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Tag: Igbo

  • We’ve put a seal on abolition of Osu caste in Igbo land – Archbishop Obinna

    We’ve put a seal on abolition of Osu caste in Igbo land – Archbishop Obinna

    The outgoing Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Owerri, His Grace, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, said that the Church has completely abolished the Osu caste system in Igbo land.

    Obinna said this while addressing newsmen in Owerri as part of activities marking St Patrick’s Day celebration.

    The Apostolic Administrator who mentioned the abolition as part of his achievements while he served as Archbishop, said that the diala/amadi – osu – ume – ohu caste systems are no longer in existence.

    According to him, the practice had negatively affected marriages and Chieftaincy titles as well as various offices in church, public and community life, hence the need to abolish it.

    “On Thursday, March 10, 2022, the Catholic Bishops of lgbo land in Onitsha and Owerri Ecclesiastical Provinces, jointly issued a pastoral directive to end the idolatrous, inhuman and painful discrimination among Ndiigbo (Igbo people),” he said.

    He, however, said that he would continue as the Archbishop Emeritus and Apostolic Administrator of the vacant seat of Owerri Archdiocese until Archbishop Lucius Ugorji takes over the Archdiocese of Owerri on June 23, 2022.

    “We pray for Archbishop Ugorji, who was elected the new President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), on Wednesday, 9 March, 2022, and wish him all the best as he takes up his multiple responsibilities,” he said.

    Speaking on the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Obinna called for prayers for an end to the war.

    “The war in Ukraine, a pandemic worse than COVID-19, is in the air and affecting even lgbos and other citizens of the world.

    “People are intensifying prayers to God between bombs and death. Let us all join in praying for Nigerians, Ukrainians and Russians for an end to this annihilation and brutality,” he said.

  • 2023 Presidency: Igbo inability to inspire consensus a set back – Political analyst

    2023 Presidency: Igbo inability to inspire consensus a set back – Political analyst

    Mr Ahmed Nasiru, a political analyst, has described as a set back the inability of Igbo political elites to inspire consensus around a viable candidate ahead of 2023 presidential elections.

    Nasiru made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

    He said that there had been growing political agreement that it was only fair for the presidency to be zoned to the southeast.

    “Even those, who in principle will prefer merit to the option of zoning believe that if for no other reason than the sake of equity and fair play, someone of Igbo ethnicity should be president this time.’’

    He said the problem remained the incapacity of the Igbo leaders to speak and agree on a candidate that would be widely accepted by the totality of Nigerians.

    He called on the Igbo elites to throw their weight behind a candidate who had shown widespread charity and benevolence, adding that such quality would attract the support of the people.

    He however urged the South eastern people to rally support for the candidacy of Sen. Rochas Okorocha, adding that he had shown remarkable imagination and innovation in his declaration to run.

    He said that Okorocha, had had a more successful run in business and entrepreneurship, stressing that he had also shown a milk of kindness in his widespread charities and beneficent foundations.

    According to him, no matter what one may say, Rochas is not perfect but he has the pedigree suitable to do the job.

    He however said that after the Igbo might have served their term, all parties could then throw their doors open and allow for only the criterion of merit and suitability.

  • Oxford University gets first Igbo lecturer

    Oxford University gets first Igbo lecturer

    The University of Oxford has approved the kick off of the first Igbo Language Class at its Language Centre with Emmanuel Ikechukwu Umeonyirioha announced as the first official Igbo language lecturer.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the approval was given on Friday by Marion Sadoux, Head of Modern Language Programmes, University of Oxford Language Centre.

    Making this known via his official Twitter account, Umeonyirioha tweeted: “It is official that I am the first official Igbo Language lecturer at the number one university in the world, the University of Oxford. Our induction happened today by Marion Sadoux, Head of Modern Language Programmes, University of Oxford Language Centre.

    “This became possible in account of the James Currey Society. This is the first time Igbo language will be taught at the university. History has been made.

    “I am so happy and grateful for this opportunity. I promise to make the Igbo language and culture known to the world. First class starts next week Thursday, 3-4pm, on 12 Woodstock Road”.

  • 2023: Why all political parties should zone presidential slots to South East – Igbo elders

    2023: Why all political parties should zone presidential slots to South East – Igbo elders

    The Igbo Elders Consultative Forum (IECF), on Wednesday asked all political parties in Nigeria to zone their presidential slots to South East to pave way for an Igbo president in 2023.

    Members of the socio-politico group warned that any political party that Ignores the South East in the choice of presidential candidate will not get the votes of the people of Southern Nigeria and will ultimately lose the presidency in 2023.

    Chairman of the IECF, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife made this declaration at a news conference held in Abuja.
    Ezeife, a former Governor of Anambra State, said some political jobbers and unpatriotic elements want to thwart the popular clamour by many Nigerians for power shift to the Southern part of the country, preferably South East, but said such moves will fail.

    Ezeife explained that the clamour for a Nigerian President of South East extraction has been endorsed by the leaderships of the Afenifere ( South West) , Pan Niger Delta Forum (South South) and the Middle Belt Forum ( MBF), adding that there would be no going back on the project.

    He said these major socio- political groups, Ezeife said that the Arewa Youth Forum, Yoruba Youths, Northern Youth Coalition and many other groups have also embraced the project based on their conviction that it was the right way to go at this time.

    Based on these endorsements, the forum has directed visionary, credible and creative presidential materials of South East zone to declare their intentions to join the presidential race.

    “We are very serious about this directive and do not mean those unserious bootlickers, who are angling to be running mates to candidates from other parts of the country. The Igbos will not take it lightly with any of our sons and daughters who accept to be running mates to any person outside the South East zone in 2023.

    “It is either we are allowed to produce the President of this country in 2023 to change the appalling narrative of continued decay, poverty, insecurity, poor governance corruption and maladministration in Nigeria or out of it. No half measure, as serious sanctions will be visited on any Igbo man or woman that sabotages this noble and patriotic decision of our people to provide for Nigeria a credible , visionary and creative President,” he said.

