In five days, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect their leaders. No Igbos are presented by the major parties (PDP, AC, and ANPP) for election to the highest office in the land, the presidency. In a country with three equally sized ethnic groups (Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo), Igbos exclusion from the highest political office in the land does not make sense. One is, therefore, compelled to ask: are Igbos not part of Nigeria ?

Clearly, in Nigerian politics Igbos are treated as orphans. Nigeria has been independent since 1960. During that forty seven year period, no Igbo have been the chief executive officer of the country. (Aguiyi Ironsi was briefly in that capacity before he was killed and, as Yakubu Gowon said: “thank God, power has returned to Northern hands”, where, presumably, God destined it to be!)

 Apparently, the powers that be in Nigeria assume that Igbos do not count for anything. How could Igbos matter if in deciding who would become the president of Nigeria the king makers do not believe that an Igbo should be considered? None of the three major political parties in Nigeria thought it fit to select an Igbo candidate for its presidential slot.(Some of the inconsequential parties have Igbo candidates, but no one expects these to even register on the political radar; they are vanity parties.) By their behaviors we infer that they do not believe that Igbos are worthy of the highest office in the land. Apparently, they believe that Igbos should only play second fiddle role (such as token vice president) in the country. It seems that the powers that be in Nigeria believe that only Hausas/Falanis/Yorubas are appropriate to be Nigeria ’s president and not Igbos.

 The most amazing part of this behavior is that these people seem to have convinced themselves that Igbos would accept their political marginalization and happily live with it. This situation is particularly shucking considering that it was largely Igbos that fought for Nigeria ’s independence! Apparently, Igbos fought for Nigeria ’s independence and those who actually believed that Nigeria was not yet ready to rule herself take over and rule the country? Igbos struggled for Nigeria ’s independence so that other groups would rule them. This is a flabbergasting political development, to say the least.

 It is confounding how human beings engage in actions that eventually would hunt them and seem to think that their actions would not have the negative consequences they are bound to have. By treating Igbos as second class citizens, Nigerians have effectively told Igbos that they are not part of Nigeria ; Nigerians have alienated Igbos. No human being likes to be a second class citizen and the consequences of the marginalization of the Igbos are that some Igbos would be working against the continued unity of Nigeria .

 If the political marginalization of Igbos continues, clearly, Nigeria as a political entity has sowed the seed for her demise. Nigeria will break up into its component parts for it has no business existing if its continued existence entails that some of her people be excluded from meaningful participation in her politics. We cannot have a Carthaginian peace in Nigeria ; it is either the unity of equals or no unity at all.

 Nigerians must be totally unintelligent if they believe that Igbos would sit on the sidelines and accept other groups to perpetually rule them. If other groups must forever rule Nigeria , it is time that the artificial political construct called Nigeria disintegrate and each ethnic group go rule itself.

Hitherto some disillusioned Igbo youths formed the dissident group, Movement for the actualization of Biafra , MASSOB. This group is, by and large, composed of those Igbos who were born during or after the civil war. These people are nostalgic for what seems to them the glory days when Igbos ruled themselves without been subservient to other Nigerians. They tend to look to Biafra (1967-1970) as the unmatched days of Igbo power. Their conception of reality is not always realistic. Nevertheless, they represent the yearning of Igbos for meaningful role in making political decisions that affect their lives.

 As any one with eyes can easily testify, there is little or no economic development east of the Niger River . Crossing the river Niger into Alaigbo is like going to a waste land, a land forgotten by the rulers of Nigeria . The economic infrastructure in Alaigbo, mostly built before the Civil war, has broken down and no one seems to care to fix them, talk less constructing newer ones. Alaigbo is a placed forgotten by time; going to Alaigbo is like going back in time.

 At present, many Igbo middle classes do not join MASSOB. The Igbo middle class either joined the chop-chop politicians of Abuja or stayed out of politics. Those who joined the Abuja crowd are getting their personal share of the national cake and do not seem to care that their area is underdeveloped. As long as these mercenary Igbos line their pockets with ill gotten wealth they could care less that Alaigbo is neglected by the powers that be in Nigeria .

