Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,151,727 members, 7,813,400 topics. Date: Tuesday, 30 April 2024 at 11:49 AM

An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" - Politics - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" (2828 Views)

Igbos Living In Kaduna Appeals To Brethren In East To Pray For Them Over Killing / An Open Letter To My Brethren In The “south-south” – Donald Ekpo (for Igbo Too) / An Open Letter To Nnamdi Kanu By Ifedimma Onwugbufor (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (Reply) (Go Down)

An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by eyeview: 2:19pm On Jun 14, 2019
AN OPEN LETTER TO MY BRETHREN IN THE "SOUTH-SOUTH"
By Donald Ekpo, Akwa Ibom State

"For as long as the Old Eastern region remain in disarray and not united, self-determination of the region will remain impossible." ~ An anonymous retired Nigerian Army Chief

The word “South-South,” even though it may sound absurd, is a name we have come to accept as a people. We can’t say exactly how we came about to be identified with the name neither can we say exactly when we were given the name, but we just know it is our name. While growing up back in the days, geography taught us about “the North,” “the South,” “The East” and “The West.”

For proper definition of locations, we were also told about “The Northwest, NorthEast, Southwest and SouthEast” I can’t remember anything like the “NorthNorth”, “SouthSouth”, “EastEast” or Westwest , but here I am today, writing a letter to my South-South brethren. That is what happens to a people that are not in control of their Cultural Development or the Political and Economic Future.

That is what happens to a people that are just there for their numbers, that is what happens to people that are just kept for their services, that is what happens to people that are just custodians of wealth for a supposedly superior people, and finally, that is what happens to peoples that are slaves. Any name is suitable for them, they can only get whatever is given to them even if it is originally theirs. If in doubt, please remind me of the meaning of KUNTA KINTE.

I write this letter not because it is frustrating to see how we allowed a defrauded propaganda to position our people as the pawns in the Political Chess called Nigeria, but rather, I write this letter in an effort to request that we free ourselves from these propaganda that has lingered for too long.

If our grandfathers and fathers did not ask questions, is there any divine law that says we cannot ask? We know we all belonged to the old Eastern Region of Nigeria before the Northern Protectorate took back their power after the gruesome murder of General Aguiyi Ironsi.

Just for the records, let me do us a bit of history here; Major General Ironsi as Head of State was cornered and arrested somewhere in western Nigeria on July 29th of 1966, his hands and feet were tied together, then tied to a Land Rover with a little space in between, and driven on a tarred road, face down for several kilometers.

The then highest ranking Northern officer, an acting (Unconfirmed) Lieutenant Colonel was chosen to be the next Head of State ahead of serving Brigadiers, Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels of the Southern Nigeria, followed by the dreadful killings of officers and soldiers of Eastern Nigeria including our so called South South soldiers and officers.

The genocide that followed is what is recorded as the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–1970. As if that was not enough, the Eastern region was broken apart with the sudden creation of the then South Eastern State (today’s Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom), Rivers State (Today’s Rivers State and Bayelsa).

It was during that war that propagandas were designed, created and generated to separate us from the old Eastern Region and make the average Igbo man our potential enemy in an effort to reduce their own presumed enemies. In as much as it is a bitter history, but I find it necessary to do you this preamble.

I write this letter to remind us that our region, known as the South-South today was a creation of the North for the sake of creating the disunity we face today. And moreso, it was not just for the disunity for them to win the war, but to also take away our resources, our manpower and our economic future.

In 2014 when President Jonathan, a son of the so called South-South decided to re-contest the 2015 elections, Sheik Junaid Mohammed in an engagement on behalf the Northern Protectorate, reminded us that the so called South-South was a creation of the North for effective management of the Northern interest in Eastern Nigeria.

How bad could this be? Can we imagine that? So while we are busy reminding ourselves that we are a different people or that the Igbos are wicked and are trying to kill us, the North is joyously taking over and owning 85% of our oil wells while the West takes over the left overs.

And what do we get? Noise! Even the supposedly football legend, Sunday Okechukwu Oliseh is busy telling us he is not Igbo as if it is a curse to be Igbo. One wonders if the name Okechukwu is of Hausa or Yoruba origin. When you speak Igbo as a language and yet claim you are not Igbo, is that not the saddest thing that can happen to any people of identical culture?

Even Major Kaduna Nzeogwu that led the first coup that was said to be an Igbo coup is from Okpanam village in today’s Delta State. Could he have come out to say today like Sunday Oliseh said that he was not Igbo? If the Abakaliki or Nsukka indigene that has a more distant dialect of Igbo is Igbo, how come the Anioma or Okrika indigene that is easily understood is not Igbo? How did a people of the same culture get so separated these far?

