Date Published: 04/30/09
ANAMBRA STATE: THE BLACK SHEEP OF NDI IGBO
By Chukwuma Iwuanyanwu
How do I criticize a state that has produced the uncanny Zik of Africa, Nwafor Orizu, Pius Okigbo, Chinue Achebe, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, Charles Soludo, Emeagwali, Dora Akunyili and other stars that abound in the Anambra state? You cannot talk about education in Igbo land without Anambra state leading the way, at least, this I know, in the past as against the present practice in which spare parts dealers have taken over; and they are hell bent, and determined to run Anambra state down without any slight of compunction and afterthought.
The odor that oozes out from the male goat is not from the skin, otherwise, water could have washed it away; it is from the bone marrow, Ndi Igbo will say. A joke was always made when I was growing up concerning the reactions of widows, who just lost their husbands from Onitsha in Anambra state. Mama Nneka, I heard that your husband died, I came to console you, but what did he leave for you? A seemly mischievous guest mourner would asked, and in a sarcastic manner too. Mama Nneka would retort care freely: only one story building at Upper Iweka Road, and another two storey building at Nnobi Street, that’s all. The man was just buried and the widow would start cruising life momentarily after the guest mourners have gone. I t was on that premise that potential suitors feared marrying Onitsha women, because it was believed that those women would accelerate the demise of their husbands. This has never been the culture of Ndi Igbo. We mourn the dead with pains and anguish and materials things never came into the equation, because the life of a man cannot be equated with any value of mundane articles. After all, the late Warrior of the then Oriental Brothers sang that the beauty of a woman is her husband. This revelation tells the culture of a people.
Ifeajuna was from Anambra State and a story was miffed how he sold Biafra for a mere penny to the enemies, and that, as it was told, contributed in no small measure why Biafra lost the war to the Federal troops. A simple loop hole can create a winning streak for the enemy in a desperate situation just as was the Nigeria-Biafra war. It’s unfortunate that the spirit of Ifeajuna is still causing mayhem in Anambra after thirty nine years of the end of the Biafra- Nigeria war, and the end of Ifeajuna. Anambra state is the sore sticking finger in Igbo land and every bad thing which is the offshoot of love of money and power drunken moment emanates from Anambra and they spread throughout Igbo land. When one talks of the idea that the only language Igbo man understands is money, it is an indirect reference to some money-loving-do –anything- for- money folks in Anambra. The unfortunate aspect of it all again, is that these few noise-making-illiterate-money and power-loving folks overshadow the fine-educated-responsible-peace loving folks in Anambra state. One soiled finger pollutes the rest.
In Anambra, money speaks, just like any other Igbo states, but the force in Anambra state is Kilimanjaro leveling and earth shaking. It’s either money or nothing and these dirty folks can do anything, include selling their mothers for money. Their state of minds is that they can purchase power with money and they have tried it before and they succeeded. It tarried but as the saying goes: truth is an open wound, only time will heal it. Peter Gregory Obi won an election in Anambra, but Chris Uba, a street urchin made millionaire purchased the position from INEC and Dr. Chris Ngige was installed in place of Obi. The agreement was that Ngige would open the treasury of Anambra state to Chris Uba and he would satisfy himself with any amount while leaving the state to an endless hemorrhage. Dr. Chris Ngige, a word class surgeon allowed himself to be dragged to the infamous Okija shrine by illiterate Chris Uba, to swear an oath that any allocation coming to Anambra state belonged to Chris Uba and whatever was left after satisfying his orgy of looting belonged to the good of people of Anambra. And Chris Ngige said ofo (Amen). Only in Anambra state, replicated in Abia state, would that shameless, unconscionable and mindless rubbish will happen. When Ngige reneged after he woke up from the concoction he drank at Okija, and which had cleared from his eyes too, Chris Uba had milked Anambra to dry while development never found itself in the equation and the good people of Anambra suffered unmitigated; he was kidnapped with a strong backing from Obasanjo and his son, Andy Uba. The rest they say is now history.
Dr. Chris fought back and he refused to let go his stolen mandate and the whole of Anambra was set on fire while the order came from Obasanjo and Andy Uba that police should stay clear. And Anambra state burnt for weeks without end while the Ubas celebrated that their state was on fire because of the love of money and power. Why do we have short memory? Why do we forgive so easily at our own peril? Why should somebody hoodwink us with money so as to make us reason like animals, tufiakwa? Only in Anambra state would that kind of history be made. Are the people in Anambra state not outright stupid? I may be accused of hasty generation, but judging from the fact that hordes of people still follow Andy Uba and they had the effrontery and the audacity to lie behind him for a shot to rule Anambra state. Nobody can convince me for any measure that, something is not wrong with Anambra state in general.