 Apparently, Nigerian rulers are happy with this arrangement. As long as they co-opt what seems to them the Igbo political elite they do not have to worry about the fact that little or no economic development is directed towards Alaigbo. The rulers of Nigeria apparently have developed a negative view of Igbos. They seem to see Igbos as fickle, as people who, for money and or position, would sell out their people. Just give them money and or sinecure positions at Abuja and they would sing whatever song you want them to sing for you. They are lacking in principles and are opportunistic; they are motivated by self interest only and do not have the spirit of public service; they are contemptible, so just buy them and they would do as you want them to do for you.

 The Machiavellian Nigerian rulers are largely correct in their negative assessment of the Igbo ruling class: many Igbos are opportunistic, amoral and lacking in principles; they are political prostitutes. But that is not all there is to Igbos. There are Igbos with principles and integrity; these are the ones that stayed out Nigeria ’s current devil may care politics of meism. Sooner or later, the whorehouse that Nigeria has become will be challenged and Nigerians will find righteous Igbos coming out to fight for their people’s welfare. In the meantime, we shall give it to the thiefocracy of Abuja : they have co-opted a significant number of opportunistic Igbos into their thieving profession and those help them maintain their despicable strangle hold on Nigeria . But the whore of Babylon will not last forever.

Those Igbos who neither belong to MASSOB nor to the co-opted comprador class acquiescing in the destruction of their people will one day make a move to improve their people’s lot. Some members of this group, such as I, took the opportunity of our exile from Nigeria ’s corrupt politics to do some soul searching.

 In the last couple of years, I have devoted my time to understanding the Igbo character structure (that is, in as much as a group of people can be said to have a group character). I wrote extensively on what I perceive as the weaknesses in the Igbo personality structure: such as the Igbo tendency to feel inferior and seek compensatory fictional superiority over other people; Igbo pursuit of individual achievement often without regard for public good; Igbo tendency to seek personal glory, what can be called narcissism, a desire for admiration and attention while not paying attention to other people’s needs and so on.

 The reason for my writing is to help Igbos understand themselves and work on improving their weaknesses while optimizing their strength. Igbo strength is self evident. No one, for example, doubts the Igbo ability to work hard and make it at the individual level. No group in Africa comes close to Igbos in individual achievements. I celebrate Igbo industry. On the other hand, in a situation where folks mostly care for personal achievements and not for collective achievements little or no public good is served.

 Every society must balance individual and public interest. If you want public good you must submerge some of your ego to serving public good; you cannot serve only your self interests and expect to have a great civilization.

 Civilization is derived from civitas, city, and city means collective living, not individual living. Igbos must learn to pull together and reduce their individualism, though individualism has its uses.

 For our present purposes, some of us have used our time exiled from meaningful participation in Nigerian politics to try to understand ourselves and our people with eyes to bettering ourselves. We have ignored the social marginalization of Igbos. Nevertheless, that marginalization is intolerable and ought to end.

 What exactly makes Obasanjo and his fellow rulers of Nigeria to believe that Igbos could be kept out of meaningful participation in Nigerian politics forever and that they would not seek to change the situation, including doing so by drastic means? Obasanjo and his clique must be totally bereaved of political smarts if they do not appreciate that marginalizing the most vigorous group of human beings on earth, the Igbos, would create problems for the survival of Nigeria.

 If this election is rigged, as expected, and Nigeria is given another batch of incompetent Hausa-Fulani-Yoruba to rule it, there is no doubt that Igbos would be disposed to seeking a way out of Nigeria . When you push a people against a wall and a hard place they have no choice but to make a break for freedom.

 If you place a bird in a cage it seeks escape from it for its nature is liberty. If lowly creatures like birds seek liberty one does not understand what daftness of mind makes the thieves of Abuja not to appreciate that caged Igbos would seek freedom from Nigeria . Nigeria is increasingly an unnatural abode for human beings to live in.

