By Fr Emefiena Ezeani
PREAMBLE:
Let me make it clear from the onset – ADVICE is what I have come to give to you people today. Although I am a political scientist and a priest, I am not a politician like most people in this auditorium. Who am I to tell you what to do? So, whatever I say to you today, whether pleasant political correctness or irritating truths, you can keep them or throw them away and not me, for as our people say, you can “tufuena okwu m, ma unu atufune m maka na mu bu nwanne unu.” I am your brother.
Now, on the topic you asked me to speak about. That was the year 2004. In the editorial of the defunct World Igbo Times magazine published in London, and titled Theatre of the Absurd – Igbo Leadership Fr. Chikwendu Anyanwu wrote the following: “I am talking about a theatre designed by the colonial regime, with an enforced cast of “upstarts” and “ruffians” (Achebe, The Trouble with Nigeria, 1983) as chiefs and kings. Nwa bekee acted wisely, using the society’s loopholes (the efulefu) to cause this lasting damage. Igbo democracy was destroyed and individuals towered high above their communities.
The nation was later squeezed with other nations into a map they tagged Nigeria, making it difficult for them to reshape their society and decide their destiny. The hope of reshaping their future with the Aburi Agreement was shattered when Nigeria, with the support of their allies broke the accord and launched a genocidal aggression on Biafra (1967-1979). From then to now, from the likes of … to the likes of …, Igbo land has continued to grow in its debacle status.
The oppressors and their allies write absurd and act absurd in this land they have turned into a Theatre of the Absurd. Foreigners with Igbo names are pushed onto the stage to be the actors while they, the directors, provide the prompts behind stage.”“In the year 2003 alone, we witnessed several absurdities on the Igbo stage. One of them was the shameless performances of Igbo presidential aspirants in Oke n’ọhịa Ngwere n’uzọ drama. Six or more Igbo men were to become just one Nigerian President at the same time.
The hired actors performed exceedingly well and Igbo land came out of what was supposed to be an election, worse than before … World Igbo Times is troubled by the problem of leadership in Igbo land.” Supposing the self-acclaimed owners of the Nigerian State honestly want the 2023 Nigerian President to come from Igbo nation, can the Igbo politicians this time act differently from the way they acted in 2003?
On the Difference between Politicians and Leaders.
Many Africans, especially Nigerians make the serious mistake of calling politicians leaders. Some of you here listening to me may be scandalised to hear this from me. Yes, and I repeat, there is a very big difference between a politician and a leader. Briefly, a politician in contemporary Nigerian context, is one who generally thinks and works for what he can gain from politics, and thinks and works for the next election, while a leader often thinks for the present and next generation. A politician can sacrifice his own people for his or her own interest, while a leader is always ready to sacrifice his own life for his people. That is why another name for a leader is a “shepherd” or a “pastor.” A good shepherd or a bonus pastor, as we read from the Bible, is one who lays down his life for his sheep, that is, his people.
A sacrificial or courageous leader, just like Muhammadu Buhari in relation to his kinsmen, holds his or her people in their hearts and they are ready to lay down their lives for their people. In the contemporary world, especially Africa, every people needs as leaders, sacrificial and courageous men and women who can protect them from being pharaohnised and enslaved by modern day Pharaohs. On the virtue of courage, reacting to what happened to Senator Ike Ekweremadu in Nuremberg, Germany (August 17, 2019), Femi Fani-Kayode makes the following relevant point: It takes courage to stand for those that have been unjustly killed in Nigeria. It takes courage to say “no” and to stand up against injustice in a jungle.
