Igbo in fading shadows
By Ikenna Emewu
Saturday, March 17, 2012

I run the risk of somebody accusing me of tilting towards ethnic interest. But I am ready to carry the cross, but with a different name. I choose to call it personal interest. What one might call championing ethnic interest I rightly call championing my interest. I don’t know any law or rule or tradition that frowns at self-preservation. Even at the height of altruism, even in suicide, the personal interest is paramount. The one that takes to this does so in the interest of the self-gaining recognition or purging self of prevailing pains.
It gives me concern that the Igbo nation of Nigeria is fading away in so many respects and we don’t seem to care about this extermination. The most astonishing truism is that the end that stares Igbo in the face is self-destruction. It is not a case of anyone throwing blames across at other people on why he is not recognised.
It looks to me like the Igbo has hit a kind of strange psychosis where the self does not matter any longer. I think it is a good case in sado/masochism where the individual inflicts pains on self and makes no attempt to do otherwise because he enjoys it.

You might have noticed this commerce triangle that exists in Nigeria? I think it was unintentionally created by certain factors over time. From today, take your observation to the fact that when there is any business or outstanding event in Nigeria and places are mentioned, what you hear is Lagos/Port Harcourt/Abuja. I think it is only when there is all these funny drink-cough-shout-and win promo and concerts that someone mentions anywhere in the South East as a location of an event of national appeal. If it is about some corporate business – electronic warehouse, automobile sales outlets, aviation, trainings, services, telephone stuff, etc, you can’t hear a place mentioned in the South East.
The self-immolation comes in when you think of factories owned by people from the region in other places in Nigeria and none in the region they come from. Think of a situation where Zinox Computers, Coscharis Motors, Globe and First Motors and so many others have their outlets in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt and none in Igboland. But ironically, a good percentage of the people that patronise these businesses in the chosen fertile lands are people from Igboland. Does it convey the message of one hating and working against himself?

Now the cloud is gathering in the nation. Soon and very soon, the debate about true federalism will gather momentum in one form or the other. Already, the situation in the North has forced people who love others more than the self back into their hated region. They had all their life earnings and sweat in other places, and they head homeward to grapple with empty space. Does that development send any signal?

But for instance, there is no threat to Nigeria’s corporate existence, would that be justification for the abandonment of this region that is not lacking in factors of development? Why didn’t a people learn from their history even after fighting a bitter war for existence? I am baffled indeed.
Recently, I have been hearing and reading of the South West agenda. The focus comes in economic, cultural and political forms. Awareness is growing among the people because the signs in the horizon don’t seem to encourage anyone that the overcast sky might hold its moisture for a longer time. Last week and indeed as in the weeks and months past, the North, through all sorts of platforms, has been articulating its agenda. They come in form of new revenue sharing formula agitation by governors and other self-preservation antics by other bodies. And it seems in Igboland, everything is at ease, and there is no need for any action to set agenda and agitate the people into action like others do.

Between 1999 and today, I have seen three Aviation ministers from the Igbo enclave. Maybe by design or whatever, they have all been women. Prudent and calculative as women pride themselves to be, the South East remains the only geo-political zone without an international airport. The last time pilgrims left the zone, they were airlifted from the new Akwa Ibom airport. So, where is the place of Enugu airport and the promise of upgrade? I was a child growing up in Onitsha when I saw work commence on what they said was to be a seaport in that city. But where is it now?

I keep asking many questions and none gets an answer even when more questions nag my mind. If we had direction, there should have been a platform within the states in the region to organize the returning Igbo natives from the North into something cohesive and tap into their potentials so they can replicate effectively in Igboland those exploits they made in the places that pushed them out.

So, even within the context of a stable nation, is there any need for a regional plan of action to develop and empower the Igbo nation? In a situation where the nation you live in gets shakier with every passing day, won’t there be more compelling need to get one’s act right and think of survival? I am really scared my people are fading into oblivion. I might be wrong, but I need superior argument to be persuaded otherwise.
When others – South South, South West, North, etc are busy expressing their love for the nation by preserving themselves, the Igbo profess and express their love for the same nation by destroying self.