 If another group of incompetent feudal lords are foisted on Nigeria and thereby retarding Nigeria ’s economic development, one calls for either confederation or a break up of Nigeria . It is now time for Igbos to rule themselves, perhaps within the umbrella of Nigeria or outside Nigeria . If this election imposes another crowd of thieving politicians on Nigeria , I think that it is time for the Igbo intelligentsia to join forces with MASSOB and work for a better future for all Igbos. Igbos can no longer permit themselves to be orphans in the Nigerian polity. They ought to be making an alternative arrangement to the intolerable situation on the Nigerian ground

One believes that African countries, as currently constituted, are too small to amount to much in international politics. In the world of the future it is large polities like the USA , China , India , Brazil (and the combined European Union) that will rule. It is not in our best interest to fragment the already too small countries of Africa . Therefore, one instinctively opposes the break up of most African countries. Indeed, one looks forward to the day that African countries would be enlarged. I look forward to the day that all of West Africa is one country, with each ethnic group constituting a state in it; all of East Africa one country, with each ethnic group constituting a state in it; all of Southern Africa, from Zambia downwards one country, with each ethnic group a state in it; and all of central Africa, from Angola to Congo etc one country, with each ethnic group a state in it. Ultimately, one looks forward to a future when all of Africa would be united as one country, a federation with each of Africa ’s five hundred large ethnic groups a state.

 This commitment to a larger political framework, however, does not mean that one is willing to permit some ethnic groups to dominate others. Domestic colonialism with some African groups dominating others is unacceptable.

 We have to find a way to give all ethnic groups a sense of self governance within larger political entities. Whereas confederations are inherently weak, one sees no better idea on the horizon for Nigeria . We simply cannot permit the Hausa/Fulani/Yoruba unholy alliance to keep on lording it over other Nigerian groups, especially if they have no agenda for economic development of the entire country. Nigeria ought to be at the level of South Korea , Taiwan , Malaysia , Singapore and Indonesia at this time. Instead, she is a country where the income per capita is one dollar a day. This is a shame.

 Each ethnic group in Nigeria ought to be given the opportunity to rule itself within the parameter of Nigeria ’s confederation. In this light, I visualize an Alaigbo state (from Port Harcourt to Agbo). Within this state is a unicameral legislature of fifty members. Members are elected to serve five year terms, with six term limit. I visualize a prime minister selected from the legislature; a prime minister who selects his ministers from outside the legislature (selects experts in their various fields). I visualize a ceremonial governor. I visualize an independent judiciary (state high court, county courts and city courts). More importantly, I visualize a government dedicated to developing the economy. I see an Alaigbo that in a few decades would be doing what China is currently doing, economically.

 It is simply intolerable for a talented people to waste their talents just because they are ruled by a bunch of shiftless persons from only God knows where. I say it is time for confederation or Nigeria ought to break up and each ethnic group rule itself (and, hopefully, some of them would have the wisdom to form a true federation).

For the good of all Africans, let us hope that this election is not rigged for the benefit of some anointed persons and groups to rule Nigeria . If we witness another rigged election in Nigeria we might as well kiss Nigeria , as we know it, goodbye. Hitherto, disenfranchised Igbo youth have been agitating for separation from Nigeria , and the cooler heads in Alaigbo ignored them. However, if this election is rigged the cooler heads ought to join the radicals and work for their people’s freedom. Of course, the short term effect will be catastrophic for all concerned, but what option is left the people; should they keep tolerating the rule of the feckless, do nothing for the people thieves at Abuja ?

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

April 10, 2007

Robot  Villager

# 1 In five days, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect their leaders. No Igbos are presented by th...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 09.04.2007 15:07

Metternich  Villager

# 2 This article contains absolutely nothing new and is almost downright annoying. Are Igbo people the only ethnic group in Nigeria that is yet to taste political power in the form of producing the President? And before I come under all sorts of attacks, I need to make it clear that I am proudly Igbo. But I believe that development in Igbo land and other parts of Nigeria can be achieved without that an Igbo person or the applicable ethnic group as the President. While I am not endorsing mediocrity, corruption and mismanagement at the Federal level, I am of the opinion that the writer should encourage us to hold our local government and state officials accountable. I believe that even without reforming our constitution/Federation, serious local officials (especially state governors) would make tremendous impact if they choose to. Posted by Metternich| 09.04.2007 16:09