Peter Obi fought all through the hard stages of legal tussles to claim his mandate freely given to him by the good people of Anambra state; but impeached and won again to claim his seat. And you are telling me that it’s okay with Anambra state!! No, it is not okay, that state is terribly sick beyond measure. 2010 is fast approaching and all kinds of signs are on the horizon again that the sick days are dangerously and steadily coming back. Armed robbery and kidnapping are the two political weapons the enemies of Anambra state are using to discredit Governor Obi, who has been giving dividends of democracy to the good people of Anambra state since he mounted the podium to rule Anambra state. In the days of Obasanjo, the fierce force of demons came from the presidency to cause mayhem in Anambra state, but the Chief of Otta is now out of power, so who is acting in his place now to use willing tools to rob violently, kill and kidnap?
As was reported in the Sunday Champion of April 26, 2009, The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) in a letter to Governor Peter Obi, copied to Umaru Yar’Adua and the IG, DG, State Security Services and other NGOs and International Human Right and Pro-democracy groups, Intersociety said that politicians angling for 2010 governorship elections, the police and the army involved in joint patrol cannot wash their hands from the last robbery that claimed the lives of 30 people and the general crime wave in the state. The group wondered how the last robbery operation, which took place across two senatorial zones of the state, starting from Ichi to Ojoto, Ideani-Oraukwu, Nnobi, Awka-Etiti-Igbo-Ukwu and Ezinifite without any response from the policeman and the soldiers who man hundreds of roadblocks in the state.
The letter signed by Intersociety chairman, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, said that they had some months ago alerted Obi that politicians will resort to crime as the 2010 approaches just to discredit his government, but unfortunately, the governor ignored the warning. The style of politics in Nigeria is a do-or-die even when the opposition has nothing to offer other than to go there and loot the commonwealth of the people. It’s unfortunate that Peter’s style of governance is new to our clime. I am aware that Peter is a stingy man, he will not allow the state money to be frittered away, rather he will work assiduously to channel any state money to the development of the Anambra state and creation of jobs for the people. People who are having problems with Obi are nothing other than the fact that he refused them access to the treasury of Anambra state, even Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu made a passing comment on this. For a state that has witnessed all kinds of abuse since the days of Mbadinuju until the later days of Chris Ngige needs such a man like Obi to give Anambra state a life line and the taste of development and good governance?
The question on the lips of Anambrarians and other parts of the country watching is who is enabling the horror in Anambra again this time? The Sun newspaper reported on Monday, April 27, 2009, the kidnapping of Chairman of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Dr. Goddy Ibekwe and the Chief Executive of TONIMAS Petroleum Products Limited, Chief Anthony Enukeme. The Sun further reported that many Anambrarians now live in fears following the rate of kidnaps in the state, especially with the alleged non-challant attitude of the Police Commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Abbas, whose tenure has witnessed unprecedented reign attack of kidnappers and armed robbers in the state, which had also claimed many lives, including those of his men. Is Michael Okiro listening to what his man is doing in Anambra state or is the non-challant attitude of Commissioner Abbas an order from above?
It seems Anambra is not in a hurry to stop being a gory land, all in the name of political power struggle, fame and the quest for money. Political jobbers know very well now that the quickest means to make money is through political power, so those hell bent in stuffing their pockets with the peoples’ wealth will not cease at nothing in discrediting Peter Obi, killing and kidnapping; and until then, Anambra will still be the black sheep among Ndi Igbo. One will also see the desperation in Virgy Etiaba and her son, Emeka, who wasted N20 billion Peter saved for the state before he was impeached within three months of their reign in Anambra state. The smart thing our dirty politicians do in Nigeria is when they have dirty past, they either struggle to win the captainship of the state or push for their puppets in office so as to closed any attempt to probing their past. Unfortunately, they succeed in Nigeria, but may they never succeed in Anambra state, because the Anambrarians have suffered too much in the hands of these charlatans.
Chukwuma Iwuanyanwu is the Executive Director, Harcourt Foundation, Inc., Los Angeles, California.
(www.harcourtfoundation.org)