The last time I heard of any ruler from the region canvass self-preservation was what Dr. Emeka Ezeife articulated as think-home-philosophy in his days as Anambra State governor.

In about 2006, I attended the World Igbo Congress in Owerri as a reporter. At the press briefing, a reporter from the Igbinedion TV in Benin, and of course a non-Igbo woman asked the chairman of Ohanaeze then, Prof. Joe Irukwu what the body was doing about their kinsmen and wealth scattered all over Nigeria even in the face of threats to their existence.

And Irukwu started: “We are happy about it. In fact, I don’t see anything wrong with that because we are strong believers in the oneness of the nation.” Before he could go further, the governor of Ebonyi State then who was sitting next to him, Dr. Sam Egwu literally snatched the microphone from the elder and answered the question in the opposite direction. His position was that Nd’Igbo should come home and develop their land like others do. But I have some confusion here while balancing action with words. I read that actors, actresses and producers in the Nollywood sector once visited Egwu as governor in Abakaliki and demanded a place to build a films village. Egwu made them promises from the moon and it ended there. Nothing is there, not even [b]words, in Abakaliki to give life to those promises. Yet the city needs development badly. If by tomorrow, the largesse in Abuja to states and LGAs stops flowing, I bet you that Igbo will be the first to die of hunger because our governments never think of self-survival. Otherwise, a Theodore Orji as governor of Abia State would [/b]not have seen firing workers from other Igbo states as means of generating revenue when he has a goldmine in Aba, which he won’t tap into.

Onitsha, with all the money there, is a mad house. No person that loves order will take any organized business to Onitsha. Yet the potentials are there. The money is a sea that never dries. What do we have today in Onitsha? Asaba, the neighbouring city that has some order reaps the dividends. People come to Onitsha for serious business and live in Asaba to visit Onitsha for the business. It is also that way for workers in corporate organisations in the city. The bankers, media men, telecoms workers and others posted to Onitsha live in Asaba and we care not. Governor Peter Obi has not shown any difference in bringing order to the chaos called Onitsha. Nnewi that is just developing is worse with factories haphazardly located all over the place. No road design, no city mapping, nothing to attract good and elevated business and that way the existing businesses suffer and we never rise beyond the pedestrian status. So, where is the Igbo think tank to articulate something to recreate this part of the nation because the night is fast coming on the Igbo nation.


http://www..com/news/187116/thoughts-igbo-in-fading-shadows.html

ok

i agree with this post , our people have to stop this madness of building investments all over nigeria while neglecting igbo cities and towns. its pure madness.but am not afraid ,i know their eyes will open one day and when that day comes the rate at which igboland will develop into a first world nation will be alarming and will prove wrong the quote that rome was n ot built in a day. any igbo leader that still goes around preaching one nigeria should be stoned to death.

coscharis , zinox and all those top shots he mentioned do have offices in the south east.

subscribing.

Besides this stupid statement: "....If by tomorrow, the largesse in Abuja to states and LGAs stops flowing, I bet you that Igbo will be the first to die of hunger..." , i'd say the author of this article is spot on, and could even have been reading my mind.

Ndigbo need to -as a matter of urgency- convoke a world Igbo conference in Enugu or Owerri to discuss the present realities that stare us in the face in this contraption called Nigeria, and chart a course that will take advantage of ALL our good qualities, resources, and blessings as a people to propel us to where we deserve to be in the 21st century.

We need to reject mediocrity in certain aspects of our life as a people (like for instance the kind of elected officials we allow to govern us) and develop a culture (like our forbears once had) where we settle for nothing but the best in all facets of our existence; we need to teach and project our culture (including our language) in a more robust/proactive way to the up-coming Igbo youth, and let them wear their Igbo identity like a badge of honour wherever they find themselves (be it at home or in the diaspora), kinda like the Chinese and Indians do.