It takes courage to identify and empathise with the enslaved, the oppressed, the poor, the vulnerable and the weak in a killing field and functional zoo … Yet we must all do it or stop laying claim to be called leaders … We must be ready to stick our necks out for our people and defend them as aggressively and vigorously as is necessary or, if we fail to do so, we must be ready to pass on the baton and step aside for those that will. Leadership requires risk and sacrifice.Leadership has four dimensions or qualities – political leadership, cultural leadership, economic leadership, and moral leadership. A good leader (political or religious) exercises all the four features or functions of leadership. As a leader, he vividly appreciates and lives the culture of his people, protects them from political oppression, works and invests for their economic wellbeing and development, and shows his people the light by leading a life of transparent integrity and accountability. On the quality of an ideal African leader, Achebe (1966) writes, “Our true leaders are not those intoxicated with their Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard degrees but those who speak the language of the people. Away with the damnable and expensive university education which only alienates an African from his rich and ancient culture and puts him above his people….”
In the past Queen Nziga of Angola provided wonderful political leadership to her people, she vigorously defended her people against the oppressive Portuguese. In Nigeria, most of the Northern politicians provide political leadership to their people. Do we have such people in Igbo land, and can we name any of them? There may be others with such quality, but the ones majority of the Igbo people, especially the younger generation, rightly or wrongly, consider to be their leaders, if we can tell ourselves the truth are Nnamdi Kanu and Enyinnaya Abaribe, most probably because of their unquestionable public defence of the interest of the Igbo people, and sometimes, of the other peoples of Nigeria, or in defence of justice in general. How can someone who has never made his position known on national big issues which affect the life of his or her people such as restructuring, referendum, self-determination, RUGA or resource control consider himself or herself as a leader of the people?
A political leader ought not to be a clannish defender of his own people’s interest alone. He must also ensure that the other people’s genuine and just interests are also promoted and protected. The Golden Rule is his constant guiding principle. For Plato, the end of politics is to achieve a just society or an ideal state, and justice for him means everyone in society doing what he or she is supposed to do. And so, as a priest, I have the moral duty to tell you the truth, and as a political scientist, I have the political obligation to be factual to you. Majority of Igbo people have lost confidence in their brother politicians, most of whom they see as mere political jobbers or job seekers and not as persons who have come to serve or protect the interest of their people. Many have not yet come to terms with how some of our Igbo brothers were hoodwinked by others to join them in labelling and proscribing our young people in IPOB who are simply and armlessly struggling for the liberation and survival of the Igbo race as terrorists while the real terrorists who rape, kill and terrorise with AK-47 are treated with kid’s gloves by the Nigerian Government. If the members of IPOB are “bad boys”, as elders or leaders of the people, we ought to learn from the other ethnic groups in Nigeria how they handle their own “bad boys.”
Every sound mind knows that it is inanity and barbaric to kill any “bad boy” extra-judicially, and more so in order to please some other people. A leader of the people is also endowed with economic quality and this he demonstrates by the provision of social amenities like good, quality and durable road networks, hospitals, etc.
Arguably, Mr. Peter Obi and Sir Dave Umahi have in some degrees demonstrated possession of this leadership quality. However, mere construction of a few kilometre of roads, drilling of boreholes, or building of culverts is not enough to make someone a serious leader of his people. Cultural leadership is manifested by one who appreciates and promotes the culture of his people – by wearing their people’s clothes, using their name and language etc. Unlike the Igbo, the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani are very good in this aspect of leadership. Moral leadership has to do with financial transparency and accountability.
How many Igbo politicians – Governors, Lawmakers etc. are ready to make public how much that accrues to them or to the state annually and how they use the state’s revenue? Is the present generation of Igbo politicians ready to do away with this aspect of systemic corruption? A good number of Nigerians do not seem to understand the true meaning of the word, “politics” from where we derived the word “politician”. Many have been schooled to understand politics to mean “struggle for power”, “authoritative allocation of values” or “who gets what, when and how” or “a dirty game”. All these are false notions of the word “politics”.
The word “democracy” has also been misconstrued and bastardised to mean formation of political parties, campaign and elections. It is the misunderstanding of these two major words in Political Science and the practice of them in these lights that has thrown many African countries into anarchy and transformed them into the Out-stations of Hell. The true meaning of politics is ascertained from its etymology, which is made up of two Greek words: Polis, state and Techne, which means art, skill or method.