    The group asserted that morally, it is the turn of the South East to produce the next President of the country as the other zones have been given the opportunity to serve Nigeria in the past.

  • Making Igbo president – By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Making Igbo president – By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Never in the political history of Nigeria has there been so much agreeableness or concurrence of views on the imperative that Ndigbo should produce the next President for Nigeria’s survival than now. This unanimity of views is not borne out of any misguided Igbo irredentism or narrow-mindedness: It is borne out of fair-mindedness and equity principle to give vent to inclusiveness, sense of belonging and balanced participation in our pluralist and heterogeneous society. This is probably why the PDP, APC and other political parties have not stopped musing over fielding Igbo presidential candidates in 2023. Since Nigeria’s independence no Igbo has functioned as the civilian executive President of Nigeria. Igbo has been playing second fiddle. In contrast, the North has been ruling Nigeria since independence and has not left till date. It is obvious that Nigerians are tired of this one-sided ethnic dominance of power. Nigerians want a power shift to the South. This is why any political party that fields a Northern presidential candidate risks losing the 2023 Presidential election.

    So the South holds all the aces in the 2023 Presidential election. And among the 2023 Southern presidential candidates, the presidential scale of justice tilts in favour of the South-East presidential candidate. Why? Because the South-South and South-West had had their respective shots at the Presidency and the South-East has not. Truth is that justice is like the vital thread that knits human society together. Without justice it will be impossible to build a nation. Small wonder Aristotle praises justice to high heavens by stating that “neither the morning star nor the evening star is as glorious as justice”. The cardinal virtue and ethical conduct upon which Islam is built is justice. “Stand firm for justice…even if it is against yourselves, your parents or relatives…(Surat An-Nisa 4: 135) and “let not the hatred of others make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just for that is nearer to piety” (Surat Al-Maidah 5: 8)

    Therefore if we want unity and peace to reign in Nigeria we must apriori allow communal justice to reign because unity and peace reside in the crannies of justice. This is why the Pan-Igbo socio- cultural organization Ohaneze Ndigbo tirelessly advocates for Igbo Presidency in 2023. Only last week the prominent Pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere, pursuant to the idea of rotational presidency, power sharing in Nigeria and the Constitutional provision which stipulates that the composition of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner and section as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and need to promote national cohesion, unity and loyalty in Nigeria, canvassed for the emergence of an Igbo President in 2023. According to Afenifere leader and statesman Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the major ethnic groups in the country have had respective their turns in the Presidency and justice and equity demands that it should be the turn of the Igbos in 2023. Pa Adebanjo speaks about a gang-up of other tribes in Nigeria against the Igbos. Says he, “If there is anything like a power-shift in Nigeria, it should go to the South-East. There is no doubt about that, any other thing is just a gang-up…there should not be any argument about that because the South-West has gotten it, the North has gotten it, South-South has gotten it. You want the Igbo to remain in Nigeria but you want to discriminate against them”

    The fact remains that the deep-seated political, economic, social and cultural imbalances plaguing the Nigerian enterprise or, poignantly, the crisis of federalism plaguing Nigeria since her independence stem from the inability to manage Nigeria’s diversity well. For example, all the Constitutional Conferences that were held in Nigeria, from the 1957 Conference, 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference, 2005 National Political Reform, 214 Constitutional Conference to the Oputa Panel Report were all geared towards addressing and remedying Nigerian diversity. Historically, the 1914 amalgamation wrought by the British was to further accentuate her selfish interests in the colony. The amalgamation was a potpourri or assemblage of seemingly irreconcilable ethno-religiously and culturally diverse native kingdoms and nationalities. That was why the concocted amalgamation failed on arrival. It was a forced marriage that was, at the outset, bound to wobble. Owing to the clear absence of esprit de corps and cohesion amongst the nationalities which were forcefully amalgamated, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had referred to Nigeria as a “mere geographical expression”. With all the natural resources and minerals at the disposal of different regions at independence everything was working well for Nigeria. But it was short-lived. Under the pretext that it was a corrective and cleansing regime, the military (during the military interregnum) so much institutionalized official corruption in Nigeria that the country still bleeds from it till date. Apart from institutionalizing official corruption in Nigeria, the military destroyed the hitherto viable national institutions and systems in Nigeria, especially the educational system. The current 1999 Constitution (which is substantially similar to the 1979 Constitution) is General Abdulsalam Abubakar’s military Constitution not the much-vaunted people’s Constitution. It is not an autochthonous Constitution. No inputs from the people who are supposed to be the sovereign in presidential democracy. Simply put, the 1999 Constitution is an inconvenient inequitable constitutional contraption being used to perpetuate injustices in Nigeria. The Constitution over-concentrates enormous power (as could be gleaned from the long list of federal powers in the Exclusive List of the Constitution) in the hands of the Federal government thus leaving the Federating units at the mercy of the Federal government or as appendages to the Federal government.

    There is no doubt that the discordant political tones in Nigeria are attributable to the foregoing. But discordant tones are no obstacle to nation building. For example, as complex and diversified as the United States is, it remains an exemplar of political unity, human solidarity and cooperation in tackling common problems. Unfortunately our greatest undoing in Nigeria, as I earlier said, is our inability to manage our diversity well. All the efforts in cultivating that esprit de corps and sincerity of purpose, or, whatever you may choose to call it, that is indispensable for nation building have come to naught. If Nigeria is a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-national society, one would have thought that power sharing must reflect the shared visions and aspirations of the variegated interest groups and nationalities that constitute Nigeria. For example, former Ohaneze Ndigbo President Chief John Nnia Nwodo says that “under the current Federal government Igbo representation is abysmal and falls extremely short of the constitutional provisions for the reflection of federal character in the appointment into important government positions…”. Nwodo is not alone in this lamentation. Until his death, fiery-fighter and conscientious objector the late Gani Fawehinmi SAN unceasingly bemoaned Igbo marginalization. Prof Wole Soyinka has also said that “the Igbo have been wronged desperately”. Igbos, according to him, “ have been brutalized in a way that justifies their feeling that they were not part of the nation”

