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NNAMANI: We Need Political Re-awakening In Igboland

By IKENNA ONYEKWELU
12 April 2015   |   4:55 am
But for those of us who are alive to witness the events of the country, it represents a great change. I have to take you back to history to understand what is going on, to understand where I stand as an Igbo man. You have to be a true Igbo man to be a true Nigerian; that is talking about ethnocentrism and ethnicity.

???????????????????????????????Former two-term governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, in this interview with IKENNA ONYEKWELU explains the historical background to the recent political realities in the country, stressing that the change that happened provides the opportunity for true Igbo leadership to emerge and regrow the Igbo nation for Nigeria’s leadership.

A lot of sides exist about the recent election suggesting a paradigm shift and interrogation of history, what is your take on it? HISTORY is being made in our country today.

But for those of us who are alive to witness the events of the country, it represents a great change. I have to take you back to history to understand what is going on, to understand where I stand as an Igbo man. You have to be a true Igbo man to be a true Nigerian; that is talking about ethnocentrism and ethnicity.

We have to go back to history when our forefathers said let us wait, not independence now, let us wait for our northern brothers and sisters to join. And they all waited for one Nigeria, one, two, three; whichever order you want to place it; it is a triangular power situation that brought us to this day.

So 57 years after where are we? That troubles me. The fact that a government can be formed with virtually zero input from Igbo land saddens me. It means that the Igbo leadership has failed. The wrong people have led us; jobbers, mediocres, have led us. When you get to the table, jobbers and mediocres negotiate for us because the Igbo man appears to be intimidated by intellect.

He celebrates wealth! Let us go back to history to discover how it all began. We were in total control; the army, the police, external affairs, banking industry, the economic sector; we were in total control. Ndigbo were number one in this country, today it is arguable whether we are three or four.

We had problem with operation wetie, the Hausa-Fulani/Yoruba coalition, the NPC and the Akintolas. Of course there was the AG, (Action Group) of Awolowo and M. I. Okpara. That era ended with a military intervention and of course an ill-fated Biafran war, which I would describe as a war of blame.

Never fight a war of blame. Was it Igbo versus the rest or eastern Nigeria or versus the rest of Nigeria, because eastern Nigeria was not synonymous with Igbo land? So, who fought? Was it Igbo versus the northern Nigeria or eastern Nigeria versus northern Nigeria? So when the states were carved up, that was the end, because the oil was gone; the oil was supposed to be the bargaining chip for international assistance.

So the richly endowed Nigerian army descended on Biafran people who were squeezed into what appeared to be few local government areas. Rather than fight for a war of independence, rather than fight a war of dominance, we fought a war of survival, each man on his own; mano amano!  Second coalition: Gowon-Awolowo; North and Yoruba coalition.

Remember we were in control, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, but we lost everything and went through a gradual redeeming process. However, over the years, in the years of the Nigerian union, others have done everything possible to displace Igbo intelligentsia, so that those who argue for us are not equipped, they are not intellectually equipped. At best they had first degree, when you have LLB (Bachelor of Law) or BA (Bachelor of Arts Degree), you are just starting.

You are just being introduced, you are not even a professional, you are just being introduced to the art of reading, to the reading culture, to the spirit of exploration so that you can read and go further. Those who have no certificate were talking for us. It was an attempt to deplete the Igbo resource, so the Igbo first eleven never showed up in the past sixteen years in this country.

It was a gradual emasculation of the Igbo man. So traders or political frauds, fronting for people outside Igbo land we now associate with speaking for Igbo. The mediocres had no political ideology, moving from one party to the other. Privateers, people looking for one tariff or another, one contract or another; people who carry CVs going from one place to another, they became the Igbo elite.

False elite, the elite planted by outsiders. Igbo man has to seek acclamation outside Igbo land, Onye ana amaghi ná beya, aga amaya na be ndiozo? Esi begi eje beonye, onyemuru gi, onye k’ibu; (Can you trace your root? If you are not known at home, could you be regarded abroad? What is your identity?). People who could not be recognised in their ward, when they go to Abuja, they represent Igbo.

People with very scant education now represent us. People who cannot face you and say no, who are intimidated by integrity, independence; they are representing for us. Those who talk for Igbo were created by others; they are not part of the first eleven. When you sit at table, you look at the other side, you want to be smarter than others, and that is what happened to us.