I've always maintained that our being part of this country has led to most if not all the negatives we find in ourselves, and we need to start thinking 'Igbo' first b/4 Nigeria, like other ethnicities do. Forget all this 'one Naijeriah' crap, as it seems we are the only ones that are buying that empty mantra given our massive presence (even in the face of death, deceit and hatred) in all parts of this country. Also, other ethnic groups have used their control of the centre or nearness to it to (first and foremost) benefit their people/zone (and sometimes their pockets) b/4 thinking of service to the country, whereas you find Igbo sons and daughters working hard (like mugus) first for the interest of Nigeria, and if we're lucky Alaigbo will benefit from their appointment; they seem to be mainly interested in a good name and equity, which ordinarily (in a sane and fair country) would be an admirable trait, but is a wasted unappreciated effort in Nigeria.

Why (since the end of the civil war) haven't we had a 2nd Niger Bridge at Onitsha?; why Since i was kid has there been plans to construct a River Port in Onitsha, which never seems to pass the planning stage?; why doesn't the South East have a functional Int'l Airport? The answers to these questions and more can be found in the 'politics' of Nigeria, and also in the attitude of Igbo leaders (including those holding positions at the centre, and the ones at the States level as well). I remember just b/4 Obasanjo left office, he made a show of coming down to Onitsha to 'commission' the commencement of work for the 2nd Niger Bridge: that man never meant well for Ndigbo. If not for bad-belle and 'ethnic politics', special attention ought to be paid to the South East in the fashion of a 'Marshall Plan' which should have been launched just after the civil war, when there was so much money slushing about that Gowon was purported to have said that the country had so much money he didn't know what do with it; go figure .

The underutilized economic/commercial/industrial zones of Aba, Onitsha and Nnewi is another thing that irks me, and burying our heads in the sand pretending that all is well and the respective Governors are doing the best they can will not serve us well.

A good idea would be to marshall out an intergrated 5 or 10 year economic plan for the entire South East (with links to the South South) to target areas like Transportation, Aviation, Tourism, Commerce, Real Estate, Agriculture, Oil and Gas, etc. Additional funds can be sourced from Igbo Sons and Daughters at home and in diaspora via the stock market. I for one have always said i'm willing to put my money where my mouth is and buy shares worth £500 for 3 years consecutively; if we had at least 1 million Umuigbo contributing to such an endeavour, we could achieve something tangible within a short space of time. We need to develop at a pace not dictated by the centre, as they're individuals/groups that wouldn't mind seeing us maintain the satus quo while they either catch up or overtake us.

The problem with the Igbo people is that they suffer from a self hatred complex. I'm Yoruba and I laugh when Igbos call us tribalists. Igbos are FLOODING Yorubaland. Why on earth would you want to live with people that you think hate you? It's almost as if they hate Igboland so much they'd rather come and live with us, or even worse the North lol.

Just imagine the amount of Igbo people I have met in Yorubaland that speak Yoruba fluently but can't string together a sentence in Igbo. How shameful is that? The parents WANT them to speak Yoruba but not Igbo !!! You won't see Yoruba people running off to live in Igboland for one reason and one reason only - WE LOVE YORUBALAND TOO MUCH. This is the land of our ancestors. Why on earth should we live somewhere else? Igbo people have no pride in being Igbo.If Igbos had any sense they would return to Igboland and make something of the place, instead they want to gamble with their lives by living in the North . How stupid is that?

Igbos have tuned into noise makers and finger pointers. Others don't respect them and for good reason. All these bad things that are happening too Igbos are self inflicted injuries. How can you expect others to respect you if you don't respect yourself?

When others – South South, South West, North, etc are busy expressing their love for the nation by preserving themselves, the Igbo profess and express their love for the same nation by destroying self.

Where is Eze Igbo? You and I had this discussion not long ago where I pointed out the resolve by the Northerner to stick everyone else as a sub-division of their legacy region. We in the South love to label them backward and uneducated, but it is obvious that they set the trail they want others to follow and sheepishly in our over educated Southern minds we follow the direction of the uneducated Northerner.

