Emefiele: Between Igbophobia and the Igbo Identity

Chinua Achebe, in his cerebral work, The Trouble With Nigeria, famously stated that one thing that unites Nigerians is their hatred towards the Igbos. I can also say, without exaggeration, that if Igbophobia was a general development index, Nigeria would be in the G8 and also be a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The origins of Igbophobia is supposed to be a subject for research. I hope the Igbo academia dedicate their time and talent towards that. I personally think that the British instigated and instilled Igbophobia in Nigerians. It is well documented that the Igbos, East and West of the Niger, were the hardest nuts to crack for the British in their quest to colonise Nigeria. The British took huge losses, human and material, during the Arochukwu and Ekumeku wars waged by the Igbos against colonialism and slavery in Eastern and Western Igboland respectively. The Brits haven't and will never forgive and forget that and we can see that through their dealings with the Igbos, in particular, and relatively speaking, Nigerians in general.

In 1945, the Igbos were killed in Jos for no reason. The devious colonial masters set up a kangaroo inquiry board and till date nothing has come out of it. In 1953, the North was angered by Awolowo's campaign visit to Kano and guess who where killed? The Igbos, of course! One is simply wondering what business the Igbos had with Awo and his Action Group party to warrant such massacre. So, those attributing Igbophobia to the January 15, 1966 coup d'etat are being clever by a half. Truth be told, Igbophobia has been one of the stones used to build the Nigerian state.

At first, Igbophobia was an external enemy and threat to the Igbos everywhere they were found. But the events of the January 15 coup, the July 29 counter-coup and the Civil War made Igbophobia an internal problem. In medical science, any disease, disruption or injury on the inside is more dangerous than anything on the outside. This has been the case with the Igbos since the late sixties. Brothers see themselves, at best, as strangers and if care is not taken, as enemies. Terms like 'Delta','Delta Igbo', 'Rivers', Rivers Igbo', 'half Igbo' have been used to describe the Igbos. The other tribes in Nigeria don't have such a classification system, just the Igbos! I have never seen a Kogi Yoruba. I have never seen a Taraba Hausa. The Fulanis who are scattered all over West Africa are seen as one. It is the Igbos who are ensconced in a space less than 42 000 sq. km. that should be differentiated into bits.

As an Igbo from Asaba in Delta State, I used to be a victim of both external and internal Igbophobia. I found myself in situations where I had to insist that I was Igbo even with my Igbo names because people wanted to force the 'Delta' or 'Delta Igbo' designation on me. Most painful was the internal Igbophobia part, the fact that my cousins from the Igbo heartland would derisively refer to me as half-Igbo or what not! The first impulse was to take refuge in denying my Igbo heritage, another vicious form of Igbophobia but my mother was from Anambra State so I couldn't deny her not even at the risk of death. So, I decided to tell anyone who cared to know about my identity that I was from Asaba. It was now for the individual to determine my tribe by himself. Imagine. So, if the person decided to take me as an Igbo, good. If not, that was their cup of tea. I did this for years until an experience changed that view.

I wanted to retrieve a lost SIM card and I went to a telecom operator in front of Hall 1 in the University of Benin, Benin-City. While collecting my data, for reasons best known to her, she asked me about my state of origin tribe before asking for my name. I simply told her I'm from Asaba. She continued typing and then asked me my name. I told her and she commented that I was Igbo. I answered in the affirmative and she asked me why I told her I was from Asaba when she first posed the question? I told her I didn't want to deal with the trauma of somebody telling me I was half or quarter Igbo so I simply tell people where I'm from and let them deduce my ethnicity. She told me not to allow the bad character of some people to make me deny my heritage. Since then I've proudly carried my Igbo identity everywhere I go.

Like me, Godwin Emefiele, hails from Delta State. Precisely speaking, he's an Ika man from Agbor. He has been in charge of the Central Bank of Nigeria since 2014. Whether his performance has been a function of his education and experience as a banker is an argument for another day. But truth be told, Emefiele's recent actions have rankled the Nigerian polity a lot.

For the first time in Nigerian history, a sitting CBN Governor had the impetus to jostle for the Nigerian presidency. He was rumored to have purchased the presidential nomination form of the All Progressives Congress through his proxies and had all logistics ready for campaign!

Rightly, an uproar followed his decision and he had no choice than to lean back.

The primaries came to pass but Emefiele wasn't done with his antics. He was said to be angry that he was bullied out of the presidential race and decided to punish the money-bag politicians.

With the support of the Presidency, he announced a jet-speed currency redesign project. Don't get me wrong, nothing is wrong with the programme but the timing was really suspect. A normally financially-volatile December-January period coupled with the February presidential elections made the whole exercise a super strenuous one. Our erstwhile colonial master, the United Kingdom, is also undergoing a currency redesign project but it gave 2 whole years for the mopping of the old currency. If a country with an organized system and a population of 70 million people decided to give such a time frame, why would Nigeria with a far less organized system and a population of over 200 million people think that 3 months would be enough?! Did Buhari, Emefiele and other decision makers think this through? Or did they simply take such rash actions to fight the bullion van politicians without caring about the effect such policy will have on the common man? I think so!