What is the result? Even the federal government would be formed without Igbo. That is why I want to go to Abuja!    I want to go to Abuja and sit at that table. Because these are my contemporaries; these are men of my generation. Most of these were governors and they know my capacity, we know our levels.

I want to talk to them; I want to talk for Ndigbo with others. Not the emergent new age politicians, rent taking politicians, the political class created by others outside Igbo land, leadership of Ghana-must-go; mediocres, perpetual appointees, and professional appointees, seeking relevance at the top.

That is the problem today; the Igbo are missing in action. We need a conference of citizens of Igbo extraction based on representation on quality and merit to discuss how we are going to regrow what our forefathers built and get back to the main table in Nigeria. Right now we are not at the table.

Right now we are not in the room, we are outside waiting for the smoke just like when you choose the Pope. There are no Igbo inside that room, we are outside! How many Igbo today can you mention are without bias, may be Chekwas Okorie.

Chekwas Okorie could be anything today if he wanted; he could have been governor, minister, oil block owner. Then Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, after those two tell me others who have not been polluted or seek acclamation from outside. There may be others, may be JSPC Nwokolo, there must be others, but they are very few.

There are very few Igbo who can represent their views free of bias, business, political or intellectual deficiency. Intellectualism, you don’t buy it. You must read. You have to read history, the constitution; you have to read the Bible, you have to understand the stories of how we started this country.

How Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe ended up as the leader of NCNC; how Azikiwe was to form the government of western Nigeria before the cross carpeting, how he came back and dislodged Eyo Ita.

You have to come back to history. Ask yourself about the first coup. The Sardauna was shot surrounded by women, Sodeinde was shot with his wife on the bed, Maimalari was shot, Wash Pam was shot, Tafawa Belewa, Okotie Eboh, they were all shot.

What about the Igbo? While the constitutional vacuum was created why don’t they take it? If Tafawa Belewa was shot and there was constitutional transfer of power, we would not be where we are today.

Ironsi kept power; they advised him on unitary government. Onye uno ya na-agbaoku ona achu oke, (If your house is on fire must you chase rodents?). During the night of the coup when the soldiers stopped him, he told them to clear and they cleared, if they had shot him, it would have been a different story.  Okpara and Akanu Ibiam were placed under house arrest.

That is the story of Nigeria today. We need to have Igbo citizens’ conference! Who can facilitate such a meeting? Chekwas Okorie can do it. Ogbonnaya Onu can do it; it has to be done! We have to enter into the sanctum of power. Whether it is UPP, PDP or PDC we have to find a way and gradually walk ourselves back to the centre of Nigeria politics.

It is not four years, it is not two years; it is going to take time and planning. What are the criteria for attendance? Merit! Intellectual content of a man, brain is power. You can solve problems with brain, man is not just a mass of flesh; it is intellect. When you look the other man in the eye, you know who is smarter then you talk. We want to send our best, we have our best and not the confirmed mediocres.

Mediocres that pander to the whims and caprices of non-Igbo, they seek acclamation in Abuja, they carry Ghana-must-go in Abuja and they come back to become leaders.

Why does every policeman want to be posted to Igbo land? Every custom officer wants to be posted to Igbo land. Every Resident Electoral Commissioner wants to be posted to Igbo land. INEC commissioners come here every four years and they have bazaar, they have a harvest.

RECs come to Igbo land and make millions and write results without election because they don’t conduct election. No process, you have polling booth result sheets and rather than collate results at the ward collation centres, a well-trained INEC officer will tell you to bring it to the local government. When you get to the local government he tells you that the hall is too small for the agents.

Do you think what is happening in Igbo land is eclipse of leadership or alienation of the people? It is a façade. It is a faulty leadership. The leaders are trapped either by poverty or intimidation, lack of ideas.

The Igbo big man who is intellectually unequipped, who hardly reads; he has not read about history or constitutionalism. The changes happening in Nigeria today are not unusual, it happened before. So there is a wave of militarism in Africa.

It happened in Egypt, so it is clear that Nigeria cannot live in isolation because of globalization. Remember this election was supposed to be Christian versus Muslim or north versus South, but globalization killed it. Nigerians said no, it is about merit, it is about quality.