Look at what your brother did in the quote above. He sub-divided West, South and East. . . but left North in its wholeness. If this stupidity continues you can rest assure that the Northerner will again be in Aso in 2015. This is districting tactic and when even a veteran well educated and articulate journalist as the author fails to correct the error, then I don't know who will.

I have made posts and shared with my Yoruba people to desist from using SW when talking about Yorubaland. I see certain things when I visit Hausa forums and I bring it here to NL to shape our awareness. . . . I cant force action but I can raise awareness. Eze, share with your people to abandon the SE subdivision and go back to using East when discussing Igbo politics.

olayinka1987: The problem with the Igbo people is that they suffer from a self hatred complex. I'm Yoruba and I laugh when Igbos call us tribalists. Igbos are FLOODING Yorubaland. Why on earth would you want to live with people that you think hate you? It's almost as if they hate Igboland so much they'd rather come and live with us, or even worse the North lol.

Just imagine the amount of Igbo people I have met in Yorubaland that speak Yoruba fluently but can't string together a sentence in Igbo. How shameful is that? The parents WANT them to speak Yoruba but not Igbo !!! You won't see Yoruba people running off to live in Igboland for one reason and one reason only - WE LOVE YORUBALAND TOO MUCH. This is the land of our ancestors. Why on earth should we live somewhere else? Igbo people have no pride in being Igbo.If Igbos had any sense they would return to Igboland and make something of the place, instead they want to gamble with their lives by living in the North . How stupid is that?

Igbos have tuned into noise makers and finger pointers. Others don't respect them and for good reason. All these bad things that are happening too Igbos are self inflicted injuries. How can you expect others to respect you if you don't respect yourself?

It's funny when you people replace Lagos with Yorubaland or south-west. You don't see Igbos and other tribes in record numbers in other SW states as it is in Lagos. Even Lagos is infested with people from Ekiti, oyo, Ogun and Osun.

afam4eva:

It's funny when you people replace Lagos with Yorubaland or south-west. You don't see Igbos and other tribes in record numbers in other SW states as it is in Lagos. Even Lagos is infested with people from Ekiti, oyo, Ogun and Osun.

But Lagos is yorubaland, what are you talking about. Attack the person rather then yoruba people

Dudu_Negro: [QUOTE]When others – South South, South West, North, etc are busy expressing their love for the nation by preserving themselves, the Igbo profess and express their love for the same nation by destroying self. [/QUOTE]

Where is Eze Igbo? You and I had this discussion not long ago where I pointed out the resolve by the Northerner to stick everyone else as a sub-division of their legacy region. We in the South love to label them backward and uneducated, but it is obvious that they set the trail they want others to follow and sheepishly in our over educated Southern minds we follow the direction of the uneducated Northerner.

Look at what your brother did in the quote above. He sub-divided West, South and East. . . but left North in its wholeness. If this stupidity continues you can rest assure that the Northerner will again be in Aso in 2015. This is districting tactic and when even a veteran well educated and articulate journalist as the author fails to correct the error, then I don't know who will.

I have made posts and shared with my Yoruba people to desist from using SW when talking about Yorubaland. I see certain things when I visit Hausa forums and I bring it here to NL to shape our awareness. . . . I cant force action but I can raise awareness. Eze, share with your people to abandon the SE subdivision and go back to using East when discussing Igbo politics.

LOL I though I was the only one

alj harem:

But Lagos is yorubaland, what are you talking about. Attack the person rather then yoruba people

How did i attack Yorubas. Yes, Lagos is Yorubaland but people migrate there because of it's status as the former federal capital. Why is that so difficult for you guys to digest.

afam4eva:

How did i attack Yorubas. Yes, Lagos is Yorubaland but people migrate there because of it's status as the former federal capital. Why is that so difficult for you guys to digest.

Calabar, Lokoja were formal capital, so what is your point ?

Yes he is not even talking of Lagos here but talking of Ogun , Ibadan etc

Forget Lagos for now.

alj harem:

Calabar, Lokoja were formal capital, so what is your point ?

Yes he is not even talking of Lagos here but talking of Ogun , Ibadan etc

Forget Lagos for now.

