How Peoples Club Of Nigeria Engineered Kanyi Biribe Ndu Mentality That Failed Ndigbo

*** By Chuks Ikedigwe

There are 2 groups of people that failed Ndigbo. There is the internal group and the external group. We will, however, focus on the internal group in this article.

The truth is that those that failed Ndigbo are not spirits. They are equally not mermaids, not ajomuos (evil spirits) or even aliens. We may not be able to point at them individually but we know we can point at their generation. Yes! We know the generation they belong to.

That generation is still very much around with us today. I call them the generation of vipers. They are the generation that exhibited no vision, no dream, no mission, no plans, no aspirations and no goal. This generation of vipers left a very sour point in the lives of Ndigbo. This generation through their actions and inactions brought a generational calamity on the Igbo nation that she may never recover from.

On the surface, the calamity this generation of vipers brought on Ndigbo seems so little. But the truth is that if nothing is done and urgently too to reverse the tide, the calamity that this generation brought will endure till eternity.

The year was 1971. The Nigerian-Biafra War has just been won and lost. Yes! The war has just ended. Of course, losing the war wasn’t the end of the road for Ndigbo, if the generation or the team that will jump-start or pilot or play our second half of our match for survival is able to plan and effectively execute our survival plans. What was needed was to build on the success story of the lost war. The war in spite of its negativity also came with its positivity.

During the war, our technological ingenuity came to fore. Thus, in those 3 years of war and in spite of constant bombardments, we refined our oil, built our rockets, our armoured tanks, designed and built a world class Bunker in a record time, maintained the busiest airport in Africa, manufactured Ogbunigwe. We took on the adversaries like brave men even when outnumbered and outgunned and equally got them to perpetually shiver in fear at the mention of our beloved nation, Biafra even till this day. We had a corrupt free judiciary and a strike free health and educational system as well as a society that looked out for one another. Where every child is the child of the society. Did I forget to mention that we spoke to the world through a telecommunication system developed by ourselves but for a global outreach? What else could a people ask for? We achieved what most people can only dream but never achieve.

In fact, after the war, nature and destiny conspired and bestowed Ndigbo with the best 11. This team best 11 (as I call them) had the exceptional opportunity to show the light. This generation knew no limitation. Not even the £20 episode after the war could limit them. They were educated, enlightened, informed, technologically and scientifically inclined, well travelled, business minded, intellectually sound and exceptionally gifted.

Definitely, at this point, moving forward was not a matter of May. It was a matter of Must. However, the right attitude and right policies needed to be articulated to aid this. All this generation needed to sail was the right mental, physical and spiritual toughness. And most importantly, they needed not to forget where they were coming from. Of course, they were coming from where the Revolutionary Ahiara Declaration which is the principle of the Biafran revolution had just few months ago (if not days) advised them on the need to ‘’shake-off every spirits of Nigerianism in them’’. Yes! These spirits of Nigerianism needed to be shaked-off if truly the Ndigbo’s second half starting players intended to adopt the winners’ or winning mentality. The other option was for them to sink under the heavy burden of the spirits of their Nigerianism. For a team and a generation that the destiny of the Igbo nation and by extension the greater Biafran race was on its shoulders, the latter wasn’t an option.

Then enters this failed generation that I call ’The Kanyi Biribe Ndu Generation” A.K.A ‘’The Lets Chop Life Generation’’. All they needed to achieve greatest was to consolidate on the achieved success but alas these weren’t their priority. Their priority was to ”chop life and chop it to the fullest”. Thus, they used the alibi that there was the ‘’desire to foster good relations amongst mankind and to sponsor and promote charitable and philanthropic causes’’ which is their motto to date to form a mere Social Club called the People’s Club of Nigeria (PCN) in Aba.

Forming the PCN in 1971 makes it one of the first (if not the first) post war groups to be formed in AlaIgbo. Thus, she was expected to show the light. Showing the light means that if she gets it right, then the Ndigbo race gets it right. But if she fails to carefully articulate and deliver, then the upcoming generations and in fact the race will be in problem.

‘’The Kanyi Biribe Ndu Generation” in Igboland were generation that circumstances threw up. Circumstances threw them up for a purpose. The purpose was to lead God’s children. God’s children were headed nowhere but the land of opportunities. Thus, making sure that God’s children are guided, guarded, directed, supervised, shepherd, controlled, monitored, and led until they enter into the land of opportunities was the purpose circumstances threw up this generation. But alas, they opted to waste that golden opportunity.

