By Noble Uche Agbaeze

Although ethnocentrism should not be preferred over relativism, undoubtedly, there is no gainsaying the fact that in a country, which exists on the foundation and natural course of pluralism like Nigeria, it is natural and human to see people play along divergent interests such as religious, tribal, cultural, etc. This is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is a global syndrome. The only difference is that most other countries of the world, especially those that are more advanced, do their best to treat those divergent interests as secondary and treat that of their nation as primary.

It is obvious that people who belong to any of those elements will always want to dominate or take over the leadership of the other elements together. For instance, people of one religion will want to see themselves together in the political circle forming the government. This is just the reality, even to the extent that people of a particular tribe will want to pave the way for others from the same tribe to lead the religious circle, even when they preach that the place of worship is for everybody.

This denotes that any particular group that wants to be felt prominently in any entity embedded in pluralism must first vigorously and sincerely work together and pursue a common goal. Once this simple principle is adopted, the group will surely feature prominently, most times lead and even dominate the entire entity, if it so desires. In another sense, when a group is desirous of  prominence or desirous of leading but inherently lacks that altruistic character and selflessness, a situation of stagnancy, if not backwardness, becomes inevitable.

Without equivocation and prejudice and with utmost respect to my brethren, I would humbly expose our minds to our problems, viz “why him and not me?” “pull him down” and a situation where we “always look down on our own.” This situation is most bemusing considering the fact that the Igbo are predominantly Christians who are bound to take precedents from the Holy Bible. While we study the Bible, it is conspicuous that God Almighty will always anoint a leader for his people at every particular point in time, from one generation to another, from antiquity.

Whenever I hear or read of my Igbo brethren talking of marginalisation, it always reminds me of the popular saying that the way a man makes his bed so he shall lie on it. At the same time, I hear many brethren talking of our intellectualism, business ingenuity, wealth, courage, confidence, popularity, population and the inherent ability to live anywhere, hence we are almost in every community in Nigeria and the world over. Above all, we are a major ethnic group in Nigeria, which every rational mind knows as a fact. The questions always come to mind: why should we be talking of being marginalised? By whom? Or are we not the ones behind our problems? Now, many of us erroneously believe that our remedy is in secession from Nigeria as a form of self-determination.

It is pertinent that we are properly guided. In Human Rights Law, self-determination is classified as a third generation right because it is a group right and cannot be reasonably pursued in unilateralism but in consensus, ad idem, with those who own the right collectively. Self-determination does not also always and necessarily denote self-government. A group can reasonably, validly and successfully assert its right politically, economically and otherwise within its original geopolitical entity without necessarily causing infractions to the valid and subsisting laws, without unnecessary loss of lives and properties, without also provoking sensitive issues that would cause hatred and disaffection among the federation.

Why would people who have such enviable attributes claim to be marginalised?

I am always disappointed whenever I hear young Igbo people referring to themselves as in need of freedom, which is impliedly, knowingly or unknowingly labeling themselves a wrong name, those in captivity. God forbid!

In Nigeria, we all, our fathers and progenitors, contributed very meaningfully to build and develop. Without equivocation, Igbo don’t need any freedom; we already have our freedom ad libitum, just like other tribes in Nigeria, and we don’t need any other country.

Related News

I see the agitation for another country as selfishness, laziness and even cowardice. I liken it to a farmer who suffered from bush clearing till the time of harvesting and on the day of harvest, meets ants in the farm and decides to abandon the farm to start up another, to begin from the process of bush clearing again instead of using wisdom to overcome the ants in the farm where harvest is already ripe, that farmer must be lacking in wisdom. I make bold to say that Igbo have whatever it takes to live well politically and economically.

Expressly put, we can, without much stress, win the presidency of Nigeria and other enviable positions in Nigerian politics, since these are the intrinsic reasons we cry of being marginalised, subjecting our minds to second-fiddle citizens. Those appointments we cry of being left out of could constitutionally be at the whim and caprices of one of us for a specified period. We are our own problems, take it or leave it.

God has already blessed us and given us all we need. Out of his abundant love for Ndigbo, he has always shown us the signs on what to do but the problem is that we have bluntly refused to accept the truth, even when we are seeing it clearly.

I am not apologetic to say that we shall remain politically stagnant and backward, always finding ourselves agitating even when it is most unnecessary. Except we Igbo humble ourselves and support that person whom God has ordained and endowed with all qualities to lead this generation of Igbo, we will degenerate even worse than our current political state; that is the simple truth.

I have gone close to many notable Igbo political leaders, it is indisputably clear that no one in this generation is in a better position to lead Ndigbo politically to wherever we desire to be than Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. This opinion is not out of any personal gratification or aggrandizement.

Not until Igbo decide to unreservedly align and rally round one person and, by all standards, Kalu being the anointed one of our time, we may not make any headway in this generation. After him, definitely, God will anoint another leader. What Kalu needs is just a little push from our people. Considering his antecedents, he can become anything we can think of. An adage says “he who holds the ground (land) holds himself.”

Not accepting the truth that all of us cannot be lead at the same time is simply the core of Igbo political problem. As for this generation of Igbo, the key to unlock our political joy and satisfaction towards a higher standard of living, devoid of bitterness and unnecessary agitations, is in the hands of Kalu. In whatever political party he belongs, in exercise of his right, as prescribed under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution  (as amended), the earlier we embrace this fact, the better for us all, instead of always trying to raise laughable and frivolous issues against this rare gift from God in our mist. Without this, we shall remain in this political impasse.

Let me also humbly call on this gentleman and multifaceted world-class giant to continue to stand for the Igbo and, above all, offer himself for the office of the President of Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari. Igbo are great and shall remain great for the good of our beloved country, Nigeria.

•Agbaeze wrote from Abuja.

Email: [email protected].