It was not Christian versus Muslim, it was not North versus South, it was content. The same thing happened in Ghana, incumbent lost in Ghana. Opposition went up in Senegal; opposition won in Guinea, opposition won in Kenya, why not Nigeria? So it is the same way for Africa, Africa has come through some travails for hundreds of years, from slavery, colonialism, military dictatorship, poverty, HIV, Ebola; call it whatever you may. That is the story of Africa.

The story of poor elite, blind elite, opportunistic elite those who were at the right place at the right time they became elites.  No middle class, you are either too poor or you are too rich. Overnight you can become a millionaire. Just by some tariff adjustment you become a millionaire. Just by policy adjustment in Central Bank, you can become a millionaire.

The true elite is to take care of the poor; that is why you need your generator, you need your fence to be wired, you need a mobile policeman and you need your borehole. With your private jet you can fly out to get proper healthcare. How can you have problem? What is the veritable way of harnessing, bringing together people with this intellectual bent? We need a conference, we need to sit down and talk.

And the tribes have to come together; it has to do with the equality of the tribes. It has nothing to do with the National Assembly; it has to be on equality of the tribes. All the tribes that occupy the Niger area, all the African ethnic tribes that occupy the area called Nigeria bordering the River Benue, the Sahara and then the Atlantic ocean will come on equal basis, not number; one individual per ethnic nation.

We decide how we move on. And for the Igbo, we have to have our own ethnic conference or citizens’ conference on equal representation. We know our people; we know the Nris, Aros, the Nkanus, the Nsukkas, on equal representation for Igbo citizens’ conference, of people with content.

You need the best to run your banks, you need the best in industry; you need the best to run the government? The biggest business is government and if you want to respect the flow of the dynamics of power, you have to have content.

Igbo man has to go back to content is now that we have to go back to content, we have to go back to the trinity of character of Igbo man; Njepu, it does not mean physical travel, read and acquired knowledge, Igba mbo, strive, never give up, Akpa-Uche, thought or reasoning.

These are the defining features of the character of an Igbo man. We have to develop a plan, we don’t have to seek acclamation from outside; there is no hurry.

There has to be an Igbo citizens’ conference. We sit down and have a time line on how to work our way back into Nigeria. It may take six years, it may take fifteen, it is not emergency we have to plan it. It does not have to be APC, UPP, must not be PDP, PDC, but we have to have the right people with content to develop how we get back to the leadership of this country. Right now we are not there; we are just outside watching for the smoke to come out.

We built this nation. If Igbo had gone their own way in 1957, it would have been an Igbo country, Yoruba country and Hausa country.

But we had to wait to let all of us live. But still we are not number one. I am talking about offices because offices are personal. People get into offices to take care of themselves. There are various dynamics of power, true physical and fiscal federalism.

How do we live together, how do we share our resources, how do we police ourselves; true federalism. How do we devolve powers to the federating states? Federating units are the ethnic groups, not the so-called states that were created through military fiat. Federating units in this country are the ethnic nations. The states are bases for power politics they were not created to represent power dynamics.

So the federating units are the ethnic African nations. The states were created undemocratically. The Ijaws, Igbo, Nupes, the Hausa/Fulanis, yorubas, the Kanuris; bring one delegate each. By this you put a lie to the last conference, why? It was a political distraction to keep the political jobbers busy.

The only national conference is the one with democratic representation. Nigeria is not a federation of states, it is not a federation of regions. Nigeria is a federation of ethnic nations. So who would talk for them? Those ethnic nations that the colonial masters met, they are still around. Their sons and daughters are still around, from ethnic nation came the states and regions and products of political marginalization.

Are you trying to redefine the Nigerian union? I am craving to redefine Nigeria in the light of current historical developments.

Nations are not carved, you cannot force nations. Nations are voluntary associations, United Nations support that; you cannot force somebody to live with you. And we are not even talking about revenue here. Niger Delta can keep their oil because even coming from Enugu, I wouldn’t wish for oil in Enugu. I would not want anybody to drill oil in Enugu here.

The attendant pollution has not been really defined. Nobody knows the toxic nature of hundreds of years of exploitation and the attendant environmental effect of oil in Niger Delta states. Let them keep their oil, the Igbo man has the dexterity of character they will go there and help them with that oil.

They would go there and sell drugs, he will go there and sell spare parts, they will go there and provide them with mechanics and their engineers and they would even go there and provide them lawyers. But there is a constant fear that such thoughts and ideas could lead to dismembering of Nigeria? No, it is too late.

