Waiting for President Chukwudi…
By
Zulfikar Aliyu Adamu
From the moment a cyber columnist decides to punch his keyboard with letters that spell words of his opinion; he stands the risk of exposing his intellectual innards. But then, it is usually hard to disguise the true contents of ones mind when using the English alphabets and diction. So when one sends an article to
www.nigerdeltacongress.com or elsewhere, there are the multiple dangers of being misunderstood, disbelieved or insulted. There is also the risk of being harangued by (yet another) Nigerian fraudster, through emails that are laced with promises of Mobuto’s loot. I therefore approach this article with full knowledge of its potential consequences. However, the fact that you the reader are able to browse the worldwide web, and read articles such as this one; says a lot. At least, there is that latent possibility that we may just understand or appreciate each other for contributing solutions to the national question. The objective of any writer is obviously to be ‘heard’
or - to be read; no matter how (thought)-provoking his ideas may be. And whether we realize it or not, web portals have provided a hundred and twenty million Nigerians with the opportunity to do what our leaders
have been unable to achieve for 44 years: dialogue.
Alas, only a small fraction of Nigerians are aware that the chalk and abacus have been invented long ago, not to mention the internet. But insofar as it takes only a few kalashnikoved soldiers to take over a government, so shall it be; that just a few of those who fight via the pen can bring about positive change.
I therefore stand perilously condemned in advance, by those persons who - (through the systematic collapse of national integrity and mutual trust) - see an enemy in any person who dares to suggest a way forward. Through years of political instability, our national psyche and conscience appears to have been totally camouflaged by civilian mistrust and military disruptions. The Nigerian military have succeeded in conditioning the minds of a lot of people like you and me; that we can’t get along. That is why the most efficient political party is the Nigerian Ex-Soldiers Party, (NESP). That is why till today, we are battling with national questions that should have been solved the very day the Union Jack was pulled down in Lagos . That is why tribal and religious hatred creep into our minds and actions every now and then. That is why any suggestion by an outsider to an ethnic group may be seen as an effrontery on their collective sensibilities. That is why those who hold the
reigns of power would continue to smile at the top, while you and I are left with no choice but to raise dust on
the cyber highways. And finally, that is why I refused to title this article “If I were an Igbo man…Part 2”.
This is an addendum on the last article that has been appreciated by as many people that have cursed it. The fact that one is not an Igbo should not deprive one of thinking like one, especially if such thoughts are geared towards the common good. The fact that one is a Muslim living in Saudi Arabia does not automatically mean he is a fundamentalist on a mission to amputate the conscience of non-Muslim readers. The fact that one ‘sounds’ like a northerner, does not qualify one to be called a hireling of the so-called northern oligarchy. By way of reaction to my writings, I have been called enough names (good and bad) in one day; to fill a floppy diskette in a single Microsoft Word document. Nevertheless, I have been a fortunate recipient of the good natured-ness of many people whom have nothing in common with me, except that we all walk on two legs. Many of such persons don’t share the same religious beliefs as me; and many more hail from villages that are not from the same side of the Confluence as mine. To speak genuinely about such people is the least I can do, for I could never pay back for their positive impact on my life. Unfortunately, at the national level, we Nigerians love to hate fellow Nigerians whose tribal marks run in opposite direction from ours.
I have decided to give a damn if an Igbo man becomes president in my life time not because I hope to discover a long lost cousin among them. But it is very hard, I guess, for some Igbos to believe that there are people out there who see them as equals, and in terms of economics, see them as superior to other Nigerians. So when I opine that the Igbos should take the bull by the horn in terms of launching an economic warfare with Nigeria , it is only because I wish to see them force equality and respect down our collective throats. Any economic success that they have recorded so far is simply from casual natural effort. Imagine what is achievable if they actually decide to revolutionize the Nigerian economy! Elsewhere, I have referred to this strategy, as a sure means of forcing the political pendulum to swing in three directions. I would rather place my hope right now with an Igbo presidency than watch northerners or south-westerners ruin this country any further. What have
I and many people like you, truly gained so far from northern misrule and south-western dis-rule? As far as I am concerned, an Atiku presidency may as well be an extension of this present chaos of Uncle Sege. So, why shouldn’t I dream of a President Chukwudi?