pukpabi  Villager

# 3 Folks, I am not particularly Osuji's fan. But I am watching all those "Osuji fans and worshippers", and the "One Nigeria" choresters to react to this incontrovertible fact of how a major ethnic group that were in the forefront of fighting for Nigeria's independence, have been treated in Nigeria since the end of the civil war. And for daring to sensitise my people of the inevitability of the collapse of this monstrous Nigerian state, I have been termed a hate monger. Not that I care anyway. I am on a crusade to alert the Nigerian people on the need to restructure Nigerian state or risk its eventual demise. You cannot treat the Igbo with disdain, and get away with it. This is not 1967. For goodness sake, this is 2007, and moreover, the world has seen Nigeria's underbelly. Note this, and if you still don't see where I am coming from, you need to have your head examined. Northern House of Assembly debate on Igbo (March 1964) MALLAM BASHARI UMARU: "I would like (you), as the Minister of Land and Survey, to revoke forthwith all Certificates of Occupancy from the hands of the Ibos resident in the region" (Applause) MR. MEGIDA LAWANT: "In fact it is quite a long time that we in our part of this Region have known the Ibos and I do not think that at the moment there is any Ibo man owning a roof in Igbirra Division ... I am appealing to the Minister to make life more difficult for them ... " ALHAJI YUSUFU BAYERO: "Mr. Chairman, I would like to appeal to the Minister of Establishments and Training if he will appeal to the Minister of Local Government about some employees who are Ibos and are working under some Native Authorities here ... I cannot see why they should be in our Region. We are all sure that they are the poorest people in the country". ALHAJI USMAN LIMAN (Sarkin Musawa): "What brought the Ibos into this Region? They were here since the Colonial Days. Had it not been for the Colonial Rule there would hardly have been any Ibo in this Region. Now that there is no Colonial Rule the Ibos should go back to their Region. There should be no hesitation about this matter. Mr. Chairman, North is for Northerners, East for Easterners, West for Westerners and The Federation is for all." (Applause) ALHAJI SIR AHMADU BELLO, K.B.E., Sardauna of Sokoto (The Premier): "It is my most earnest desire that every post in the Region, however small it is, to be filled by a Northerner." (Applause) ALHAJI MUSTAFA ISMAILA ZANNA DUJUNA (Minister of Establishments and Training): "Mr. Chairman, Sir, since 1955 this Government had laid down a policy. First NORTHERNERS, second EXPATRIATES and third, NON-NORTHERNERS. Mr. Chairman, Sir, I have noted very carefully all the speeches made by all the Members in the Honourable House and I am ready to put up to my Government their views and I hope my Government will give them consideration ... I think these two things are the major things I have to answer now. One is on scholarship and the other is on how to do away with the Ibos." ALHAJI IBRAHIM MUSA GASHASH, O.B.E. (Minister of Land and Survey): "Mr. Chairman, Sir, I do not like to take up much of the time of this House in making explanations, but I would like to assure Members that having heard their demands about Ibos holding land in Northern Nigeria my Ministry will do all it can to see that the demands of Members are met. How to do this, when to do it, all this should not be disclosed. In the course, you will all see what will happen." (Applause) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that these quotes were recorded long before the war or indeed, the coup which Northern elements want the world to believe was the reason for the massacre of Nd'Igbo which started in the North + spread all over the country. These are the same group of people talking about one Nigeria as if their lives depended on it. Yes their lives depended on it, at least part of the Oil revenue that comes from the East. Ewu One Nigeria. Paschal Ukpabi, J.D. Michigan, USA Posted by pukpabi| 09.04.2007 16:48

cdimkpa  Villager

# 4 PUkpabi, Can you corroborate this northern parliamentary proceeding? If it is true, then no be today the thing start. It seems that the Hausa and Fulani have held the Igbo and Yoruba in perpetual mutual disunity with some highly-potent voodoo from some muslim marabout. Holy Moses! The Igbo has faired worst, but the Yoruba has not really faired any better, except only recently. As for the minorities, only God will come to their rescue. These northerners eh! Posted by cdimkpa| 09.04.2007 17:00