Nigeria cannot dismantle anymore, because many have died and their blood watered Nigeria. So that mustard seed has become a giant oak tree and it has been watered by blood. If it were easy to dismember Nigeria, it would have happened long ago, but not after a lot of people have died.

Each tribe has something to contribute. It is like a fulcrum, a picture on a canvass, if you take out anyone then it ceases. It is too late to dismember Nigeria. Tribes have suffered for it, who will go now? If anyone wanted to go it would have gone long ago. Not after so many people have died. Well today we are in it and we have to redefine it.

Talking about Igbo citizens’ conference, don’t you think the issue of blue blood and other privileged considerations could come up as contending issues to compound representation? There is nothing like that. We don’t have any traditional lineage in Igbo land. We have the Eze Nri, the Obi of Onitsha and we have the monarchical system in well-structured Igbo, the rest were active, they were “leaderless”, fragmentary leadership.

It was makeshift leadership, Umuada, women groups, titled men; they shared power. It was truly democratic. We started practicing democracy before the colonial masters came. So there is nothing like blue blood. Igbo man is known by accomplishments; either you are a greater hunter, a greater wrestler, a great flutist, a great speaker; that is how we are accomplished.

So there is nothing like blue blood in Igbo land, Do you think the republican nature of the Igbo is a plus or minus in the long run? I don’t know what you mean by republican spirit. I don’t like to use such terms, Igbo man is independent but is accommodative. The devastation of the civil war affected his complex. Remember we had the NCNC (National Council of Nigerian Citizens), which was the political arm and we had the Igbo Union, the cultural arm; of course we had the financiers like Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Mbanugos, Peter Okoye, the Mbadiwes; those were the financiers.

Each group knew the role they had to play. Then when the Igbo asked for secession, the northerners called their bluff that they were not ready. So graduates of the University of Nigeria had to be sacrificed.

There is nothing like when a man is defeated, it takes him years to recover. So for the Igbo to recover, we now had proxies who were friends to the military power, they made more money because when you are made a military governor, the first thing is to identify his friend in Igbo land.

I don’t want to talk about what has happened in the past sixteen years politically, when there was a clear attempt to celebrate mediocre leadership in Igbo land. There was clear attempt to celebrate mediocre personalities, and the Igbo who were seen to be smart, there was clear attempt to annihilate them.

41 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Chief, it is too late crying over spoiled milk. Rather than ndi Igbo walking their way, politically, to the rest of the country they (ndi Igbo) should labour assiduously so that the rest of the country should walk to them. Good-spirited ndi Igbo should work on this paradigm shift.

  • Author’s gravatar

    well, i don`t understad all this grammar. The Yorubas were in the same state when Tambuwal stole their mandate. They still prospered. The ibos have been Senate President before, infact many times, Senators Enwerem, Okadikpo, Nnamani, the Present SGF. So Igbos can still do better if they redirect their knowledge and capacity. If they behave like the Palestinians, the Indians, etc and invest in the East. The common igbo adage says Aku lue unno. Yes, you can make money anywhere in Nigeria but invest in Igbo land. The Nnewi people carried their Motor parks business to Nnewi and Nnewi blosommed. Another fact, is that you need to put on your thinking cap. You don`t have any bases for political negotiation. The Yorubas had their ACN and the North had theirs and that formed the bases of the North/ South West marriage. For the Igbos, APGA control only one state. You can`t negotiate on that bases. It may be pedestrian thinking that way, but that is the reality of the Nigerian politics. It was so in the 60s prior to the Civil war,. Well, Nigeria is going down west but you can`t run away from it until the country really mature, to the point where it does not matter where you come from or where you reside. Issues of indegene/ settler is still prominent and equally echoed in this election.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Dr Nnamani, a point of correction. NCNC was not a political arm of the Igbo union. The NCNC was co founded by Mr Macaulay and Mr Azikiwe in 1944. Mr Macaulay was the first president of NCNC and he is not an igbo man. I must say that Mr Azikiwe(Zik the great) became the second president after the demise of Mr Macaulay. My humble advise to the Igbos is to work assiduously to nurture the APGA and prevent a man like Peter Obi and his likes to balkanise it and use the platform for the likes of Jonathan. It is very possible. I like your concepts and I pray that guys with containers will allow people like you to commence this process. Good luck.

