Can Igbos Govern Nigeria?

By Phil Tam-Al Alalibo

It is he who is eternally naïve that would argue, fatuously, I might add, the axiom of Igbo productivity and prolific contributions to corporate Nigeria and human civilization. Indeed, it would be an exercise in gross futility and a time consuming foray to list the litany of Igbo personalities with worldwide acclaim for innovation and scholarly excellence. Need I mention Chinua Achebe for a start?  But in spite of this noted prowess that commands the envy of all, far and wide, the Igbos seem to be afflicted with the same infirmity that has freighted every segment of the Nigerian humanity and this is the worrisome irony of Igbo inveterate political failure. Why is this the case and why have the Igbos, thirty-six (36) years after the end of the civil war not taken the bull by the horn in charting a successful political endeavor? After all, Igbo forefathers, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Michael Okpara, etc, have made believers of us all about Igbo's political finesse, a feat, shamefully yet to be reenacted by today's tribe of avaricious and rapacious Igbo leaders.

After attending the last World Igbo Congress (WIC) Convention in Boston, a former university classmate called me to chat about his experience at the convention, his first. I listened attentively as he spoke voluminously and promisingly about Igbo political renaissance, its resolve to depart from the muddle and topsy-turvy posture of the past to embrace a new political dawn and stage a return to the corridors of political relevance. But even as he spoke, the political bankruptcy and moral insolvency issuing out of Anambra did not support his aspiration neither did it paint a portrait of a house in order; this is a curious and disturbing trend. Thus, it stands to reason that for Igbo political leadership to be accorded serious consideration, it must demonstrate an appreciable measure of political efficacy. But where do we go to find such?

It appears the dispiriting crisis in Anambra is a prototype and indeed a microscopic indication of a chronic leadership crisis and all that is wrong with the Igbo political class. If it is true that charity begins at home, then the Igbos must stay home to effect a cursive leadership before stepping into the national limelight. What we are seeing in Anambra (Ekiti, Bayelsa, Plateau, Oyo, no less) is a polity abundantly at variance and conflict with itself; a polity innately addled and unable to collate the heterogeneity of competing interests to further the common cause; a polity consumed by the politics of egoism with rapacious slant. With the noted ingenuity, intellect and the free-spiriting proclivity of the Igbos, there is no reason on earth for this group to souse in political failure; there is no imaginable reason at all why the Igbos cannot rid themselves of the ugly monkey of political paucity. Even with the unseen scabrous and ghoulish hands from Abuja (and elsewhere) stirring the pot of contumely in Igboland, a cohesive front and concerted effort should defeat such interference. 

Anambra presents a peculiar case and attracts a certain scrutiny because of all the Igbo states, it is the one that bears the cream of the crop; here we have personalities like Azikiwe, Ojukwu, Anyaoku, Okadigbo, Achebe, etc, all emanating from this state, but regrettably, for every Zik, there is a Chris Uba and that is exactly the problem with Anambra. The other day, I was reading an article written by John Iteshi on www.nigeriavillagesquare.com titled “Anambra is About Igbo Failure”, (October 20, 2006) where the author noted and I quote, “Anambra makes the boldest statement about the fact that Ndi-Igbo despite the great achievements of their individuals are probably the most primitive ethnic group in Nigeria. It makes it clear that being civilised is more about an organised society than merely having many successful individuals.” Nothing could be farthest from the truth, not the statement on being the most primitive ethnic group, as I beg to differ, but the fact that individual successes of citizens of this state have not helped it chart a progressive path.

Anambra, in seven years, has had three governors, each leading a regime exuding tales of anarchy, deficiency and a baffling spate of violence. We should note that we speak here of highly educated men, with the prefix "Dr" preceding their names, yet, this has not translated into good governance as these men have been unable to forestall the free fall of the state into the abyss of disarrangement and snarl. For one, Gov. Mbadinuju ran the state aground with his gross ineptitude – Where do we begin? On his watch, teachers and civil servants went unpaid for upwards of fourteen (14) months, state agencies and institutions of higher education in the state were starved of funds and barely functioned, violence became Anambra's anthem as even Mbadinuju himself was accused of the murder of Mr. Banabas Igwe, the Chairman of the Anambra chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association and his wife, an accusation still hanging on his head. It is indeed safe to aver that during this time, war-torn and government-less Somalia saw more meaningful development than Anambra. Until date, no governor has been so inept, so disconnected and so maladroit, not even the gigantically incompetent Dariye of Plateau and not even in military times.