When I dare to dream about the need for Igbos to fashion out an economic strategy of dominance; it is because I truly believe that right now, they are the only ethnicity blessed with enough talent, resources, hardworking mentality and innovativeness needed to jump-start the Nigerian economy, starting from their bloc. Besides, what have I got to lose by letting them have a shot at Aso Rock? The Nigerian malady couldn’t get any worse than it is right now could it? Nigeria has slowly but surely back-slided unto that brick wall that we shall have no choice other than shifting to forward gear. Our erstwhile Nigerian rulers have perfected the art of misrule that the rest of the world must be wondering how we carry on day after day. Yet, the funny thing with Nigerians is that we are a very jealous and envious bunch of sub-Saharan Negroes. In certain nations, a group of people would be envied by their economic progressiveness and not just by their political resumes. It is only
with the gradual decentralization of power that each ethnic group in Nigeria will maximize its potential and agenda. Be it social, political, economic, religious or whatever. Majority of well-paid individuals in the world today come from countries that don’t even have enough land to build upon, not to mention natural resources. I refer here, to the Swiss and the Japanese human resourcefulness. Of course this means that some sections of Nigeria may be marginalized into hard work, but since when was that a crime? How else where the Germans able to become the strongest economy in Europe despite 50 odd years of foreign Occupation? For how long shall we continue to elude ourselves that all is well in Nigeria? It is one thing to be hailed by the BBC as a nation of the most religious people and it’s quite another thing to be a nation of the most God-fearing people.
There are indeed societies that have been able to quench the perpetual hunger for political power by focusing on what really matters: the economy. That was why Bill Clinton, the most economically successful president of the US had a campaign slogan of: It’s the economy, stupid! But sadly, we remain a nation of the cheats and the cheated; the oppressor and the oppressed; the rulers and the ruled. A nation, that is, where the roulette of corrupt leadership is keenly
contested by incompetent semi-illiterates, where a proper graduate may never be president in our lifetime from all indications. How on earth do we expect our kind of government to understand and apply the concept of e-commerce and e-learning? We still dwell in a medieval world of haves and have-nots, when the rest of planet earth is partitioned among the knows and the know-nots. At this rate, the world may migrate one day to Mars while we are still fumbling with Ajaokuta Steel Mill.
The situation is true only because we have allowed power to be dumped into one big cauldron and we refuse to allow everyone to take turns in making the broth. Therefore, the Nigerian stew shall continue to be tasteless for the time being. If by 2007, an Igbo man becomes the president, I fear that there are many political alchemists out there that would design his failure even before he takes the oath. As such, I propose the need for an Igbo presidency to be back by a marshal plan that would industrialize the nation. Yet, charity must begin at home. So the East has a duty to itself to evolve above the national decay and regression. This, I honestly believe can be achieved without waiting for President Obasanjo to read the annual national budget in the month of August. It is a matter of channeling efforts towards the objective. It is a matter of
understanding the dynamics of geo-politics with an economical scale of reference.
Theoretically, if we have three uneducated and unemployed boys today, each from the three major tribes; one of them may likely cry for alms every day until he has wearied our ears and our eyes with his laziness. The second boy may spend his days hanging on Molues and spend his nights coercing passersby into parting with Area Tax. But it is that last boy, that very boy who has the courage to sign up as an apprentice to a store keeper, (with ONLY the promise of freedom
and his own business after 10 years) that I respect. He deserves more than our collective respect. If you disagree, next time those mosquitoes bite you; ask the boy who dishes chloroquine at the local pharmacy where he comes from. What hurts my soul is that this sort of economic aptitude cannot be found as Ph.D thesis in any of the Eastern Universities. Education will only be useful if it can solve immediate problems. And the educational revolution needed in Nigeria can be initiated by those who have the wherewithal to appreciate its end results. The Igbo. Once again, I fear that the Igbo
may not rise to the occasion, when the chips are down. Why hasn’t anyone (an Igbo, most preferably) cared to scientifically prove - with facts and figures - that such an arrangement can go side by side with part-time certificate courses or diplomas in Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Mechanical Engineering and what have you? Who says those courses must be taught in English only. Did the Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and Indians get their breakthrough by speaking queens
English only? Why not kill three or four birds with one stone? That is, get your people educated, employed and economically independent at the same time. No other tribe has the potential to achieve this in one fell swoop. It would be a mistake for Igbos to continue to wait for the so-called Federal Republic to dish out starvation handouts for research projects. It’s the year 2004. Funds can come from any part of the world if results
are guaranteed.
Let me not hide the fact that I am an unrepentant proponent of confederation or true federation. The biggest mistake we make is to believe those who try to convince us that we have no problems and that we don’t need to sit down and negotiate the height of our neighborly fences. The injustices perpetuated in Nigeria stinks so much that I guess the devil himself may be throwing-up in disgust. Those who milk the national cow till she spurts blood from her udder have not learnt from the pharaohs. The wealth will NOT follow them to eternity. If that were true, then they would have cheated you and me in the real sense.
At the end of the day, the rate at which Nigeria may progress will depend on many other little things like the number of readers who decide to hit the forward button on their email browser, versus those who hit the reply button with anger at a writer who dared believe in them.
Even the journey of a thousand miles starts with one simple but determined step.
April 2004