    • Author’s gravatar

      No. It was not co-founded by Macaulay and Azikiwe. Macaulay with others found it and invited Azikiwe to join. By the way, Macaulay is a Yoruba man. Don’t feel embarrass to say it. Macaulay handed the leadership of NCNC to Azikiwe on his dying bed and advised him to grow the party. However, on becoming the president of NCNC, Azikiwe turned it into Igbo’s party! He made sure that all sensitive and top positions of the party is controlled by Igbos. I am not surprised though because Igbo culture is clannish. You make them the head of anything and before you realize it, the whole thing will be occupied by igbos. An example can be found in any Nigerians organizations abroad. When other tribes are the president of the organization, it will run fine. But make an igbo man the leader of that organization, be rest assured that it will be the end. They will start putting their people in every decision making of that organization. Your people are probably right. You need to be our own nation. Even if Eastern Region was allowed to secede, you would be able to hold it because other minority tribes there would have revolted against your dominance.

  • Author’s gravatar

    nnamani made a good points in his statements it is 100 percent clear that nigeria is a fake nation ,people are muscled along from central government in abuja ,that is far to call a nation,a lot of people and tribes are still not included in the political system and so many people have died in waiting of better dividends of government.tribes are the main engine in nigeria formation today but they were marginalized and neglected, but those who are in power today will tell you all is well but when they lose they become angry knowing too well that they will not be well benefited again.

    • Author’s gravatar

      What did he do when he was in power for two terms? Dis he try to change what was on the ground? He was busy fighting Nwobodo, and holding hands with Obasanjo. Shame on you now

  • Author’s gravatar

    Dr Namani, when you had the opportunity to lead the Igbo, you stole your state dry. The problem of IGBO, Nigerian and African politics and economics is that intellectuals use their advantages to shortchange the poor and wretched. You are and will always be a great disappointement ,Dr Nnamani , and no later day conversion to the Igbo cause will impress those of us who know you. The Igbo do not really need to be in the room as you say, because even when we were not in the room after the Biafran War, we still survived. We need to think about taking ourselves economically out of the Nigerian space like the Nnewi people have done and then let Nigeria come to us. We have the intellectual and economic power to make Nigeria harken to us. It is not arrogance, but real fact of life.

    • Author’s gravatar

      You are spot on my brother. But who will bell the cat ? is the question. Although the Igbos never lacks the likes of Mbakwes and even our dear Ikemba, but iliterate Igbo money bags will never give way to these people. It is true some of our intellectuals like Nnamani have disappointed us, but what NdiIgbo need are selfless individuals, those who will stand for the Igbos without compromising our collective interests. Those who know our history and where we are coming from, those who will always put home first before Abuja and lagos. To me I prefer our situation now, because before it was having Lagos connection, now Abuja connection, Any Igbo politician having those, will be having a swollen head and acting with impunity towards his home state, forgetting there is tomorrow.

      • Author’s gravatar

        There is a saying that “if you are born poor, you can never be rich”. This implies that a poverty stricken background produces an individual that can’t think like a rich man even when he has money. This saying is true from my own experience all over the world. Watch all the people involved in charity all over the world and you will see the truth of that saying. The children of the poor and wretched are rarely charitable and therefore make very poor leaders.

        The problem with the Igbo especially and Africans in general, is that our leaders have been consumed by the mentality of poverty as almost all of them are the children of the poor and wretched . Leaders need to sacrifice for their people and the poor are not good at making sacrifices for others . That is a sad fact. The great IGBO leaders who have sacrificed for our people in the true sense of the word are Michael Okpara , Akanu Ibiam, Odumegwu Ojukwu and to a lesser extent Nnamdi Azikiwe. These peolple were all from reasonably well off families and backgrounds. Today we have the Dr Chimaroke Nnamanis, Uche Chukwumerijes, Rochas Okorochas, Peter Obis, The Ubah brothers in Anambra, Emeka Ihedioha, Hope Uzodinman and the politicians who , though educated, have no idea of group interest and sacrifice, because of their poverty-stricken backgrounds. Their interest is only in feathering their own nests. Can you imagine that Comrade Uche Chukwumerije was a two time senator, but never sponsored a Bill or even make any statement in favour of the Southeast or anything else for that matter.