Auspicious  Villager

# 5 Hi Osuji! Been a minute since we last hurrd from you. How yu dey? They said you are me - or is it me you? I had to laugh at that one. I mean..they might as well say I don't know me. Hopefully this article of yours wont be another watershed for ethnophobic grand-standing. Last I hurrd, the Igbos currently have the highest number of aspirants vying for the office of the President of the Federal Republic in the coming elections. No, there is NO sin in that. But I think it would be better that a people unite to propel one strong aspirant onto the national stage. Better that than smithereens of aspirants spread all over the place without adequate base support. I mean..look at poor Patrick Utomi for God's sake. After Donald Duke was eased out of the way, the youth (including my humble self!) from across Nigeria flocked to the man Utomi. He had a powerful following in colleges like OAU Ife for example. But they quickly lost faith in backing him up, as Utomi's core constituency do not even appear to be warming towards him. Many are left perplexed and wondering: "if his people aren't so excited about him, what am I doing shouting his name around?". Organizations like Ohaneze Ndigbo were busy adopting a tested and failed noisemaker called Orji Uzor Kalu, who has refused to let God do wonders in his "God's Own State" of Abia. Then icons and power-brokers like Odimegwu Ojukwu are busy serving their own interests, by running for President at 74 (RIP, Adefarati), instead of putting their weights behind a good man like Utomi. The Yoruba's say "Agbajo owo ni a fin n so aya"; so why not just join hands together for a much bigger cause? This behavior is not peculiar to the Ndigbo, we Southerners generally exhibit the same tendency to want to outdo one another - to our collective loss. If not for the accident of Abiola's death, the Yoruba's would probably not have had a shot at the Presidency of Nigeria yet. They would probably still be bickering and the rest of the country will probably still be enjoying the privileges of power at the Southerners' expense. Anyhow, the truth is, were the fortunes of this country better than it currently is, were justice, accountability, progress etc evident in the management of our affairs, I wouldn't be here talking about where our leader hails from. I naturally wouldn't give a damn. Remi Oyeyemi lit up a previously latent fire in me with last respectful and non-denigrating (of others) article here on NVS. And now, maybe, just maybe, I am a little bit more indifferent to Nigeria than I used to be. Or maybe, just maybe, I am a little bit more protective of the interest of my local Yoruba identity than I used to be. And maybe, just maybe, it is the same dissapointment with Nigeria that makes Thomas Ozodi Osuji genuinely insecure enough to whine about the lot of his Ndigbo. Or what else can a man do if Big Brother Nigeria continues to let you down? Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 09.04.2007 17:09

Yoba Akinjola  Villager

# 6 For the record, I want the readers of this Osuji Group to know that I have repeatedly requested that BigK upgrade my account to author status so that I can freely express my views on other ethnic groups in Nigeria. I have wealth of information with which to churn out about 5 articles per week until the next 20 years. The readers at NVS will not read my ideas and articles until the Admin of NVS (BigK) decides to play fair and upgrade my status. To BigK: Your continued insistence on publishing these articles from Osuji Group while denying me the same opportunity to publish similar articles about Yoruba tribe and other ethnic groups in Nigeria CAN ONLY mean that you are among the Yoruba group of villagers who write these Igbo-bashing articles. You can delete my comment here as usual, but I want other readers to know where you stand. If you are for justice and democracy, then show this by your examples here on NVS: Upgrade my status to author today and see how I can educate others about Yoruba and other tribes! In Nigeria, goons cry for democracy while practicing anarchy and thuggery. Are we different in our hiding places in America? Posted by Yoba Akinjola| 09.04.2007 17:14