On his part, history will acquit Dr. Chris Ngige more credibly even with a stolen mandate. But that stolen mandate belies a pervasive moral crisis so evident in Igbo political leadership. While Peter Obi remained deprived of his mandate and sought redress in the courts, the Igbo political class remained reticent and incurious at the height of such injustice melted out to one of their own. What is even more perturbing, if not direful, is the unhealthy synergy of Igbo leaders with the connoisseurs of exertion. Rudolf Okonkwo, author and a freelance writer, told us in his article titled "WIC 2006: The Humiliation of Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu", published on the same website noted above (September 10, 2006) about the humiliation of Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the publisher of the Champion newspaper who was booed and jeered to submission at the recently concluded WIC Convention. Okonkwo aptly noted, "As Iwuanyanwu mounted the podium, Dr. Anosike raised his voice to demand that Iwuanyanwu not address the gathering because he was a traitor to Igbo cause. A section of the audience subsequently rose in support of Anosike and booed Iwuanyanwu. The audience drowned every attempt by Iwuanyanwu to speak. "

But the owner of the former Spartans Football of Owerri (now Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC) may not be the only traitor in the Igbo fold. If we set aside emotional entanglements and wallow in a modicum of honesty even objectivity, we would agree that Iwuanyanwu may have good company in Chief Chukwuemeka Dim Ojukwu, who upon his return from exile in the then Ivory Coast in 1982, joined forces with Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria, (NPN) to “defeat” kinsman Azikiwe’s Nigerian Peoples’ Party (NPP) in a rigged affair. It scales imagination that after leading a fearless war and a just struggle for self-determination and independence, Ojukwu would return twelve years later and dine with the “devil” and the “oppressor” on the same alter where his kinsmen were slaughtered to the utter detriment of his hushed people. What then was the purpose of the Biafran war and what will the millions who paid the ultimate price (if they can speak) say about Ojukwu’s actions at a time when the Igbos needed his boost, gusto, his oratory and command, no less his leadership to carry the presidency of the federal republic of Nigeria, he choose the sinfully corrupt and inept party headed by the sheepishly craven Shagari and his stock of crass usurpers and pilferers. What manner of Igbo leadership? 

And where is Arthur Nzeribe these days with his Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) shenanigan. It is very doubtful whose interest this fellow has been representing as at a crucial moment in the nation’s history when Nigerians struggled to wiggle free from the clutches of terror, he generously chanted the chorus of dictatorship and oppression wishing it to continue. And to think that after all this, he was generously elected by his people to serve in the highest legislative body in the land. What manner of Igbo leadership? But Igbos and Nigerians may quickly forgive Nzeribe when they remember the anathema and detestation visited on the great Zik of Africa by none other but his own kinsman from Anambra, the late Dr. Chuba William Wilberforce Okadigbo. Okadigibo, against better judgment and amply possessed by the demons of doltishness assailed the envied eminence of this statesman well revered beyond the shores of his homeland just to score cheap political point and please his political masters. For the third time, I ask, what manner of Igbo leadership?

And as we assess Okadigbo’s stewardship, it brings painful memories of colossal wastage of opportunity to showcase strong Igbo leadership on the national level. Even the casual observer would note the mishandling of the senate presidency, which since June 4, 1999 when the members of the National Assembly were sworn-in had been an exclusive Igbo preserve. But the unavoidable question is – what have they done with this office? In seven years, five Igbo senators have ascended the third highest office in the land. The statisticians among us would average this at one senator per 1.4 years. This is almost half of the total number of Igbo senators of fifteen and the end of this griminess may still be lurking in the distance. From Evan Enwerem to Okadigbo to Adolphus Wabara all stained by the loathsome hand of solecism and crookedness. While the Ebonyi senator, Pius Anyim, brought some goodly measure of sanity to the office, it is now reported that he retired to the sunset a millionaire. What then is the aspectual difference between Igbo leadership and the one that has currently delivered us to the thorny cliffs of precipice?

In a truly laughable moment, no less therapeutic for a wearied soul, someone, during the last Independence Day celebrations in northern Virginia suggested that Abia governor; Orji Kalu represented the best Igbo hope and would make a good president. Out of curiosity and in the stack interest of clarity, less there be confusion, I asked the gentleman - president of what – the loquacious association? If indeed, Kalu, as held by some, is the great Igbo hope for redemption and reaffirmation, the surprise Igbo candidate lurking in the dark, then there is trouble in the land. The story of Kalu cannot be any different from those of Dariye, Fayose and Alamieyeseigha in the sense that he has squandered a golden opportunity to make Abia truly God’s own state as the state’s motto bears. If the truth is told, Kalu is better suited for the fanfare and glamour of Hollywood (Nollywood?) than the rigors of governance. In seven years since he assumed power, Abia has hardly realized a third of its potentials. Aba, the bustling hub of African commerce remains a very scattered city in terrible need of a facelift. Does it even have a master plan? It appears, houses are built on every corner provided there is space converting the city into an architectural nightmare. To date, Kalu remains the only governor in the nation’s history to have a parent (mother, in this case) accused and declared wanted by the authorities for assisting in the looting of state funds.