    Well said, but we must add that Igbo Presidency will not be delivered on a platter of gold. Neither will an Igbo President emerge from mere media sensationalism or media advertising blitz. Also an Igbo President will not emerge from appealing to popular sanctimonious sentiments. An Igbo President will not emerge from bragging in the media that Igbo are a force to be reckoned with in the scheme of things in Nigeria. Action not words. “A tiger does not proclaim his tigritude, he pounces”(Wole Soyinka). A river in turbulence is the fisherman’s gain. In other words, amid adverse circumstances, Igbos should re-strategize and re-prioritize to attain their destiny in Nigeria. Needless complaining about Igbo marginalization. “The challenge of disadvantages should be the Igbo man’s gold mine”, said Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu many years ago. The first disadvantage to overcome is to elect Igbo as President in 2023. Power is not given: it is taken. Igbo presidency will not materialize in 2023 simply because Igbo are clamouring for it: it may materialize after consultation, discussions, agreements and horse-trading or handshakes with other presidential aspirants from other geo-political zones. No free lunch anywhere. The Presidency will not be handed to the Igbos free of charge. Elder statesman Alhaji Tanko Yakassai says that the Presidency will not be handed over to the Igbos in 2023 free of charge. It will be on terms. He advises that the APC should come up with a “gentleman’s agreement that the nation’s highest office should rotate to the South-East after Buhari’s tenure” . Therefore now is the time for Igbo to regain their rightful place in Nigeria. Igbo should seize the present moment and work out their salvation in Nigeria. Igbo presidential aspirants should reach out to other political blocks and or geo-political zones in order to probably enter into mutual understanding, agreement, or accord or terms with them for ceding Presidency to the South-East.

  • As Onyeka Onwenu attains the Biblical 70 years

    As Onyeka Onwenu attains the Biblical 70 years

    By Chido Nwakanma

    Congratulations to Onyeka Onwenu on attaining the Biblical three score and ten. More than congratulations, however, I write to thank Onyeka Onwenu for happening in our lifetime. It has been 42 years since Onyeka Onwenu burst into our lives on vinyl and tube.

    She is the investigative reporter at the Nigerian Television Authority that reported on “A Squandering of Riches”. It traced the paths of the wastage of Nigeria’s resources in the oil fields and boardrooms. The squandering of our riches is still the story.

    Onyeka Onwenu, daughter of Nigeria and Igboland, has played excellently on the Nigerian media, arts, and entertainment stages. She has been an advocate for women’s rights and served in politics and government.

    She lit up Nollywood with excellent performances in various roles and films. She valiantly lost to patriarchy and dirt as she sought grassroots political office.

    One of the most poignant memories I have of Onyeka Onwenu happened in 1987. I was the young Regional Correspondent for THISWEEK magazine in Port Harcourt. Onyeka the performer dazzled at the Civic Centre. Then she performed her all-time best “One Love”.

    The hall bubbled and bubbled. People left their seats. It was standing room only.

    I still feel the energy and love in that hall.

    All of us on social media are celebrating her ahead of her actual birth date. Understandably.

    Onyeka Onwenu was born on 31 January 1952. She is a singer/songwriter, actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist, politician, and former X Factor series judge.

    The Nigerian press used the oxymoron Elegant Stallion to describe her. It resonated because of her attributes of strength, elegance and seeming male qualities.

    Onyeka served as chair of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and from 2013 as Executive Director/CEO of the National Centre for Women Development.

    As an employee of the NTA, Onwenu made an impact as a newsreader and reporter. In 1984, she wrote and presented the internationally acclaimed BBC/NTA documentary Nigeria, A Squandering of Riches which became the definitive film about corruption in Nigeria as well as the intractable Niger Delta agitation for resource control and campaign against environmental degradation in the oil rich region of Nigeria.[11] A former member on the board of the NTA, she has also worked as a TV presenter, hosting the shows Contact (1988) and Who’s On? (1993) both on NTA Network, her Wikipedia entry notes.

    Onyeka graduated with BA in International Relations and Communication from the Ivy-League Wellesley College, Massachusetts, and obtained an MA in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research, New York. She worked for the United Nations as a tour guide before returning to Nigeria in 1980 to complete her mandatory one-year national service with the NTA.

    Nigerians know her mostly for music. Her contributions are outstanding.

    Hear Wikipedia, again: “Originally a secular artist, Onwenu made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs are self-penned. She continues to write and sing about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women rights, and the plight of children. She began her music career in 1981 while still working with the NTA, releasing the album For the Love of You, a pop album that featured an orchestral cover of Johnny Nash’s “Hold Me Tight”, and her second album Endless Life was produced by Sonny Okosun. Both records were released on the EMI label.

    Onwenu’s first album with Polygram, In The Morning Light, was released in 1984. Recorded in London, it featured the track “Masterplan” written by close friend Tyna Onwudiwe who had previously contributed to Onwenu’s BBC documentary and subsequently sang back-up vocals on the album. After her fourth release, 1986’s One Love which contained an updated version of the song “(In the) Morning Light, Onwenu collaborated with veteran jùjú artist Sunny Ade on the track “Madawolohun (Let Them Say)” which appeared in 1988’s Dancing In The Sun. This was the first of three songs the pair worked on together; the other two – “Choices” and “Wait For Me” – centred on family planning, and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria who used “Choices” in their PSA. Onwenu’s final release on Polygram was dedicated to Winnie Mandela, the subject of a song of the same name which Onwenu performed live when Nelson Mandela and his wife visited Nigeria in 1990 following his release from prison.

    Onwenu diverted to Benson and Hedges Music in 1992 and released the self-titled Onyeka!, her only album with the label, after which she made the transition to Christian/gospel music. Her latest collection, “Inspiration for Change,” focused on the need for an attitudinal change in Nigeria.

