IF THE IGBOS DID NOT MARGINALIZE HER MINORITIES DURING THE ANALOGUE YEARS, WHY WILL THEY DO SAME IN THIS DIGITAL AGE?


By Efa-Iwa Rex Egbe



Some weeks back on one of your posts I made a rebuttal about the erroneous and mischievous rants of some of my (our) misinformed NigerDelta brothers. First and foremost let me tell you all a little story for the avoidance of doubt.


I am from the Agbo ethnic group in Cross River State. We are located in Abi Local Government Area which is a coastal settlement and unarguably the smallest LGA in Cross River State in terms of landmass and to a large extent population - slightly a few thousands ahead of Bakassi LGA. My fore bearers both on my maternal and paternal side were given the opportunity to serve in then Eastern Nigeria regional government.




My grand uncle Dr.S E Imoke of blessed memory was an all influential cabinet minister in the regime of Dr M I Okpara. He held the Trade portfolio and was also Finance minister at the time until the unfortunate incident of January 1966. He was the longest serving Education minister. His son the Urbane Liyel Imoke is the immediate past Governor of our state “Cross River”. During the outbreak of the war, he was the Biafran Commissioner for Refugees and Humanitarian affairs. One of my maternal uncles also served as Permanent Secretary in the ministry of health at Enugu.




My maternal grand father was also a frontline member of the Eastern Nigeria regional house of Chiefs. Outside my family circles, another great Cross Riverian M T Mbu was nominated a Federal Minister for Transport and Navy by the Igbo controlled NCNC. It's on record that Mbu was Nigeria's first Ambassador to the UK, UN and the USA. He is from Boki in Cross River state. Boki is another minority ethnic group just like my native Agboland.




The Igbos gave him the opportunity to excel ahead of their own worthy sons at that time. He is the father to a Senator MT Mbu jr. Another person who is noteworthy is the late Chief Michael Eta-Ogon who was the Administrator of the oil rich PortHarcourt province in the first republic. He is also from the same Boki with Mbu. Thomas Weir Ikpeme an Efik man from Odukpani in my native Cross River was the longest serving Permanent Secretary in the Eastern Regional Ministry of Education.






The key point is that the Igbos were comfortable with us “the minorities” that was why they entrusted education solely in our hands. Not only education but other critical areas like Public Works and Transport etc. N U Akpan an Ibibio man from Akwa Ibom state was the technocrat behind the eastern regional public service. He was the Secretary to the regional government.





Thompson Akpabio, an Annang man from Ukana in present day Akwa Ibom state was the regional minister of health. The former Governor of Akwa Ibom state Godswill Akpabio is his nephew. There were other high ranking cabinet ministers of minority origin like one of our family good friends, HRH Amanyanabo E P Okoya, Agada III the Ibenanowei of Ekpetiama in Bayelsa State, Chief. Erekosinma of Rivers and a whole lot of others who are too numerous to mention.





During the secessionist struggle, an Ogoni from Rivers state, Chief.Ignatius Kogbara was Biafra's Ambassador to Britain. My dad's friend Chief. Lekam Okoi, from Idomi in present day Yakurr LGA of Cross River state was one of Ojukwu's trusted drivers. He is today a successful lawyer and a former commissioner in the Federal Character Commission. Capt Akpet a minority from Cross River was also Ojukwu's dependable aide on intelligence. Secondly for the avoidance of doubt, aside these political appointments, our people enjoyed immense goodwill from the Igbo dominated region by way of social security.






My dad's immediate elder brother received a scholarship from the regional government that enabled him study for a PhD in soil science. He is the first man “arguably” in Africa to obtain a doctorate in Soil science. I have friends across the Niger Delta whose parents

God bless you. God bless Afafanyi and God bless Abi LGA.

Permit me to also add that during the cessation move, the FCT of Biafra was calabar. Ojukwu and his team opined that since the pre colonial british had two colonies in Nigeria, namely Lagos and calabar( the rest of nigeria being protectorate) and Lagos continued in that developmental strides to become nigeria's fct, it would be best to develop calabar as biafra's fct.
This is why history has it that one of the greatest casualties on both sides was recorded at calabar. While the nigerian army were very determined to over run it,the biafran army were bent on protecting it.
I always ask those of this misinformed generation who peddle the falsehood that biafra is an igbo agenda or that igbos will hijack the process "is calabar an igbo town?"
"Did ojukwu choose nnewi or any other igbo town as fct?"

I personally believe that this fear is a conscious effort by some outsiders to the south east and south south who fear that this "combo" will be powerful to create mistrust and suspicion between igbos and their brothers in the niger delta

Only the truth shall set us free

Nothing like minorities in Biafra as the article states. The power must rotate to everybody.

Eziokwu bu ndu!

Thank you OP. Afonjas don't realize how Igbos are connected in DNA, culture and blood with their AKWA-CROSS brothers. Afonjas don't even know that the new Chief justice of Nigeria has Igbo blood flowing in his veins and I'm sure like Imoke also speaks Igbo. His traditional/ethnic name ironically is an Igbo name " Nkanu". The justice is from a local government called Biase known to have native Igbos.

Read this threads and you will be shocked at the size of native Igbos in Cross River and Akwa Ibom! I'm particularly recommending this to Afonjas who enjoy dividing us. This is to help you know Igbo dominated Local Governments in Cross River and Akwa Ibom so that when another civil war starts, you don't foolishly run into Igbo areas thinking you are in your imaginary "South South", that day you will be used for nkwobi and Isi ewu!!

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/africanworldforum/aH1XMlJMqrU