Volley in the Valley
By
M. O. Ené
PREAMBLE
Enugu
is still in mourning. This is no time for political penmanship. It is a time for
sober reflection, a time to ask questions, and a time to search for solutions.
It is therefore not my intention to edutain (educate or entertain). No, no one
chases rats around blazing buildings. However, it is not uncommon to lighten the
atmosphere during the traditional mourning period, usually seven Igbo weeks or a
lunar month (28 days). So, as you must have imagined, it was an uneasy decision
to wade into the volley in the valley, which led to the death of 14 Christians
in the heart of an overwhelmingly Igbo Christian city.
May
we seek and secure solace in our prayers for peace.
VOLLEY
VENUE
I
love Enugu. It is a great city. The Coal City. It is a city modeled after my
being: simple, safe, and spiritually uplifting. Or, rather, it is the city that
formed my fundamental worldview. With its down-to-earth and deep-rooted
demeanor, you can almost reach out and touch Enugu. Born, “bread, and
buttered” in this epitome of evolving urbanization of Igbo country, it is
understandable that I am always most unwilling to beat with MOE’s mallet the
political problems threatening the peace of the city. However, we do not swallow
phlegm to appease the pangs of hunger.
Nestling
neatly on the foot of Udi Hills, Enugu takes its name from Enuugwu, the hilltop
village of Ngwo community in Udi county. It is not on a hilltop, as the name
suggests; it is actually situated on a valley, which is the name of one of its
quarters (Uwani). And there is the Iva Valley quarter. The misnomer apart, its
other name, Coal City, is spot-on. The carbonaceous concrete from the bowels of
Udi Hills made Enugu possible. The journey started less than 100 years.
My
ancestors had the gift of garb, now known worldwide. If it were food, they sure
knew how to oil, salt, and pepper it. If it were a body, they knew how to clothe
it appropriately. We call it proverb, generally; I call it Igbo idiom. Some make
you scratch your ears endlessly in search of answers. No one bothers to explain.
The fragrance of fart foretells the taste of feces. Something is surely stinking
up Enugu. And I don’t think it will taste good. The taste of the pudding is
not always in the eating; perception can be everything. So now you ask: what got
my goat? I will tell.
In
a piece in The Guardian of Sunday,
March 17, 2002, Dr. Reuben Abati served the following opening words in
“Hello,
Nigerians, here is the news...”:
This is not a very good time to come from Enugu state, or to stand on the streets of Lagos, and say hey, I am from Enugu state, the kinsman of Ogbuefi Chimaroke Nnamani and Senator "fine boy" Jim Nwobodo. From Savannah Bank to Adoration ground, Enugu state is on the boil, and Governor Nnamani, said to be ordinarily a level-headed, God-fearing Igbo son is said to be wondering why it should be so difficult to serve his own people.
First,
I celebrate that Reuben Abati finally mastered how to write IGBO, not “Ibo”
and never pluralized with “s.” Secondly, I will not glorify his degradation
of journalism; it is a shame that the chairman of the editorial board of a major
newspaper should stoop so low to call a Nigerian senator and PDP political
powerhouse “fine boy.” Of course, the “Ogbuefi” title for Governor
Chimaroke Nnamani, MD, is a cheap shot that does not deserve a response; and an
ignored low blow is worse than chicken poop. Thirdly, I have met both beloved
brothers and fellow Coal City citizens on two different occasions in the past
seventeen months; but, though we are maligned, I will not defend them here:
State Executive’s spokesperson Igbonekwu Ogazimorah is quite capable of
squaring with Abati in defense of Nnamani, and I am sure Nwobodo has better
things to do -- such as help Clem Agbamgbo, SAN, with the search for justice in
the attempted, broad-daylight robbery of Savannah Bank. Fourthly and finally, I
am more concerned with Abati’s challenge to stand up and proclaim pride in my
place of birth:
“Hey,
I am from Enugu State; I am a kinsman of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and Senator
Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, and Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, even as Savannah
Bank and Adoration Ground ‘boil’!”
Everything
else is embellishment.
I
don’t know how many people of Enugu extraction (by
birth, by marriage, by association, or by migration) are in Abati’s
Lagos circle of friends, but I don’t know of anyone who would hesitate in
proclaiming s/he started life in Enugu. However, in case one who was never Enugu
at heart was caught hesitating to proclaim his Enuguness, let me acclaim on the
worldwide web that I am an Enuguite. I am energized by the heritage. I
don’t know why anyone would deny Enugu in Lagos. I had thought the Pogrom
ended four decades ago, when Igbo people, because of the near-perfect vowel
harmony inherent in Igbo linguistics, were made to pronounce “Obalende”
correctly or lose their heads. It was the last word of many. I would prefer that
Enugu be my last word.