It’s a crying matter to see a people so blessed to continue to fumble, tumble, stumble and bungle timelessly and be blown away by the corruptive wind of selfish interest against the greater good. Of the five Igbo states, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia and Enugu, none (neither are the remaining 31) is a paragon of translucency and when one thinks of Ebonyi State, depression sets in seeing the hardworking citizens sousing aplenty in poverty and hopelessness. Sometimes, one wonders if there is a government in that state. But regrettably, there is one, and it is headed by Dr. Sam Egwu who has amassed so much wealth that he is able to fly his wife, Eunice, overseas at the slightest cough while hospitals remain an alien sight to the people of the state. A friend once noted jokingly that Ebonyi State was the poorest in the nation because it had only two millionaires – Pius Anyim and Sam Egwu. And so goes the story.

With this trend and manner of leadership, the Igbos may never govern Nigeria for many decades to come. It is instructive to note that no one will deliver the presidency to them on a silver platter for they must work for it and take it at the opportune moment. But will they or can they? When the Yorubas decided it was their turn to govern, they convinced the entire nation to vote for Moshood Abiola against a formidable Bashir Tofa from the north. Even at the height of Babangida’s tomfoolery with the peoples’ mandate, the entire nation in sink with the democratic agenda hounded him out of Aso Rock with his tails between his legs leading to the handover to Shonekan and eventually to Obasanjo, an unworthy beneficiary of this wont.

Thus, we must conclude that the affliction of the Igbos and the entire nation indeed, is the politics of apotheosis and sublimation. It is truly time to search within for the enemies of the great Igbo nation. It is time to engage in a soul-searching candor, it is time for a true political renaissance above and beyond the lip service, the towering and flowery yet meaningless pontifications at the WIC conventions. If we agree that democracy is all about majority rule, perhaps, someone should explain why the Igbos, 50 million strong and counting, are yet to propel themselves to the political mountaintop? At the moment, we are unsure if they have any more credible prophets who can part the red sea. If they exist they must have been cowed into hiding by the agents of quietus prowling the plains.

Dr. Alex Ekwueme, world acclaimed architect was perhaps, then, the best hope for the Igbos in the context of national leadership. But the old man sidelined by his own people in recent times, has been tainted beyond redemption by the regime of profligacy and prodigality he led with his boss, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari. So to whom, do the Igbos turn? Is it Professor Pat Utomi? Is it Ebitu Ukiwe who stood up to the tyranny of Babangida? Is it Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the miracle worker? Is it Mrs. Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, the Minister of Education and madam due process? If antecedence is anything to go by, it appears that they may have to ask the spirits to spare the great Zik for one more turn, and there, my friends, lies the irony, no less the tragedy, of a great people. ____________________________________

The author can be reached @ alalibo@gmail.com 

Robot  Villager

# 1 Can Igbos Govern Nigeria? ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 25.10.2006 11:29

docokwy  Villager

# 2 Look here Mister, it is about time you, presumably an Ijaw, thought seriously of how you, your family and indeed your Ijaw tribe will rule Nigeria. You should be more concerned with considering if you and yours have the capability to rule Nigeria, in spite of the acclaimed short-changing of the Niger Delta by the Nigerian state. It is not worth your time engaging in Igbo ability or inability to govern Nigeria. Or are you saying that the Igbo are different from your Ijaw? You must quit from this senseless engagement and fight for your own people, instead. The Igbo does not need your warped sorry ass to ''wake'' them up. This is because you have not succeeded in lifting your own people up from their unending heart-wrenching woes. This is a warning. No kidding you. And, who says the Igbo must rule Nigeria??? Posted by docokwy| 25.10.2006 11:51

chebus  JJC

# 3 Am I the only one is suffocatingly tired of the petty tirades of " Igbo this Yoruba that, Hausa that." Na-wa for una! Posted by chebus| 25.10.2006 12:20

chebus  JJC

# 4 Am I the only one who is suffocatingly tired of the petty tirades of " Igbo this, Yoruba that, Hausa that." Na-wa for una! Posted by chebus| 25.10.2006 12:21

planet1899  Villager

# 5 Here is a perfect example of what the author was saying....rather addressing the cogent issued raised, you are addressing the author and his so-called Niger Delta or whatever....does it matter where the messenger is from as long as the message is geniune? When will Nigerians learn? Posted by planet1899| 25.10.2006 12:29

