By Abubakar A. Fari
One cannot eat his cake and have it. However, it is only in Nigeria that some ethnic “nationalities” tend to behave. Th e southerners with respect to north-south balance and especially with the Hausa-Fulani see it as live and let die. Th e Ibo in particular have this negative mentality. Of course not with all but the preponderance are short sighted. It is not the way one sees himself that is the yardstick.
Th e way others see you is what should concern a rational person. If one sees himself in the mirror as handsome, while the outside see him or her as ugly, needs a rethink. Chinua Achebe I understand is quoted to have said that Nigerians disagree on all matters. Th e one they have consensus is the dislike of the Ibos. One man I met from Kogi said “everything about them smells even their food, I do not like them”. You know in Okene “we allow all to own land except the Ibo”. It is the same between them and their south-south neigbours. In the UK, China, Thailand, US South Africa, Ghana, the west African sub-region, in Sokoto, Katsina, Lagos Ibadan, Abuja and Suleja wherever he goes, the same mentality. He underrates and underestimates the intelligence of any third party.
Th at is why like a leper, the Ibo is generally unwanted. Th e paradox is that, the Ibos dislike lepers. It is advisable to ask themselves why is that so. One recognizes there are good Ibo Muslims, the Christians and even the good pagans among them. Nonetheless, most of them would appear generally addicted to arrogance and self centeredness. These negative traits lead them to selfi shness, and the live and let die syndrome. It could perhaps be deliberate or unconscious as they interact with other peoples and races. Key reason is not far to see. Th e desire to “get” money and not “make” money under fairness is their greatest undoing. Like a leprous hand and appearance of a leper is what the character generally of most Ibos manifest in their quest for trade and dominance. Th ey are desperate and brutal in their trade practices and acquisitive tendencies. Th ey lack morale as if the Bibles they read and the churches they attend are devil workshops. Th ey have colonized other people’s lands in Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Suleja and many others, but never wish to reciprocate. Th ey are unfriendly, envious and blackmailers when another Nigerians lives in their enclaves. Now the northern youth are angry and tired of this mismatch. Th ey want Ibos to leave and go to “Biafra” since despite the dominance and the freedom to pursue their business, addiction to arrogance and selfishness remains. Many share the sentiments of the youth.
I have hard group discussions among parents of these youth and the consensus is like Zik said “enough is enough” of the Ibo arrogance and the insults on our collective intelligence. Th e Emir of Katsina, with due respect is ill-informed about the Ibo mind set. But I believe he should know, since in 1966 we were both in secondary school when they killed our leaders and the backlashes that followed. Yours sincerely could recall nasty personal experiences with the “Biafra” agitators. From 1972-75 at ABU Zaria as undergraduates even the reference books for engineering students kept at the reference library, the Ibo clique would hide them in the sociology or political science section mischievously unknown to others. In December 1977 I was deployed to the Warri refi nery by the NNPC. As the only one from the north, the rivalry was between the Ibo and Yoruba.
At stake were training programmes slated in Japan or the US. Th e desperate Biafra agitators when to the extent if they saw a piece of paper in your pocket will dip his hand crudely and pick to see out of desperation. I was slated for Japan later changed to the US. Th e bad names Nigerians are notorious in the global arena are due mostly to the Biafran mentality “get money” by all means attitudes. Several are languishing in jails for drug traffi cking and unspeakable crimes. Th ey claim Nigerians and not Ibo or “Biafrans” since the leprous contagion has to be shared with other Nigerians. In spare parts deals and drugs they have defi ed customs and NAFDAC.
Several Nigerians die prematurely as a result. Yet they insult herdsmen because Ibos cannot stomach the harsh life of herdsmen. Otherwise they will have taken over the business. If the Ibo had not embarked on the murderous enterprise of our leaders in the 1966 anti-Hausa Fulani selective coup, they would have gained much more.
Th e leaders they assassinated had the wisdom and the leadership qualities that the north and the Hausa-Fulani needed to prosper. Whether the Ibo likes it or not the Hausa-Fulani are the largest segment of the market and with the purchasing power that any rationale and not clueless business man needs. Based on the foregoing, yours sincerely does not support any person from the “Biafran” rebel enclave be allowed to act even as a President of Nigeria for one hour. In an hour he could cause the CBN governor transfer all the foreign exchange balances to his account.
If one complains with the security in his control can declare one a Boko Haram or a terrorist armed robber or kidnapper to silence opposition. On this note the logic of “why not break up” would appear to me logical, should the scenario be an Ibo President of Nigeria. However, where the scenario is a subordinate and the Biafra rebel remains in government not as a President in charge with no absolute control of security and CBN then I will go with “why break up”. I should like to believe an Ibo President is not consistent with the national consensus because of the addictive arrogance and the clueless “Biafran” mentality. After all Chinua Achebe could not be wrong about the crudeness of his people. Engr. Fari wrote via [email protected]