    She is in partnership with Paris-based La Cave Musik, headed by a Nigerian cultural entrepreneur, Onyeka Nwelue and a UK-based Jungle Entertainment Ventures, headed by musicologist David Evans-Uhegbu. La Cave Musik is set to release her collection titled “Rebirth of a Legend”. In recognition of her contribution to music and arts in Nigeria, she has been celebrated by professionals like Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Laolu Akins, Charles O’Tudor, and former PMAN president Tony Okoroji among others in the arts industry in Nigeria.[16]

    In 2013, Onwenu served as one of the three judges on X Factor Nigeria.”

    Onyeka owes no one, neither Ekwe nor any other.

    She is also a Nollywood personality. Note that a personality has passed the level of a star! “Onwenu’s first movie role was as Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby in Zik Zulu Okafor’s Nightmare. She has since featured in numerous Nollywood movies, and in 2006 she won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in the movie “Widow’s Cot”. She was also nominated that same year for African Movie Academy Award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” in the movie “Rising Moon”. She was in the movie Half of a Yellow Sun with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandiwe Newton, and Lion Heart (2018).”

    Her musical corpus is rich and variegated.

    Which Onyeka Onwenu song touched you the most? Which one moves you even now?

    “You and 1” was the entry song for my wedding reception. I loved it that much. I stood my ground when someone on the High Table tried to change the flow I had arranged as an event planner. It caused a stir but then stirred everyone to rise and dance You and I with my partner and I. Memories.

    Then there is Ekwe. My friend Chukwuma Nwokoh loved its insouciance yet calmness in our undergraduate days. Chukwuma says now: “My favourite Onyeka song is “You and I”. Ekwe is next. Loved and infatuated on her the first time I saw her picture because of her low cut then.”

    I also consider “Bia Nulu” evergreen. Bia Nulu marked her passage into gospel music. She then sang “Alleluya” in that genre. Do you remember “Iyogogo” that reminds me of village life? Or her praise song to mothers, “Ochie Dike”? Her collabo with Phyno on Ochie Dike refreshed it and made it contemporary.

    Friend, which Onyeka Onwenu song or performance is your favourite? It is her 70th, so tell her.

    Thank you for Onyeka Onwenu in our lifetime.

  • 2023: Igbo presidential candidates now coming out – Dele Sobowale

    2023: Igbo presidential candidates now coming out – Dele Sobowale

    “Better late than never”. That is the age-long consolation for procrastinators who frequently forget or are unaware of the damage unwarranted delay does to ideas and programmes. After spending the better part of the last two and a half years advocating for Igbo Presidency, I was just on the verge of throwing in the towel when Mazi Sam Ohunambuwa, declared his intention to run in January this year and below is part of my welcome statement.

    “One, Nigerians don’t vote for the best candidate. The man who pronounced Awolowo “the best President we never had” voted Shagari in 1983 and was glad he did. So, don’t expect that “goodness” alone will get you there. You need more.”

    Just as I was getting ready to join his campaign team, he suddenly disappeared from the radar. That was disappointing. I hope now that he has fused his NNG into the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he means business. To be quite candid, it matters very little to me which flag a credible Igbo candidate flies. He already has a non-Igbo very active supporter. I still strongly believe that the agitations for secession will die down once we do justice to Ndigbo by totally re-integrating them into Nigeria. To me the best way to do that is to rotate the Presidency to the South East. We had a Yoruba versus Yoruba contest in 1999 and a Fulani versus Fulani twenty years after, in 2019, and the sky did not fall. The heaves will not explode if we have an Igbo versus Igbo contest now.

    Sam is back in the race; I understand that the former Senate President, Pius Ayim is also indicating interest. That is fine; the more the merrier. I don’t know the latter at all; it will be a pleasure to talk to him. He can rest assured that I will approach the interview with a totally open mind. Primarily, I just want to know what he has in mind for Nigeria. The same thing goes for Sam; despite the fact that he is well-known to me. Then, he was not a presidential candidate; now he is. I need to be convinced that he has the ideas to govern Nigeria well.

    ADVICE TO THE CANDIDATES

    “Advice is seldom welcome, and those who want it the most always want it the least. Earl Chesterfield, 1684-1773, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS.

    Granted no candidate sought my advice and they will probably run their campaigns as they choose. I am used to being ignored by people in public life who regret it afterwards. I will warn them from intimate knowledge of what other Nigerians fear most about an Igbo President. They think he will have the most lop-sided appointments Nigeria has ever experienced. That has been the most constantly expressed fear of those who have spoken to me on the matter.

    So, my first advice to all the candidates is this: make your campaign team as national as possible. In a message to the President of Ohaneze on the same day I was welcoming Sam to the race, the point was made this way.

    “Prof, you should also advise each candidate to assemble a national campaign team – not just Igbo followers. They cannot go round paying mandatory courtesy calls on first class traditional rulers with only Igbos in their delegation. In that respect Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory are key hunting grounds for campaign workers for two reasons. One, Lagos has the largest votes and all the ethnic groups are here. Abuja is next to Lagos in terms of ethnic groups’ representation. The two together dominate the national media almost totally. They must all establish their campaign offices there in addition to others.

    You might not realise it, Prof, but I can help the candidates with Lagos.”

    Every Presidential candidate just stepping forward has a steep slope to climb. The Igbo candidate who surrounds himself with only Igbos has already made the gradient steeper; if not impossible to climb.

    The second piece of advice is to ensure that you have national recognition in all the states; but, at least in the most important 15 states which dictate events in Nigeria as soon as possible. A list will be provided to anyone who wants it. With the national elections only fourteen months away, you must bridge the gap between you and Atiku, Tambuwal, Tinubu and Osinbajo – the current front runners in the race. They have established their own campaign team; you must establish yours. You cannot be everywhere; your supporters must be there 24/7 campaigning for you. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Igbo candidates have a comparative advantage which can be exploited to close the recognition gap.

