THE IGBO QUESTION IN NIGERIA GRADUALLY TURNING TO A YORUBA vs IGBO FIGHT.
The seminal and trite statement by Reuben Abati, a seasoned journalist and former Presidential Adviser few days ago that the Civil war that was said to have ended in 1970 never really ended but continued economically, socially, politically, geopolitically, commercially, infrastructurally, institutionally, systemically, and environmentally until the advent of Buhari’s 5% participation for the Igbo ethnic group that boasts of at least 30% of total Nigeria population, natural resources and demography.
Today, Tinubu’s government that promised to continue where Buhari stopped is upping the marginalization policy to new heights of total exclusion of the Igbos in his appointments in defiance of Federal Character Principles enshrined in the Constitution, projects and resources allocations to the Southeast region took to new lows even worst than was ever experienced under Buhari. Marginalization policies of this Tinubu regime ensured a near total military occupation of the Southeast region instead of lessening the grip while the northern region that is actually ravaged by terrorism and banditry have bandits and terrorists roaming the streets unchallenged and atimes being hosted by their governors and top military brass. What a country?
We thought we’d seen the worst of oppression of the Igbo region between 2015 and 2023 but we are today watching in disbelief the unprecedented subjugation of the Igbos under a Yoruba government that should be driven by shared values of democratic ideals and freedom of expression. Igbos are brazenly told that Lagos is not their place and many were hounded and disenfranchised during the last election. Even when Igbos are not the only migrants in Lagos, Yoruba street urchins made a scapegoat out of innocent southeasterners. Now, we’re hearing that streets bearing Igbo names are being changed for no reason. We have Obafemi Awolowo streets in Enugu, Umuahia, Owerri, Portharcourt, and many parts of Nigeria. No one gives a thought to the idea of changing the names of those streets because naming of streets follows historical precedents. But agbadoists that follow Tinubu in Lagos don’t feel as much. Everything Igbo must go down in their part of the country.
This mendacity was captured in the lamentations of Alloy Ejimakor, Esq. and Senior Counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu while addressing the decision not to elevate an Igbo woman, DCG of Customs, BU Nwafor and next in rank to the Office of the Comptroller General of Costums but instead chose to extend the tenure of the Yoruba CG occupant of that office by one year to pave the way for another Yoruba DCG to assume position of that seat next year after BU Nwafor retires. That is how Tinubu’s One Nigeria rolls. Igbo growth in the Federal civil service system are being breached by such systemic marginalization leading to their structural annihilation in the system.
While Tinubu and his foot soldiers chest beats over the creation of Southeast Development Commission, SEDC for which they allocated a paltry N150 Billion as take-off grant, he brazenly takes 90% of total national revenues to Lagos and environ. N750 Billion is going into renovation of Murtalla Mohammed International Airport alone. The coastal road which we expect not to go beyond Ogun state seafront of the Atlantic is gulping 13 Trillion Naira and concessioned to his friends , in a country that lacks motorable road from Lagos to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
But the insult here is telling other Nigerians, especially the Igbo stock that Lagos is built by Lagosians after appropriating such disproportionate sums of money to the area. We have also been told that Tinubu government is pouring monies in the form of loans me and you will pay through back channels to update already existing four ports complexes in Lagos. We had expected that in the spirit of of equitable distribution of resources and development in the country, the Eastern Ports would have been given some facelift to operationalize and diversify ports operations in the country. I hope the National Assembly will live up to its responsibilities to all Nigerians by checking these brazen excesses to allow the resources of this country go round and not being concentrated in one section of the country.
Lastly I want to counsel my Igbo brothers to remain steadfast and focused while going about their businesses. No one can intimidate us again within the confines of “One Nigeria”. The Igbo nation is gradually being radicalized and much prepared to pushback on our haters. I am only hoping that this pushback when it eventually starts would not start a Yoruba Igbo major conflict in Nigeria which I’m sure will be the last straw that will break the camel’s back.
Let us be careful not to allow the Gambari empowered faction of the Yoruba tribe provoke us into a conflict with the entire Yoruba Nation. Many Yorubas are happy to cohabit with the Igbos in Lagos and would not wish to be dragged into a major conflict with a progressive and hardworking group like the Igbo people. No cosmopolitan community or city in the world is populated by the aboriginal villagers alone. Time and urbanization usually displace them until they go extinct from such cities. Lagos won’t be a different story unless we all have to retreat back to our various states of origins and stop investing in Lagos. Igbos in Lagos are investors and every investor must have his rights well protected.
Dr. Engr Odo Ijere.
