Igbos Should Change Their Narrative For Good

Some months ago, a set of Igbo people stormed a venue in Germany to disrupt a well-planned program and disgraced a fellow Igbo, who is a highly respected leader, on the grounds that he (Ike Ekweremadu ) as well as other Igbo elites have worked against Igbo interest.

They strongly hold the view that the Igbo race is still at the receiving end of various forms of injustice from the Nigerian federation; and they put most of the blame on the south eastern leaders of Nigeria. And without remorse, the actors involved have remained vocal and mean with their opinions till date.

Diverse interpretations ensued as a result of that show. Many people predicted that such an act should not be considered as a joke at all; while others believe that the shameful show was a huge joke and an embarrassment to Nigeria as a nation. I’m of the view that the opinion of people is within their own right as given by God and the laws of the country.

But whatever side of the argument one holds firmly, intelligent minds and well meaning individuals must not fail to rally progressive ideas that will put the nation, particularly the Igbo race, in a prominent place of holistic development for all and sundry. Events like that happen so that new ideas could be born.

Posterity is therefore beckoning on the Igbo nation to relieve the present and future generations of any kind of pain that will cause them to wail.

If history will always repeat itself, it is timely and imperative to investigate the impetus behind those recurring events of ‘Igbos attacking Igbos’, either by their words or by some sort of work.

Like it or not, history is awash with glaring facts that Igbos don’t agree with themselves. That is, there are no unifying ideologies that underscores the cooperate objective of the Igbo nation within the Nigerian federation. Go check the records; the kind of disagreement that exists amongst Igbos is usually disastrous for the south east region. Our lines of action dont always translate to the practical development of the region.

In the academia, it is argued that Igbos, though republican and creative, have the tendency for shooting themselves on the foot. That revelation (which can be argued) is one of the reasons why there is no unified leadership that the entire Igbo race subscribes to. One bloc says one thing; another bloc says something absolute contrary and in a matter of days, Igbos are divided in their ideologies and objectives, thereby limiting and delaying their potential for progress and prosperity, particularly for the South eastern part of Nigeria.

Furthermore, it is believed in some quarters that the Igbo are black Jews and as such, they share in the same Abrahamic DNA of wealth creation and influence. King Eri of Aguleri community, like many, also claimed that Igbo people are the Jews of West Africa; a descendants of at least one of Israel’s lost tribes. So many scholarly books also hold this view.

If we chose to use the Jews of Modern Israel as a case study, then the flaws of the Igbos will be graphically painted.

For instance, the Jewish intellectual properties have, over the years, depended on their intelligent-quotient and ingenuity to turn their piece of land to a wealthy nation in all fronts. Wherever, they are, they not only remember home, they also channel their wealth there. Also, the Jews have a unified and solidified belief in their greatness and relevance in the committee of nations, magnified by a mindset of breaking barriers.

Igbos are wealthy, hardworking, creative and courageous, but failure to transform our region with these attributes is our main undoing. Building a beautiful mansion and ignoring the road that leads to it is still not wise. A region that boasts of billionaires and millionaires but it’s still impoverished is either cursed or is following a wrong cause.

Like the Jews, the ability to turn Igbo land to a global city lies within the resourcefulness of the Igbo people. Igbos should come back home and develop their land. Igbos, like the Jews, should channel their wealth back home. This liberal act of sacrifice is our only hope.

The recent donations made by Igbos towards the Onitsha Market fire outbreak is proof that where there is a will, there is way.

Hence, Igbos must be inventive, along these lines, to change their narrative for good.