    Plan to start early paying courtesy calls on influencers – military, civilian, Northern, Southern leaders — who are not candidates themselves and are not now closely linked to the two leading parties. I know one in the North who is keenly interested in Igbo candidates coming forward. But, remember to make your delegation national in outlook.

    If you don’t have one, then write a short biography and get information about yourself out to opinion leaders – there are not more than 3,000 vital individuals out of the nearly 200 million Nigerians. By all means establish well-staffed Lagos and Kano State offices. Enough said on that.

    There is more to come…..

    BUHARI’S PATHETIC ROAD SHOW

    “Leadership can be summed up in two words: intelligence and integrity…”

    John Brademas, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ p 125

    I knew the President went to deliver a totally forgettable address at COP26 in the United Kingdom. No much intelligence is required to utter those words – including holding out another begging bowl to the developed countries. Those nations must by now be sick and tired of African beggar or sh*t hole nations led by Nigeria. That bit of shamelessness was predictable.

    What was totally unexpected was the stop over in France to address people in what was billed as Nigeria International Partnership Forum, NIPF. Usually, when Presidents go abroad to solicit for foreign investments and support, they took some of their own domestic media with them. Buhari went without any independent Nigerian media. The reason for that deliberate omission soon became clear when a friend in France sent me a message lamenting that “Nigeria is really unfortunate to be led by somebody like this man”.

    Unfortunate for Buhari, the fellow was in Nigeria a few months ago. Coming from one of the states in the Middle Belt, he had to travel by road to reach home. He saw for himself and even took several pictures of the infrastructure Buhari was in France to sell to potential investors and partners. His last words in response to Buhari’s road show are unprintable. I felt ashamed for Nigeria.

    Is it possible that Buhari and those who handed him the script to read are not aware that most foreign nations, particularly the G20, are in possession of more detailed information concerning the state of Nigerian infrastructure than Buhari himself? Nothing can be more pathetic than trying to foist falsehood on people who know more than you on the subject matter.

    So as we approach the end of his seventh year in office, Buhari has been reduced to going around telling foreigners what they already know to be untrue? Pity!

    A TALE OF TWO MOHAMMEDS

    “EndSARS: Panel report indicts Army, Police over Lekki shootings.”

    “#EndSARS: Nine confirmed dead at Lekki toll gate…Army used live bullets..”

    Reports November 2021.

    Once there was a Holy Mohammed (PBUH) who went about telling the truth – even to power. Now in Nigeria, there is a famous lying Mohammed. He had announced to anybody gullible enough to believe anything he says that nobody was killed by the Army during the #EndSARS# protests at Lekki Toll gate. He called CNN reporters liars. If you expect our Mohammed to apologise now that the panel of inquiry has declared nine dead, you underestimate the man. Conscienceless people never say sorry. He will call the panel unpatriotic!!!

    Dr Johnson, 1709-1784 told us this. “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

    More later about our Mohammed….

  • Respect Nnamdi Kanu’s right, Igbo traditional rulers, Bishops urge FG

    Respect Nnamdi Kanu’s right, Igbo traditional rulers, Bishops urge FG

    The South East Council of Traditional Rulers and the Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops has urged the federal government to respect the rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    The Council made this known in a statement signed and released on Sunday by His Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka A. Achebe, CFR, mni Obi of Onitsha; His Grace, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, and His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr) Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, JP, Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia.

    The South East Council of Traditional Rulers and the Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops stated that the FG’s position to open talks on political solution on the Nnamdi Kanu’s case was a welcome development.

    The Council in the statement expressed relief that the Anambra State Gubernatorial Election was conducted without any major incidents or breach of the peace.

    The statement reads: “The South East Council of Traditional Rulers and the Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops commend Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the entire leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for listening to our appeal and calling off the sit-at-home order. This has offered some relief to the already distressed social and economic life of our people.

    “The Joint Body is relieved that the Anambra State Gubernatorial Election was conducted without any major incidents or breach of the peace. It also commends the people of Anambra State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Security Forces, the National Peace Committee, and all the other actors who contributed to the successful conduct of the election.

    “The Joint Body is highly disturbed by the persistent complaints by the IPOB legal team about the difficulties it encounters in dealing with the Department of State Services (DSS) and, especially, the sad events which occurred during Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appearance in court last Wednesday, November 10. This Body urges the court to affirm the fundamental rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, his lawyers, and other stakeholders. Failure to do so would lend weight to the suspicion in some quarters of a planned secret trial, as well as neutralise all the efforts being made to establish peace in the South East.

    “The Joint Body acknowledges the statement by the Attorney-General & Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, in which he affirmed that the Federal Government was open to a political solution to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case. This statement is in line with the proposal earlier made by this Joint Body and by other well-meaning persons and groups in Nigeria. This Body therefore eagerly awaits the concrete steps that would be taken in this regard.

    “The Joint Body acknowledges the roles played by various other Igbo organizations and groups in fostering peace in the South East zone and calls on all to sustain the current effort until true peace, based on justice and equity, is achieved in our land”.

