Engr. Abubakar A. Fari“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. That is why like a leper, the Ibo is generally unwanted. The 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 selfishness, 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. The 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. They are desperate and brutal in their trade practices and acquisitive tendencies. They lack morale as if the Bibles they read and the churches they attend are devil workshops. They have colonized other people’s lands in Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Suleja and many others, but never wish to reciprocate. They are unfriendly, envious and blackmailers when another Nigerians lives in their enclaves.
Now the northern youth are angry and tired of this mismatch. They 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. The Emir of Katsina, with due respect is ill-informed about the Ibo leprous 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.
The youth are the leaders of tomorrow. A serious mind will inquire to know why the youth are boiling. Will the northern governors and emirs out-live the youth? After all they are known to love their own children that some so ridiculously as to partner in the loot of the wealth of the common man. Let them be seen to be awake to the realities. More so we have never heard an Ibo chief or indeed the Christians leaders and their traditional rulers utter a word when the Muslims or Hausa Fulani are victims of genocide or murders as in Ife and the so-called middle belt. We expect our leaders to stand by justice for all and also live no stone unturned to protect the interests of their people. In Kaduna state the murderous acts of Zamani lekwot and his Ibo mindset compatriots and the days of Yakowa and before are fresh in our memories. The aggressive southern Kaduna with the support of elements in Plateau, Taraba, Bauchi minorities reared its ugly head from Kafanchan since 1979 when Balarabe was in power. With the IBB regime, the fire has come out of control.
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 refinery 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. The 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.
The 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 trafficking and unspeakable crimes. They 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 defied 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.
A typical Ibo scenario is in the import of tires. An Ibo trader will squeeze four tires in place of one so he pays custom for only one out of four. If you compete with him with 400 tires he paid for 100 only. With such fraud, many Nigerians are kicked out of the market and the federal revenue lost. The leprous fraudulent trade practices are uncountable. If they cannot beat you, your life could be in danger. It is even unthinkable for any Nigerian to compete in the east. If our leaders ignore this live and let die Biafra syndrome the bubble will burst sooner than later.
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. The 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.
Ref: http://www.peoplesdailyng.com/nigeria-breaks-why-and-or-why-not/
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