the quiet agreement to contain Ndigbo.
I learned that the Igbo themselves aren’t even conscious of the great possibilities before them. Their numeric strength, their great intimidating gifts and talents, and the advantage their spread all over West Africa affords them. Their never say-die-spirit and their persevering disposition. Their much-admired aptitude for buying and selling, their dominance of trade and commerce and their willingness to explore anywhere and everywhere profitably. The politics of post civil war Nigeria, the aberration that was the Military era, the role ethnicity plays in Nigeria’s power equation, and the conspiracy to hold Ndigbo down.
All these constitute the brew that is the potpourri called the Igbo question within the Nigerian project.
A greatly gifted people, that could link up the Onitsha/Nnewi axis with the Aba energy, to create an imposing manufacturing hub, if there were good leadership. The 9th-mile corner corridor could easily be transformed into an export trade zone, if only there were responsible leadership.
Their spread all over West Africa and beyond could easily be translated into a beneficial and profitable culture of commodities distribution network and production line, that could lead to Africa’s biggest industrial revolution and economic explosion.
I discovered that the Igbo were discreetly hindered, subverted and deliberately undermined by certain powerful forces and interests, who respect and fear the Igbo even more than the Igbo respect and fear themselves.
The unwillingness to establish a seaport in the South East, and the refusal to build an East/West railway, confirm a conspiracy to check Igbo economic explosion.
I worked closely with Dim Ojukwu for over a decade, as I articulated, experimented with and pursued what I believed was an enlightenment campaign to water the ground by opening the eyes of the younger generation. I was fortunate that he graciously attended several of my events over the years. I visited schools, markets and churches, with my IYM seminars for Igbo youths.
He was one of the few, who not only understood what I was doing through my conferences, seminars, talk shops, and rallies for Igbo traders, Igbo students and Igbo youths, over the years ( very many people didn’t understand what we were doing ), but he also greatly supported and encouraged me.
Others were, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Chief R.B.K. Okafor, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Commodore Sampson Emeka Omerua, Chief M.C.K. Ajuluchukwu, Chief Sam Mbakwe, Chief C.C. Onoh, Prof Ben Nwabueze, Admiral Godwin Ndubisi Kanu, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, Comrade Uche Chukwumerije, Prof Ben Obumselu, Justice Eze Ozobu, Dr Dozie Ikedife, Col Joe Achuzia, and very many other great men who found time and understood the need to educate us on the Igbo question.
I travelled to Ikot Ekpene severally to meet with General Philip Effiong. I interviewed General Alex Madiebo, Brigadier Ogbugo Kalu, Brigadier Patrick Amadi, Brigadier Tony Eze, Col Ben Gbulie, Col Emma Nwobosi, Col Humphrey Chukwuka, Brigadier Hillary Njoku, etc.
These great men gave insight into the conundrum, that is post-civil war Nigeria, the painful unitary structure, the floundering economy, the unending religious and ethnic crises, the stagnant sociopolitical process and the lack of hope.
The younger generation Ndigbo constantly wondered why over 40 million Ndigbo, more populous than Poland, Canada, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Angola, Malaysia, Mozambique, Ghana, Venezuela, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Austria, Netherlands, Tunisia, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and over a hundred other countries of the world, should be stuck, marooned in a hostile environment called Nigeria, where they remain crippled, rudderless and largely unappreciated.
Our seminars prepared the ground for our activism. Our future should be in our hands.
After one hundred and eight (108) events, within the past three decades, six publications, twenty-one pamphlets and booklets, endless radio and television awareness programmes and print media interventions, we are of the view that the younger Igbo generation are finally waking, angry, dissatisfied with unitary Nigeria and hungry for positive change.
They have come to realise that everything is wrong with unitary Nigeria.
They know that the leadership recruiting process is flawed and rigged against the masses.
They know the electoral system is weak and unjust.
They know Nigeria is crawling. They want a better deal.
They know the dichotomy and nepotism is real and hurtful.
They are thoroughly fed up with unitary Nigeria.
I have been central to the mobilization of Igbo youths for over three decades now and I can say unequivocally, that the genie is out of the bottle.
Those who think that the piecemeal amendment of the offensive 1999 constitution will solve the problem, are badly mistaken.
The awareness and consciousness are huge. The little window to build a great country through a new people’s constitution is still open.
Refusal to exploit it now is unwise.
The Igbo younger generation think differently from the 80-year-olds. The 80-year-old Ndigbo were just 25 years old when General Ironsi was killed in Ibadan on July 29 1966. They were 29 when the war ended in 1970. The 21-year-old Igbo youth was born in 2000 when Obasanjo and Atiku were running Nigeria. He does not understand why Ndigbo should be completely excluded from the headship of all the 26 Military, paramilitary, and security agencies in Nigeria, a country where Ndigbo constitute nearly a quarter of the population.
He finds it difficult to understand why he must remain under such an arrangement.
The narrative that every Igbo is always too willing to lick the boots of owners of Nigeria in order to be accepted and accommodated, is untrue. Their are many, who want justice, equity and Fairplay. Nigeria needs a new constitution, agreed by the people built on true federalism and devolution of power.
The younger generation Ndigbo are truly pissed off that some people are still foot-dragging on the inevitable reconstruction of the political structure of unitary Nigeria.
If only they knew the degree of awareness and consciousness amongst the younger generation. If only they knew.
To be CONTINUED.
