Their confusion, infusion and frustration, arising from pride and over estimation of themselves, has led Igbo from the South East to a series of saboteur maniac syndromes.
Igbos broadly divided other Nigerians into three broad categories: those they hate, those they deride and those they fear. Those they hate are the Yorubas whom they call traitors, tribalists and cowards. Yet, no race in Nigeria has been more tribal than the lgbos. There are historical facts to prove this.
If something is ten and Igbos are not allowed to take 15, so that the rest of us can share minus 5, lgbos will cry marginalization and label the rest us tribalists. However there is no race in this country that has been more accommodating of the lgbos than the Yorubas. There is no single Igbo leader that did not grow up in the South West or is a beneficiary of Yoruba largesse.
Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe went to CMS Gramma School; Adolphus wabara went to Ahmadiyya College; Ken Nnamani went to Loya College, Ibadan, Ojukwu and Ekwueme went to King’s College; Okpara went to Yaba Tech while Phillip Emegwali went to Aquinas College, Akure. Even my brother, Anadu went to Imade College, Owo, etc. All major Igbo politicians cut their political teeth in the West. Their major religious leaders cannot thrive outside the West. Pastor Muoka, Pastor Ezekiel of Four Square and Okonkwo of Trem are examples.
I remember that after the civil war, Igbos who came back to Ile Ife were allowed tuition free while the Yorubas in Nsuka were rusticated. Example is Pastor Adeboye. Yet lgbos reserve their greatest hatred for the Yorubas for reasons being that the Yorubas refused to be dominated by the lgbos to confront the North.
As to the label of cowardice, had there been any war between the Yorubas and the lgbos in which the lgbos defeated the Yorubas?
In the whole ancestral history of Ndigbo, which war has the forefathers or great forefathers fought? Any empire in their history? Yet the Yorubas have worsted the lgbos four times in the political history of Nigeria.
As to the label of treachery, had there been any agreement the Yorubas signed with the lgbos and they reneged? The answer is no. Yet the Yorubas have records of Igbo treachery on the two occasions they formed alliance with them.
In 1964 to fight the federal election, the Yorubas formed an Alliance called UPGA with the Igbos to be led by Okpara, because major the Yoruba leaders were in jail. There was an agreement that the election must be boycotted. The Igbos sabotaged it, went and contested election while the West kept to the agreement.
In 1979, the West went into alliance with the lgbos and formed PPA – Progressives People Alliance. Again Igbo sabotaged it so that they can produce Speaker of the House of Representatives. Who then is traitor?
The second category is the Eastern minorities made up of present Rivers, Akwa lbom, Cross Rivers and Bayelsa.
The Igbos see them as subhuman with tidal brain. Until the creation of Rivers State by Gowon, no Ogoni man can sleep on the hospital bed in Bori General Hospital. As at 1977, only Uyo, PHC and Calabar had electricity. They were so underdeveloped by their Igbo overseers that you will think that you were in the Congo jungle.
Until Diette Spiff, there was no Ikwere named Street in Port Harcourt. To show how deep the derision is, the present Biafran agitatators changed the name of Ribisi in Port Harcourt to Igwocha as if the Ikweres do not exist.
The third category are the Hausa Fulani. The igbos pretend to hate the Fulanis but the truth is that the Igbo man is subservient to them. Ignore the noise.
There are historical facts to justify this. Zik served under Balewa, Ekwueme served under Shagari and Ekweremadu zoned the PDP presidency to the North because he wants to be the Vice President to a Northerner.
After the civil war and Ojukwu was granted amnesty for his rebellion against constituted authority, he returned to Nigeria and joined the Hausa fulani party, (NPN): those he accused of genocide against his Igbo people.
It is Igbo tragedy that they hate and deride those who grow and sustain them while they cringe to those (the Hausas) who kicked them like balls.
Igbos are the only race in Nigeria that celebrate failure.
In 1982, the Igbos celebrated the defeat of Biafra by welcoming Ojukwu with fanfare on his return from asylum, haven been granted amnesty by the Igbo overlords- the Hausa Fulani. He reveled in the fanfare and promptly married FFK left over- forgetting about over three million lgbos that died in the war and with many of them languishing at Ojiri River Camp.
The second celebration is the release of Nnamdi Kanu with the most humiliating bail conditions ever granted an accused in the annals of Nigerian justice system.
A bail conditions targeted at the entire Igbo race and granted by an Hausa Fulani judge. I could not believe that with all the noise, such bail conditions will be signed. But he signed and in his eagerness to leave Kuje, he abandoned his two conspirators in Kuje.
The bail conditions wiped out the identity of the Igbos and Eweremadu was made the enforcer of the conditions. FFK is a polemist like Femi Aribisala.
They have the capacity to argue both sides of the same point. The Igbos regard him as their hero just like Ayo fayose, the Eze gburugburu the second.
I hope very soon the Igbo will not start blaming fayose as they blamed Awo for everything that went wrong with their prosecution of the Biafran war. [myad]