I write these letter to speak to those of us regarded as "minority tribes." How can we be minority when in essences we are known to be about 35 million of the said 180 million of the said Nigerian population?

How can we be a minority in our own lands if we were not treated as such, or if we did not accept to be such? If those from the alliance that separated us from the West are said to be about 50 million in population, and our brethren in the East are said to be about 40 million, how can we accept we are a minority?

Our compatriots from the alleged minorities of the North are said to be another 30 million, who then is the minority? Having run through these figures, we know who the real minorities are.

Be it as it appears, the truth is that our region was broken into two so as to weaken our original strength given that at a combined population strength of 35 million and 40 million people, our economic and entrepreneurial strength put together would be something the alliance will be worried about.

So why should we ever think that it is logical to claim we are two different people when in essence, we have always been one and the same people for over 400 years before the arrival of the white man. If what the white man did to us was not bad enough, is it not ridiculous that we allowed a certain minority immigrants to assume control of our economic and political future?

I write these letter to ask my brethren in the South-South these pertinent question; Let us assume the very worst situation in this fracas between us and our Igbo brothers, why are we worried about the Igbos taking over our “natural resources” (assuming they don’t have theirs).

ARE WE PRESENTLY IN CONTROL OF OUR “NATURAL RESOURCES?"

Does it make more sense that our natural resources is being controlled by some strange people from over 700 miles away? People that kill us at will at a single provocation of their religion? People that even kill us in our land?

People that challenge us to the ownership of these our resources? People that showed absolute disregard of who we are? People that think it is a privilege for us to be in any position of authority? And finally, people that do not in any way have the kind of entrepreneurial skills that we have?

Why would we allow our imaginary quarrel or fights with our brothers translate to the decision of one of the women in King Solomon’s Judgment that insisted that since she couldn’t have the child, the other woman should not. So are we in essence saying it is better for none of us brethren to own our resources simply because we don’t trust our brothers, yet we do nothing about the stranger that has ripped us apart? Are we logically correct in these senseless quarrel?

Even while we are senselessly worried about how the Igbos will colonize our people because that is what we were told, and that is what some of these alliance are still trying to tell us; can we sincerely tell ourselves that the Igbos are that evil? Evil enough to leave their Natural resources in Abia, Imo, Anambra and Enugu states to come and take ownership of our resources? How will they do that?

How possible will it be for a people that barely kill by the sword compared to our present oppressors? Do we honestly see that as a possibility? How and why did we allow these propaganda to go these far? Is these not what the alliance has used to rule us through the divide and rule scheme? Sheik Jumiad Mohammed said it clearly that our separation was a creation of the North for the effective management of our resources while we keep fighting an imaginary enemy.

I write this letter to remind us that we and our Igbo brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers have cultural identities, we uphold the sanctity of life, we do not kill a man like a chicken, we worship the same God, and we have identical looks and reasoning capabilities.

Education is a respected virtue to both of us, entrepreneurism is a common love between us. We both respect constituted authorities. Even-though we both have the cultural odds that cannot, and should not be used to castigate an entire people. So how come the Igbo man suddenly became evil shortly before the war if the castigation was not a propaganda tool of the war?

How did we accept that our Igbo brothers were evil while we were saints? How are we saints? Is there any evil that is the monopoly of the Igbos that we are totally clean of? That we don’t have a single man/woman that does same if positioned in the same situation? How did we allow a distant people determine how we leave our lives?

If we think we are different and as such we are treated better than the Igbos; have we noticed that the fate of the Onitsha Port is the same fate that befell the Ports in Calabar and Port Harcourt? We from the East are all forced to go to Lagos to pay taxes to those ports. How have we been treated differently by these alliances if we were different from the Igbos?

Are we not facing the same fate as our Eastern brethren? How do you think we will fare if we were the only ones to receive these treatment given a circumstance where the Igbos are no more in this contraption called Nigeria?

I write this letter to our brethren to remind us that without a unified stand of the entire region, the self-determination process will be a farce. We need each other in all difficulties. We are the Eastern Region; we are the region of the Lower Niger; we are a common people; we are not different from each other. Starting from the Hills of Ogoja to the rocky soils of Ebonyi, down to the temperate region of Anambra down to the enclaves of Ishekiri and Isoko, we all look alike.

The Akwa Ibom man and the Abia State man are the same people simply divided by boundaries. The Calabar man and the Arochukwu man have identical ancestral masquerades. The Ikwerre man is just an Igbo man that was separated by the North to act as a different people.