cdimkpa  Villager

# 7 =Auspicious;167113>Hi Osuji! Been a minute since we last hurrd from you. How yu dey? They said you are me - or is it me you? I had to laugh at that one. I mean..they might as well say I don't know me. Hopefully this article of yours wont be another watershed for ethnophobic grand-standing. Last I hurrd, the Igbos currently have the highest number of aspirants vying for the office of the President of the Federal Republic in the coming elections. No, there is NO sin in that. But I think it would be better that a people unite to propel one strong aspirant onto the national stage. Better that than smithereens of aspirants spread all over the place without adequate base support. I mean..look at poor Patrick Utomi for God's sake. After Donald Duke was eased out of the way, the youth from across Nigeria flocked to the man Utomi. But they quickly lost faith in backing him up, as Utomi's core constituency do not even appear to be warming towards him. Many are left perplexed and wondering: "if his people aren't so excited about him, what am I doing shouting his name around?". Organizations like Ohaneze Ndigbo were busy adopting a tested and failed noisemaker called Orji Uzor Kalu, who has refused to let God do wonders in his "God's Own State" of Abia. Then icons and power-brokers like Odimegwu Ojukwu are busy serving their own interests, by running for President at 70, instead of putting their weights behind a good man like Utomi. The Yoruba's say "Agbajo owo ni a fin n so aya"; so why not just join hands together for a much bigger cause? This behavior is not peculiar to the Ndigbo, we Southerners generally exhibit the same tendency to want to outdo one another - to our collective loss. If not for the accident of Abiola's death, the Yoruba's would probably not have had a shot at the Presidency of Nigeria yet. They would probably still be bickering and the rest of the country will probably still be enjoying the privileges of power at the Southerners' expense. Anyhow, the truth is, were the fortunes of this country better than it currently is, were justice, accountability, progress etc evident in the management of our affairs, I wouldn't be here talking about where our leader hails from. I naturally wouldn't give a damn. Remi Oyeyemi lit up a fire in me with last article here on NVS. And maybe, just maybe, I am a little bit more indifferent to Nigeria than I used to be. Or maybe, just maybe, I am a little bit more protective of the interest of my local Yoruba identity than I used to be. And maybe, just maybe, it is the same dissapointment that makes Thomas Ozodi Osuji insecure enough to whine about the lot of his Ndigbo. Or what else can a man do if Big Brother Nigeria continues to let you down? Auspicious. As things have been going with respect to preps for the election, do you in your heart of heart really think that Utomi, good as he is , can win this very election even if all Igbos support him? When has a single tribe ever won an election in Nigeria? As for Ojukwu, as with the late Adefarati (no intention to dishonor the dead), he is fast becoming a clown, contesting election at 70. Posted by cdimkpa| 09.04.2007 17:15

cdimkpa  Villager

# 8 Easy oh! Yoba. The NVS is a pesonal business. The owner decides, and rightfully too, what he wants done. But why should you have any difficulties being upgraded if you go about it the ''right'' way? Posted by cdimkpa| 09.04.2007 17:22

Auspicious  Villager

# 9 =cdimkpa;167115>As things have been going with respect to preps for the election, do you in your heart of heart really think that Utomi, good as he is , can win this very election even if all Igbos support him? When has a single tribe ever won an election in Nigeria? As for Ojukwu, as with the late Adefarati (no intention to dishonor the dead), he is fast becoming a clown, contesting election at 70. Hi Christian Dimpka! Nothing is impossible when there is the WILL to make that wish we DESIRE a REALITY! It is NOT the "tribe" that is contesting the elections but Pat Utomi (on behalf of good people like him) is. Like I said, a good number amongst the youth across Nigeria swung towards Mr. Utomi after Donald Duke was jabo'd by the Corrupt Mammoth called the PDP. But the momentum of desire for Pat was lost along the way..and the lackadaisacal attitude of groups and people like Ohaneze and Baba Ojukwu had an effective role to play in that. May I reiterate again (even though the fact is obvious) that a "tribe" or ethnic group does not contest elections. Individuals do. And that it is NOT only Igbos but non-Igbos like myself that elect good leaders from anywhere. Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 09.04.2007 17:32

ithinkbetter  Villager

# 10 It is simply intolerable for a talented people to waste their talents just because they are ruled by a bunch of shiftless persons from only God knows where. I say it is time for confederation or Nigeria ought to break up and each ethnic group rule itself (and, hopefully, some of them would have the wisdom to form a true federation). i hate repeating myself, but that word in red is for now the ultimate solution.... Posted by ithinkbetter| 09.04.2007 17:32

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