Hence, politics means the art, skill or methods used by politicians to protect and promote democratic values of equity, equality and freedom amongst the citizens of the state, provide social amenities to the people, and ensure good governance.
Igbo Politicians and Igbo People and the Parallelism
Trending in different parts of Nigeria today are the demands for Self-determination, Referendum, Restructuring, Igbo President, Resource Control and Maintenance of the status quo. Of all these, which one do the Igbo actually want? A keen observer would notice that it is here that the majority of the Igbo politicians and the majority of Igbo people part company.
While the majority of the Igbo people opt for Self-determination, Referendum, or Restructuring, majority of the Igbo politicians would be appeased with Igbo President. There is no doubt that Igbo President is a just demand considering the Nigerian context and for the fact that Democracy actually means Equity, Equality and Freedom.
These three democratic attributes justify the Igbo nation’s demand to produce the President of the Nigerian State. If some people like El-Rufai hold that the Igbo people should not be allowed to produce Nigerian President come 2023 because some of them are agitating for Biafra, should the Nigerian President be allowed to come from those whose sons and daughters (Boko Haram) are fighting, and killing others with the ultimate aim of enslaving and converting them to Islam? If these two demands are evil, which of the two is a more sinister evil – struggling or agitating for self-determination or killing for subjugation and religious conversion?
Viewed from the background of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, it is the democratic right of the Igbo nation to produce the 2023 Nigerian President. But does the Nigerian State place premium on what is RIGHT, JUST and TRUE? If it does, the people working for Nigerian Igbo President come 2023 should go and rejoice, if it does not, and they still believe in the achievement of their pursuit, I wish them well. If however, the king-makers of Nigeria decide to have a metanoia, a change of heart, what calibre of Igbo person would they try to front – an Igbo person with genuine Igbo blood and of sound morality who would be acceptable to the generality of Igbo people, young and old, including those who are truly disturbed by the predicament of the Igbo people in the present day Nigeria or simply an Igbo efulefu to be remote-controlled by his masters?
Well, I may not be right, but I think that one who cannot make you a gateman of his company’s production house is not likely to make you its manager. Those who disagree with this hypothesis, I have nothing else to say other than to wish them well.
Now, the Big Question: What do the Igbo and Other Nigerian Nationalities Need Most Today?There is no doubt that almost every sensible and fair-minded Nigerian would want, would desire and would need a just, equal, friendly and progressive Nigerian society. And the truth is that Nigeria, as it is presently constituted and with overtly unjust Constitution can never guarantee such a dream Nigerian society. This being the case, only two options are what can bring about a relatively ideal society for the maximum happiness and progress of its citizens, and these are (1) Restructured Nigerian State (2) Self-determination. So, those who work for “Igbo President” should also bear this in mind as part of their patriotic mission. Okuko na-akpa nri, anya uhie efiekwana ya (A fowl which feeds should not forget to look sideways).
Life Preservation and Territorial Integrity – Making a Rational Choice
At the Berlin Conference in 1885 African nations were repackaged; some European countries divided African continent amongst themselves, each having in its possession groups of different and independent African nations which they eventually merged together and termed ‘countries’, ‘states’ or ‘nations’. From then till today, different African nations have never known peace or experienced stability and progress. As Awolowo noted, the origin of every multi-ethnic or multi-nation society, especially in Africa, is by coercion or colonisation and not by mutual agreement; they are the creation of colonising states in Europe. For this reason, there is grave need for these colonial creations, considering their multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural features, to have realistic, suitable and good and just Constitutions if they are to achieve the status of a healthy society. Since 1885 till date, this expectation has not been met in many African states, hence, the continuous crisis in different parts of Africa.
