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RE-"NDIGBO WAKEUP"- REPLY TO JITA JITA ON IGBOS STAND ON CONFEDERATION, RESOURCE CONTROL, NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND SHARIA ISSUES FACING NIGERIA. This is a reply to Jita Jita on the story "Ndigbo Wakeup" as carried on a news website of June 27, 2001. Going back through Nigeria history books, no one will doubt that Igbos have been in the forefront for the emancipation of Nigerian people and Igbos in particular from the cages of enslavement from colonialist, imperialists and feudalists as represented by Jita-Jita with a seriously hollow system for its people. Igbos among others fought for independence both for Nigeria as a Nation, Africa as a continent and for each tribe in Nigeria to be free. Igbos have done more than a lot of groups put together to free Africa and Nigeria from clutches of backwardness and economic deprivation and the fight goes on until particularly Nigerian nation realizes its foolishness, and learn to invest and empower its people. To also let Jita-Jita know this, this time around is different from 1960 with modern technology and information age, Igbos will not loss in developing and empowering its people, just like we did not fail in developing our people in the past despite the harsh situation, and like before the genocide that happened during the war cannot happen again, and for example you can attest to what has happened to Gen. Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia and his Leadership with his Yugoslavia Federal troops crimes and intimidation against his opponents and minorities. Also, look at former leadership of Rwanda and the use of Federal might against minorities and moderate Hutus. You see what happened to them now sitting in jail, on the run and dead. The world has changed and the type of crime committed against the Igbos, other minorities and opponents of power could only happen in the past, watch out because this is a new day, no genocide and massacre can go free like before. The world is getting smaller for dictators and oppressors. Let me enlighten Jita-Jita ( Since that is the name he chose to be addressed), but from his inferences he is writing from the feudal enclave that have sent Nigeria back to age of darkness and he/she refused to see the current situation in Nigeria, how terrible it is and that it is the will of the people that will ultimately prevail to bring back sanity to the body polity of Nigeria. Igbos do not follow events with blind eyes like he tried to imply, but Igbos lead and they do that with zeal, determination and with hope and everything Igbos have fought for is manifesting positively in the present polity of Nigeria. CONFEDERATION which the Igbos have been fighting for according to the Oxford Dictionary, means: “To join by agreement, united by agreement and joining by alliance of group of people, organization or state”. The Confederation stands of the Igbos is incubator for Resource Control, Sharia Agenda and National Conference. Igbos are still on the right and justice apart from the 1960 vision of confederacy whether watered down to any name, self determination as confederacy, can be Sharia's choice , Resource Control or national conference. These are the embodiments of confederacy and we are gradually walking towards that parting of ways from every region of Nigeria. Whether it is Sharia agenda, Resources control agenda, National Conference agenda and Confederation agenda; the point is that all of the above has to come by agreement, by alliance and by united action and none can work without every group agreeing. You must understand that confederation as an alliance is what will make sharia agenda to work in Nigeria, Resource control to work in Nigeria and even National conference to work in Nigeria. All of the these agenda are as a result of confederate agenda and the Igbos started the ball rolling for your information and they are still working on it. You also forgot that on Resources Control that the Igbos have enough Oil, Gas, Goal and agricultural product to control within their territory (the helms of the resource control agenda), not to talk of including Igbo communities in South South zone with their resources. Igbos for your information will have enough resource to control to develop Igbo nation when it comes down to that. Also, let me give you more instances of Igbos leading the agenda in Nigeria body politics, and Igbos are not known to be followers and in historical and political facts, it is not in Igbos blood to follow rather Igbos lead and set agendas for others in business, innovation, education etc you may agree or not. You also may agree with me or not, that what the Igbos envisioned 30 years ago and fought for in three years of Nigerian Civil war is what Arewa agenda is fighting for now, it is what Afenifere Agenda is fighting for now, It is what the South South Agenda is Fighting for and it is What the Middle Belt Agenda is fighting for now. Who set the agenda, fought for it, died for it and suffered for it. The Igbos, been there and done that and you are the followers, because you just woke up from your slumber knowing that nothing is working in your so called Nigeria Agenda. Arewa is seeking self determination by its sharia agenda and nothing is wrong with that, it is their right as long as it does not interfere with another persons right, so is Afenifere, so is the Middle Belt and so is South South and you know the Igbos started the same 30 years ago. Who has a better vision and who is Johnny come lately. Let me take you through memory lane of Igbo Leadership and Fight for freedom and Independence for the African mind, Nigerian mind and for ethnic mind in Nigeria from recent memory. Igbos have worked together with leadership of other regions for positive