A British woman, camped somewhere in Kaduna decided to add the “R” consonant to the “U” vowel to totally break the identities of the Igbos in today’s Rivers State. The Ijaws, Kalabaris, Oron, Efik are practically the same people positioned in different locations possibly during the settlement centuries ago. We are all interrelated in the region and as such must not be divided.

We have been used for decades, disregarded at every opportunity, our rights are perceived as privileges if not favors. We do not have control over our future as instructed by the late Ahmadu Bello when he instructed his people not to allow us have control of our future, and should be seen as a conquered territory.

Are we a conquered people by some strange people that believe they are born to rule, conquer and kill? These are a people who do not hold as sacrosanct what we revere as one. How can we continue in this Union that was designed to enslave us? How can we allow the lies told by these strangers to pitch us against ourselves?

AN ADDENDUM TO MY IGBO BROTHERS

I write to you to remind you that you can only fight a lie that was imbedded into the hearts of my brethren by putting yourself in his shoes to know how best to respond. We cannot fight evil with evil. Like we know, they say two wrongs don’t make a right. It is your responsibility to subtly ask those accusing you some logical questions that may prick their hearts to realities. We are all in this mess called Nigeria together.

Our Son, Goodluck Jonathan, was treated the same way General Ironsi was treated, they were both rejected. They were both despised. Both of them wanted a united Nigeria that existed beyond tribes and religion, but what did we see? President Goodluck Jonathan was lucky to escape with his life, but the General was not that lucky.

He was tied to a Land Rover and driven on the rocky tarred roads between Abeokuta and Ibadan till he died and was shredded to pieces. Based on the Alhaji and Kunle’s phone conversation I believe we all listened to, we know that it could as well have happened to President Jonathan if he was not wise enough to let go of their birthright. But can we continue like this?

Look at what they are doing to Nnamdi Kanu? These are the same people that organized 70 lawyers to represent the Boko Haram suspects that have raped, maimed and Killed Nigerians, yet the one they choose to lead us says Nnamdi is too dangerous to be released because he has dual citizenship. Is these the kind of place we will continue to belong to when we are likely going to be having malicious morons of this magnitude leading us?

I write to you my brothers to remind you that the Gambaris know for certainty that having broken a greater part of you into other states in the "South-South," it may be difficult to successfully secede knowing what we know today. So it is inappropriate for you to remind my own brothers that with or without us, that you will succeed.

We cannot allow the propaganda of these gambaris to keep us apart. We must reject it by all means and efforts. We stand a greater chance to succeed as one region. As the older one of the two broken parts of our region, it is your responsibility to expose the deception that was used to mislead my people.

It is you that will tell my people you do not have any intentions to colonize them. We have to collectively put these alliance to shame by consciously keeping our relationship cordial in the region. My dear brethren, I write to request that you take it as a duty to remind us that we are all one people because in truth, WE ARE ONE!

THE LOWER NIGER CONGRESS will not succeed if we do not position ourselves for success. We cannot go to a referendum with a divided house. We have to all agreed that we cannot continue in this contraption called a United Nigeria that was not just built on lies and propaganda, but was designed to fail while it enslaves our people.

We have been battered, raped, disregarded, maimed and killed at will for the past 50 years. I am talking about the entire Eastern region. While we are being raped and killed, we are busy seeing each other as our enemy, while the real enemies smiles at our folly. We cannot continue like this. We should all take the opportunity presented to us by the UNITED NATION CHARTER ARTICLES ON SELF-DETERMINATION FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

The Lower Niger Congress, has so far made presentations to the US Congress on the plight of our people, made a presentation to the United Nations, and have been able to secure a period by which the referendum will take place here in our region. But will we succeed during the electoral process if we are not united? Is it not time we put our swords into plowshare and see how we can take control of our political, economic future and Cultural development?

The Lower Niger Congress having met with traditional and titled leaders in all the corners of the Lower Niger Region believes the project will not be a success if we do not see ourselves as a united body. We cannot afford to go into a referendum that may be sabotaged by the propagandas of the alliance of the North. It is our duty to educate ourselves, educate our relatives, and educate our brethren. It is the best duty we can do for the generations unborn of our region.

This contraption called Nigeria was never designed to succeed, not with the present fraud of Constitution, not with the present mentality that only a section of the country were meant to rule, and finally, not with the present odds that accompany those that make it to the leadership position.

Finally, brethren, I appeal to you all to join hands in actualizing our dream to build a new nation based on principles, agreed morals, agreed terms and consensus.

