My people say that; when we see an old woman stop her dance
to point again and again in the same direction, we can be sure that somewhere
there something happened long ago which touched the roots of her life.
Something is happening in
America
that should touch the roots of Ndigbo in
Nigeria if this present dance of
shame must stop. In
America,
a young man Barack Obama has captured the hearts and minds of Democrats,
Republicans and Independents with his message of ‘change’ in what is being described
by pundits as a ‘political movement’. He is challenging the way things are done
in
Washington,
getting new people interested in the process and inspiring a new generation.
Obama is telling Americans that government is their bus and that they should
all come in and have a seat.
Obama – a child of a Kenyan father and white mother – is a
minority in
America
just as Ndigbo are in Nigerian context. Obama has however risen above race,
Black American politics and is running for the president of US as a one that
unites Americans.
What can be said of Nidigbo in the present day
Nigeria? Are we
just complaining of marginalization while we run a divided house full of
sycophant “Ezes” and “leaders” that ultimately stand to benefit from the
powers-that-be in the midst of commotion in Igbo nation? Have Ndigbo – the Oha
given up hope and resigned to fate? Why is it that majority of Ndigbo have
harsh things to say about their “leaders’? Why is it that acceptance of failure
is an impossibility and that controversy is always the companion of Ndigbo?
Where are the Obamas of Ndigbo and the rest of the minorities in
Nigeria?
What we need is a person with the attitude, message and
charm like Obama. Someone the rest of Nigerians can have faith in so that we
can together develop wings in order to fly. How much is Ndigbo and Nigerians
willing to pay in order to fly? How much are we willing to sacrifice in order
to chart a new course for the present generation and for posterity? My answer
is everything. How do we respond?
The more I think of it, the more I believe that Igbo
politicians while carving a niche for themselves have to at the same time be
all embracing, responsive and most importantly have to rise above being ethnic
champions in Nigerian political arena. Indira Gandi said that, “I suppose that
leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with
people”. As Obama is getting along with
Americans – the young, the old, blacks and whites alike; what can be said of
Ndigbo politicians? Do Ndigbo in politics have the unique qualities that has
made Obama what he is today in American politics? Do they have the vision? Are
those with the vision too scared to venture into politics?
Vision according to Vaclav Havel is not enough but has to be
combined with venture. If Obama at his age and experience is running for the
office of president in the
US,
why can’t the likes of Okonjo-Iwuala, Soludo and the “latent” Obamas of Ndigbo
run for public offices in the Local Councils, States and the federal level? “If
the lizard of the homestead should neglect to do the things for which its kind
is known, it will be mistaken for the lizard of the farmland." It was only
Prof. Pat Utomi who ventured but was sadly rejected. He should not however give
up. I agree that politicking in
Nigeria
is not as smooth as it is in
America.
But an Igbo proverb says that "A disease that has never been seen before
cannot be cured with every-day herbs." Even Obama has not been having it
easy. Some say he happens to be very lucky to be who he is – a black man. He
has been accused of lacking experience and giving hope that cannot be
actualized. But despite these odds, he has kept moving. Ndigbo have to remember
that when a person says yes, his Chi says yes also. Where are the faithful?
This present darkness that is gradually eating up the heart
of Ndigbo and
Nigeria
must be brought to an abrupt end. Paraphrasing Senator Barack Obama; we are at
a defining moment in our history (Or have we long passed that defining
moment?), and at this defining moment, I believe, we could not wait. We could
not wait to fix our education system so that our children will once more enjoy
quality learning. We could not wait to halt mediocrity, political hooliganism
and election rigging that is in ascendancy. We could not wait to stop this
corruption and rottenness that is eating up the system. We could not wait to
revive our economy. We could not wait to provide basic socioeconomic
infrastructure, empower our people and arrest the unrest in the Niger Delta
region. We could not wait.
No more this present controversy on who is the leader of
Ndigbo or Ohaneze that doesn’t even have grass root support or recognition in
Igbo nation. No more “iti mkpu” (Sycophancy) for Ndigbo that cannot inspire,
give hope, epitomize change and purposeful leadership for the rest of
Nigerians.
“To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To
journey and be transformed is to be a pilgrim”. – Mark Nepo. The journey of
restoration has to start with a sea-change in thinking. Ndigbo and in fact
Nigerians have journeyed and the time for transformation is now. If anything,
Obama has taught us that the common man in the street is yearning for change
and seeking a new dimension only that most times, they don’t have the candidate
that will lead them to the Promised Land. The Yar’Aduas, Atikus, Buharis, Ubahs
and Kalus of the present day
Nigeria
are only a continuation of political illiteracy and backwardness of Obasanjo’s
hypocrisy and the rest before him.
The lessons from Obama to Ndigbo are that transformation is
inspired by good leadership; that leadership is not so much about techniques as
it is about opening of hearts. Let one of the things the Obamas of Ndigbo
should start doing be the opening up of their hearts, the hearts of Ndigbo and
Nigerians as a way of inspiring this change.
There is not going to be a breathless moment of silence
among God’s creation for Ndigbo to get going. It will not take the closure of
Alaba International market, Onitsha Main Market or Ariari market
Aba to open up a new
chapter in the political dynamism of Ndigbo. The ear that won't hear, when the
head is cut off, it goes as well. Our elders say that; to count your teeth with
your tongue does not mean you are losing any. It means you should watch your
steps and reflect on what may have happened or is happening. It’s time for
Ndigbo to sit up. After all, the ground squirrel says he who walks should
sometimes break into a trot, in case the need to run arises. I rest my case.
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