Magnus Eze, Enugu
A political economist, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, has advised Igbo to stop lamenting but instead do retrospection and harness available opportunities for growth.
Okonkwo gave the advice at the weekend, when he delivering a keynote speech on “Ndigbo in contemporary Nigeria: Social, cultural, political and economic reflections,” at the fifth annual Umunri colloquium at the Civic Centre, Enugwu-Ukwu, Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State.
He also asked them to love, reinvent their uncommon entrepreneurial spirit, and show interest in leadership. According to him, it was only the Igbo that can develop Igboland.
He, therefore, charged Igbo politicians and businessmen to develop the appropriate mix for evolving effective and sustainable leadership recruitment process.
“Igbo must quit lamenting and begin to see the opportunities we have missed as new opportunities for growth.
“That was why I instituted a study into the Onitsha main market as the entrepreneurial hub of Igbo business. I believe if we re-draw our map and change our projections, we will be able, as Ndigbo, to see the opportunities available to us and use same to change our narratives.
“If the Igbo political landscape must be re-worked, Igbo must ensure that Igbo business leads. Igbo business leads simply by Igbo supporting their own. Imagine the impact an Igbo business will make if governors of the region spend part of their budget to support Igbo businesses in services they need.
German politicians drive German brands. In China, politicians drive Chinese brands. In India, politicians drive Indian brands. By so doing, their national brands are improved and their capacities for additional jobs and expertise are expanded.
“Therefore, it is only when Igbo businesses lead that the Igbo will regain the economic power that once made them the darling of all. When we achieve that, then, we can use that to swing political power to our advantage.
There is no race that is politically naïve or unimportant,” Okonkwo said.