The artificially imposed unity by the European colonisers has continued to exacerbate disintegration and conflict instead of integration. Some are of the view that state integration can be achieved by ethnic disintegration and language rationalization, for example creating many more states in Yoruba or Igbo and adoption of English as everyone’s language. Unitary system or strong central government, some others believe, is a recipe for state-integration, but the reality is, no forced political union can produce a healthy state.
Urged by some Western powers and believing in the sacrosanctity of territorial integrity, arms are sold to African leaders by the same Western states to destroy millions of lives of their people in order to maintain the territorial integrity of the states created by the colonisers primarily to serve the interest of their mother countries. And this is despite the fact that, in Africa, destruction of life is generally considered an abomination. As Professor Sitwala Imenda (2017: 32) of South Africa has pointed out, the European nations, which are responsible for this chaos and crisis must be laughing ceaselessly as they watch us fight for the control of the territories and resources of these new nation states along ethnic and religious lines. Europe knows that it has a paternalistic relationship with Africans and their leaders and that as Africans we are very gullible, swallowing everything they tell us.
Sometime ago, Mrs Theresa May, the then British Prime Minister, had the audacity to ask the Commonwealth African leaders to legalise same-sex union (not marriage) in their respective countries. A despicable and abominable act, yet sooner than latter many Africans will opt for that because, the almighty white people, and deciders of what is good and bad, have spoken. For me, the biggest problem of most post-colonial Africans and their leaders is poverty of the mind or lack of what I call iquism, that is, intelligent questioning.
As a people, we generally believe everything we are told to be true, especially, by Europeans. Sometime ago, a pastor/priest told a family that the economic trees (Avocado pear tree, Breadfruit tree and Kolanut tree) in their compound were inhabited by evil spirits and that was the cause of their family problems. As a solution, the trees were all felled down. I no longer know whether we are promoting Christianity or superstition in Igbo land. As a colonised people, we are also sufferers of the mental disease I call Colonialysis.
Colonialysis is a peculiar mental disease of the colonised, which propels him to have the inordinate desire to be like the coloniser (the White), and have everything the coloniser has, and infuses in him disdainful attitude or hatred for what he is, and has; his heritage, including his dances, musical instruments, name, religion, cultural artefacts, and language. Whatever is African is evil and whatever is European is godly, a manifestation of people without cognitive or intellectual freedom. As regards the issue of the belief in the sacredness of territorial integrity, African scholars and political leaders have to come out boldly and be explicit on what should come first: defence of territorial integrity or defence of life integrity.
Is “united we die” not worse than “divided we live”? I am just asking a question. On the personality or character of a leader hinges the emancipation or enslavement, development or under-development of his people. The continued slow development or underdevelopment of the Nigerian state or Igbo nation, is the problem of leadership’s intellectual and moral deficiency.
In many cases, many of those occupying leadership positions are people who have power without compassion, authority without morality, knowledge of evil without courage, and wealth without the knowledge of how to create or manage it. For any country to record enviable national development, it must, first of all, do something with its leadership question; a question which is concerned with the search for moral, visionary and nationally-oriented and courageous leaders with active sense of mission.
Politics is not a Game but a Serious Business for the Serious Minded
Can I now ask a question? A politician, a medical doctor and a priest who is more important in society? How is politics, which affects every other aspect of our lives – economic, religion, culture, morality etc. a game or fun? I would like to use this opportunity to correct a wrong impression, which is today guiding many people’s political behaviour that politics is a game, a dirty game for that matter. Is it not baffling to realise that many people in society see politics in this light? Politics is not a game at all, it is a serious business meant for the serious-minded people, and not for the riff-raff. Socrates and Plato recognised this truth some hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. That is why they taught that only philosophers should be allowed to engage in the business of politics, and that philosopher-kings alone should be the leaders of people.
