MOTIVATIONAL POWER

Ndigbo should be respected. They came back from the nadir of hopelessness after losing all their assets during the 30 – month civil war, to take the front seat in the Nigerian economy.

The war ended in 1970, and by 1980, our eastern brothers were already the tribe to beat in sports, commerce, everywhere except politics.

As you read this, Ndigbo continues to grope in the wilderness of Nigeria’s mainstream politics because of poor leadership, lack of focus, weak cohesion, and which is worse of all, the greed and selfish nature of their leaders. The other tribes have these traits, too but they seem to be more pronounced in the Igbo leaders, because of the republican nature of the race.

In commerce, “Ibo sense” has worked; in politics, it is not working because the algorithms are different. Nigeria is a trading nation, meaning the people are mainly traders, but Ndigbo are at the forefront of our commercial prowess. They drive commercial activities, even though many have queried the preponderance of fake products being sold by Igbo traders. Blame agencies like the National Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Standards Organization of Nigeria, SON, the Customs Service, the Police, and other law enforcement agencies for that, not the traders.

Moreover, fake goods will disappear if nobody buys them. Fake products are a consequence of the corruption pandemic; the local Covid-19 that has destroyed the development capacity of Nigeria. That’s for another day; let’s get back to politics.

The Igbo political strategy is anchored on individualism, not political networking and deliberate outreaches as politics demand. Igbo President is being promoted, instead of President from the South East. Remove the ethnic grab from their presidential agitation and the quest becomes national, devoid of sectional threats of domination as exhibited in the Igbo success in commerce. This success has attracted envy from other tribes for no just cause.

There’s the additional factor of the crude Biafran agitation by IPOB, which calls to question the security of the Nigerian state in the hands of a president of Igbo origin. People are asking: how can your Igbo folks want to secede and you want to rule Nigeria at the same time? This question should not have arisen if the Igbo intelligentsia has managed the sentiments of their brethren well.

Now, talking about political engineering, the Igbo leaders have failed badly. Most parties emerge from their ethnic base and spread to other parts of the nation. The Sadauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, took his NPC to other parts of the nation through viable alliances. That produced the Balewa government at independence. The NPN did the same in the second republic and it won the presidency.

Bola Tinubu inherited the AD, rebranded it as Action Congress, AC and eventually it transformed into APC through clever alliances with other potent political entities and gladiators. That was how it was able to unseat PDPs, Goodluck Jonathan. Tinubu is running for the Presidency today because of his outreaches; the same strategies that enabled M.K.O’s SDP to win the presidency that the Army truncated through Northern intrigue, using Ibrahim Babangida’s greed for power.

The APGA, formed by Igbo leaders, has remained an Igbo party to date. No serious efforts have been made to spread it nationwide, knowing full well that it is through incursions into the tribal base of regional politics that the Presidential prospects of candidates are formed.

Igbo leaders seem to prefer joining forces with established national parties, instead of creating one. We know that Northern power-brokers don’t ever want the presidency to shift to the south at all, but the Yoruba leaders always know her to frustrate this desire. The Igbo, whom the norths hate like devils, don’t know how to make their presidential prospect a faith accomplish like the Yoruba.

Yoruba elite didn’t fight for Yoruba president in 1993; they wanted “Power Shift” using the fact that M.K.O Abiola was cheated out of the presidency that he, a Yoruba son, won. No guns fired. The northern elite succumb to relentless pressure from Yoruba leaders and, an unprecedented political arrangement was worked out to pave the way for an acceptable Yoruba candidate in the persons of either Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former Head of State, or Olu Falae, to emerge as the only major candidates in 1999.

The north, feeling more comfortable with a former military Head of State, voted OBJ, and the rest is history. Igbo leaders should study power politics from the Yoruba and Hausa – Fulani elites and see how this thing is done. “Ibo sense” can’t work in the political arena. Igbo braggadocio can’t get power; neither will Biafra threats or violent agitation bring independence from Nigeria. These strategies will produce more suffering and humiliation.

Imagine how Yoruba leaders got Sunday Igboho out of Benin Republic prison. Nnamdi Kanu, meanwhile, is still in prison. That says a lot about crisis management. IPOB’s campaign is immature, politically incorrect, and poorly executed. To launch a reign of terror over the Igbo people after the 1967 – 70 debacle; to keep Igbo at home on Mondays is an act of self-immolation. The southeast leaders should do something about this guy, Kanu, and the mess he has caused because it is hurting Igbo folks in all spheres of life.

Igbo are too intelligent and creative; too resourceful to be left out of the power game of musical chairs in Nigeria. I want a President from every part of this country, including the South East. They have the right. Nigeria belongs to us all.

However, gragra can’t earn the Presidency; only sound strategies can do it. I read some write-ups of Igbo intellectuals and I laugh because they’re full of grandstanding and empty threats. These things don’t add up. What does it is a formulation of a winning strategy to claim Igbo right to produce a president for Nigeria. Period!

All the talk about Igbo ingenuity, superior intelligence, etc is rubbish! An Igbo guy, obviously semi-educated, was shouting at a vendor’s stand the other day that the average Igbo man is an extraordinary individual. What’s the meaning of that?

Every tribe or race has extraordinary folks. No race can boast of extraordinary people in its entire population. Such talk is cheap and irritating! And it can’t ganeer support for national cooperation.

For me, I love the Igbo. They’re truly my beloved brethren who deserve what every tribe deserves. Igbo Kwenu!!!

Weekend Spice: Everyone has a desire, but few have the capacity to actualize it.

Ok folks, let’s do it again. Stay motivated.

Ayodeji is an author, Pastor, activist, speaker, and life coach.

You can reach him on 09059243004 (SMS, WhatsApp and email only)