Opinion: Why Igbos are fleeing the north

Posted by admin Headlines, South-East Monday, February 6th, 2012

By Dan Onwukwe ( 08023022170 dan_onwukwe@yahoo.com )
Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The scene at many motor parks in Kano in recent weeks has had a distressingly
foreboding smell. It typifies what is happening in many other states in the
North. In droves, they are leaving. Some have lived in these places for over 30
years. For many of the families fleeing, until now, their children never knew
other place than these states they are deserting now. It is so because the
tempers of these times seem urgent, and tragedies often happen when warnings go
unheeded.

Those who have been following the exodus of many southerners,
particularly Igbos have never failed to ask: Why are they leaving? This is a
pertinent question. But as the scripture counsels, a prudent man foreseeth the
evil and hideth himself but the simple, that is, the foolish pass on and are
punished (Ecclesiastes 22:3). The difference between the wise and the foolish is
the ability to anticipate evil and take proactive measure to avoid danger of a
horrifying consequence. It is necessary because wisdom has proved to be better
than weapons of war.

Penultimate Saturday, two significant meetings took
place in Enugu, almost simultaneously. The venues were different, so were the
organizers. While the one under the auspices of South-East leaders, comprising
of some prominent Igbo politicians, including the five governors from the zone,
met at Nike Lake Hotel, the other group under the umbrella of Igbo Elders Forum,
made up more of activists, prominent among them, a respected former Judge, and
President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Justice Eze Ozobu and Leader of the Movement for
the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph
Uwazurike, held court at the Enugu residence of the departed Dim Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

Regardless of the different venues and personalities at
the two separate meetings, the compelling reason for the august meeting was
central to the attraction It is the fate of Igbos living in the North. Since the
radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has made things hard for Nigeria with
ceaseless attacks, resulting in hundreds of deaths in the North southerners, in
particular, those from South-East, have been fleeing the North, especially Kano
in droves. With good news hard to come by which has kept many concerned families
awake at night about the safety of their loved ones domiciled in the North,
coupled with the changing tactics and targets of the militant group, made even
worse by government manifest feeble response, to the challenge, the Enugu
meetings were crucial. However, the two meetings were split on the best way
Ndigbo living in the North should follow: should they remain in the North
despite the obvious threats to their lives and investments there, or make a
quick return to their respective homes in the South-East? The communiqué from
the two meetings said it all.

The Uwazurike chaired meeting took a more
audacious, hard practical approach with strong moral declarations to Igbos
resident in the North: ‘send back home, your wives and children while the men
stay back to monitor your investments in the various states in the North. The
communiqué signed by Uwazurike said that the decision was carefully taken after
consultations with “our kinsmen at home”, after Igbos in the North have become
prime targets of the fundamentalist sect, in particular from the time the
organization issued the ultimatum late last year, ordering all southerners and
Christians living in the North to quit. Consequently, Igbos are the majority of
the victims of Boko Haram’s attacks. This includes the death toll in the
Christmas massacre of worshippers at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla in
Suleja, Niger State. In the face of this, the Igbo Elders’ Forum was
unmistakably clear in its message: “return now and remain at home and watch
events in the North”. However, my beef with the Uwazurike solution is that this
man might be using it to achieve political gains in future. Watch this man, he
is dangerous.

If the Uwazurike-led meeting sounded belligerent and
defiantly straightforward in its defined course of action, the other meeting –
the South-East Leaders – had the general public in mind and spirit without
taking its eyes off the plight of Igbos in the North, lest it will be accused of
insensitivity. Its communiqué was couched more in diplomatic language than the
reality on ground dictates. But reality bites. And in politics, timing is often
the message. According to the communiqué issued by the South-East Leaders, Igbos
should remain in the North, with an assurance that government is doing something
to return normalcy to the affected Northern states. The communiqué also said
that a committee has been set up to monitor events in the North and advise the
South-East Leaders accordingly.

Considering the composition of the
South-East Leaders meeting, it was not a surprise that they took a sit-in-the
pant approach. A clear declaration urging the Igbos in the North to leave
immediately would have meant that the country is at war, and a clear indictment
that the Jonathan presidency has failed to tackle the security challenge posed
by Boko Haram. But the reality of the situation is that the security agencies
have done a mediocre job in protecting the lives and property of the citizens,
including Christians, living in the North. Contrary to its assurances,
government has never been on “top of the situation”. It has always been on the
defensive, while sect remains on the offensive, while Boko Haram remains on the
offensive. No clear cut plans and strategies on how to decisively deal with the
sect members. We are daily been entertained with hallucinations, so much sound
and a fury, but no guts, no competence and clear direction of how to defeat Boko
Haram. In short, we are yet to see any compelling narrative about how to tackle
this subversive group.

With this kind of faultering touch and uncertainty
and deep well of anxiety, the question remains: Is it desirable and expedient
for Igbos, or indeed, southerners to remain in the troubled states of the North?
It sounds patriotic to wish for a common national purpose and unity. Life makes
meaning because you can restore anything you my have lost. But first, you must
be alive to have the chance of restoring those things you have lost. I am for
the indivisibility of Nigeria, but as Malcom X said, of what use is it to seek
the brotherhood of someone who does not want it. Let me define myself and where
I stand on this matter: I was born in Kano so also were all my seven siblings,
except our last born. Events are instructive only when they are looked back on.
I was few months old when the civil war broke out in 1967. From what I was told,
our father made quick arrangement to bring five of us back to the East, but
remained behind with my two elder brothers, to watch over our property located
at Aba Road Sabon Garri, Kano. But we lost all. Our father died later,
apparently because of the trauma.

Recalling these ugly events, years the
civil war had ended, the little I was told, rankles the mind. That is why I
think that Igbos who feel their lives, (not really property) are in danger
should come back. And this should not be interpreted to mean beating the war
drums or calling for separation. With the benefit of hindsight, this is the kind
of righteous fury which Ojukwu saw when he went to Aburi. As events in our
country today have vindicated Ojukwu he said at Aburi, “I did not go to Aburi as
an Easterner. “He went I came here, he said, as a Nigerian seeking a
satisfactory solution to a Nigerian problem. I (also) did not go to Aburi to
seek power for myself nor did I go there for a picnic. I went in order to save
Nigeria from disintegration”. He stated severally that no nation can be peaceful
amid deep-seated suspicion among its citizens. Either by lack of capacity by
government to deal with Boko Haram or the result of conspiracy to stabilize the
country, we are living dangerously. We have much to gain as one entity and so
much to lose in different entities, what do the citizens do when they no longer
feel government can provide that without that protection. The anguish of Mr.
Romanus Obiwuru, from Nnewi, Anambra reported by the Guardian of January 29,
mirrors the dilemma of Igbos caught in the maelstrom of Boko Haram. I feel the
pains of my kinsmen. I understand their motive for fleeing. He who “feels it
knows it.” If there is one lesson that the activities of Boko Haram teaches, it
is the fact that our unity has turned into a marriage of convenience, very
bristle and friable. Yet we are patching the holes.wp_posts

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Posted by admin on Feb 6 2012. Filed under Headlines, South-East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry