https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_odAy4rVz8

I feel like the Igbos of Nigeria are stuck in a Catch.

If they go North to create businesses, they will be seen as dominators and economic conquerors.

If they stay home and develop their home, they would be seen as thieves and suspecious, needed special laws to curb their power. They would be also seen as Greedy and unwilling to share their wealth.

I am reminded of the Jews of Early Modern Europe, hated for their growth in wealth even in adverse conditions by a peasantry that could not understand any form of economic development that wasn't extractive.

Federate this thing already, let every region be Autonomous give the smaller ethnic groups their own border states between the larger Ethnicities. Make the Central government weak and in control of a castrated small arm force whether it is ruled by a Hausa-Fulani King, the British Queen or Dictator as long as they can do little against the might of even just 40% of the federated states it is Okay.

Let every one have a national and regional passport. Let the Federated states have high control over their internal laws the the Central government be limited to settling dispute between regions and foreign policy.

Let each region be run according to their own resources, no more centrally allocated resources. Each State runs from its own resources of which all states in Nigeria have many. Let each federated state be unable to independently made deals with other countries but be able to independently make deals with multi-nationals.

Let each Federated states' ability to vote/interfer with the Central government be relative to its per capita so that each of them have a selfish reason to improve the standard of living of their citizens

If Northerners want no more Igbos we too should be able to eject their Amaljiri and Herdsmen that they keep sending south.

All the noise about igbo & wealth yet you do not feature in 5 richest Nigerians.

All your so-called markets are not worth a $1B. What sector do you dominate? Is it oil? banking? shipping? real estate? agriculture?

Whats all the fuss about igbo money? Where's the money biko?

Op, what you have said makes a lot of sense, but let's treat this without prejudice because I do not agree with your first and second points. Let me ask this; If the north is so aggressive and unwelcoming of igbo businessmen, why still, the influx into the region? I have been to the north, east and western parts of the country. One thing I'll tell you for sure is, the north welcomes igbo business men. Why? So they can develop their economy and the region as a whole. The Igbos have the tendency to settle in just about any region with favourable conditions with regards to their businesses. The northerners come down to the south for business purpose only. The success of their businesses can only be reflected back at home, in the north. The igbo man on the other hand, concentrates his investments in the region he lives in, the region most favourable to his business.

Ironically, the system you are advocating for was exactly what was in place as at the time that video you people love to post and talk about so much was produced.
We were running a regional government with a relatively weaker centre. The Eastern region of then was like 10 times stronger than the almost powerless South East that we have now. Yet we all know how all that was truncated and how it all ended.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with what the sardauna said in the video. They (northerners) had a right to run their region as they deemed fit. That the British filled the Northern elite workforce with Igbo service men before they left does not mean that the new political powers of the region should continue with the trend after the British left the reigns of power wholly to them. The Igbos had their Eastern region at the time, and they were the hegemonic group there, they even had figures of influence in the West, and then subsequently the Midwest... why cry over what the Northerners wished to do in the region or who/who not they wanted to see employed? What then would have been the purpose of running ethnic based regions if another group from a different axis of the country is running your affairs in a different region?

It's the other way...