Martins
The biblical sermon that “The first shall be the last and the last first” is obviously playing out in huge fulfillment against the Igbo country.
Again, the Nigerian street parlance of “When the alarm of u – turn sounds, the one in front becomes the last while the last takes over as the first” is equally finding significant accomplishment in the Igbo nation.
The Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was never a lover of the Great Zik of Africa. Reading Awo’s autobiography simply entitled AWO, you may think Awolowo was writing about Zik’s many Sins. This is because Awo devoted substantial energy, time and resources discussing Azikiwe albeit in negative terms, not really himself!
In spite of Awo’s hard tackles on Zik, he nonetheless recognized he Owelle’s tremendous contributions to nationalism and political evolution. “He (Zik) proved to be an asset to the Nigerian Youth Movement. He was one of the famous, volcanic nationalist quartet: Mr Ikoli, Oba Samuel Akinsanya, Chief H. O. Davies and Dr Azikiwe… He(Zik) brought with him a propaganda technique which was new in politics and journalism, and which further boosted the popularity of the Nigerian Youth Movement and disarrayed its opponents”(Awo, page 133).
Let it be pointed out that what Awo described as a propaganda by Zik was actually Azikiwe’s oratory prowess and intellectual magnetism that endeared him to the audience, leading to his NCNC party’s victory in Ibadan against Awolowo’s AG in the 1951 regional elections!
Yet, as independence drew closer in 1960, the Great Zik suffered the worst conspiracy and humiliation that was never linked with any of his contemporaries elsewhere in Africa.
Therefore, in the election of December 12,1959, organized to usher in an independent Nigeria, the exiting British colonial masters who Zik battled relentlessly with, employing his group of newspapers , ensured he never got the coveted position of the prime minister.
To that effect, more parliamentary seats were allotted to the North than East and West put together – Zik was the target(Adewale Ademoyega’s Why We Struck)! Look at the outcome of the parliamentary election: NCNC had 2,594,034 votes and secured 89 seats. AG got 1,992,364 votes and occupied 75 seats, while NPC had 1,922,179 votes but ran home with 148 seats in the parliament. With that, Tafawa Balewa, and not Zik, was the prime minister! Of course, Zik was Igbo.
General Aguiyi Ironsi took over following the unsuccessful coup of January 15,1966 which the major participants said was carried out to install Awo the prime minister of Nigeria. Despite his sincere, nationalistic and patriotic efforts to keep the country one, Ironsi was gruesomely assassinated.
His opponents and assailants accused him of tribalism,favouritism and nepotism – allowing his Igbo people to grab all federal jobs and appointments. His accusers wrongly claimed the coup that brought Ironsi to power was an Igbo project. Yet, it was Igbo officers that stopped the coup.
It was not true. Ironsi remains the most patriotic leader Nigeria has ever produced. He was a complete statesman. Compare his appointments and promotions: His Supreme Military Council had nine members and only him and Ojukwu were the Igbo.
He had 21 permanent secretaries and just two, B.N. Okagbue of Health and T.C M Eneli of Establishment were the only Igbo. Ironsi promoted more than 60 army officers to various ranks and his fellow Igbo were not up to 10.
The most commendable was when he on April 19, 1966, Alhaji Sule Katagun, the chairman of the Public Service Commission of the Federation. He made Mr Howson Wright, the chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. Ironsi appointed Mr. AI Obiyan, chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority, and named H. O. Omenai, chairman, Nigeria Airways. Note that none of wass Igbo. No Nigerian president or head of state had ever equaled that great performance till date. Not minding this immaculate performance, he was brutally assassinated like a common criminal of the ancient age.
As Ironsi was killed and overthrown, Odumegwu Ojukwu, the first man to enter the Nigerian army as a graduate, insisted on the right thing to be done. That is, ranking and seniority must be obeyed. Thus, he asked, “where is Babafemi Ogundipe? If he is not around, let Robert Adebayo take charge”. Instantly, Ojukwu was demonized and tagged a rebel and the war was made imminent.
The war ended and Dr Alex Ekwueme was installed as the deputy president of Nigeria. He had got ready to contest the billed 1987 presidential election on the the platform of NPN. Tragedy struck and there was the coup that abruptly ended the the Second Republic and Ekwueme was given the Igbo treatment. Same was repeated against him in Jos in 1998/ 99 during the PDP president primary election.
Of course, before the Ekwueme imbroglio, there was the Michael Okpara saga. Okpara did wonders as the premier of Eastern Region. His administration built the COLARO Estate and Qua Falls Estate in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
Okpara rebuilt the Nkalagu Cement Factory at Emene when the federal government was about selling it to a British consortium as well as established the Albatross Factory and Nigersteel all at Emene. The Trans Amadi Industrial Layout was one of the biggest that Okpara established as it gulped Three Million Pounds. He set up the Michelin Factory as well the Glass Factory in Port Harcourt and another cement factory in Calabar. Okpara built the Presidential Hotels in Port Harcourt and had commenced the Mbiama Road linking Port Harcourt and Yenagoa before the January coup of 1966 caught up with his administration and terminated it.
Sadly, people from present day Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom will never credit Okpara for his excellent performance as premier of Eastern Nigeria which they were a part of. Rather, they will tell you that both Okpara as premier and Ironsi who came after him as head of state never did anything for them. Yes, because they are Igbo.
Just forget Ralph Uwazuruike and Nnamdi Kanu. The former suffered in detention when Asari Dokubo Niger Delta Frontier Force and then OPC leader, Ganiyu Adams, were released, though they were arrested at the same time and charged with same offence by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Today, the latter is languishing in detention even as Sunday Igbogho whom he was arrested at the same time had been released. Igbogho recently went to London to present papers to Britain why Yoruba is demanding a separate country. Yet he walks freely in the streets. Uwazuruike and Kanu are Igbo!
In 1993, Prof Humphrey Nwosu organized the most commended presidential election in Nigeria called June 12.It was free, fair and transparent. He achieved this feat by coining what he called Option A4. The military brass led by General Ibrahim Babangida now retired did everything to frustrate the peaceful conduct of that election, Nwosu stood his ground.
In the end, June 12 was annulled. Chief MKO Abiola of SDP who was assumed to have defeated his NRC opponent, Bashir Tofa, was in dire straits, politically. He was arrested and he died in detention. Buhari emerged president in 2015 and he recognized what his band of advisers called June 12 Heroes and Nwosu was left out. Why and what were his sins? Simply, he was Igbo. May you not be charged with the crime of being Igbo!