21 Likes 4 Shares

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by SLAP44: 2:22pm On Jun 14, 2019
Wisdom

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by essenceplus: 2:22pm On Jun 14, 2019
The Ndigbo is a people so the south south is an entity of different peoples. Stop pushing this agenda it won't work

5 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Odingo1: 2:27pm On Jun 14, 2019
We Igbos should concentrate more on SE and Igbo part of SS, although the article may be written by non Igbo.

Different tribes in SS will always suspect Igbo moves to join hand with them even if their resources is taking away entirely.

7 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Nobody: 2:42pm On Jun 14, 2019
They have come again.

Op give us the source of the write up.
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Nobody: 2:43pm On Jun 14, 2019
Odingo1:
We Igbos should concentrate more on SE and Igbo part of SS, although the article may be written by non Igbo.

Different tribes in SS will always suspect Igbo moves to join hand with them even if their resources is taking away entirely.

No south south

South east only.

1 Like

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by mrvitalis(m): 2:46pm On Jun 14, 2019
Is there really any division between south east and south south , we share so many things ,inter marry , similar foods ,dress ,music , we vote the same way which means we think alike

There is nothing ,we are one case closed

4 Likes 1 Share

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by QueenSekxy(f): 2:50pm On Jun 14, 2019
Juliusmalema:


No south south

South east only.
See this one with different monikers. I know I must see you here cos you people are always afraid of SS and SE unity. Aren't you tired already?

16 Likes 5 Shares

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by HeightsKE: 2:51pm On Jun 14, 2019
essenceplus:
The Ndigbo is a people so the south south is an entity of different peoples. Stop pushing this agenda it won't work

Thanks for your concern. But we don't need it

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Nobody: 2:53pm On Jun 14, 2019
QueenSekxy:

See this one with different monikers. I know I must see you here cos you people are always afraid of SS and SE unity. Aren't you tired already?

There is no unity

2 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by essenceplus: 2:59pm On Jun 14, 2019
HeightsKE:


Thanks for your concern. But we don't need it


Never referred to you. Now free me
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by QueenSekxy(f): 3:00pm On Jun 14, 2019
Juliusmalema:


There is no unity
In your house, yes, I know. Don't remind me.

15 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by HeightsKE: 3:02pm On Jun 14, 2019
essenceplus:



Never referred to you. Now free me

I gat no hands on you and this thread concerns me and my people as Niger Deltans,so you gat no stake on here and we will appreciate that you free and spare us your meaningless and divisive opinions,thank you

6 Likes 3 Shares

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by HeightsKE: 3:05pm On Jun 14, 2019
They be ranting that the agenda not gonna work whereas we be living in fools' paradise for donkey years with nothing working. 4k shhht!!!!

High time the Godforsaken
Pit got renegotiated

7 Likes 1 Share

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Atigba: 3:05pm On Jun 14, 2019
essenceplus:
The Ndigbo is a people so the south south is an entity of different peoples. Stop pushing this agenda it won't work

Which tribes made up the Idigbo

Majority of tribes in the south east migrated from the south south, the present day Benin and delta to be specific.

The Onitcha people for example and the Oguta to mention few

11 Likes 2 Shares

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by AfonjaConehead: 3:08pm On Jun 14, 2019
grin grin
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by essenceplus: 3:10pm On Jun 14, 2019
Leave the South-South alone


Cc EfeWestern

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Nobody: 3:18pm On Jun 14, 2019
QueenSekxy:
In your house, yes, I know. Don't remind me.
Story
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Nobody: 3:24pm On Jun 14, 2019
Aaaah! Igbos wahala just full everywhere o this NL. If I had the power, I would just let them go have their so called nation.
But can we truly do without them? Hmmmm! To be sincere, the only reason I hate an average ibo man is that they like to claim for right. They would prefer to pay 10k for a right of 2k. Lol!
Sincerely, I take both south south and south east as same. I have an ibo friend from delta, and I wonder how come.
I'm sincerely not happy with the way ibos are treated in this country but I'm sure they caused it. My opinion though.. Lol!

1 Like

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Bethel4Life(f): 3:41pm On Jun 14, 2019
essenceplus:
Leave the South-South alone

Cc EfeWestern
We the south south have already arrived

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by babyfaceafrica: 3:46pm On Jun 14, 2019
this is super story
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by pipeliner: 3:50pm On Jun 14, 2019
So far this year this is the best I have read in Nairaland. I hope it is not take down due to its import. Any day Igbo and neighbors speak with one voice the Nigerian establishment will come down on her knees.

