As written by Uwaoma Eizu. CEO of Hexavier Business School

Dear Igbos,

The past may either make you bitter or better. I spoke at my home town in Aba over the weekend at an event in front of my father for the first time and my message was simple, "We need to create a better homeland here and you don't need Buhari or anyone to do that. It starts from us. The solution can come from here and not Abuja. Yes, the present government is replacing old type of corruption with a new type called nepotism but my Dear Igbo Brothers, haven't you noticed you're a genius. It doesn't make you superior than others but you are special at least."So what?" is my attitude to life. So what if you are not given a chance. Look at your classmates or your family and you'd notice that equal opportunity does not guarantee equal outcome.

You need no validation, not even by politics. You survive anywhere that is why you are everywhere. Pick that up and be creative. Face Your Work. Stop Selling To Our kids the same old National Bitterness. Black Americans did that from slavery and that's why they are the most backward in America. Blacks in South Africa have the same challenge after apartheid. If you don't forgive, forget and overwrite with a better strategy, you can't move on. Look at things with an unbiased and clear mind and you'll participate better. Your own leaders haven't represented you well. Ask them questions back home before you look up Abuja. It took an Obama to be in the White House because he had parent who didn't sell that same old black power bitterness of being black (maybe because he was raised majorly by white people). He was also excellent that he flawed any discrimination to emerge. Excellence is the best weapon for discrimination, shout out to Kachikwu of NNPC, Dora of NAFDAC, Peter Obi of Anambra, Soludo of CBN (the difference is clear isn't it). A time will come where this country will look up to excellence and not association.

You may be politically irrelevant, but if we took out any atom of bitterness and faced what we have, our economic brilliance, creativity, wisdom and entrepreneurial spirit, we can collaborate more, we can buy back everything we lost and more, including power and that freedom if we still need it. This for me is how tribalism and race can be fought. Let’s build something tangible like the Jews have done, other things like power will align. It is just the principles of life. So face your work, at least you have one.
Things can either drain or inspire you.

I wrote 5 steps to fight discrimination.

Step 1 of 5,
1.NO ONE REALLY RESPECTS YOU IF THEY DON’T THINK YOU HAVE A BACK UP.
The Chinese, Indian and Italian gangs are more bloody than black gangsters (which is even exaggerated in movies and Hip Hop), however no one touches them because they know if they do, there are people who will fight for them. It may even become an international issue as they come from a community that is powerful. This is one of the most powerful concept. But let’s be real, there’s no real power without unity and progress. this means finance also.

2. YOU RARELY CAN GO FAR WITHOUT A STRONG CULTURE

Everybody has a culture. It is defined as a way of life. The truth is, some cultures are stronger than others. Culture is not biological, it is social, this means it is not genetic but acquired through learning and passed through interactions and into generations. The Jews have one of the strongest cultures, that even though Christianity came from their background, they still embrace Judaism. The Arabs, Chinese and Japanese are where they are because they haven’t allowed any drastic European trend eat up their core. I suspect that Africa will embrace gay laws and the LGBT community next. Keep watching. Black culture has a strong porous affinity for the material and short termed as against any other race. Therefore the difference in development between say the white and black societies has nothing to do with superior intelligence but that of consumerism as against production. The reason why the white society is what it is today is due to the default stronger culture they were created with which involves the zeal to produce for exploration, innovation and adventure. The African default culture is different and lacks these three features. The African culture values tradition so much that they don’t give room for changes, improvement and innovation

3. AFRICANS ARE CONSUMERS, WE RARELY PRODUCE.

Something must be wrong with blacks and Africans at large. In America, they are the ones that spray money at strip clubs. In Nigeria we spray money at parties. We are the biggest customers of luxury and consumer products.

Cote d’ Ivoire sells off Cocoa and then imports Chocolate

Sierra Leon sells off Diamond and then imports Jewelry,

Even Nigeria, we sell off Crude oil and imports petrol!

Materialism creates consumerism. It’s a wild goose chase where the things you strive to own ends up owning you. Too many people in Africa spend money they don’t have to buy the things they don’t need, just to impress the people they don’t like. Most times, those people don’t even care.

4. BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT SURROUNDS US

Nothing good is attracted to misery. I tell people, confront what you don’t like and let it go. Don’t keep spilling your misery on other people’s happiness. I get upset when Blacks hold grudges from 200+ years ago of slavery. That’s too deep for a progressive mind. Some people even blame it for their own personal backwardness, even if laziness and their personal ignorance was the cause. I hate it when the best black movies always have to be tied to slavery. Media isn’t helping, because if you keep telling the same old story, you’ll keep living the same old life. I am Igbo, we fought a very bitter Civil war In Nigeria to liberate Biafra. It didn’t work, till this day, we have been marginalized. I totally agree. But what has politics done for the areas like say the North East whom their leaders have been on top, are they really living more in wealth, peace or prosperity than us. The past may either make you bitter or better. We may be politically irrelevant, but if we took out any atom of bitterness and faced what we have, our economic brilliance, creativity, wisdom and entrepreneurial spirit, we can collaborate more, we can buy back everything we lost and more, including power and that freedom if we still need it. Let’s build something tangible like the Jews have done, other things like power will align. It is just the principles of life. So face your work, at least you have one.

