By SKC Ogbonnia
\nJune 29, 2020<\/p>\n
In the piece, Coronavirus: The Nigerian Dream Cure, I wrote that the
\nCOVID-19, which \u201ccompelled people to stay within their nations and
\nlocalities, illuminates the genius of the ageless adage: charity begins
\nat home.\u201d The lessons from the virus also strike a chord with the
\nfamous quotation: the \u201cfierce urgency of now\u201d, where Martin Luther
\nKing demanded action in the face of a looming catastrophe.<\/p>\n
Nowhere are these maxims more expedient than Igboland. Despite the
\ndearth of development in Eastern Nigeria, which has continued to pose
\nexistential threats, the Eastern leaders have made no serious attempt to
\nharness current resources for the greater good. Instead, the Igbo
\npolitics has been overly consumed with mundane excuses, heightened with
\nutopian ideas that focus solely on the future, most of which are
\nenvisaged to satiate the thirsty sentiments of the gullible masses,
\nforgetting that the people must first survive before they can prevail.<\/p>\n
An alarming reminder is the deplorable state of healthcare delivery in
\nIgboland. For instance, before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no
\nhospital with a laboratory capable of testing for such deadly disease in
\nthe entire Eastern Nigeria. The plague also exposed the fact that the
\nEast, more than any other region, would have been in grave danger, if
\nthe COVI9-19 national lock-down had prolonged.<\/p>\n
The common excuse for the lack of development in Igboland in the recent
\ntimes is the structure of the country. Interestingly, the loudest echo
\nchambers for the current campaign from the East are some of the very
\npoliticians who held sway during the 16-year rule under the Peoples\u2019
\nDemocratic Party (PDP) but did practically nothing about restructuring.
\nI mean, the very same cabal who are still clad in the same corrupt toga
\nused in colluding with contractors to loot development facilities in the
\nregion, especially during the economic boom under Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe
\nJonathan, \u201can Igbo adopted son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ironically, some of such looted projects, for example, the Akanu Ibiam
\nInternational Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, 2nd River
\nNiger Bridge, Zik Mausoleum, and the major Eastern highways and seaports
\nare currently undergoing real work under President Muhammadu Buhari, the
\nperceived grinch. The malfeasance under the PDP becomes more manifest
\nwhen considered that the East is witnessing measurable infrastructural
\ndevelopment under the current regime, despite meagre resources\u2014and, of
\ncourse, amid Buhari\u2019s misguided vendetta against the region for not
\nvoting him.<\/p>\n
Highlighting these missed opportunities must not be misconstrued as an
\nopposition to restructuring. Far from that! Nigeria, as currently
\nstructured, is a time-bomb. True federalism has the potential to
\nreposition the country and unleash her abundant resources to greatness,
\nbut the process to the change must not hinder progress. It is also true
\nthat the ageless marginalization of the Igbo by federal authorities
\ncombined to stifle development opportunities in the East. But any
\ninnocent analysis equally begs the questions:<\/p>\n
To what extent can we blame others for the lack of unity of purpose in
\nIgboland? To what extent can we blame others for the failure to
\narticulate game-changing policies to confront the tap root of the
\nproblem, by provoking the Igbo people to invest in their native land
\nthat is not even up to 30% developed?\u00a0 Worse still, who (or what
\nstructure) is to blame for running aground strategic ventures once
\njointly owned by the Igbo states, for example, the Presidential Hotel
\nEnugu, Nigercem, Golden Guinea Brewery, Premier Brewery, Cooperative
\nBank, African Continental Bank, Orient Bank, Progressive Bank, and the
\nDaily Star, to name just a few?<\/p>\n
The simple answer is that mere change is not a sole panacea to progress.
\nAfter all, it was not long ago that different groups within Nigeria,
\nincluding those in Igbo land, were in wild jubilation for being granted
\ntheir own states or local government areas. Despite the fact that all
\nfederal statutory allocations and constituency projects due to the
\nstates and local governments, as well as their internally generated
\nrevenues, have been under the control of the native politicians
\nthemselves, there are no tangible projects to show for the trillions.<\/p>\n
Leadership is action, not excuses. The Igbo politicians should,
\ntherefore, not wait till after the restructure of Nigeria before
\nembarking on an economic a dry-run in the remote semblance of the
\npreferred structure\u2014at least to stem the existential threat of mass
\nunemployment and the consequential rising tide of crimes in the region.
\nGovernors Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo and Sam Onunaka Mbakwe did not hide
\nbehind quotidian excuses of the current structure before performing
\nwonders within just 4 years in the Second Republic. Moreover, the Nnewi
\nmodel has since rubbished the common excuse that the Igbo must have a
\nfunctional seaport before it can thrive. This goes without saying that
\nmany thriving Igbo destinations, for example, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano do
\nnot have seaports.<\/p>\n
The apparent leadership problem within Igboland is neither lack of
\npeople with original visions nor hard work. In fact, there is an
\nabundance of private sector-driven templates, featuring endearing ideas,
\nthe latest being the South East Regional Economic Development Company
\n(SEREDEC), led by Barth Nnaji; and the South East Stabilization Fund,
\nchampioned by the Ohaneze Ndigbo. Sadly, such visions are always
\nderailed by an insecure Igbo political cabal.<\/p>\n
That is where and why the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) made the
\ntitle of this thesis. For sure, the IPOB deserves profound praise for
\nfinally recognizing that the real enemies are within. But the group
\nshould equally recognize that the real battle belongs at the polling
\nbooths. Therefore, instead of banal threats of election boycotts, which
\nonly serve to disfranchise the ordinary people, the IPOB should key into
\na growing democratic revolution to uproot the status quo across
\nNigeria\u2014to ensure, at base, that good people are elected to positions
\nof power. These political positions, of course, include the 2023
\npresidency which, by equitable consensus, is the turn of the South-East
\nzone.<\/p>\n
Further, development has never been the sole province of elected
\nofficials. Thus, instead of fraternizing with the fanatical property
\nacquisitions outside the Biafra land by the Igbo, paraded under the
\nfa\u00e7ade of quasi-republican capitalism, the IPOB might as well
\ncapitalize on its overflowing influence to mitigate the suffering of its
\nmasses, by leading an investment revolution at home\u2014and NOW.<\/p>\n
The gist is woven in an Igbo adage which holds that a child who would
\ngrow to greatness typically shows some sense of acumen at an early
\nstage. Therefore, before restructure, and beyond Biafra; even as it is
\nvitally important to admit that the Nigerian leadership crisis is not
\ndevoid of ethnic schisms, where each group and generation potently share
\nblame, a paradigm shift in perception and approach has become very
\nimperative. The Igbo must recognize the crying need to persevere and
\nrekindle the competitive spirit, ingenuity, and the mental fortitude
\nneeded to unleash immediate investment at home, so that the Igbo masses
\ncan even survive before the promised land.<\/p>\n
*SKC Ogbonnia, A Former Presidential Aspirant, writes from Ugbo, Enugu
\nState, Nigeria
\nTwitter: @ SKCOgbonnia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By SKC Ogbonnia June 29, 2020 In the piece, Coronavirus: The Nigerian Dream Cure, I wrote that the COVID-19, which \u201ccompelled people to stay within their nations and localities, illuminates…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n