We have seen people beating up themselves and stripping naked in banking halls. For sure, the politicians are affected but to what extent? The bitter truth is that the Nigerian masses are bearing the brunt of a programme, at best, not well thought out or at worst, done out of vendetta.

This brings me back to my topic. The supporters of a presidential candidate who has been crying hoarse over the currency redesign have resorted to Igbophobia in their bid to vent their anger. I'm not surprised, their candidate has been one of the top practitioners of Igbophobia in recent political history.

For them, Emefiele is an Igbo man who wants to scuttle the presidential bid of their tribesman for reasons best known to him and them. Some alleged that he’s for a distant relative who’s a frontline candidate and has recently adopted an anti-money style of politics and campaign. They have the right to propound their wild theories, it is a free world. But there are few questions I would like to pose.

Why is Emefiele, an Ika man from Agbor, now suddenly seen as an Igbo?! Was he an Igbo in 2015 and 2019 or was he just a Deltan or Niger-Deltan? If Emefiele is now an Igbo, because it is convenient to hate on him, is it now safe to say that the Ikas and their Anioma brethren in Delta State are now full Igbos? Why single out only Emefiele for blame when it is quite obvious that the programme has the full blessings of President Muhammadu Buhari. Why is Buhari and his tribesmen going scot-free for an idea they initiated? Why is Emefiele and his supposed tribesmen being scapegoated?

The answer is short, simple and straightforward. Igbophobia.

History has it that Buhari implemented this same currency redesign programme during his rule as military head of state in the 80s. For the observant ones, it is obvious that the worldview of the Daura-born general hasn't changed. What else can one expect from a man who referred to Germany as West Germany and called Russia, the Soviet Union in 2015. Without mincing words, the former Aldershot cadet is the man behind this policy and the suffering that comes along with it.

Why are we afraid to call him out? Is it because he is the president and can wield his power of incumbency as he wishes?! Is it because he's a Fulani man? I'm really perplexed.

This situation has been a great opportunity for those who hate the Igbos for the fun of it to have a great time. Nasir El-Rufai recently described Emefiele as the evil genius being used to scuttle the fourth republic. Technically speaking, the Kaduna State governor is setting up the Igbos for blame if anything goes wrong with the elections and the nascent democracy we're enduring. Where was El-Rufai when Emefiele was mid-wifing the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme enjoyed by the northerners?

The enemies of the Igbos are using the present circumstances to ramp up hatred against the Igbos. They are baying for Igbo blood for reasons best known to them.

Come to think of it, Godwin Emefiele - like most of his Ika kith and kin - hasn't acknowledged his Igboness or lack of it. Out of the Ika big boys; Ifeanyi Okowa, Lucky Irabor, Nduka Obaigbena, and Godwin Emefiele, Okowa has been the only one to publicly acknowledge his Igbo origins. Some are circumspect and quiet about it. The funny ones try to tell us some Bini stories. The traditional ruler of the Agbor Kingdom was once known and referred to as the Obi of Agbor. After a while, the occupants of the revered traditional stool became known as the Dein of Agbor. Historians have said that the title 'Dein' has Bini origins. It came as no shock the present Dein ordered his chiefs and subjects to stop promoting Igbo culture in 2018!

It will be pure hypocrisy and wickedness for Nigerians to blame the actions or inactions of the current CBN head honcho on the Igbos. The Igbos should circumspect themselves especially the ones living outside Igboland. As weird as it sounds, don't join or partake in any march or protests. After all, the Igbos are not to blame for putting this present government in place. If there is any reason to protest, those that voted for this regime in 2015 and 2019 should do so! The events of EndSars come to mind. Everyone protested then, only to turn around and blame the Igbos! A curious look at Nigerian history shows that the events of the 60s are repeating itself before our very eyes. As a matter of fact, some of the up-and-coming actors then are now directors and producers of the movie playing in the political cinema now. We Igbos should avoid getting concerned about intrigues playing out now. We Igbos should know our place in Nigeria. We should play our roles. I pray the Good Lord gives us a better deal and puts us in a better place.

Elijah Chukwunwike Chinwoke-Amechi writes from Lagos. He can be reached via email: ecchinwokeamechi@gmail.com.

You are spot on this your observation, once there's an inconvenience for the others, the Igbos must be blamed. And when the same Igbos ask to be exited from this toxic marriage that none of the partners initiated but was forced down our throats, then they are the trouble makers.

In all my existence, I've never heard of Hausa Kano, Bauchi Fulani or Taraba Tiv, if the Tiv man is from Taraba, Benue or Nassarawa, he's simply accepted as Tiv. But the Igbo man in Rivers, Delta, Kogi or Benue, isn't Igbo, until there's a need to classify them as one.