  • Ndi-Anambra: Now is the time to Unleash Uche Onyeigbo

    Ndi-Anambra: Now is the time to Unleash Uche Onyeigbo

    By Chuks Nwune

    Uche Onyeigbo is that rare and special intelligence with which every Igbo predicts, discerns and decides. Uche Onyeigbo is the natural capacity of every Igbo to get it right and it has served them so well in business, relationship, academics, innovation and so on. This November, Uche Onyeigbo must serve Ndi Anambra in politics; it is time to put on Awụrụ Onyeigbo (our thinking cap).
    In the upcoming election, we have four candidates to watch – Emmanuel Andy Ubah (APC), Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP), Charles Chukwuma Soludo (APGA) and Valentine Ozigbo (PDP). Given all we have been through as Nigerians in general and Ndịigbo in particular, this is no time for business as usual. We need to get down to this matter as business, knowing our stuff and investing correctly. It is only when we understand Anambra as business that we may get it right. In this business, we have five crucial considerations to make our investment worth the while, Age, Competence, Compassion, Capacity, Religion and Party. We also need only one disposition in making the consideration SINCERITY.
    Age: Our candidates’ ages are as follows: Emmanuel Andy Ubah – 62, Patrick IfeanyiUbah – 49, Charles Chukwuma Soludo – 60 and Valentine Chineto Ozigbo – 50. It is not rocket science to know that productive age for humans is between 40 and 60 years, that’s why people retire at 60 (Nigeria’s 65, 70, 75 is the same lie and corruption for which things are not working). This means that two candidates (Emmanuel Andy Ubah and Charles Chukwuma Soludo) are, by their age, plunging into productive decline already, while two (Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah and Valentine Ozigbo) will still be in the productive age bracket in the next ten years. Therefore, Emmanuel Andy Ubah and Charles Chukwuma Soludo in sincerity should retire. Anambra needs a PRODUCTIVE governor. The incumbent is a case in point. In his early 60’s the task of governing the state already weighs him down and overwhelms his aging mind.
    Competence: This can be measured with career path and achievements considering that we are choosing a GOVERNOR, in other words the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state. In this criterion you can rate our candidates in this sequence: 1st – Valentine Ozigbo, 2nd – Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, 3rd – Charles Chukwuma Soludo and 4th – Emmanuel Andy Ubah. Why? Valentine Ozigbo has been in the private sector and corporate sector all his life; a world class business man who knows the buttons to push and open the flood gates of thriving businesses for Ndi-Anambra. He rose in the ranks in his line of business, having only his records to speak for him; a smart and digital business mogul who easily connects with the younger generation rating his presence and followership on social media. He had no family member speaking for him or recommending him. His achievements and records endeared him to those who employed him for his resourcefulness. He has done this all his life with evidential success; he never scored less than excellent.

    Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah has been in the private sector and corporate business; recently he became a senator of the Federal Republic. He has done well for himself and boasts of investment worth billions of Naira. He is an oil magnate and has connected to that very factor which has kept Nigeria impoverished – oil. He belongs to the Buhari school of thought that overrates oil and will find it difficult to understand and connect to emerging economic drivers.

    Charles Chukwuma Soludo is a first class academic and a world class researcher. He has made an enviable mark in the academia which earned him several appointments especially becoming the Chief Economic Adviser to the Federal Government and the Governor of CBN. We all know how appointments happen. Check out his family connections and you will find the finest Anambra daughter Prof. Dora Akunyili, she was already a federal bigwig by the time of that appointment. Our erudite Professor will be his best as adviser and appointee. Emmanuel Andy Ubah is the typical Abuja boy whose youthful days were spent in Aso Villa serving at the corridors of power; whose political influence has been overrated. He lost his senatorial seat to Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah who challenged him from an unpopular political party. That alone tells his popularity among his own people. There is no evidence of him doing any business or administrative work before venturing into politics. In this criterion, he is overtly and covertly wanting.
    Compassion: This is ones capacity and ability to genuinely and sincerely connect to the situations and conditions of others with the internal and compelling will to make it better. Again you can rate our candidates in this sequence: 1st – Valentine Ozigbo, 2nd – Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, 3rd – Charles Chukwuma Soludo and 4th – Emmanuel Andy Ubah. Why? In this criterion, it is important to differentiate compassion from philanthropy.

    The philanthropy of all our candidates is not in question, though it can also be graded. Valentine Ozigbo is the typical Nwa Onyenkuzi for whom excellence is a starting point. Yet he grew up trained to connect to others; his followers are connected to him personally and he follows up on them like friends. At 50 he still plays with his childhood friends and connects with them like years have not passed and achievements are not on the table. He has commensurate emotional intelligence for which he has been a consummate leader and captain in the business world. His humility is palpable even in pictorial appearances. The person you see is the person he really, sincerely and genuinely is, has always been and will continue to be.

    Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is classic philanthropist who has invested resources in improving the lives of the poor and needy. He is the typical boss for whom abundance is the reason for reaching out to others. He is the proverbial Nwoke afọ ukwu who yields sustenance for his followers; they always await his ‘Doings’. He is trained in the Igbo competitive ethos and he understands the world as a challenge to be subdued, human beings that constitute that world are means not ends.

    Charles Chukwuma Soludo is a good man whose very close contacts may not easily describe as compassionate. He is intelligent nevertheless not with the emotional reach required of a leader. Many among his followers are not connected to him as a person; most are party loyalists who are ready to gamble the next eight years to maintain party domination. These days he dances, smiles and dresses funny; a typical political gambit. The real man we had known is the same we will likely see in Agu-Awka, this man on the campaign trail is acting a script.
    Emmanuel Andy Ubah is a typical cold manipulator who believes in the success of antics. His antecedents in politics show his disconnection with the people which he does not deem necessary. His followers look up to the APC federal magic and at worst the replication of the Imo state horrible polimathics that is ruining the state. Ndi-Anambra are smarter than that level of manipulation.
    Capacity: Capacity has to do with qualification, energy and vision. Again you can rate our candidates in this sequence: 1st – Valentine Ozigbo, 2nd – Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, 3rd – Charles Chukwuma Soludo and 4th – Emmanuel Andy Ubah.

    Valentine Ozigbo has an overwhelming qualification both in paper and field work, he has proven energy and potential to remain so by age considerations. He has a super vision for the state; realistic and achievable goals. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah has the basic qualification, proven energy and potential to remain so by age considerations. He has his vision for Anambra State but lacks the ‘how’ of achieving them.
    Charles Chukwuma Soludo has an overwhelming qualification both in paper and field work, he lacks energy and potential to recoup energy going by age considerations. He has super vision for the state typical of a theorist which is better on paper. Emmanuel Andy Ubah has basic qualification both on paper and field work, he lacks energy and potential to recoup energy going by age considerations. He both lacks capacity for vision and does not present one for the state.
    Religion: Here we are considering the capacity to cross the obvious denominational lines in the state and build healthy allies with others. Denominational politics for the right reasons is undeniable in the state. Therefore, it is an issue also to consider. Again you can rate our candidates in this sequence: 1st – Valentine Ozigbo, 2nd – Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, 3rd – Charles Chukwuma Soludo and 4th – Emmanuel Andy Ubah.
    Valentine Ozigbo is a Catholic who in practical ways lives out a robust Christianity that fosters fraternity of all Christians. His childhood friends have become pastors and even bishops in the Anglican denomination and they remain very close friends. In organizing Unusual Praise – the largest African Christian Worship event – he demonstrates capacity to bring together all Christians in one worship space; he can also do same in a work space. People from other denominations are going to vote for him massively. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church has eye on him but are not expressing it enough.

    Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is a Catholic and has numerous friends from other denominations. He has also extended his philanthropy to other denominations. It is important to note that these friendships are not faith-based; they are benefit-based. Given the Catholic domination of the state in the last sixteen years those friends are not likely to wade the storm with him.
    Charles Chukwuma Soludo is a Catholic and his party gives him more advantage in the Catholic circle. Yet the Willy Obiano denominational politics places him in a disadvantage. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church may be canvassing for a sympathy vote for him, but Ndi-Anambra know more than investing wrongly this time around. He is incapacitated to build the bridge needed in the state at this time.
    Emmanuel Andy Ubah is an Anglican and a faithful one at that. He is totally unpopular among Catholics and has earned himself some dint of suspicion among Anglicans because of his party and meddling with the Buhari administration. As would be expected, he has an ill-disposition towards Catholics and is poised to bring further divisions in the state. Some ruthless Anglicans are fronting him to deal with Catholics “in a language they will understand.”
    Party: Here we are considering how the political party appeal to Nd-Anambra. In this Criterion, 1st – Charles Chukwuma Soludo, 2nd – Valentine Ozigbo, 3rd – Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah and 4th – Emmanuel Andy Ubah. It is important to note that there are no political parties in Nigeria, we only have political platforms. Candidates do not represent ideologies of a party; they foster personally crafted political solutions and look for a political platform through which they may likely express it.

    Charles Chukwuma Soludo belongs to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). It is the ruling party in Anambra State and has dominated the state for sixteen years. It is a party which has offered Ndi-Anambra a unique voice in the Nigerian political sphere and which had the promise of fulfilling the aspiration of Ndịigbo. It was Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who animated APGA and found in Peter Obi the embodiment of the aspirations of Ndịigbo which he hoped one day to make a national reality. When Peter Obi left APGA, the party breathed its last. Today it suffers the decomposition of the proverbial fish from its head. Governor Willy Obiano saw to it that the requiem of APGA was well orchestrated and Charles Chukwuma Soludo saw no problem with that. In 2017, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, fostered the political jingle in reply to PDP’s Oseloka Obaze’s “It’s broken; let’s fix it”, Soludo contended “It’s not broken, why fix it”. If Charles Chukwuma Soludo says it’s broken now, then he either had lacked the vision to see that it really was broken by 2017 or he deliberately lied and deceived Ndi-Anambra by that mantra. If he says it’s not broken, then he is outrighly blind but more dangerously he is not coming with a fix. No Anambra person would vote for a continuation of the status quo.

    Valentine Ozigbo belongs to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) which is the major opposition party in Nigeria. Therefore, it suffers the jab of the federal might. At the same time one could say that Ndi-Anambra prefers PDP to any other party and in the event that APGA has reneged on the confidence they had transferred to them from their former PDP affiliation, they are likely to revert to PDP. The party had produced two former governors (Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Chris Ngige), Peter Obi (a former governor and the best of all governors Anambra has ever had) is one of the foremost figures in PDP and has risen to be a Vice Presidential candidate of the party. The party has two seating senators from the state and three House of Rep members. Invariably, Anambra is a PDP state which had experimented the possible shift to APGA. The current administration has finally laid that experiment to rest.
    Most importantly, Valentine Ozigbo is the fruit of Ojukwu’s political ideology and Most Rev. Albert Kanenechukwu Obiefuna’s political son. He embodies the worthy dreams of these two fallen heroes in very succinct ways. When he chose the jingle “Aka Chukwu di ya”, he may not know that his battle has been fought and won in the spirit land because of his connection to the aspirations of these great heroes. The spirit of Ndi-Anambra will always identify where their Akara aka lies.
    Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah belongs to the Young Progressive Party (YPP). He gave the party its initial and ever entry into Anambra political lexicon. As a member of the party, he is a seating senator representing Anambra South Senatorial Zone. By these antecedents, YPP is a force in the Anambra politics. It is rated third by that right. Most importantly, neither the party nor its candidate is worth the political investment of Ndi-Anambra.
    Emmanuel Andy Ubah belongs to All Progressives Congress. He had reneged from PDP some years ago and flags the wand of federal might; APC is the ruling political party at the centre. APC is horror for the Igbo sensibility and is regarded as the political face of terrorist Boko Haram among the locals. In as much as the Federal Government treats the political relegation of Ndi-Igbo with levity and gerrymander, APC cannot win any election in the Southeast except at the Supreme Court.
    The choice before Ndi-Amabra is clear. No right-thinking business-inclined Anambra person would want to invest in waste or what we refer to as “Ahịa kụrụ akụ”. In the criteria we discussed above, the candidates will be preferred in this order 1st – Valentine Chineto Ozigbo, 2nd – Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, 3rd – Charles Chukwuma Soludo and 4th – Emmanuel Andy Ubah. If our disposition is SINCERITY, then let our polls reflect Uche Onyeigbo by which we naturally invest rightly and profitably. Now is the time for serious business, let us keep sentiments aside and do the needful for the future of Ndi-Anambra in particular and Ndịigbo in general.

    Chuks Nwune, a legal practitioner and social media influencer based in Onitsha.