results or not but Igbos worked with Chief H.O Davies, Chief Ogunsanya, T.O. S Benson, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Tafawa Belewa, Chief Awolowo, and leaders from every zone in Nigeria and Igbo can work with any body to produce good results for Igbos and Nigeria. Igbos are learning and have learnt from the following efforts for Igbos and Nigeria by leading: examples. (1) 1870 – 1890 Igbo/ Arochukwu Long Juju war against the colonial invaders and slave dealers ( Thousands of Igbo people died in this resistance war) (2) 1900 - Igbos fought the British troops and British Government against the Niger Coast Protectorate being joined with other Southern Region and to be renamed Southern Protectorate of Nigeria. (3) 1927- 1929 :Aba women riot and Igbos fought in other parts of Owerri Province against colonialisation, taxation without representation( over 100 Igbos massacred) (3) 1934/35 Nigerian Youth Movement Formed with results and fought colonial and oppressive rule led by DR. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Mbadiwe and other Igbos. (4) 1930 –1950 back to Africa and African empowerment movement formed and organized in America (NEW-York) by DR. Nwafor Orizu, Dr. Mbonu Ojike, DR. Azikiwe, DR. Nkurumah and Dr. Ikoku and they produced results which culminated into Africa Independent movements. (5) West African Pilot News paper Found by DR. Azikiwe with his colleagues who fought hard with their lives for freedom. (6) 1943 National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon Formed by Dr. Azikiwe and DR. Herbert Macaulay. (7) 1948 Coal Miners At Enugu Coal Mine Fought the colonialist against Injustices and enslavement ( over 100 Igbo miners massacred, wounded and jailed) (8) The Nigerian civil War which was fought for Independence and self determination and more than one million Igbos died for freedom. (9) The constitutional Conference under Gen. Abacha/ Gen.Babangida regime which is what we are operating now, for which people like Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Mbakwe and other Igbos delegates negotiated the headway for that conference to achieve results, and Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s Idea which gave birth to what we now call South South and Middle Belt geo- poliitcal Zones. The South South and Middle Belt People are grateful to brilliant Igbo minds for working tirelessly with them to achieve the initiative for their self determination of having their own zones. Igbos lead and do not follow! Pointing out the above reference points will dilute your points that Igbos try to follow, rather the opposite is the case where Igbos vision and agenda is picked up by other zones no matter how reluctantly, how late or years passed, and you will agree with me on this instances as against the following lies and propaganda which you tried to spread around to demean and undermine Igbos; and what they stand for which is justice, truth and fairplay for Nigeria, Africa and the Black race. I hope the audience of this news website will make a better judgement in discarding this falsehood against Igbos. Jita-Jita wrote and I quote. “I am always amazed at the follow-follow attitude of the Ndigbo in Nigeria’s politics, despite the claims that the Almighty Allah Has created the Igbo to lead the African people. Has the Ndigbo not heard about the tale of the follow–follow monkey who went to the market and never came back? Recently, with the Arewa (North) going Sharia, the South-South wailing Resource Control, and the loud-mouthed South-West demanding Sovereign National Conference, the South-East's agendum to all the above calls was CONFEDERATION, (far off mark and unrealizable within the context of the 1999 Constitution) Presently, more than two-third of Arewa are Sharia-compliant (whether political or not). The South-South's agitation on resource control is beginning to yield dividends (sympathy), while the South-West's demand for Sovereign National Conference has been sneaked into the National Agenda via Constitutional Review in all the six quasi-political zonation. I have of course not forgotten my brothers, the Middle-Belters, (methinks you don’t have agenda) because when push comes to shove, you know where you belong, for the Great Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello once boasted “I will not cede an inch of the soil bequeathed to me by my Great Grand Father”, he did not then, neither will it happen now. So the main jest where lies CONFEDERAL (big word) ARRANGEMENT? Having realized it (NDIGBO) has lost out, it cued on the demand of the South-West for a Sovereign National Conference (recall events preceding the declaration of Biafra in the late 60’s-if the East ceded the West will follow suit-Chief Obafemi Awolowo) Follow, follow don begin again and like earlier times, Ndigbo is entering with its legs and not with its head, this was clearly manifest in the cold reception the Constitutional Review Commission received on its maiden journey to Enugu where the members of the Commission were booed by restless Ndigbo youths chanting war songs and demanding the convening immediately of Sovereign National Conference (the Yoruba prime agendum)” Unquote. In Conclusion, we have to learn from this new democratic dispensation that the only way for Nigeria to move forward is to learn from each other's positive things and to dialogue on issues affecting us, as we are having all the Zones talking and learning from each other and it is no time for competition but to move Nigeria forward. No one will gain anything by demeaning any tribe, any zone or people rather it will create fear and environment of hate and insecurity which does no one any good. Thanks Nigeria Democracy and Justice Project Washington, DC
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