At the risk of being tagged
once again as anti-Igbo by
rabid, commissioned slave
traders who see Ndigbo as
easy wares to be marketed to
their political masters, I write
this open letter to my people.
At the huge risk of being called
names by my brothers and
sisters, I boldly write this piece
to my people. I have been
called names in the past for
speaking out and I may be
wrong but please forgive me. I
write because I know that a
story that must be told never
forgives silence. I write despite
all odds because I know that
when a writer is silent he or
she is lying. I write because I
want things to be done
differently, because I know
that the greatest part of hell
will be reserved for those who
maintain their neutrality in
times of great moral crisis. I
write knowing fully well that I
am not the best God ever
created and therefore mine
cannot be the last word. Two
incidents involving Mrs. Stella
Oduah, who was removed as a
Minister for corruption, and
General Ihejirika, who just
retired from the Nigerian Army
necessitated this open letter.
Mrs. Stella Oduah was removed
as a Minister of Aviation for
issues bordering on
corruption. She was accused of
financial recklessness.
When the lid was blown open,
our people went to town to
defend Mrs Stella Oduah. All
Igbo organizations went to
town with the chorus "LEAVE
STELLA ODUAH ALONE". The
shouts came from our people
all over the world and it was
loud enough and at best,
deafening. When Mrs. Stella
Oduah was eventually eased
out by the presidency, one
thought our people will learn
the lesson but not Igbo. Our
leaders went to town with a
project to honour Mrs. Stella
Oduah and others with awards
in Lagos. In preparation for the
ceremony one of the leaders
spoke to the press. Hear him
“we are honouring our own
Mrs. Stella Oduah to show the
world that even when Nigeria
mocks our brightest and best
for doing a good job at the
Aviation Industry, we must tell
the world that we love and
celebrate our own.” She was
given an instant title of Ada
Igbo. As I write this, billboards
are at strategic locations in
Igboland, celebrating her as
ADA IGBO.
Now enter General Ihejirika,
the former Chief of Army Staff.
General Ihejirika just retired
from the Army after serving for
more than three decades.
General Ihejirika is now eyeing
the governorship seat in Abia
State on the platform of PDP
just few months after pulling
out of the Nigerian Army.
But just recently an Australian
peace negotiator, Stephen
Davis, who was allegedly
contracted by the federal
government and who spent
four months in Nigeria
negotiating with Boko Haram
to get the kidnapped Chibok
girls out, told the world that
the former Governor of Borno
State Ali Modu Sheriff and
Ihejirika have hands in
sponsoring Boko Haram. The
moment Stephen Davis'
statement hit the Nigerian
public space, hell was let loose
once again. Our people went to
town with the usual mantra:
"LEAVE IHEJIRIKA ALONE".
Almost all the Igbo
organizations have issued
press statements suggesting
that General Ihejirika is now
being persecuted for staking
his life to fight Boko Haram for
Nigeria. Again the noise was so
loud and deafening.
According to our people
Ihejirika is being persecuted
because he is Igbo. Even Igbo
World Assembly (IWA) in far
away United States was not left
out in the drama. In the social
media it is Igbo and other
Nigerians.
Now the questions are: do we
need to defend Mrs. Stella
Oduah and General Ihejirika?
Are they not old enough or
competent enough to defend
themselves? Were our people
with them when they were
serving? Can we swear we
know them very well to
continue this noise? Do we
really know the character of
these persons? Why this
prebendal politics? If we
continue to defend our tribes
only, who will then defend
Nigeria? Who is working for
Nigeria if I may ask? Is it not
bad behaviour for Igbo to
continue to defend what they
know nothing about? Are we
not making ourselves objects
of ridicule in the eyes of other
Nigerians? When we pour
invectives on other Nigerians
or people who are different
from us are we not
endangering the lives and
businesses of Ndigbo scattered
all over Nigerians?
Have we forgotten that our
people are the most mobile in
Nigeria? Do we know how
other Nigerians rate us in this
predictable primitive defense?
Do we consider the feelings of
other Nigerians? What signals
are we sending out with this
improper behaviour? Don’t we
have men and women who will
say enough is enough in this
madness of defending the
indefensible?
We know Igbo history,
philosophy and sociology,
when did it tolerate blind and
unquestionable defence of
someone who might have
compromised his or herself
while in office? When has Igbo
become so ethically
compromised that they do
must defend even thieves from
Igboland? Are these Igbo not
aware that such fight, like in
the case of Stella Oduah not
only ridicules the Igbo but
belittles them before others?
What happens to the
sanctimonious resolve of our
fore fathers never to get
involved in war of blame?
When Professor Grace Grange,
IG Tafa Balogun, and Speaker
Patricia Etteh, were removed
for corruption, did the Yoruba
resort to this kind of blackmail?
What is the North saying about
Ali Modu Sherrif, the former
Governor of Borno State
implicated in Boko Haram
insurgency with Ihejirika?
These are just few cases I
wanted to mention for
emphasis.
To the best of my knowledge I
do not think our people are
playing better politics in
Nigeria now. I do not think the
way we are going now will
help us politically. I do not
think other Nigerians will trust
us if we continue this way. I
have slim hope that other
Nigerians will take serious in
matters of Nigerian politics. I
am not led to believe that we
are getting it right, rather I
think we are going the wrong
way.
For emphasis, Ihejirika may be
guilty or not but it is his to
prove. I am not saying he is
guilty for I do not know the
details. He doesn’t need all the
cahoots of persuaders now
striving to show their support
for him to do so. In every sane
society, security is a
complicated issue and every
person within that society,
even the president, is a suspect
until proven otherwise. The
best for Ihejirika is to step out
and put a solid defence and
shame his accusers. If he
believes he will get the mob to
extricate him, he is making a
mistake and getting himself
indicted by history and that is
far more dangerous for him.
I suggest that Igbo should stop
creating enemies for itself in
Nigeria. I suggest that Igbo
should rise above ethnic
preoccupation to help move
Nigeria forward. If we are still
one Nigeria, Igbo should
consider the feelings of other
Nigerians. This defeatism
attitude must give way to
politics of ideas. This
persecution complex must
stop. This leadership complex
must seize to exist.
Joe Igbokwe
Lagos.

Tell us o.
Na mumulity the worry some of us.

biko nu umu nnem, unu ebu pu ta zina onwe unu na ama. Nwanne gi me ihe ojo, pkoro ya ga na akuku,bara ya nba. Gini ka ine buputaria nama 4? Egbu o ya ta, obi oga di gi nma?mara kwa na nkem bu nkem, nke fa bu nke fa. Ndi ozo na eti 'gbuoya gbuoya' gi nwa bu nwanem ya,iga e so we re buo ya?