  • Militarization of Igbo land, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Militarization of Igbo land, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    The ongoing militarization of Anambra State and the rest of Igbo land under the guise of combating insecurity is illegal and unconstitutional. Capitalizing on the messy political violence and a few political assassinations in Anambra which claimed the life of Dr. Chike Akunyili and other precious lives, the Federal Attorney-General and Justice of Minister Abubakar Malami (SAN) had announced last week that the Federal government might declare a state of emergency in Anambra State. Not unexpectedly, prominent Nigerians and institutions have been blasting Malami for harbouring and uttering such a wicked statement. Notably among them is the Anambra State governor Chief Willie Obiano. Chief Obiano has said that he had reached President Buhari on the matter who had told him to ignore Malami as the federal government does not intend to declare an emergency rule in Anambra.

    Why is the Federal Attorney-General pressuring the federal government to declare a state of emergency in Anambra when a state of emergency had not been declared in different parts of North East and North West battling deadly terrorism and armed struggle resulting day after day in monumental human casualties and sacking of communities ?. When a people’s dignity, honour, pride, reputation, and existential values are constantly eroded in nauseating fatalistic Fulanization and Jihadization, there is a cause for concern. Being a senior lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria for that matter, Malami ought to have known that neither he nor President Buhari nor any other political office holder can wake up one morning and unilaterally declare a state of emergency in Anambra. Even though our democracy has been seriously corrupted and abused in recent times, government actions are still governed by the rule of law, especially the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the supreme law of the land. By virtue of section 305 (1)(2)(3a-g)(4)(5)(6) of the Constitution, President Buhari may through an instrument published in the Official Gazette issue a Proclamation for a State of emergency in Anambra. Thereafter President Buhari shall immediately, after the said publication, transmit copies of the Official Gazette of the Government of the federation containing the Proclamation to the National Assembly which will decide whether or not to pass a resolution approving the Proclamation. Note that President Buhari shall not issue a Proclamation for a state of emergency in Anambra unless there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety or there is a clear and present danger of a breakdown of public order and public safety in Anambra. In a nutshell, President Buhari cannot declare a state of emergency in Anambra without an instrument published in the Official Gazette, and, without issuing a Proclamation to that effect, and, without the concurrence of the National Assembly.

    Apart from Malami’s state of emergence threat, the federal government, under the guise of protecting lives and protecting in Anambra and the South East, has deployed soldiers to invade Anambra State and the rest of the South-East in what has been tagged as “Operation Golden Dawn” (in reminiscent of George Wallace’s Operation Golden Dawn). The latest military offensive which is no different from Operation Python Dance 1 & 11 of 2016-2017, is actually targeted at dislodging IPOB and ESN as well as create the enabling environmental for the federal-assisted Anambra politicians to steal the Anambra Gubernatorial election come November 6. Considering the atrocities committed in Igbo land by soldiers deployed to invade Igbo land under “Operation Python Dance” 1 & 11, it beats the imagination that the government has again deployed soldiers to invade the same Igbo land. You will recall that during the so-called “Operation Python Dance” 1 & 11, several innocent Igbo civilians were either murdered or badly injured or publicly flogged or harassed or hounded by the soldiers. The disturbing video clips of the aforesaid invasions are still available for all to watch.

    The latest deployment of soldiers to invade Anambra State and the rest of the South-East under “Operation Golden Dawn” is illegal and unconstitutional. Section 217(2)(a) (b)(c)(d) of the 1999 Constitution has in no unmistakable terms spelt out the circumstances and conditions under which President Buhari can deploy soldiers to any State of the federation. There are: (i) for the defence of Nigeria from external aggression. (ii) for the maintenance of the territorial integrity and securing the borders of Nigeria from violation on land, sea and air, (iii) for suppressing insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the President; subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly. In other words, whilst President Buhari can freely deploy our military to defend our country against aggression and to maintain our territorial integrity, he cannot dispatch the Nigerian soldiers (acting under “Operation Golden Dawn”) to invade Anambra State and the rest of the South-East in order to combat insurrection and/or other internal armed conflicts in those place without “such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of National Assembly, and “performing such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly” as stipulated by section 217(2)(c)(d) of the 1999 Constitution. It is clear that the aforesaid Constitutional provisions were violated when President Buhari deployed the Nigeria soldiers under Operation Golden Dawn” to invade Anambra and the rest of the South East.

    Even a plea of the doctrine of necessity by President Buhari cannot avail him or justify “Operation Golden Dawn”. The doctrine of necessity can only be pleaded upon certain conditions such as; (a) there must exist an imperative necessity arising from danger affecting Anambra State; (b) the action must be proportionate to the necessity (c) action taken to meet the exigency and must be the only available action (d) there must be incapacitation of the State security apparatus which normally maintains security. During the prosecution of “Operation Python Dance 1 & 11 in Igbo land from 2016-2017, the Nigerian soldiers did not comply with the Rules of Engagements (ROE). The soldiers went berserk intimidating, harassing innocent passengers and motorists and unlawfully incarcerating innocent citizens in Igbo land. They also went about killing suspected Biafra agitators and IPOB members and dumping their corpses in nearby bushes. Now, recent reports reaching us attest that the Nigerian soldiers operating under “Operation Golden Dawn” are committing the aforesaid crimes which they committed in Igbo land under “Operation Python Dance 1 & 11. For example, for adorning what arguably passed for a Biafran outfit depicting the Biafran rising sun, prominent actor Chiwetalu Agu was last week publicly molested and humiliated by some soldiers. Other innocent citizens in Igbo land are presently experiencing similar molestation or humiliation.

    This is unacceptable. How can soldiers who are supposed to be combating crimes turn round to start committing their own crimes?. No matter the ugly situation in Igbo land, committing jungle justice in Igbo land cannot be rationalized. Two wrongs cannot make a right. Soldiers cannot do wrong in order to right another wrong. The end does not justify the means. Soldiers cannot employ illegal means to achieve a lawful end in Anambra and the rest of the South East. There should be no repeat of the ugliest atrocities of the soldiers under the previous Operation Python Dance 1 & 11 in the South-East.