Truly, am still at loss as to why those that lost everything in 1970 except £20 should be doing with forming a social club by 1971. Not an investment club. Not a manufacturing club. Not a legal club. Not a justice club. Not a sports club. Not farming nor trading club. Not a pressure group. Not a political group and not even a building or co-operative society.

As if forming a social club at that material point in time wasn’t bad enough, the fact that the club had to be named after the contraption called Nigeria was disheartening. How can these men who ought to be shaking-off every Nigerianism in them as rightly advised by the Ahiara Declaration be here imbibing same? Would it have cost them anything if they had respected the tenets of the Ahiara Declaration by shaking-off the Nigeria in that their social club’s name? Did someone not tell these men that our South West brethren had formed clubs that included the Yoruba Tennis Club, Island Club, Eko Club, Ikoyi Club 1938, Lagos Country Club, Apapa Club, Capital Club etc and none incorporated Nigeria in its name even before then and till this day?

Wait oh! Make I ask question oh! Is there anything in the DNA of some of our people that push them into wanting to identify with Nigeria? How many groups or businesses formed by Nigeria Northerners do they know that identifies with Nigeria? What is this thing that makes our people to want to identify with Nigeria even when totally unnecessary? One of our own even took the notoriety to another level when he named his business ‘’United Nigeria Airline’’. United Nigeria in spite of the un-unitedness (sic) in the country? That one no be madness? (No pun intended).

The truth is that with such a name for an airline, he lost a potential passenger from the outset. Any day I use my hard earned money buy flight ticket to enter a plane with such name, - make I half.

Back to topic. But alas Kanyi Biribe Ndu generation of failures had an agenda. An agenda to immerse the supposedly recovering Ndigbos into the oceans of the planlessness of the Nigerianism in the Nigerian state. And before you could say jack, the effect of the agenda of PCN over took the core values of Ndigbo. It wasn’t long before the Igbo society came in direct contact with the Kanyi Biribe Ndu life style of the PCN.

This lifestyle is well captured in the music and life style of the group. Chief Oliver ‘’Sunday Akanite’’ de Coque and others were the musical ambassadors of the group as well as her mouthpiece. And they sang the mindset and the agenda of the group: Let’s chop life first before proactive planning afterwards. The track ‘’People’s Club Part 1 and 2 and others by Chief Oliver and other musical ambassadors didn’t come from the blues. There were the articulations of this agenda. An agenda to weaken our collective resolve and imbibe the spirits and letters of Nigerianism. And because what we hear and digest especially musically plays a great role in our consciousness and sub-consciousness. It wasn’t long before we lost everything that held us together as Ndigbo and everything went south. And the center couldn’t hold it again.

And while everything was falling apart, the Kanyi Biribe Ndu generation was busy enjoying life and telling us to join them too so that after the enjoyment, we can now think of planning against the future. In fact, they introduced this spirit of social clubbing and individualism that has today become a menace in our land. In fact, they killed our communal lifestyle.

The shallowness of PCN group is even captured by the group’s protocol called the People’s Club Protocol which reads thus …‘’Peoples Club Protocol is what separates the club from other organization. That’s what gives members the dignity and sense of belongingness while elevating the club above all other organization. Everything about the club follows certain formality and etiquette. Peoples Club membership is all about respect, recognition for other and adherence to a strict code of social ethics and decorum. Peoples Club is about class, elegance, and nobility. It is a privilege to belong and this why many are called but a few are chosen. From the pageantry and ovation of the simple entrance of members to sitting arrangements to the way they talk when they talk. Peoples Club members exclude enthusiasm, orderliness, and discipline. They have a superior sense of hierarchy, procedure, and show of excellence. In peoples Club, there is no hurry. It must be done right’’

What even the first line in the group’s club protocol confirms is that Peoples Club right from the outset has the agenda of separation and class differentiiation (sic) of boys from the men. ‘’The WE verses THEM’’ mentality.

Peoples Club has since gone international and now known as the Peoples Club of Nigeria International (PCNI). PCNI currently has several chapters all over the world and almost 20 chapters in United States of America alone. As significant as the club is, you hardly feel their impact. I am yet to see any beneficiary of her much ‘’mouthed’’ charitable and philanthropic outreach. Am yet to hear her speak against the disaster that her birth place of Aba has become or read where she has called on the government to ensure that her Onitsha headquarters doesn’t go the way of Aba as it is currently the case. Has she (even if it’s indirectly) condemned the unprovoked murder of peaceful protesting and rallying Igbo youths in Igbo land? Sorry, I almost forgot that she is a social club.