Lokoja is former capital of where? Are you dreaming? Btw, Calabar was the capital of the southern protectorate. That's why calabar is the way it is today. Even though it never grew as a commercial city.

How many Igbos are in Ogun and Ibadan compared to Yorubas in Aba, Onitsha and Port-hacourt? Even if they are more it is very minimal.

afam4eva:

Lokoja is former capital of where? Are you dreaming? Btw, Calabar was the capital of the southern protectorate. That's why calabar is the way it is today. Even though it never grew as a commercial city.

How many Igbos are in Ogun and Ibadan compared to Yorubas in Aba, Onitsha and Port-hacourt? Even if they are more it is very minimal.

Was it not Ohaneze that said Igbos in Oyo are 1 million out of 5 million thus 20 % of the population

I wonder what to believe now are dayz

anyway , I would not advice you to talk the guy's comment serious because we have a lot of lunatics on Nairaland shouting Yorubaland and Igboland up and down.

Back to the topic, the Ikenna man is just paranoid

Where is the Southern Nigeria solidarity? I see the North talk with one voice all the time - despite the BH menace, and their religious imbroglio. But the same can't be said about the South. All I see is MEND and MASSOB solidarity, or Yoruba elders and Niger Delta elders solidarity - when is the South going to drop this stupidity - and speak with one voice?

alj harem:

Was it not Ohaneze that said Igbos in Oyo are 1 million out of 5 million thus 20 % of the population

I wonder what to believe now are dayz

The Ohaneze people were just being careless with that figure.

Afam,

The argument that people migrated to Lagos because it was FCT is a weak one. The part of Lagos State that was FCT is limited to just Lagos Island and Ikoyi. Ikeja, Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Lekki, Yaba, VI, Surulere, Apapa. . . .all these places are outside of the formerly designated FCT. Besides, Lagos lost its FCT status years ago. For instance Alaba is not part of FCT, Idi Araba or Agege is not FCT. . . but these places are home to Igbos and Hausas respectively. The guests of Lagos are not there because of its FCT status but because of the warmth and accomodating nature of the Yoruba land owners. Hausa would have kicked Igbos out if Lagos belonged in North. It's not the place but the people, get it right and drop that fct excuse please.

Dudu_Negro: Afam,

The argument that people migrated to Lagos because it was FCT is a weak one. The part of Lagos State that was FCT is limited to just Lagos Island and Ikoyi. Ikeja, Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Lekki, Yaba, VI, Surulere, Apapa. . . .all these places are outside of the formerly designated FCT. Besides, Lagos lost its FCT status years ago. For instance Alaba is not part of FCT, Idi Araba or Agege is not FCT. . . but these places are home to Igbos and Hausas respectively. The guests of Lagos are not there because of its FCT status but because of the warmth and accomodating nature of the Yoruba land owners. Hausa would have kicked Igbos out if Lagos belonged in North. It's not the place but the people, get it right and drop that fct excuse please.

It's just like saying the part of Abuja that is the capital is the FCT and not other parts of Abuja or it's like saying the part of Ikeja that is the capital of lagos is Alausa and not Ogba, Allen Avenue, Maryland and co. You see how silly this statement you guys have been saying.

bittyend: Where is the Southern Nigeria solidarity? I see the North talk with one voice all the time - despite the BH menace, and their religious imbroglio. But the same can't be said about the South. All I see is MEND and MASSOB solidarity, or Yoruba elders and Niger Delta elders solidarity - when is the South going to drop this stupidity - and speak with one voice?

there is nothing like southern Nigeria, Haba why are you people always talking like this. Ok let me tell you why there is nothing I mean absolutely nothing like southern Nigeria. For the last time.

1. Yoruba politics is completely different from the Igbos. Unless you want a fight, I would advice you not to put a hyena and a lion in a cage.

2. Everyone likes to claim, port harcourt that I knew of was Igboland until I was reading articles that claims otherwise.

3. Ijaws don't want to be under anyone's rule. In the north, it is not everyone that rules

4. Hausa is the main language, In the south rather than make Yoruba the main language, they are just fighting with the wind.