        I can write about this ad neauseum , but we need to disconnect from mainstream Nigeria for a few years in order to decide the way forward for group redemption, and this agenda will not be led by politicians.

        • Author’s gravatar

          It is a wrong saying. If you are born poor, that does not mean you can never be rich” If you work hard and smarter, you can be rich. Open your eyes wide. Yes, you need to go back home and re-calibrate your future. Finally, Tinubu opened your eyes.

          • Author’s gravatar

            You don’t get the message my dear person. Yes you can be poor, work hard and become very very rich, but you still think and possibly behave like a poor man, always hoarding your money, engaging in primitive accumulation and generally being very uncharitable. It is a plain fact. Please look around you and confirm. Which Nigerian “rich man” has a charitable foundation and for what purpose? Danjuma, DANGOTE, Mike Adenuga, Emeka Offor, Dr Nnamani, Jim Nwobodo, Mayweather the Boxer, Diana Ross the musician, Michael Jackson,, Jim Ovia, Arumeni Johnson? Compare with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Bill Clinton , Angelina Jolie,Madonna, etc. get my drift now? Poverty, when it becomes mental instead of material is very damaging to the individual and the group. That is what is killing us in Igboland, Nigeria, Africa and the Black World.

  • Author’s gravatar

    The IGBO have allowed our values to be adulterated by the very negative mentality coming from areas like Anambra which places materialism above life itself,this degradation of values in pursuit of money at all cost is responsible for the political misadventure of the IGBO led on by the philosophy of the person with the palm fronds is the one that goat follows.Money is not an achievement like the man from Anambra state believes but rather should be a by product of hard work.We have had among us so many 2 year billionaires whose financial root is nothing other than federal sycophancy,this type of mentality must be expunged from our psyche so that our vision can be clear.Characters like one Ifeanyi Ubah of transformation Agenda,Daniel Kanu of youths earnestly ask for Abacha and the Ubah brothers of Chris Ubah and Anthony should be permanently given a back sit so that we chart a new course without distractions from those wielding financial powers that have no root.

    • Author’s gravatar

      Once you start investing in your areas, other people will start moving to your zone and bring with them their expertise. Respect other tribes in Nigeria, and you will be fine.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Everything Nnamani said is true. The unfortunate part of his thesis is that he was one of those used to destabilise the Igbo nation. Dr. Nnamani as governor celebrated mediocrity to the highest level. He picked “akara” sellers from the streets and sent them to the Enugu State House of Assembly. One of them at the House of Assembly cannot make a complete sentence in English Language. We Enugu people know them. One then wonders, at what point does Nnamani realised it is better to have a leader who has content than presenting charlatans. Well, I can see the clueless Senator Gill Nnaji who has never moved a single motion at the red chambers is what is teaching Nnamani a lesson of his life. Everyone in Enugu knows Nnamani is far better than Gill Nnaji, ie in terms of quality representation at the Senate. But the current powers in Enugu want the charlatan. He was rigged in: provided the election petition tribunal does not upturn the Pyrrhic victory. I really pity Nnamani. As an individual, I admire Dr. Nnamani’s reasoning power. But I am most upset he never used it positively to position Enugu and the entire Igbo when he had the opportunity. Anyway, taa bukwa gboo! If he wakes up now, we will support him.

  • Author’s gravatar

    A lamentation for who cares to read and ponder over,,,,Dr. Nnnamani, you said it all,THE IGBOS CELEBRATE WEALTH while they have tens of thousand of men scattered all over the world performing wonders with their BRAINS but become a backbencher at home and not fit to be a leader,,,why no ”EGO”.the Ndigbo should look for their identities,,,,,,period.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Ndi-Igbo do not need government appointments to prosper, what they need is a collective will. Nnnamani failed when he has the chance to correct the wrongs, and he continue to do same over and over. What we need at this time is a leader that is a major stakeholder or outright owner of a political party. Thank you to the out going President for introducing positive change int our electoral process and hope the incoming President will build on that. What the IGBOs need is to create their own economic empire, let our Governors and reps be accountable to us, let us create our own enclave, get rid of lawlessness, kidnapping, armed robbery, etc, we can be what we want we us to be.