Do you now understand why your Governors and political rulers are always mute?

Well! I will not end his write-up without making demands on PCNI and by extension the totality of this failed generation on behalf of the sane Igbo and Biafran youths. PCNI, we understand that you are currently chopping life as well as eating. We also understand that you are implementing an existing etiquette that stops you from talking or speaking out while eating. But can you kindly help us to whisper? Help us to whisper into the ears of this APC Fulani government, sorry APC federal government to understand that her rush to pickup innocent youths and tag/label them IPOB/ESN MEMBERS which has resulted in several unjust killings, maiming and illegal detentions will soon backfire. Whisper again to them to understand that their avowed 5 percenters’ treatment can’t break us. Whisper to them to know that their ‘’terrorism and proscription tag’’ is on everybody from our region. Yes! We are all Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). We may not all be members of the group known as IPOB (at least I am not. But I will not claim ignorance of the truism of the reality). But unfortunately or fortunately, it wasn’t ‘’Members of IPOB’’ that was proscribed. It was ‘’IPOB’’. More importantly, whisper into their ears that ‘terrorists’’ do not vote and do not conform. Let them also know that in the final analysis, we will never accept anything less than the same right to self-determination that Buhari advocated before the UN in 2015 for ‘’strangers’’ in the Islamic territories of Palestine and Western Sahara.

Finally, and to PCNI, can you do a visible charitable and philanthropic outreach that can see that the totality of Aba, your birth place and Onitsha your International headquarters have an urgent facelift? Oh! Sorry, I almost forgot you are never in a hurry. At least, we the sane youths can liaise and give facelift to other places since we do not have a government. But since you have gone international, can you remove the ‘’Nigeria’’ in your name?

Until that is done, lets jam to ‘’Kanyi Biribe Ndu ebisi ndu mmalu ife anyi ga ma Echi’’

Indeed, time has however, come for you (PCNI) to partner 21 century Igbo musicians and youth jingle producers to at least tinker with the Kanyi Biribe Ndu classic track’s message to promote the fact that ... ‘’it is not that chopping life is bad but it must be after planning and its executions. Not before’’. This will at least serve as a way of ameliorating the effects of the Kanyi Biribe Ndu musical track messages on the present and future generations.

*** Chuks Ikedigwe is Self-Determination and Human Right Activist and writes from Lagos.
Can be reached: Chosen_04@yahoo.com.

This is the worst write up I have seen in a long time , I wonder why when it comes to Igbo affairs everyone blames the igbo man ,and never the aggressor

Fulanis can come to Igbo land and kill and if igbos retaliate they would blame igbos for being violent and wants to distroy his home

When u lose everything it's only common sense trading is the only thing u can do , u expected them to start manufacturing with what money ? Unexpected them to form political group in Nigeria as of 1971 ?

Forming a business group providing access to capital and goods loan was the best they could have done n it saved igbo

I dont know why people or someone who claims to be igbo would be against peoples club

mrvitalis:
This is the worst write up I have seen in a long time , I wonder why when it comes to Igbo affairs everyone blames the igbo man ,and never the aggressor

Fulanis can come to Igbo land and kill and if igbos retaliate they would blame igbos for being violent and wants to distroy his home

When u lose everything it's only common sense trading is the only thing u can do , u expected them to start manufacturing with what money ? Unexpected them to form political group in Nigeria as of 1971 ?

Forming a business group providing access to capital and goods loan was the best they could have done n it saved igbo

I dont know why people or someone who claims to be igbo would be against peoples club

they are fond of blaming igbos as if they were the cause of the problems,the igbos man will come out to protest,the army will shoot and kill him,the people will turn around to blame man that was killed instead of blaming the aggressor

A lot of strange things happened during and after that war. But our greatest failure was leadership, our leadership and cohesion totally failed and collapsed. But by God's grace this generation will get it right. Let's unite today. Join Igwebuike Ndigbo. Check signature.

Why are you people too entitled as well stupid in this generation, do you know what the people's club generation passed through, why won't they Bilibie Ndu, don't let me insult you, they came out from a terrible war, with nothing left, I think the best idea was to not get depressed and not loose focus, you guys should mind the kind of stupid post you put up about Igbo past and present if you parents failed you Don't generalize