I want to open this essay with the acknowledgment of an evolving political consciousness amongst Ndigbo. An Igboman before this time was less interested in sociopolitical developments around him and thus, was much more interested in economics and commerce. As always a curious mind, an Igboman had often limited his curiosity around trade and investment. He was too nonchalant towards politics in as much as those piloting political affairs of the society where he found himself doing their bids.
If there is any time he dares politics, he limits it to supportive politics against conventional ones. In the midst of this, the Igboman who was skeptical of politics also possesses a higher degree, the mind of curiosity and activeness if he chooses to know about anything. It is the same spirit of "tinye ya uche" (put interest in it), that makes him better in anything he chooses to know.
Today, the same Igboman who was never interested in Nigerian politics has for decades provoked a tinye uche in politics. He has chosen to know, to choose, and possibly to play the dirtiness of politics. If there is anything the Nigerian state should be worried about today, it is the fact that an Igboman is arriving at political space with the wit of business that he naturally possessed. For an Igboman, business is an okwe (game) and in the business philosophy of an Igboman, it is all about competition. Yes, competition without zero tolerance to the envisaged opponents.
That is the spirit Nigeria has provoked out of an Igboman. Buhari for 8 years in his attempt to undermine the Igbo Race, was forced to destroy himself and left as the worst president before Tinubu decided to drag the position with him. The same Tinubu who came in with the most phobic tendencies against Ndigbo is even facing the unimaginable state he wished he never faced. Unlike Obasanjo and Yar'Adua who worked with Ndigbo, Buhari, and Tinubu who is already an arch failure, got deeply cut over their myopic minds of trying to undermine the Igbos.
For eight years under Buhari, Ndigbo fought a cold war and deflated Buhari and his stooges in Alaigbo. IPOB was on unshakeable ground for eight years proving to Buhari that an Igbo man can never bow to mortals. Resources were wasted, dreams aborted and finally, Nigeria is plagued with the worst economic deplorable state whose effects are all over the place. Buhari and his handlers will never forget IPOB too easily. For Tinubu who never hid his ethnic hatred against Ndigbo before the election, he is also less than a year old of his government, adjudged as the worst. Yes, the worst because even his ethnic minions he cajoled into igbophobia, he can't feed them and we see on social media how they are falling like flies attacked with insecticides.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Nigeria has never survived without external assistance. Either it comes from the Sahel or the West or even the Arabs. Today, every possible channel of Nigerian survival is closed down! While the Sahel boys have chosen military operations through an alliance against Nigeria, the Arabs are in a clear diplomatic war with Nigeria. That is why Emirates is no longer coming to Nigeria and thus, Nigerians are denied working visas in UAE. For Britain, she is drained economically and politically in the Ukraine crisis. As I write, Britain is struggling to pay pensions to her citizens and her military lacks funds to survive.
The UK is internally battered to sustain any active foreign policy. Especially as the one they ran in the 1960s. Nigeria is currently on auto drive to disintegration as in the case of Somalia. Countries are observing the trends and are getting warm up to the eventualities. Everyone knows that the current readjustment by Igboman to embrace protectionist economic cum investment plans against liberal ones will collapse Nigeria as we are currently seeing it now. Most real estate companies are liquidating their resources in Lagos and Abuja and are scrambling to Igbo land for real estate investment. The same goes for construction companies, builders are now moving to the east because that is where buildings are coming up despite Emilokanomics.
The center is getting weaker and weaker every day and analysts observed Nigeria's dismantling without a fight as the elements of sustaining the false unity are getting weaker and weaker. From the people who are abandoning the country daily, to the understaffed and underpaid military who are wishing they never came across anything in Nigeria in their lives before. Even the political class who never loved Nigeria, are warming up to the fast-approaching realities. The building is collapsing with possibly fewer casualties. What is most important is that IPOB leadership is driving the ship in the most mature ways and also putting the needed structures on the ground for constructive positioning.
What bullets couldn't do, time is doing it now
Written by
Chika Austine