Look at what is happening in different parts of Ani-Igbo today, a Governor leaves the party on which platform he won an election and joins a different party, and majority of the State lawmakers would follow him as though they were his slaves, thus making a mockery of democracy and politics. At both the federal and state levels the lawmakers who constitute the most important and most powerful arm of Government have reduced themselves to Umu-boy (slave-servants) of the President or the Governor. It is also painful and very sad to realise that the representatives of the Igbo nation in Abuja and at the state levels do not meet together to discuss any of the big issues affecting the people, except what threatens their personal political and economic interests and ambition. Let us not go into the sphere of Igbo politicians, religious leaders, academicians etc. meeting together to discuss and proffer solutions to problems facing the Igbo nation, as done in Yoruba nation and Hausa/Fulani land.
If Igbo politicians, or priests, pastors and bishops who claim to have sacrificed themselves to, and, for God (Osu-Chukwu) and humanity, especially, Catholic priests and bishops, cannot speak out for the oppressed and exploited people, are they qualified to be called ‘leaders’? Those who desire and occupy leadership positions must always be ready to serve and protect the people, otherwise, they have no business in the ministry of leadership.
Nigeria’s Waste of Leadership Talent Is a Long Story
There has always been a plethora of Igbo leadership material, but the Caliphate will never allow anyone with integrity, honour, righteous courage or decency to come near “their” presidency. There are Igbo like Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Sir Emeka Anyaoku, Chimamanda Adichie. Chukwudum Ikeazor, Ngozi-Okonji Iweala, to name but a few, but will the Caliphate ever let any of such people it cannot control come near “their presidency”? The answer is “No!”. Equally important is the happy fact that such Igbo will not, and cannot subordinate themselves to the dictates and will of the Fulani Muslim Caliphate in office. Some of them, like Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe who opted to leave or resign from his office of the ‘Vice President’ on principles prove my point.
Nigeria’s history of rejecting talent and visionary leadership is an old story. In the first federal elections in 1959, there were three contending individuals, with their political parties, for leadership. Two were highly experienced and proven regional administrators, men of the world who had studied in the UK and US respectively. The two had written several books, and thought deeply and developed policies for the development of Africa and Nigeria. The third individual had written no book about Nigeria or Africa, belonged to a party that had a stated commitment to regional interests. It was this third individual that emerged as the Nigerian Prime Minister.
Again, in 1979 the same scenario repeated itself and Nigeria rejected Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo, thinkers, writers and administrators and opted for Shehu Shagari who was their opposite in scholarship, experience and a nationalistic outlook. Four years later, Shagari was overthrown by yet another coup. Since then, we have had several billionaire presidents and heads of state, all from the Muslim Caliphate zone of Nigeria and it is they and their fellows who have succeeded in making Nigeria the “great and most stable, secure and prosperous country” it is today.
Finally, Ndi Igbo na-asi, Uzu amaghi akpu Ogene, nya nee Egbe anya n’odu (A blacksmith who does not know how to make a metal gong should look at the Kite’s tail). Igbo race has, from time immemorial, produced excellent leaders and politicians. These include Olaudah Equiano and those “Igbo men and women and children who refused slavery in South Carolina,” USA, King Jaja of Opobo, Akanu Ibiam, M.I. Okpala, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chinua Achebe, Mbazulike Amaechi (The Boy is Good) etc. I do not know whether we would agree with Fr. Chikwendu Anyanwu or not regarding the following statement of his: “Those who call themselves Igbo leaders but have no knowledge of our past heroes and do not seek to imitate them should hide their faces in shame and retire. Onye amaghi ebe o si bia, amaghi ebe o na-eje.” It has become clear that Nigeria has been transformed into a factory that produces terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, rapists and other sinister human products, a Frankenstein British creation whose survival, it seems, can only be guaranteed by regular drink of human blood of its inhabitants. The Nigerian State of today seems to be more volatile than the Nigerian State of the 1966. Therefore, the quest for Nigerian President from Igbo extraction come 2023 needs more reflection before action than action before reflection. This is my candid and brotherly advice.
*Fr Ezeani presented this paper at a symposium organised by National Forum for South East Presidency held recently in Awka, Anambra State.
