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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

IKEMBA: THE MAN WHO SAW TOMORROW

By Fr. Clement Muozoba Awka, Nigeria

Michel de Nostradame, otherwise known as Nostradamus, the man who saw tomorrow and his predictions are well known. He was said to have predicted many events that came to pass such as the World Wars I and II and the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. He was also believed to have predicted the end of the world this year, 2012. By these predictions of his, he is believed to have lived and died great. I don't wish to go into the authenticity or otherwise of his predictions. However, I believe in the age old saying that "Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness entrusted upon them". Nostradamus might not have been born great. His predictions might not be as a result of his personal achievement. It was believed that a greater being entrusted such greatness on him and that what he prophesied was through some divine machination.

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There was another man who saw tomorrow. He also lived and died great. His own greatness met the three categories of greatness. By the circumstances of his birth, he was the son of the first Nigerian millionaire, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu. By this fact of being born with a golden spoon in his mouth, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was born great. Then jettisoning his father's opulence and influence to join the Nigerian Army from the rank and file with his Masters degree obtained from the prestigious Oxford University, London and rose to the rank of colonel and later the Commander of the 5th Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Kano and then, the governor of the old Eastern Region, he achieved greatness. When his people were threatened with extinction, he bore their fate on his shoulders. To save them, he followed their mandate to declare the Independent Sovereign State of Biafra as the last resort and became the General of the Biafran Army. When the Federal Government of Nigeria led by General Yakubu Gowon declared a three-day police action on Ojukwu's new republic, he led his people to war and fought.

For three years, Ojukwu held on till it became clear that the Nigerian Army heavily backed by the British government with professionally trained Egyptian pilots providing aerial coverage would overwhelm Ojukwu's Biafra with its hurriedly assembled soldiers, he fled into exile in Ivory Coast where he was for 12 years. But his people never forgot him. When the government of President Shehu Shagari granted him a state pardon, he returned to his fatherland and was treated to a heroic welcome. That was back in 1982. He was given a litany of titles in appreciation of the leadership role he played during the war. He was recognized by all Igbos as the indisputable leader who could stand anytime and anywhere to speak for his people. His personality became iconic and he always showed that the canon in him had not been expended. Whenever his people were threatened, he roared and the aggressors retreated. He saved his people many times more. It's not every great man that is so recognized by his people. For one to be recognized as such speaks volumes. The Igbo is a race known to recognize no kings, hence the popular saying, "Igbo enwe eze". This means that an average Igbo man cannot just sit idly and submit his will to another man who feeds him in return and dictates for him. The Igbo man is industrious. But in spite of this popular conception, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was accepted as the Eze Igbo Gburugburu (The King of the Igbos Worldwide). He did not campaign for it. This is the greatness God and his people entrusted on him. In his characteristic way, Ojukwu rejected 'Chief' as a prefix to his title name for the reason that it is a homonym of 'thief'. He rather adopted 'Dim'.


It has not ceased to baffle me how the politics of crowning a new Eze Igbo Gburugburu even before the interment of Ojukwu suddenly erupted. This amounts to a total disrespect for the dead and lack of knowledge of the tradition of our people. It could be a part of what Ojukwu saw in his life time; that chiefs are fast degenerating to thieves. If anybody seeks to know why Ikemba is acknowledged as Eze Igbo, he definitely has to look back. He sacrificed everything he had for the Igbos. His millionaire father died shortly before the outbreak of the Nigeria-Biafran War partly because he failed to convince his son not to go to the war. Again, Ojukwu fought with his father's wealth and lost whatever remained of it to the Nigerian government. It took him series of legal battles to reclaim some of his father's property.

