By Vivian Onyebukwa
A philanthropist and Igbo leader in Lagos, Chief Chika Nwokedi, has said that only restructuring can save Nigeria. Nwokedi who is the President General of an Igbo social cultural group, Ndi Igbo Buru Otu Association of Nigeria, believes that Igbo are been marginalised and are left out in the top positions in the country.
Igbo are crying of marginalisation, what’s your reaction to this?
I would say that the problem started from Nigeria. For instance, you are a mother and you have eight children and of those eight children one is crying every day. You would call that child and find out why the child was crying and find a solution to it. You would discover that the child would stop crying. They are your children, don’t love seven and leave one out.
When you refuse to call the child on time and leave him to keep crying, it can cause a powerful headache but when you call the child on time to discuss, the problem would be solved, so that’s what is happening in Nigeria now. Igbo are left out in the top positions in this country. Check the police, Army, and Customs and see what we have there, let us say the truth, and that is why some people are crying. I believe in one Nigeria. God doesn’t know who is Mr. Obi or who is Mr. John, what God knows is that the blood that he put inside us is red. All of us are one both foreigners in London, Germany and so on. For God the identity is in our blood not our face, so God knows why he created everybody and gave them one red blood, there’s no one that has black or yellow blood, so I don’t know why in this country things are the way they are.
Do you believe in restructuring Nigeria?
Yes, because as I told you before, every woman loves her children it doesn’t matter if the child is a criminal or not. Restructuring is the only thing that can save this country.
Igbo are always blamed for developing other cities where they live, building industries and mansions, while some of them don’t even have a block in their villages and people are ridiculing them as a result of this. What’s your advice to them?
There is no greater advice for them than what is going on now. Another thing is that Igbo are Jews and there is no way you can do without the Igbo, that’s a gift from God. If one Igbo man enters a bush where there is nobody, he would make it, that’s the gift of the Igbo and nobody can stop it. Also, nobody can destroy all the Igbo, even if it is only one Igbo man that is left, he would take over. So what is going on now has given us the advice that we need and there’s no need for me to say anything.
Why did you decide to form the Ndi Igbo Buru Otu of Nigeria Association?
I would say it is a gift I inherited from my father and grandfather because they had hearts of giving. My father came to Onitsha, Anambra State at a young age and had more than six buildings there, he was rich. My mother said that he even gave lands to some people then and built houses for widows before he died in 1980 when I was eight years old. My grandfather also built a town hall and a market in my place Obodoukwu, Imo State for my people.
Sometimes the needy including widows would come to my house for help. When it was becoming too much, I decided to form this organisation to assist people. I would go to police station and see some of our Igbo people that are about to be taken to court just because of N50,000 or N100,000, but Instead of taking them to court I would decide to pay with my personal money. You can find out at Ijegun police station how many people I have paid money for which I don’t even know from anywhere. At times I would be there to see the Divisional Police Officer and they’ll tell them to meet me, pointing at me. There is no way I would have money and not save people because one would die one day, and the Bible says that ‘Whatsoever a man sow he shall reap and after death comes judgment’. God will ask you questions on what you did in life.
Again, I was the former Chairman of Ladipo Market for almost four years and I broke the record. I travelled to Abuja during the election to go and do a job in 1999 and before I came back, a group of youths had put up an agreement that I must contest. They even paid the election fee on my behalf. Everybody around also insisted that I must contest. It became a problem and so they agreed that I contest. Some people took my pictures and made posters and paste everywhere. There were 11 contestants and all of them were far richer than me because at that time I had only a counter not even a shop. I was staying in somebody’s shop where I had a counter because in Ladipo four people can share a shop. The other contestants had not just shops but warehouses and they had travelled abroad at one time or the other.
On the day of the election I won. More than 100 vehicles in convoy followed me to my one room apartment at Ejigbo. It was that day that I knew that people love me. Before I contested I was the treasurer so because of what I did that was why the youth supported me. When I became the chairman I brought heavy security, phone booths, light and so many things to Ladipo. In fact within three months, Ladipo changed. So maybe I’ll say it is what my father had sown that I’m reaping now that is why I have this heart. I formed this organisation about a year and three months ago. We started with few members, but we are almost 500 members now, and every day we get about four or five new members, so it’s growing. Initially some people were not interested but when they saw what we are doing they joined.