5. The ruling class are the fulani, the south the ruling class which is meant for the Itsekiris/Ijebu and Bini is been contested by Yorubas/ Ijaws and Igbos.

There is no way Southern Nigeria can ever ever be a reality. I certainly do not want it because of the oil wars

Moreover, in a country where yoruba and igbo can not see each other as equals is bad for all of us.

Dudu_Negro: Afam,

The argument that people migrated to Lagos because it was FCT is a weak one. The part of Lagos State that was FCT is limited to just Lagos Island and Ikoyi. Ikeja, Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Lekki, Yaba, VI, Surulere, Apapa. . . .all these places are outside of the formerly designated FCT. Besides, Lagos lost its FCT status years ago. For instance Alaba is not part of FCT, Idi Araba or Agege is not FCT. . . but these places are home to Igbos and Hausas respectively. The guests of Lagos are not there because of its FCT status but because of the warmth and accomodating nature of the Yoruba land owners. Hausa would have kicked Igbos out if Lagos belonged in North. It's not the place but the people, get it right and drop that fct excuse please.

Judging by the number of Igbos in Yorubaland, they might as well think the entire SW was Federal capital territory! Not just Lagos Island and Ikoyi.

Dudu_Negro: Afam,

The argument that people migrated to Lagos because it was FCT is a weak one. The part of Lagos State that was FCT is limited to just Lagos Island and Ikoyi. Ikeja, Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Lekki, Yaba, VI, Surulere, Apapa. . . .all these places are outside of the formerly designated FCT. Besides, Lagos lost its FCT status years ago. For instance Alaba is not part of FCT, Idi Araba or Agege is not FCT. . . but these places are home to Igbos and Hausas respectively. The guests of Lagos are not there because of its FCT status but because of the warmth and accomodating nature of the Yoruba land owners. Hausa would have kicked Igbos out if Lagos belonged in North. It's not the place but the people, get it right and drop that fct excuse please.

This is hardest part for insecure Igbo people too admit. Igbo people know good and well that if Lagos was in the North the Northerners would NEVER allow that many Igbos to live there. The fact that Lagos is in Yorubaland has been a blessing in disguise for ungreatful Ndigbo. We Yoruba people are beyond welcoming too these people. The fact we don't kill them everytime our blood pressure rises like the Northerners do says it all. It wouldn't hurt if noise making Ndigbo acknowledged this once and showed a bit of respect once in a while.

afam4eva:

It's just like saying the part of Abuja that is the capital is the FCT and not other parts of Abuja or it's like saying the part of Ikeja that is the capital of lagos is Alausa and Ogba, Allen Avenue, Maryland and co. You see how silly this statement you guys have been saying.

You do have a point there, I must admit

@Dudu negro - why u dey talk like this? So igbo ppl dey lagos because of the "warmth"?? If na warmth why are they not in other parts of the sw?

Secondly which kin opata u dey spray say alaba was not part of the fct. Lagos state was the capital of nigeria and ikeja was d capital of lagos, chikena! Were all those places u called not in lagos? Haba

Lastly wetin u mean by hausas would have driven igbos out if it had been the north? . There are more igbos up north than the south west. You don go kano before

olayinka1987: The problem with the Igbo people is that they suffer from a self hatred complex. I'm Yoruba and I laugh when Igbos call us tribalists. Igbos are FLOODING Yorubaland. Why on earth would you want to live with people that you think hate you? It's almost as if they hate Igboland so much they'd rather come and live with us, or even worse the North lol.

Just imagine the amount of Igbo people I have met in Yorubaland that speak Yoruba fluently but can't string together a sentence in Igbo. How shameful is that? The parents WANT them to speak Yoruba but not Igbo !!! You won't see Yoruba people running off to live in Igboland for one reason and one reason only - WE LOVE YORUBALAND TOO MUCH. This is the land of our ancestors. Why on earth should we live somewhere else? Igbo people have no pride in being Igbo.If Igbos had any sense they would return to Igboland and make something of the place, instead they want to gamble with their lives by living in the North . How stupid is that?