  • Author’s gravatar

    These Ibo nuisances needs to be put the basement. They make too much noises. They are anti progress agents

  • Author’s gravatar

    Non-sense. Your bigotry again, Mr. Nnamani. You wrote Yorubas with some letters without capitalizing the first letter, and yet you started every other tribe with capital letters. Besides, you are liar. You stated that you control everything! Really? What about we the Yorubas who had education earlier than you? In Western Region, we had the first TV and Radio Stations in Africa, and we built it with cocoa money. We introduced the first free education in Nigeria by Papa Awolowo and all of your people ran from Eastern Region to benefit from it. Nnamani, your problem is greed and arrogance. You tried to look down on other tribes in Nigeria as if you are superior. Your people (Igbo) are intellectually deficient. There is nobody else to blame other than yourself. Your eternal hatred for the Yoruba is what led to your failure. I am glad that you admitted that your current leaders are mediocre. Yorubas should never trust igbo again! Yes, I write your tribe with small letters. Please do not run to Yoruba land preaching that you are our friends. Every Yoruba should avoid ibo people like a plague. Rather than being humble, you started saying that you control everything! We the Yorubas are far ahead of you in education, and we displayed it for you. Interestingly, you never mentioned Hausas/Fulanis and ibo alliance. You have the gut to mention Hausas/Fulanis and Yoruba alliance only. Go back to your fox holes in SE and build it. Besides, you do not have to form alliance with FG. We the Yorubas have always been in the progressives and the opposition to the FG. This is the first time that we will be at the center, for real. Lick your wounds Mr. Nnamani and tell your people to appreciate their host in all regions. Mind you, APC are progressives, and no part of Nigeria will be left untouched. But at this time, we do not need any of your people at the federal level for serious decisions. We do not want to pollute them with inferior people from your area (igbo land).

    Now that you start lying again. If you controlled just about everything, how were you displaced? If you were that smart, you won’t be displayed. Dummy, your alignment with FG at the time is what got your positions at Unilag, Ibadan, etc, because these are federal school, and Azikiwe told Okpara that you ibos need to be with the Hausas/Fulanis so that you can control federal institutions because competing with the Yorubas would be too difficult and that you will end up sharing that position with the Yorubas since Hausas/Fulanis were not as educated as the Yorubas. Nnamani, what was your contribution when you were there? Igbo problem is simple: Self-aggrandizement, greed and hatred of other tribes. I’m glad that this election taught your people some lessons. Sai Tinubu.

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      You are simply an idiot full of hatred. Your hatred will kill youy. The success of Igbos in your backyard will continue to torment you and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Lagos is no man’s land. Get it into your stinking useless brain.

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        I know. Oba of Lagos and all aristocratic families of Lagos migrated from Enugu and Onitsa. All street names in Lagos were translated from Igbo language. All Orikis, if you know what the word means at all, were originally written in igbo language. Stay in your dream.

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      Don’t waste your time on him. They twist histrory, repeat the twist as many times as possible. And their people start to believe it. They can believe whatever they want. That doesn’t change the fact that Yoruba civilization is 100 years ahead. Very soon the will own Ile Ife, Ibadan, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ilesha, Oshogbo, Akure, in their dreams.

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      The Yorubas are educated illiterates.One wonders despite all the education they claimed to acquired they can still be use as a pawn and rubber stamp in the hand of the gambaris Hausa/Fulani that are less educated.Now tell me what is the basis of the education you are boosting of.

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      WAS IT ONLY THE YORUBAS WHO MADE ABIOLA WIN THE ELECTIONS DID THE CORE NOTH VOTE FOR ABIOLA—————-ARE THERE NO IJAWS IN THE SOUTH WEST—ONLY GOD KNOWS HOW THEY HAVE BEEN SUFFERING IN THE HANDS OF THE YORUBAS AND ITSEKIRI–WHICH PEOPLE ARE CLOSE TO THE YORUBAS–IS IT THE IJAWS OR FULANIS–TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT ABOUT HOW AKINTOLA –ABIOLA AND KUDIRAT WERE MURDERED BY THE FULANIS———————————-THE SAME FULANIS DANCING WITH THE YORUBAS—TODAY

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      Point of correction: I just want to let you know that the first Nigerian graduate was an Igbo man called Olaudah Equiano. Educationally, Igbos are and have always been ahead of the Yorubas but they do not make noise about it. Please check the Nigeria Office of Statistics for more details.