Chukwuma Nzeogwu carried out an "Igbo coup", but then no other coup was ever classified Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani or even classified by region as Middle belt coup, northerners or Westerners coup. Same Chukwuma Nzeogwu's kinsmen aren't regarded as Igbo, but when there's a reason to trade blames, they suddenly become Igbos.

We shall overcome, it'll only take time, but come what may, there's gonna be a change someday. If slavery and apartheid could see an end, then there's definitely going to come a day, the Igbo man will be truly free and liberated.

Interesting

Another "they hate us" thread. When are you folks going to start taking responsibility for your own actions?

Lordjiggs09:
You are spot on this your observation, once there's an inconvenience for the others, the Igbos must be blamed. And when the same Igbos ask to be exited from this toxic marriage that none of the partners initiated but was forced down our throats, then they are the trouble makers.

In all my existence, I've never heard of Hausa Kano, Bauchi Fulani or Taraba Tiv, if the Tiv man is from Taraba, Benue or Nassarawa, he's simply accepted as Tiv. But the Igbo man in Rivers, Delta, Kogi or Benue, isn't Igbo, until there's a need to classify them as one.

Chukwuma Nzeogwu carried out an "Igbo coup", but then no other coup was ever classified Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani or even classified by region as Middle belt coup, northerners or Westerners coup. Same Chukwuma Nzeogwu's kinsmen aren't regarded as Igbo, but when there's a reason to trade blames, they suddenly become Igbos.

We shall overcome, it'll only take time, but come what may, there's gonna be a change someday. If slavery and apartheid could see an end, then there's definitely going to come a day, the Igbo man will be truly free and liberated.

There is a recent awakening among ndi Anioma that is motivating. One Kaniebi on Facebook, an Ika guy is doing a great job. Igbos will be united in peace by the grace of God.

Ok, I am now totally confused.
Is not you Igbo people who have been shouting for years, that Delta Igbos in Asaba and ika are Igbos, and would be included in any future Biafra?
So please a simple question are Ika people Igbo or not?

ElSudani:
Another "they hate us" thread. When you folks going to start taking reservations for your own actions?

Yes from a Niger Deltan aka Southsouth.

Apt and well made write up

>Why single out only Emefiele for blame when it is quite obvious that the programme has the full blessings of President Muhammadu Buhari. Why is Buhari and his tribesmen going scot-free for an idea they initiated? Why is Emefiele and his supposed tribesmen being scapegoated?

This hypocrisy boils my blood especially

bjdon:
Ok, I am now totally confused.
Is not you Igbo people who have been shouting for years, that Delta Igbos in Asaba and ika are Igbos, and would be included in any future Biafra?
So please a simple question are Ika people Igbo or not?

Have you read the Post? Dont derail

bjdon:
Ok, I am now totally confused.
Is not you Igbo people who have been shouting for years, that Delta Igbos in Asaba and ika are Igbos, and would be included in any future Biafra?
So please a simple question are Ika people Igbo or not?

Ika is Igbo, supported both by history, language and culture. Few among them claim Bini origin, but there is a recent awakening on their Igbo consciousness

For sure, despite the fact that some Igbos outside southeast isolate themselves from greater igbo course, it doesn't make them more or less Igbo. This time in our history is the best time for unity and synergy including economic development. They have used State creations to split and confused us all. Whether in Southsouth or northcentral Igbo is Igbo.
We should always stand for our brothers and support one another.

Do you know you can be shot dead while following the wrong leader? Even while the leader still lives? That is why Emefiele can be punished for what he superitended over. Can you blame Chinua Achebe for any Nigerian mishap?. He refused honour from the Nigerian government, so he is not among those to be blamed. If Emefiele were a correct person he would have resigned. Where did he get one hundred million naira to buy Presidency form? So anything that happens to him is justified.
People with land can not claim marginalisation under any settings. Why?. Because they can not be marginalized on their own land. The first Yoruba to lead Nigeria was Olusegun Obasanjo after two Igbos but they did not claim marginalization because of that until MKO was assassinated and it is Yoruba being marginalized in Nigeria in everything up till now far more than Igbos but Igbos still want more. Why you think you are being marginalized or that there is Igbophobia is simply because Igbos are new in the comity of nations. They were isolated in the past and that was the theme of the book Things fall apart. All Igbo speaking people are Igbos and there is no reasonable person who would argue that. It is a culture born out of trade relations and not empire building, so it has its own uniqueness. There will be problem only if one section is claiming superiority. Each group is superior on its own land

Just keep pointing finger but remember that the remaining 4 is towards you.

You better look inward to check and correct what's wrong with the orientation your parents gave you.

Everybody hate us, get phobia for us but you think everyone else is the Problem.

Abeg look inward and you will find the answer you need not want.

theophorus:
Just keep pointing finger but remember that the remaining 4 is towards you.

You better look inward to check and correct what's wrong with the orientation your parents gave you.

Everybody hate us, get phobia for us but you think everyone else is the Problem.

Abeg look inward and you will find the answer you need not want.

Look at this bloody illiterate, kindly use your local language for us to understand what you wrote