Igbos have tuned into noise makers and finger pointers. Others don't respect them and for good reason. All these bad things that are happening too Igbos are self inflicted injuries. How can you expect others to respect you if you don't respect yourself?

^^^Igbos do not suffer from a "self hatred complex", or you care to show proof to support your claim? Is your assertion based on the fact that Igbo are to be found in most parts of Nigeria more than any other group? If so, then how can you term such a trend "self hatred" when an equally large number of Igbos can be found in China, USA, South Africa, Etc? If your argument is that they develop other places rather than Alaigbo, i would agree with you to the extent that it's a problem born out of misplaced priorities, and not a 'calculated attempt' to wilfully deny Alaigbo of any investment funds they may have; it's a problem that arises from having too much faith in this 'one Naijeria' project; a fact which i've already alluded to in my previous post. So you see, you've used the wrong term/phrase to try and convey your thoughts on the issue, which may have been a genuine mistake on your part, or an attempt to 'try' and ridicle Ndigbo . Maybe we should try and be a bit more insular (regarding Nigeria) don't you think?; a bit more like you guys.

You say we're "FLOODING Yoruba land" do you? Would that happen to be Lagos (the commercial capital of a FREE Nigeria), or are you refering to the whole of Yorubaland? If you're refering to Lagos, all i can say is you just have to deal with it, as it's the price you pay for "one Naijeria"; i thought some peeps fought a civil war to keep us one ? Abi you no like am as e be so?

On some of the diasporan Igbos you've met not being able to speak Igbo, i agree it's a shameful thing; it's also shameful in the UK and US where you find Yoruba and Igbo youths with the same problem. I can assure you such a situation would either not arise, or would have been barely noticeable if an independent Igbo Nation had ever existed. These problems are part of what growing up and living in diaspora come with. Annoying innit?

The main reason why you don't see yorubas running off to Alaigbo (besides the fact they aren't that adventurous like Igbos are) is b'cos Lagos (the commercial/industrial capital of Nigeria) is in the South West. No other reason mate.
Nigeria has configured the economic set-up in such a way (through the wuruwuru of certain cliques/groups over the decades) that they've not given each region (as defined by those we had just after independence) equal resources/opportunities to make the most of their natural/human resources: everything has either been targeted at Lagos or Abuja. A fair situation would be for each geo-political zone to have a city which would get commensurate attention/allocation of resources as Lagos did, and Abuja now gets. Then if you see Igbos "FLOODING" your neck of the woods, you'd have a right to complain.

The "noise making" you speak of would be termed as such by a monumental bigot and tribal champion such as your sorry self, but would be seen as a just and timely demand for nothing but our due by fair-minded neutrals who thankfully outnumber your ilk comfortably. There are certain individuals/groups we [b]DO NOT [/b]want respect from, and scum like you personify such.

Ciao .

afam4eva:

It's just like saying the part of Abuja that is the capital is the FCT and not other parts of Abuja or it's like saying the part of Ikeja that is the capital of lagos is Alausa and not Ogba, Allen Avenue, Maryland and co. You see how silly this statement you guys have been saying.

Which part of Abuja is FCT and which part is not.

olayinka1987:

This is hardest part for insecure Igbo people too admit. Igbo people know good and well that if Lagos was in the North the Northerners would NEVER allow that many Igbos to live there. The fact that Lagos is in Yorubaland has been a blessing in disguise for ungreatful Ndigbo. We Yoruba people are beyond welcoming too these people. The fact we don't kill them everytime our blood pressure rises like the Northerners do says it all. It wouldn't hurt if noise making Ndigbo acknowledged this once and showed a bit of respect once in a while.

Yourubas are warmth no doubt,just like Igbos and others but it's unfortunate when people go about saying that Igbos are in lagos because Yorubas are welcoming. That's absolute bunkum. I guess the northerners are also welcoming since you have millions of Igbos there that there lives are been threatened daily. Also, how are the Yorubas in the east faring? Are they been maltreated?

joeyfire: @Dudu negro - why u dey talk like this? So igbo ppl dey lagos because of the "warmth"?? If na warmth why are they not in other parts of the sw?