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        Point of correction to you. The first university graduate in Nigeria is a Yoruba. After 40 years, then, you have the first ibo. Go and read your history. Because your people were bragging that, Yorubas have 40 years ahead of you and that you caught up. You are really stupid.

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          What is the name of the Yoruba man? I said mine. Learned people do not insult others. There was no need of using the word “stupid”. All you needed to do was make your point and leave others to judge with their conscience. Well, I will not honor you by returning your tirade back to you. Do you know why? Because “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself” (Pro.18:2). So, you are free to expose yourself further by replying this comment.

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    Nnamani cannot be talking about intellectualism when he was the one that sold Enugu zoo to developers. It is so unfortunate.

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    When the Yoruba’s were in opposition during the first, second and the past 16 years of the fourth republic, there was no lamentation, cries, hues and threat of secession from them. They simply went to the drawing board and built a vibrant opposition party that eventually made history by taking power at the centre. I expect my South Eastern/South-Southern brothers to try and do same using their much touted acumen, tenacity and intelligence rather than the “victim card playing” and ethnic jingoism which they are usually known for.

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      My brother, there’s a “Pity Party” going on in Ibo land at the moment. When they’ve always compromised and romanced with the Hausa Fulani to stay at the centre, and the Yorubas proudly remained in opposition, there was no problem. All of a sudden, the Yorubas built a party from the scratch and invited like-minded people to join, the Ibos refused, and eventually became the biggest loser. Even, Rochas warned them to wake up, but they were busy hobnobbing with the clueless Jonathan and the national cake at the centre. To them, it’s all about making money. Now that the APC won, all these spent-force and good-for -nothing politicians are coming out of the woodwork to lecture us on how superior the Ibos are, compared to the other tribes in Nigeria. LOL.

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    Dr. Nnamani should first clear his name of grave corruption charges levied against him by the EFCC. For the past eight years, he has been manipulating the judiciary in order to evade justice. His ilk, who preach what they cannot practice, are the real problem of the Igbo man. As governor, he enthroned mediocrity over and above merit and thereby relegated education to the background. It is still remembered how he made his mother-in-law, who can neither read nor write a local government chairman. Enough of this hypocrisy Chimaroke!

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    Chimaroke spoke for him self

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    YORUBAS ARE TRAITORS—THE IBOS WERE NOT FERRIED FROM A SLAVE SHIP IN SIERRA LEON TO ABEOUKUTA SHA—————ANYWAY–THE IBOS SHOULD STOP CHEAPENING THEMSELVES WITH THIS THEIR ATTEMPT TO SELL IMO STATE———————APC–THAT PARTY IS FOR YORUBAS.-AND FULANIS AND NOT IGBOS-.-OR THEM PEOPLE OF THE SS—————–THANK GOD THE SS NEVER VOTED FOR APC—————–GOD BLESS THE ENTIRE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH SOUTH——————————-ARE YOURBAS STILL IN PORT HARCOURT–WARRI AND YENAGOA–TIME TO ASK THEM TO VAMOOOSE

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    THIS FOX IS NOW A MERE SHADOW OF HIMSELF. FROM CHIBOY NOW TO CHI SEHILE DOG. ANU OFFIA

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    Chimaroke’s write
    up needs to be thoroughly evaluated for it contains some insights on the type
    of politics being played out in Igbo land. His road map needs commendation. It
    is based on what he called ‘a conference of citizens of Igbo extraction’. The sooner we recognize that
    we have firmly become an integral political part of Nigerian the better for us
    and the future generations of our people.

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    Really strange how some people consider simple statements. Nnamani never said the Yoruba did not have a head start in education, but his data on control of indices of power and leverages of influence are correct. Did Ndigbo not constitute over 70 per cent of the officer Corp of the armed forces before July 1966 coup? They did. Did they not control two federal universities, Layos and Ibadan – Eni Njoku and Dike? They did. Were they not the other partner in the Balewa Government and had well positioned ministers? They did.
    The rest he brought were pure Igbo matters and have no bearing with the ethnic fuss some of you are making. Hate the Igbo, own Lagos and the rest of Nigeria, but if we say we are in the same country, you just have no choice in living with the Igbo man. If you are so pained about his presence, summon the courage to ask him to go, and see, even in near landlocked state without the South South, it is a zone of the world that would turn a parasite to others.