Opinion article by Duke of Shomolu, Joseph Edgar
I have always been very bemused at the continuous cry of marginalization and the funny push for a balkanization of the country by my brothers in the face of tremendous capacity to play a major role in national development.
Every where I turn, it’s the cry of the marginalization of the Igbo, especially from the elite Igbo race, and for the masses, it’s seeking Biafra.
Before I am accused of over generalization, let me quickly say that the cry we hear very soundly from across the Niger are those two clear cries – marginalization and separation.
For such a rich grouping, with some of the most incredibly talented individuals and an organizational sagacity that continues to amaze, their basic lack of understanding of the concept of power can only be described as one of the wonders of the world.
In discussions with a varied number of my Igbo brothers, all you hear is that we are not interested in power. We will hold the economy. It’s the economic power that matters.
I come out of those discussions wondering why you wouldn’t want to be interested in power in an environment where there is linear control of economic resources.
The control of these economic resources determines who gets what and how you get it, and it is for this reason that we have the perennial struggle for political power and the main proxy for the control of economic resources.
The Igbo nation must begin to understand the concept of power and its relations, especially as it affects not only its interest but the interest of everybody in the country.
I think the Igbo are doing the country a great disservice as they continue to ride on the dual hot air of marginalization and separation instead of pushing very strategically for power.
Obi today represents the most credible attempt at power by the Igbo nation since Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and, as expected, the majority of political leaders from that region didn’t support him.
His State Governor even came out with daggers. Thankfully, the youths and other such emerging groupings in that region rallied round to deliver the region to ‘Labor’.
Now that he is heading to court, watch and see how the leadership of the zone would relate to him and his crusade.
Someone said, “After June 12, the Yorubas shouted the world down and in response got two Yoruba candidates- Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae as contestants.
Obi, in my estimation, was the one really robbed this time around and not that lame Atiku Abubakar but watch and see the kind of support he will get from his people.
Developmental power is very crucial to a third world emerging country like ours, and the deliberate avoidance of seeking it while pushing for economic power you will agree is a gross miscalculation .
So you build economic conclaves all over the country and now depend on someone else who now has the power to forge policies that can make or break you and when the policy hits negatively as it often does, you shout – marginalization.
The other two major ethnic groupings understand power, and that is why they juggle it among themselves.
They understand power and its uses, and that is why they would rather push us to a civil war than relinquish it.
It is not for fun that the legendary Zik of Africa came to the Western region to contest and win elections because he understood power.
Peter Obi, in this amazing run, has shown just what the Igbo nation better calibrated can deliver to this country.
This was a well run campaign based on issues and conviction, and no wonder it resonated nationally, and nobody saw him as an Igbo man but as the candidate for a new Nigeria.
This is the Igbo nation’s greatest contribution to the nation politically.
They should now really re-access the notion of building individual billionaires who still run businesses the size of major conglomerates like they are still running their little shops in Onitsha.
The individualism that has driven the Igbo society needs to be exchanged for a much more robust structure that would institutionalize their businesses who will in turn support a major push towards political power in a strong bid to strengthen the federation along very strong ethical lines.
The days of the individual ‘Ezego’ should now really be over.
The nation needs the Igbo man to produce many more Peter Obi who will now join the millions other Peter Obi’s that litter the country to save this nation.
The cries of marginalization and separation should cease as they now have turned into very boring songs, sang by the very lazy.
Thank you
*Duke of Shomolu*
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