President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: Forge Oneness between Emi-Lokan and Igbo-Lokan
Before the advent of the 4th republic, the yoruba intelligentsia were only interested in a Sovereign National Conference (SNC). That was their recipe to cure our obstinate national dysfunctionality. Their gospel was, all ethnic groups in the country need to sit down and have a Memorandum of Association; that the constitution was congenitally defective.
They didn’t think that what they perceived as fundamental structural defects in the federation could be solved by political cosmetics.
They didn’t believe that any parliament derived from elections mediated by a flawed constitution could be representative enough to engineer enduring unity, good governance, fairness and justice.
When our political elites ceded the Presidency to the Yoruba nation in 1999, they were not assuaged especially stalwarts of Afenifere which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was part of.
They accused the Northern elites of midwifing our political entity into continuing wobbling like a patched-up “kabu-kabu” with a man wearing “kaaki” at the steering wheel. Expectedly, the influence of Afenifere waned, the indignation of NADECO subsided, pro-democracy activism became obsolete and the scramble for political offices eroded all puritanical inclinations; washing off the stubborn reeds to the desolate shore of political irrelevance.
Read,kNnamdi Kanu: Ohanaeze Ndigbo sues for dialogue by parties
The Igbos were too lackadaisical even when talks were in high speed about the formation of a new National political party to challenge the incumbent and his party (PDP). They saw the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a fraction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Congress for Progress Change (CPC) and All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) which birthed the All Progressive Congress (APC) as a pipe dream.
After President Goodluck Jonathan lost to Rtd. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Presidential flag-bearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC), the Igbos who had pitched their tent with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) felt disoriented and politically displaced. The PDP was out of power for the first time since she was born.
Ndigbo had religiously put all her eggs in that one basket for sentimental reasons and felt more wounded and bereaved than the Ijaws, Jonathan’s kinsmen because Ndigbo felt they had nothing tangible to show as benefits in her marriage with the PDP rather than “toys and candies”.
Perhaps, the PDP had given Ndigbo a sense of belonging which though it didn’t translate to federal employment opportunities, infrastructural developments such as roads, bridges, railways; and economic development such as industries, airports, seaports. The political dislocation of the Ndigbo into a rudderless opposition was compounded by President Muhammadu Buhari’s aloofness towards inclusion.
Suddenly, old wounds started to bleed; the questions about nationhood which _Afenifere and NADECO_ had asked in the past, resurrected.
In 2023, when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu shouted ‘emilokan,’ Ndigbo became jittery and inconsolable. Since there was no Sovereign National Conference (SNC) in sight to devolve powers to the periphery and the country had adopted turn-by-turn as equity, Tinubu’s Presidency after eight (8) years of his kinsman President Olusegun Obasanjo, seemed an affront to Ndigbo. Ndigbo became babozed and helplessly submit to ethnic sentiment, very laughable.
The Igbos felt in Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, a new hope has leaped up and unity was found; conscience, emotion and common sense congregate to express themselves without conflict. The demand for the Igbo Presidency became a new minimum wage. And because Mr. Peter Gregory Obi portrayed himself as simple and different and this excited the imagination of neutral ethnic groups in many parts of the country, the overwhelming majority of the Igbos felt divinely justified to pursue the cause without apologies, but President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was very formidable.
The formidableness of _Jagaban_ re-ignited Igbo’s passion in Mr. Peter Gregory Obi and as usual nothing was spared. The barbed rhetoric and bile were employed by both sides and old wounds started to gape. The land was febrile. But it was the inexcusable lapses by INEC that made any acceptance of Obi’s loss impossible. As if that wasn’t sufficiently problematic, the governorship election in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s all-accommodating home state, Lagos, my state of birth witnessed naked hostility against Ndigbo.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s priority must be National Unity. Only National unity will heal wounds and guarantee security without which there can be no economic recovery even if we devise ingenious ways to tax _animals._ Moreso, it worthy to acknowledge that Ndigbo cherish a sense of belonging. So President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must understand that psychology and ensure inclusiveness. Also the enthronement of merit, equity, fairness and social justice will help in healing the wounds.
Again, If President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to be remembered like Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Mahatma Gandhi of India who fought and preached freedom, peace and justice, he must address the elephant in the dark room, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (MNK); an elaborate political agreement guaranteed by first class monarchs and religious leaders should be reached so as to secure his unconditional release which will help a lot
in fostering peace and prosperity for the “Palm trees” region.
After resolving the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (MNK) conundrum, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should humbly adopt Mr. Peter Gregory Obi’s economic blueprint; ensure even spread of federal political appointments and employment; facilitates the development of the silicon valley in Nnewi and technologically supports the Dubai of Igboland (Aba) which is the hub of industrial talents.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should also initiate other ingenious ways to woo Ndigbo so as to forge oneness between ‘Emilokan’ and ‘Igbolokan’ . President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should aim to win the hearts of Igbos by promoting industrialization, human rights, justice, peace and prosperity in Igboland and not how the All Progressive Congress (APC) will control the states in Igboland.
Happy Eid-el-Fitr Celebration President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and my muslim adherents all over the world.
Comr. Noble Ewurum writes from Akabo, Ikeduru local Government Area in Imo State
