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Blame
Igbo First By Olisa
Adigwe There is a
game going on in Nigeria that may not be perceptible to many. It
has reached a climax in this Obasanjo's administration. Over and
over again Igbo would be blamed for everything. If Obasanjo has
rendered useless the idea of democracy, guess what, Igbo would be
blamed. If Obasanjo has blurred the essence and importance of
separation of power, guess what, Igbo would be blamed. If Obasanjo
projected a benighted vision of Nigeria economic and political
development, guess what, Igbo would be blame. That dividend of
democracy had not reached the common man in Nigeria, guess what, Igbo
would be blamed. If Enugu Airport, long elevated to international
status, has not witnessed any work to match federal government's
rhetoric with action, guess what, Igbo would be blamed. If
Nigerian police fail to do their job properly, guess what, Igbo would be
blamed. If sharia riots claim the lives of Igbo, guess what, Igbo
would be blamed. That all branches of government in Nigeria including
judiciary are corrupt, guess what, Igbo would be blamed. That bad
roads traverse Nigeria landscape, guess what, Igbo would be blamed.
That Nigerian elites are apprehensive about Igbo man/woman becoming the
President of the nation, guess what, Igbo would be blamed. This is
a game played by many Nigerians to continuously foster the fear of an
Igbo person, maintain Igbo stereotype, maintain and foster prejudice
against people of Igbo extraction. It is a game
that has had a deleterious effect on national psyche, economic and
political development. It is a game that will always stand against and
sabotage any meaningful economic and social development in the so call
giant of Africa. Nigeria has played this game consistently since
after the Nigerian civil war, that it has continued unabated in this
current administration is a big embarrassment. Blame Igbo
first, blame Igbo second, blame Igbo always. Last week the works
and housing minister, Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, weighed in with his brand
of blame Igbo first. He blamed Igbo for the bad roads in their
region. While agreeing that the condition of majority roads in
South East are "worse than hell", that "he pity anybody
from South East who has had to ply these roads". But he
maintained that the Igbo should be blamed for the state of affair anent
their roads. Because most of the road contracts awarded for that
region were handled not by the somewhat reputable big multinational
corporations like Julius Berger and Straberg which incidentally handle
road contracts in states that have good roads. He maintained that
people of South East were trying to encourage indigenous contractors and
so road contracts in their areas were awarded to Nigerian firms. Now I am
curious to know when has Nigerian leaders started listening to people
from the South East? Each time there is a grand design to defraud
them and shortchange them. Who are those South Easterners, they
are talking about. Aren't those the ones Nigerian leaders have
variously appointed to be spokesmen for their people. I am
sure the likes of Chief Chris Uba, the man who staged a coup against
Anambra state governor recently, Sir Emeka Offor, the man who rendered
Anambra ungovernable during Mbadinuju's administration, and many others
like them, sycophants and Obasanjo lackeys are among those who may have
won contracts in this administration to construct roads in South East. If we are to
go by the quiescent of this Obasanjo's administration to the current
political imbrogilio in Anambra state, it is fair to conclude those
soidisant indigenous contractors in the South East are playing the
script of this regime. If Obasanjo administration and other
Nigerian leaders are sincere to themselves concerning the state of South
East roads and that the contracts to rehabilitate them were badly
handled, isn't it in order to utilize all the available legitimate means
to compel the contractors to perform according to the letters of their
contracts. By the way who awarded those contracts. He that
pays the piper dictates the tune. I do not see why it is difficult
to enforce laws and contracts except if an administration is disposed to
playing games. By the way why must South East be different from
other zones that have better roads; if Julius Berger or Straberg built
other roads so could they build for South East zone. President
Olusegun Obasanjo himself has variously employed the blame Igbo first
rhetoric. As an example during the 2000 Kaduna Sharia riot where
many people from South East lost their lives, instead of condemning with
the strongest language the carnage and the dastardly act that resulted
in the unnecessary waste of innocent human lives, Nigeria President
unleashed his verbal fire power not against the hoodlums but against the
five South Eastern state governors who were reacting to the Kaduna riots
and had suggested a confederation if such riots were allowed to continue
unabated in twenty first century Nigeria. Following
Obasanjo's shameful example Mrs. Dupe Adelaja added her voice in the
blame Igbo game. She christened Biafran soldiers, felons; blame
Igbo first, and scolded the Igbo for angling for government or political
positions when they should only concentrate their efforts in buying and
selling. It is even
more infuriating that some so called Igbo leaders are adopting the blame
Igbo first strategy to further their political careers. Governor
Orji Uzo Kalu was begging for forgiveness on behalf of NdiIgbo for the
Nigerian civil war. Blame Igbo first. Was Igbo responsible for the
massacre of their people in the North and in many parts of Nigeria
before the civil war? Did the Igbo start the war or wasn't Nigeria
the aggressor? As I see it
Nigeria is doomed by her own internal contradictions and the games
national leaders foist on unsuspecting citizens. In order to keep
the Igbo in their place, blame them and discriminate against them. If
the works minister likes he can fire all the Igbo who work in his
ministry. Nigeria
cannot get to the promise land by playing games and shirking
responsibilities. Close to forty years this game has been going on
- blame Igbo first. But check the scorecard, instead of progressing
given our human and material resources, Nigeria is for ever matching
backwards. Often some
commentators from southwest wonder why the Igbo are unable to cooperate
with Yoruba but all too willing to throw their support to a Northerner.
Of course this is an erroneous question. The question unwittingly
excludes from consideration the Igbo aspiration for the Presidency.
To further expose an inbuilt bias in the question let's ask the question
differently: why couldn't the Yoruba cooperate with Igbo? Igbo
have on few occasions cooperated with the Yoruba but on the other hand
Yoruba have never cooperated with the Igbo. In 1999 Obasanjo was
elected to the Presidency with overwhelming support from Igbo voters.
However on assuming office Igbo 'race' became a target of his verbal
insult (Igbo dividend of cooperating with Yoruba). No Nigerian
President has singled out a group of people for devastating verbal
insults as Obasanjo chose the Igbo. Not only that, there is an
axiom that says that action speaks louder than words, his actions and/or
inactions erased any doubt that he meant every insult he hurled in the
direction of the Igbo. Every trick
known has been devised to perpetuate injustice, shortchange and
marginalize NdiIgbo in Nigerian polity. So far it has succeeded
amazingly. But what Nigerians do not understand which the Americans (the
world only superpower), understood is that national wealth and
international power increase exponentially according to the level of
justice and fairness a nation is prepared to accord to all her citizens
irrespective of their heritage. Until and unless Nigerian leaders
stop playing games and shirking responsibilities the dream of ever
getting to the promise land will forever elude us. This is my
thrust. Olisa Adigwe |