Finally, Baba Gana Kingibe, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has been eased (or shoved, if you like) out of office. That did not come as a surprise to many: the news of his possible sack had been in the air for sometime and the man himself had at least on one occasion publicly alluded to that fact. That President Yar’Adua could act so decisively so soon after his return from the ‘lesser hajj’ - as the president’s information (mis) managers would want us to believe – was a bigger surprise. For me, the real surprise was that the man was appointed in the first place. If you think by this statement that I am one of those who are gloating over Kingibe’s loss of his powerful position, then you are missing the point. It is not in my character to rejoice over anyone’s misfortune.

Of course, Kingibe has his strong points. As a diplomat and politician, he has a highly developed survival instinct, a gift of the garb and a style of his own. In many respects, he is the archetypal Nigerian politician. That is, as far as Nigeria’s ‘do unto others before they do unto you’ brand of partisan politics goes. And it is not unlikely that he will bounce back into power soon. But the office of SGF is not about politics. It transcends partisan politics. The same goes for the much trivialized offices of secretary to the state government (SSG) in the states many of which are occupied by persons better suited for political mobilization or other non – technocratic engagements. For a man who had successfully contested for the office of vice president on a joint ticket with late MKO Abiola in June 1993 and who is perceived to have stymied the effort to actualize that mandate, Yar’adua surprised the nation in appointing Kingibe to the sensitive office of SGF.

Part of the problem with Nigeria is that some of the men who are bestowed with public offices are sometimes placed in positions where their competences, their temperaments or even their ambitions are ill suited. But I give it to Kingibe. His romance with Abacha after the June 12, 1993 election sullied his political reputation and cast him in the mould of an ambitious man but he has always kept a straight face and appeared unperturbed. Even with the trauma of his fall from the Olympian height of a powerful office still fresh, he appeared unruffled on national TV while handing over to his successor, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed. Like the office of SGF, Yar’Adua needs to take another look at his ministers and replace those whose competences are better suited elsewhere.

On “Odenigbo – The Challenge of Igbo Renascence”

I have been bombarded with insightful responses by phone, sms and e-mail over the above article published in this column last week. To strike the iron while it is still hot, I reproduce a few below:

“ Your piece is brilliant and comprehensive. Ndigbo elites must deploy their human and material resources to protect, project and promote Igbo language. It is a sacred duty and a clarion call.” Emmanuel Onwubiko

“I have been disturbed after reading your weekend tonic. What do we do? Our elites are one of the causes. Go to any office where an Igbo man is the head and speak Igbo for him. He will embarrass you as if you have committed sacrilege. What is the way out?” Chidi Efobi

 “Mr. Ohia, I think the central thesis in the article is that true - Igbo culture is disappearing under the strain of modernism as many other "indigenous" cultures are. This is regrettable, but possibly irreversible. The Igbo, who have been great emigrants long before globalization became fashionable, will continue to seek new markets and new jobs and it will become more and more difficult to inculcate new generations in Igbo culture. I think it's also true that when it comes to political cohesiveness, the Igbo have not been very effective. As the cliché goes, we are too individualistic, too egotistical.

 But to say that the Igbo in Nigeria have become hewers of wood etc. is ridiculous. On a per capita income basis, the Igbo are today probably the most successful ethnic group in Nigeria in spite of the civil war. After decades of northern generals in power, there are a handful of super rich people in the north and a tiny middle class while the masses suffer in poverty. Eight more years of "northern" rule will not change that. In the southwest, there are more wealthy people, many more captains of industry, and a stronger middle class, but a good percentage of that middle class, in Lagos, Ibadan etc., are tenants in houses belonging to the Igbo. No ethnic group has devised more ways to survive in Nigeria than the Igbo, and if government disappeared today, only the Igbo will emerge with its wealth more or less intact. In strategic terms that is not a bad position to be in. We ought to do better in national politics as a people, but it's already apparent that the investments we have made in education and in commerce have placed us in a better position long term than those who have out-performed us in coup-plotting, mass murder and political intrigue.

 The suggestion that Igbos are not investing in Igboland is just not correct. While Kano which used to be a huge industrial centre has been effectively de-industrialized, because the factories built there were either put up by government and have been mismanaged or were always unsustainable, the industrial capacity in Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba, etc. has continued to grow. Nkpor and Obosi have become sprawling industrial complexes. Many Igbo business people trying to establish new industries just can't find land in those areas.

 The age-old problem is that Igboland has always been pretty congested. A plot of land in my hometown costs more than a similar plot in many parts of Lagos and many families have simply stopped selling. So the Igbo don't have a choice but to move outwards. We are condemned to emigrate (which will inevitably result in cultural loss, no matter how many Odenigbo lectures we organize), but that outward movement is what has allowed us to survive and prosper. That's why attractive separatist or isolationist ideas like those peddled by MASSOB and which your article seems somewhat to support are actually quite inimical to the Igbo”. Ike Oguine

I do not support separatists but I thank all those who have reacted through phone, sms or e-mail.

uchebush@yahoo.com;

0805 1090 050

Robot  Villager

# 1 For me, the real surprise was that the man was appointed in the first place. If you think by this statement that I am one of those who are gloating over Kingibe’s loss of his powerful position, t...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 27.09.2008 08:48

abayomi waheed  Villager

# 2 we saw it coming. i'm surprised people are surprised king-i-be was removed. he is an AGIP (any government in power) man. abiola must be wondering over the type of company he kept in 1992. Posted by abayomi waheed| 27.09.2008 14:59