Secondly which kin opata u dey spray say alaba was not part of the fct. Lagos state was the capital of nigeria and ikeja was d capital of lagos, chikena! Were all those places u called not in lagos? Haba

Lastly wetin u mean by hausas would have driven igbos out if it had been the north? . There are more igbos up north than the south west. You don go kano before

Yes and we've all seen how Hausa people treat the Igbos up there haven't we? Just wait until the next time the Northerner wakes up feeling thirsty for Igbo blood..You'll see what will happen

It seems that every region that has Igbo migrants in significant numbers tends to describe itself as accommodating.

Something I noticed.

Nnenna1: It seems that every region that has Igbo migrants in significant numbers tends to describe itself as accommodating.

Something I noticed.

It's also funny that they don't describe other regions where Yorubas live as accomodating. Food for thought.

igbos are in yorubaland the same way yorubas are in igboland these dumb yorubas sould get off this thread and stop polluting it, these yorubas are all over onitsha ,aba and ph we igbos accomodate them in our land we dont harrass them in any way like they use opc to harras non yorubas yet these ungratefull dogs want to boast about accomodating people even when they dont contribute anything to the economy of igboland . ungratefull ofemmanus. meanwhile get off this thread it has nothing to do with you. your still poorer than igbo anyway even with our massive investments outside igboland.

bashr8: igbos are in yorubaland the same way yorubas are in igboland these dumb yorubas sould get off this thread and stop polluting it, these yorubas are all over onitsha ,aba and ph we igbos accomodate them in our land we dont harrass them in any way like they use opc to harras non yorubas yet these ungratefull dogs want to boast about accomodating people even when they dont contribute anything to the economy of igboland . ungratefull ofemmanus. meanwhile get off this thread it has nothing to do with you. your still poorer than igbo anyway even with our massive investments outside igboland.

PH is not Igboland, get off the high horse.

Dudu_Negro: [QUOTE]When others – South South, South West, North, etc are busy expressing their love for the nation by preserving themselves, the Igbo profess and express their love for the same nation by destroying self. [/QUOTE]

Where is Eze Igbo? You and I had this discussion not long ago where I pointed out the resolve by the Northerner to stick everyone else as a sub-division of their legacy region. We in the South love to label them backward and uneducated, but it is obvious that they set the trail they want others to follow and sheepishly in our over educated Southern minds we follow the direction of the uneducated Northerner.

Look at what your brother did in the quote above. He sub-divided West, South and East. . . but left North in its wholeness. If this stupidity continues you can rest assure that the Northerner will again be in Aso in 2015. This is districting tactic and when even a veteran well educated and articulate journalist as the author fails to correct the error, then I don't know who will.

I have made posts and shared with my Yoruba people to desist from using SW when talking about Yorubaland. I see certain things when I visit Hausa forums and I bring it here to NL to shape our awareness. . . . I cant force action but I can raise awareness. Eze, share with your people to abandon the SE subdivision and go back to using East when discussing Igbo politics.

your post is right but it seem like you thinking that southern Nigeria is divided, maybe you right but atleast its an advantage to us, just look at how SE is talking ill about their region so it can get developed, same thing can be said of ND and SW thos making it competetive but assuming if we hide under the logo of been East WEST(just like north), somebody from delta may be shouting about Enugu where else his place can be developed same thing with somebody from lokja claiming lagos where else his house can compete with lagos. This is why it seem like southern Nigeria is more develop than the North(a northerner from sokoto,kano etc always claim abuja where else his house can compete the place). If am to suggest states should be on their own it doesnt mean our various culture Igbo,yoruba,hausa will die but for an even competition to even development. Though ppl think that divided south is killing them thats why northerners keep ruling but to tell you the truth,If real good politician comes out, people will surly vote for him. I dont see any disadvantage of been divided south that yields healthy competition (moreover no one is killing the other in south, take less break of what is online)