RESTRUCTURING OR
SECESSION
The current trend where one gets abused, cursed and even
threatened for not being in support of an ideology is and has never been the
culture of the Igbo race. The Igbos have always been known to be hospitable,
accommodating and open to the views of others. No Igbo man wants to be dictated
to. This is what sets us apart.
Igbo land and the entire country is today divided along the
lines of restructuring and secession. While some are for restructuring, some
others are for secession the bottomline is that the center has become a cracked
pot that her individual contents are spilling out. See, all those gallivanting
all over the place shouting restructuring or secession, are no more in pains
and anguish than a lot of us who are yet to jump into the moving train as they
want us to believe.
Most people standing by the side and watching are doing so
because they are yet unsure of the road-map. They have several unanswered
questions. Thus, abusing them at every turn will not get the desired support
and result. As we all know ideas rule the world, no one person is a custodian
of all knowledge.
Interestingly, if a survey is carried out across the country
today, the answers will be the same, people are not happy with happenings
across the entire country, people are not happy with the leadership of the
country. People are not happy with the falling standard of Education, poor
Health facilities, epileptic Power supply, bad roads, dilapidated
infrastructures, lack of accountability and bad governance, etc. Thus, the
reason some people are calling for restructuring while some others are
agitating for secession.
With all these problems mentioned, who then is responsible,
the Igbos? Hausas? Yorubas? Or other minority ethnic groups making up the
country known as Nigeria? In fairness to all, we are all responsible because we
have all contributed in no small measures to the present sorry state. When I
say we, I mean to say that someone from our individual ethnic groups have
knowingly or unknowingly participated in corrupt activities that has lead us to
where we are today. The man or woman who embezzles funds appropriated for the
health sector, education sector, roads, security, housing, electricity, etc.,
is either an Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba and most importantly a Nigerian.
Truth be told, since after the civil war, we from the south
east have had our own brothers and sisters in governance, with little or
nothing to show developmentally for it. It’s not like allocations due to our
states are not been made available from the Federation account or that IGR is
not been generated from within the states, so what is the problem. Why is
accountability, development and infrastructure far from us? Why do we keep
shouting marginalization when it’s we that are marginalizing ourselves? Why do
we keep shouting bad governance when it’s same we that are looting and raping
our people viciously? Our so called leaders have been the ones marginalizing
us, they are selfish and self-serving.
Why are we all focusing on the federal government while
ignoring and forgetting those closer home to us, our local government chairmen
and our governors. When will those who call themselves our leaders change their
mindsets and understand that they were sent not for themselves but for the
entire people. When will they stop looting and carting away our commonwealth to
the detriment of all? When will they stop deceiving the same people they claim
to love? When?
When then will they change? When will they understand that
leadership is call to service? Will it be with the advent of secession or
restructuring? Or is it that with the birth of secession or restructuring, the
Igbo’s intend to import people from the moon to come and govern them? Charity
they say begins from home let us start first by holding our present and past
leaders in the South East accountable while at the same time demanding for good
governance.
Only by this, will our quest for restructuring or secession
make common sense.
Prince Francis
Chilaka
Political analyst/Social Commentator
08121118789
07/10/2020
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