PLAYERS
AND PRETENDERS
Though
I am very proud of Enugu, I acknowledge that we have problems. These problems
are tied to the diseased polity of the carbide colossus we call country. I saw
it coming. The first action of Governor Nnamani in 1999 woke up the daughters of
Enugu: ‘Forget that Dr. (Mrs.) Maludi Mgbo was head of service, why was no
other woman considered fit for commissionership?’ And to the courts they
headed. The Governor complied. Oh yes, you don’t fight daughters of Enugu. My
suggestion then was that the Governor should encourage focused opposition, not
leave it to sundry groups with no clearly defined political agenda. The token
opposition in the House -- Honorable Uche Anya (APP, Oji River) -- was almost
sidelined. I brought this to the attention of Enugu State House of Assembly’s
Deputy Speaker at a tête-à-tête around July last year. He offered that they
were still learning. Fair enough. With no clear opposition, the ruling PDP let
down its guard. Before dividends of democracy dawned down there, intraparty
cracks were all over the place. Now the Church is catapulted into the fray. And
there is no telling the stubborn that the market is in disarray.
We
knew that Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and Senator Jim Nwobodo had legs in one
trouser. When the governor moved to have the senator recalled, the senator
laughed. When the senator vowed to unmake the governor, the governor laughed.
But the battle has moved beyond the godfather and the protégée. Many political
animals, whose trust and loyalty are neither tested nor deep, are now taking
sides. I bet no one is laughing out loud in Enugu these days.
MBAKA’S
MISSION
I
don’t know exactly how the paths of Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka and Governor
Chimaroke Nnamani crossed, and I don’t know where Nnamani and Mbaka parted
ways. It is now known that after the Governor was sworn in, something terrible
happened: Armed bandits killed the brother of a state legislator. Honorable
Nwabueze Ugwu said the bandits were detailed from the Government House to take
him out. Instead, they mistook his brother for him. He took his story to
whomever would listen, including the Oputa Panel -- which was not mandated to
hear such post-May 1999 cases. The police in Enugu said they were still on the
case. As in all such cases, the apocryphal usually blinds the facts. To this
day, the story is still growing tentacles. Mbaka made mantra out of the
allegation, pointing direct fingers. The Governor publicly kept a lid on it, a
levelheaded leverage he momentarily lost post March 7, 2002.
Mbaka
agreed that he supported Nnamani and even prayed for his success. Apparently,
the Governor decided to paddle the political boat and let the Reverend mind the
Bible, not play Rasputin. This did not sit well with Mbaka, evidently. The
demonization of the State Executive commenced. Those who attend Mbaka’s
service peddled credible and incredible stories. Father Mbaka was said to have
announced that assassins sent from the Government House to kill him were in the
congregation. Apparently, they never summed up the courage to take the man out
in his church, as was done by a loony in New York City recently. On March 7, all
hell was let loose. You may believe whatever you want; I will wait for the
truth of the matter.
The
problem in Enugu is not peculiar to Enugu. It is symptomatic of the national
crises bedeviling the Fourth Republic. The prognosis is simple: It is a
political problem. As in all political problems, a solution must come from
political permutations that appeal to the majority. Anything else is a waste of
time and energy. It is however sad that the big men of the State have allowed
this thing to degenerate to this level. Ohanaeze Chairman Eze Ozobu, Dr. Alex
Ekwueme, and Ikemba Nnewi, for example, live within shouting distance from the
Governor’s bedroom. Others unheard from include Anthony Mogboh, SAN, Igwe
Nathan Ogbu, Justices Nnaemeka Agu and Aniagolu, and the clergy. Well, we can
forget the clergy for now. Of course, pre-Audu Ogbe Abuja looked the other way.
I
don’t know how this thing is going to pan out. It has taken 14 lives to shock
everyone out of the stupor of silence. But, something is still missing in the
equation. The people. On whose side are they? In any decent democracy, I believe
that the ultimate say rests with the voters. Nothing works in Enugu more than
good governance and fair play. Forget what you have heard, the urbaneness of
Enugu is light years ahead. It is not surprising that the first mayor of Enugu, Mallam
Umaru Altine, was Hausa and that
the first head of Eastern Regional government business in Enugu, Professor Eyo
Ita, was from the so-called minority Efik-Ibibio axis. But good governance or
decent democracy is never on tap; it takes a balance of power, debates on
issues, and a system of checks. So the biggest question is: Where is the Enugu
State legislature in all these crises? Your guess is as good as mine -- I
don’t know.
Dr.
Segun Dawodu jumped the gun in asserting: “The fact that the Catholic
Church is the source of this pandemonium is neither new nor peculiar to Enugu
State.” [http://www.gamji.com/NEWS1241.htm]
I disagree. There is no proof yet, just as there is no proof that there
were assassins or that poisonous gas was used. While it is arguable that the
Catholic Church has powerful influence on some governments the world over, the
generalized Catholicism in the abovementioned piece from “Enugu debacle….”
is not reflective of the Church in Enugu, the rather unveiled threats of Fr.