12 Likes 2 Shares

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by essenceplus: 3:57pm On Jun 14, 2019
Bethel4Life:
We the south south have already arrived


Maybe people think we can't govern ourselves alone I don't understand

1 Like

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by allcomage: 4:12pm On Jun 14, 2019
Very insightful. The fools will soon gather here to disparage the writer .

6 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by ZombieTERROR: 4:39pm On Jun 14, 2019
essenceplus:
The Ndigbo is a people so the south south is an entity of different peoples. Stop pushing this agenda it won't work

Really... Are you from Ijebu or Ibadan.. Are you a people
What is your own business here

6 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Buharipapanyash: 5:00pm On Jun 14, 2019
An Igbo person wrote this no doubts

1 Like

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Bede2u(m): 5:37pm On Jun 14, 2019
balinda:
Aaaah! Igbos wahala just full everywhere o this NL. If I had the power, I would just let them go have their so called nation.
But can we truly do without them? Hmmmm! To be sincere, the only reason I hate an average ibo man is that they like to claim for right. They would prefer to pay 10k for a right of 2k. Lol!
Sincerely, I take both south south and south east as same. I have an ibo friend from delta, and I wonder how come.
I'm sincerely not happy with the way ibos are treated in this country but I'm sure they caused it. My opinion though.. Lol!
A brief history...when the british came into the present day nigeria in 1860, the igbo, ibibio, efik, ijaw and ogoni were in a country known as Aro confederacy in english...capital was arochukwu in abia state. There were many eze, obongs and amainabos that meet every few months in aro...under the kingship of eze aro. The economy was based on palm oil and slave trades.

It was why the british divided south nigeria into east and west to refelt that heritage.

Everything was fine in the eastern region until in 1970 when some igbos started pushing for a new identity...the ikwere, anioma and co...that made other groups like ibibio to also start pushing theres too. The agitation wasnt because of anything igbos did....but fear by the leaders of these groups of missing out in political relevance because of the defeat in the civil war.

That was the begining of a wicked propaganda to divide the old aro confederacy(eastern region). It hasnt worked much because many ss and se still see each other as one...but the propaganda is having effect and must be countered.

Dont worry about how nigeria is treating igbos if ur state is not like abuja. Worry about how nigeria is treating nigerians while ghana is now the leader in west africa

8 Likes

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by ccnation(m): 5:53pm On Jun 14, 2019
The OP is right about the history of south-south and south-east being one. Most ethnic groups in south-south are just other igboid dialects e.g the Ikere people of rivers, the Anioma people of Delta etc. The Yoruba language also has various dialects across different states but they refer to themselves as Yorubas not south-west because they recognize that a Yoruba man in Kwara state, Kogi state or Edo State which are not part of the south-west is still a Yoruba man non the less. Until all igboid ethnicities agree as one people, self determination can not be actualized.

Again all the south-south are not igboid so don't get confused, all south-south can not join with the Igbos. Edo and Delta States were never part of the then Eastern region, rather they had their own region known as Mid-western region which was carved out of the then Western region in 1963. Some ethnic groups like the Itsekiris, Urhobo, Isoko are more Bini(Benin) than Igbo in culture, and their history traces down to the old Bini kingdom.

Another point of note is that most of the ethnic groups in the south-south including some igboid ethnicities traces their origin to the old Bini kingdom. With this, where are we to align with as an Igbo speaking south-south whose history is from Bini (Benin)? ...Are we to go with the Igbos (south-east) or with our Bini origin who share similar cultures with the Yorubas than the Igbos?

... Confusion!!! grin

1 Like

Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by escapefromusa(f): 5:59pm On Jun 14, 2019
mrvitalis:
Is there really any division between south east and south south , we share so many things ,inter marry , similar foods ,dress ,music , we vote the same way which means we think alike

No wonder the Jews and the Palestine
Shites and Sunni's
Pentacostals and Protestants are so in love.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/8186607_cfp124w_jpega5a27a25c78c16fece858c418e87c49b
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Banmeallday: 6:19pm On Jun 14, 2019
Where are all the Easterners that dance to Davido and attend Redeemed....Just kidding


Anyway fantastic post by OP
Re: An Open Letter To My Brethren In The "South-south" by Splashme: 6:47pm On Jun 14, 2019
Aw

(1) (2) (Reply)

I Support Terrorist Groups Like Taliban, Al-qaeda, Not Boko Haram: Pantami / BBC Pidgin Goes Live In Port Harcourt As Nobody Sat At Home VIDEO PICTURES / PDP - Failure. Pictorial Collection.

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 83
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.