Auspicious  Villager

# 6 =docokwy;135716>Look here Mister, it is about time you, presumably an Ijaw, thought seriously of how you, your family and indeed your Ijaw tribe will rule Nigeria. You should be more concerned with considering if you and yours have the capability to rule Nigeria, in spite of the acclaimed short-changing of the Niger Delta by the Nigerian state. It is not worth your time engaging in Igbo ability or inability to govern Nigeria. Or are you saying that the Igbo are different from your Ijaw? You must quit from this senseless engagement and fight for your own people, instead. The Igbo does not need your warped sorry ass to ''wake'' them up. This is because you have not succeeded in lifting your own people up from their unending heart-wrenching woes. This is a warning. No kidding you. And, who says the Igbo must rule Nigeria??? Mr. Docokwy: 'We' are still waiting for your intelligent response to the CONTENT of Phil Tam-Al Alalibo's article. 'We' await for you to critique the points (if any) Mr. Alalibo made in his article. 'We' await you to show 'us' that even YOU can also focus on the message and not the messenger. 'We' await you to show that you do not belong to that group of individuals out there who appear to be under constant paranoia in the way they react to every little discussion of them by "outsiders" like Mr. Phil Alalibo. The question is, will Mr. Docokwy impress 'us' by rising to such an intellectual challenge? Auspicous. Posted by Auspicious| 25.10.2006 13:12

planet1899  Villager

# 7 Mr. Auspicious, you have said it well, we are all waiting for his intelligent rebuttal or contribution to the discourse introduced by the writer....otherwise we must conclude that the author has been vindicated in his thesis of Igbo leader's disorganization, lack of vision and tact. We are all waiting for the discussion. Thanks, Mr. Auspicious. Posted by planet1899| 25.10.2006 13:19

Auspicious  Villager

# 8 =planet1899;135732>....otherwise we must conclude that the author has been vindicated in his thesis of Igbo leader's disorganization, lack of vision and tact. Hello Planet1899: Thanks for your input. On the contrary, I do not crave to confirm the vindication or otherwise of Dr. Phil Tam-Al Alalibo opinions, as expressed in his latest article. Dr. Alalibo is no Super-Being and as such, his is just an opinion. What I want to see is the capability or otherwise of our dear Mr. Docokwy to give 'us' an enlightened critique of the CONTENTS of the former's (Alalibo's) article. What more, we might learn a thing or two from him as well! There are two sides to a story, so they say. Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 25.10.2006 13:29

Big-K  Villager

# 9 =chebus;135723>Am I the only one who is suffocatingly tired of the petty tirades of " Igbo this, Yoruba that, Hausa that." Na-wa for una! No. Not only you, my brother! Posted by Big-K| 25.10.2006 13:41

docokwy  Villager

# 10 Sure! Igbo leaders have not shown good leadership. But are they alone in this??? In my opinion, I think it was unnecessary for anyone, be they Igbo or not to keep harping on Igbo governorship or not, of Nigeria. This is especially so, as the current thinking is that the South-south (SS) is a strong contender for the presidency. So why not the writer, being presumably from there, concentrate his energies on how to realise that aspiration, and to teach the SS those leadership skills lacking in Ndigbo? Is he not being a traitor by trying to ''get the Igbo prepared for leadership'', whereas his people seek the same position? It is very laughable how the writer potrays the Igbo in Nigerian leadership. In any case, most of the writer's comments are trite and over-stated. Which group in Nigeria have been able to show any atom of good leadership? The Hausa-fulani? The Yoruba? The Ijaw? Are all Nigerian tribes not leadership-defficient and in good measures. For example, what has the governors in the oil states done with all the monies they received? Yenagoa, where the writer may come from is no paradise. Up till now, there is no nationally-connected Electricity in that one-road city. What has Igbinedion and Ibori done with their huge, oil-driven state allocations? Not to talk of Alams, yes Alams, an Ijaw, like the writer. Is the incessant and criminal kidnappings in the Niger Delta, alleged to be perpetrated with support of Ijaw leaders, a good leadership sign? For more examples, what has the Yoruba states become in the past 7 years, in spite of Obasanjo; and has Obj, a Yoruba, shown any good leadership? Are the Adedibus, the Fayoses, the Tinubus and other leaders who have given the Yoruba a bad name Igbo? Where were Yoruba icons like Soyinka, and Gani Fawehinmi when thieving rascals like Fayose and Gbenga Daniel took power? As for the North, have they not caused most of Nigeria's past woes by their recklessly poor leadership? Perhaps, the writer is mistaking political ability with leadership ability? At this point, Nigeria needs a Messiah to turn things around, and if that messiah be an Ijaw, or indeed another Yoruba, so be it. This disjointed pofiling of Igbo by people who have not shown any significantly better leadership ability must stop. Yes! it must. It will not remove a single hair from anybody's head if the Igbo never rules Nigeria. This is true. Posted by docokwy| 25.10.2006 14:24

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