Mbaka notwithstanding. Yes, the Catholic Church can cause cramps in anyone’s
political fortunes. Whole communities in Igboland are exclusively Catholic, but
the open involvement of Church authorities in secular politics is relatively
recent. Yet, I agree that it is politically suicidal to fight the Church.
There
is nothing to show that the Church was after the Governor and that Vatican,
currently stressed by the sex scandals involving pedophilia priests in USA, has
sanctioned a gradual takeover of some states. No, I don’t believe in vast
conspiracies and in “the existence of an evil force … creeping into our
political consciousness and trying to take over our mind in the name of God,
perpetuating the evil machination through political control, using the like of
Rev Mbaka to implement their un-Godly acts for a total control of the political
will of the people….” Now, we should not grind pepper where we prepare eye
ointment. This line of thinking is capable of causing a crack in the coexistence
of religious denominations. Once the Protestants (Anglicans, Apostolics,
Methodists, Presbyterians, and all the other nondescript but charismatic
latter-day sects) read along this line, there would be a renewed
Catholic-bashing. Very soon everyone in Enugu would be blinded with unnecessary
bigotry. We do not need a Belfast in Enugu.
The
best option is exactly what Governor Nnamani is doing: allow tempers to cool,
deploy diplomacy, reach out to all religions in the state, including my own --
Odinani, our ancestral faith in Chineke and in the immutability of destiny. Dr.
Nnamani did not become governor by force; he will not succeed by force. He
cannot afford surgery-room mentality. Oh yes, you can cut cancer off and cause
the body to heal, but not all cancers are surgically removed. A good dose of
chemotherapy could work wonders. And there is the greatest cure of all:
prevention.
One
area of understanding between Mbaka and Nnamani is the existence of a large pool
of poor people. Dr. Nnamani thinks the reverend gentleman is using his charisma
and pulpit to prey on these souls. Fr. Mbaka says he is fighting for the poor to
have hope. Now, if the poor is the “problem,” why don’t we simply remove
the problem? In countries where the living standard is higher, people don’t
fall for roadside rabblerousing. In Africa, we fall for everything.
The
role of the church in politics cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand.
Politics and religion are a dangerous concoction. Religion is not logic; it is
about blind faith in the paranormal. It is not an easy war to fight. Church and
state should not mix. The hawk and the vulture do not fight over food: the hawk
is a predator; the vulture is a scavenger. In
the final analyses, neither Nnamani nor Nwobodo, the two captains of the Volley
in the Valley, will define the spirit of Enugu. From Eyo Ita, Nnamdi Azikiwe, M.
I. Okpara, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Tony Ukpabi Asika, Tony Ochefu, Atom Kpera,
Jim Nwobodo, C.C. Onoh, Allison Madueke, Emeka Omeruah, Bob Akonobi, through a
rain of military interlopers, who raped the city and attempted to disfigure its
character, to the reign of medicos -- Okwii Nwodo and now Chima Nnamani, Enugu
will remain strong and home to all who walk through the Udi Hills. We could help
the current occupier to do his best by criticizing constructively. Enugu is much
more than any person; it is about people of different walks of life. It is about
generations past and generations yet to come. The present generation shall pass,
and they shall be judged by generations yet to come. We can all only do the much
we can and move on.
The
mind is like a bag; everyone has one. I have revealed the content of mine. You,
wetin you carry? Flies follow those who carry smelly stuff. Those who bathe with
clothes on in a public spring have something to hide. Every governor of Enugu
State should succeed or fail on the report card. The best way forward is to
remove the Church from the center stage. Let the Adoration be, and let the
Church cut itself free of any semblance of partisan politics. That way, there
would be pure partisan political opposition. Politics is good on its own; when
mired in ethnocentrism or religious bigotry or nationalist jingoism or violence,
everyone loses. This is why Nigeria is not working.
Finally,
an elder does not sit around and watch a tethered goat deliver its kid. Many
people sat for so long while Enugu simmered. Those who did the little they could
were either brushed aside or considered unimportant in the cash-and-carry
polity. This August 2002, from Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25, the Enugu
Association USA convenes in Dallas, Texas. Hopefully by then, the clouds must
have cleared and the guns silenced long enough to afford us an opportunity to
wade in and speak up more.
I
spoke my mind. It’s your turn. May those who died rest in peace. We live to
learn; may we learn from the sad situation in light and in love.
M.
O. Ené, Ph.D., is a native of the Coal City, Enugu, and he is the author of Jaundiced
Justice, a novel set for the most part in a fictional Enugu State
community during the Nigeria-Biafra War but spans
the colonial and postwar period of Nigeria’s history. Dr. Ené is the
immediate past Chairman of ENYIMBA and the current Chairman of Board of
Directors, Enugu-USA. Opinions expressed here are personal, and they do not
necessarily represent those of Enugu Association, USA, Inc.