Things can either drain or inspire you. Blacks are seen as violent, they hold grudges in the most undiplomatic way (they call it being real), but spending your time in holding a grudge or bitterness of heart is like drinking a cup of poison and expecting the enemy to die. It disrupts grace and inner peace. And both is needed as the octane to move forward. Blacks and any tribe that feels it is being discriminated against needs to move further, ahead.


5. DROP THE GRUDGE, PICK UP EXCELLENCE.

The best way to fight any form of discrimination is excellence. Do something so well that they can’t find your replacement. We all need connections to get into the big room. So it seems. But the truth is, a man’s gift can make room for him. Be so good, that when you walk into any room, you won’t need an introduction. With this one, let me Cite Obama. He once stated, “there’s no black male my age, who’s a professional, who hasn’t come out of a restaurant and is waiting for their car and somebody didn’t hand them their car keys,” Obama once told People magazine. His wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, added that her husband had also once been mistaken for a waiter at a black-tie party and someone rudely asked him for a coffee. Another one asked that he please gets them a glass. In both occasions, he didn’t take offence. He just smiled. Well, that was before he became president. Now, does anyone want to try the same stunt on him. Even then, he wasn’t offended more than he was inspired. He had a better plan to stand up. That plan was to allow his excellence do that for him. Excellence is the best way to fight discrimination.



I am Eizu, and We Are ©Hexavia!

www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153898904193473&id=657533472&comment_id=10153901462758473&notif_t=feed_comment_reply&notif_id=1469529015885452&ref=m_notif

http://www.hbc.org.ng/2016/07/20/what-blacks-dont-know/

Hmmmmmmmm

Will Igbo's ever listen? Nnamdi kanu has brainwashed majority of them to believe that the illusion called by biafra is their quickest way to success in life. The never do well are the one's chanting the biafra cause on their heads like gala. The successful one's like, Linda Ikeji, Jim ovia, Tony elumelu, Andy uba and others dont care about biafra nor support Nnamdi kanu's suicide mission. Even their lawmakers in the house of assembly are not pushing for a referendum. They are so loyal to the status quo as long as money keep flowing to their pocket. How the frustrated one's intend to achieve this mirage they call biafra is laughable. Their kanu still has 26yrs and few months to spend in jail before becoming the eastern Mandela. Chai it realky sucks to be an IPOB yoot

One of the greatest piece I've ever read on Niaraland!
It does not sought out to blame others but to work on what is left to build for what one needs to achieve.
The present movement championing the Igbo's movement is very demonic as it helps them to concentrate on their enemies rather than their weaknesses. It sought to sensationalize issues rather than solve them. Its very bad that a group of one of the most enterprising creatures I've learnt entrepreneurship from has dragged them down and labelling in "Truth" rather than history.
May such folks recover quickly in JESUS name. And I implore all my Yoruba brothers to learn the enterprising nature of the Igbo's while dropping their bitterness, vindictiveness, bigotry, gullibility, sensationalism and victim-mentality nature. I always love Igbo for I have by bond of marriage become one.

Keep preaching to stones mr man.

Asking them to stop being bitter and hateful is like asking that they stop breathing.

Their avoidance of the thread alone is indicative of their strong disdain for wise counsel.

#FACT.

I feel my home land have been marginalized for long time, I feel we are short changed political not because we don't know how to do it but because every inch of the political space have been tribalised. But i never in my life feel bitter but proud and hopeful on how to make things work for my people. How to be the best in everything I do whether positive or negative. Your number 4 & 5 points are some of the things that drives me daily . You can call me second class citizen,omo ibo,nyamiri,dominating or whatever. I only look at you as an opportunity for growth. Like other Igboman I love developed developed world like the US,UK...but the love is negligible when compared to the one I have for Nigeria. My love for Nigeria is even more Negligible to the one I have for Igboland and my people.

omenka:
Keep preaching to stones mr man.

Asking them to stop being bitter and hateful is like asking that they stop breathing.

Their avoidance of the thread alone is indicative of their strong disdain for wise counsel.

#FACT.

Please be mature with your comments. No tribe BELIEVED in Nigeria more than the Igbos. No tribe was more betrayed by Nigeria than the Igbos. The quest for Biafra was and still remains the result of that betrayal. That piece of writing up there is a call to put the pains and disappointment of the past and present aside and bring out the greatness we have in us and forge ahead towards a better future

The best thread on Nairaland

Okay

thread driving to nowhere

make no sense

superman:


thread driving to nowhere

make no sense

Of course it makes no sense. Only a morron will urge the Igbos to throw away their God given right to their sovereignty in the name of a 'British creation' called Nigeria.

the truth of the matter is that most of this folks don't understand what some of the issues are.
how can you accuse igbo of bitterness and hatred when they are the ones that are being maligned,resented and hated.
they tell you to your face everyday that you can't be president in your own country,even to aspire to the highest level in your carrier like the police,military etc is a problem or that fact that you can easily get killed just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time or that Nigeria as a country has failed.
the list can go on and on.