Ikemba was seen from different perspectives. Some called him a rebel; others called him a revolutionary while others called him a hero. Some even called him a villain. But to the Igbo man, he was a hero. Even during the heated 2010 Anambra Gubernatorial Election campaigns, none of the aspirants on the opposition had the courage to make any negative comment publicly about Ikemba. Any person who would try that would have been quite certain of losing the election before it was conducted. Gov. Peter Obi, who was very wise to cling to Ikemba as his mentor and founder of APGA, rode on his back and won the election landslide. Ikemba was a god in Igbo land.

Whatever happens in Nigeria today reminds us of what Ikemba stood for. The ethnic cracks in the walls that make up Nigeria shows that Ikemba did not hate Nigeria. He loved Nigeria and wanted the best for it. That was why he was not a part of the January 15, 1966 Coup which was largely misunderstood to be an Igbo coup. When Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi was killed in the counter-coup of July 29, 1966, Ikemba insisted that the most senior army officer, Brigadier B. A. O. Ogundipe was to become the head of state and not Colonel Yakubu Gowon. Though his position was subverted and Gowon became the head of state, Ojukwu showed himself as a man of principle and intelligence. These sharp contrasts between him and Gowon, his course mate seem to be the genesis of their problem. The greatest tribute Gowon paid to Ojukwu at his death was that he is happy Ojukwu died a Nigerian. Many Igbos felt so much insulted by that sarcasm and battered Gowon in both electronic and print media. Those who know Gowon just stopped with the simple comment that he could not be wiser than that which he vomited.

When Gen. Ankrah of Ghana summoned a peace conference in Aburi, Ghana to seek a solution to the looming war in 1967, it was agreed that the best system of government for Nigeria due to its peculiar nature would be a loose confederation. But back home in Nigeria, different interpretations were given to it especially when the import of being a confederation was explained to Gowon. He rejected the whole Aburi Peace Accord whereas Ojukwu stood by the agreement firmly, punctuating his speech with the words, "On Aburi we stand!" Gowon went on the offensive and Ikemba defended his people. There was an unprecedented genocide on the Igbos. Today, Gowon's home state of Plateau has been reduced to a theatre of war between the Hausa/Fulani (settlers) and the Berom indigenes. Can Gowon still thump his chest for being used to prosecute the war to keep Nigeria one?

The Boko Haram Islamic sect has asked all the southerners in the north and the northerners in the south to leave for their various states immediately. The devilish Islamic sect had gone on killing spree in which thousands have lost their lives and many more maimed. This is because they never believed in One Nigeria in which a northerner is not the ruler and in which the Sharia is not the supreme rule in spite of the freedom of religion and worship enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. Everybody watches as Nigeria collapses under the intense pressure from Boko Haram. Can people like Gowon still 'go on with one Nigeria'? This is what the rare breed, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu saw many years ago and was criticized as ambitious. In the words of Shakespeare, "Ambition should be made of sterner stuff". It was at his death that Nigeria recognized that what he saw and canvassed for years ago is a fact and that "divided we stand". Even if the country is not completely divided as being pushed by Boko Haram, it is time to sit together and discuss the bases of our existence, co-existence and survival as a country, and may be, correct the Lugard mistake of 1914. Never had we talked about these and that is why we have been groping in the dark.

It is not a surprise that the Great Ikemba will not be given a state burial. That is not even necessary because state burials don't define people. However that would have been fitting for him as the man who opened Nigeria's eyes to its problems. Be that as it may, the regional burial Ikemba will be given takes the place of a state burial. This is because the old eastern region was the area he ruled and where he is loved and idolized especially in the present south-east. He remains the indisputable leader of his people, greater than which none can be found for now. Though his vision of a weak centre was discarded, like Nostradamus, Ojukwu lived beyond his time and peers. See what a strong centre with weak federating units has done to Nigeria. Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Eze Igbo Gburugburu truly saw tomorrow. 

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THE IGBO RANT

I am an Igbo, I was born an Igbo, I live the life of an Igbo, I come from Igbo, I speak Igbo, I like to be Igbo, I like to dress in Igbo, I eat Igbo food, my heritage, culture and tradition is Igbo, my parents are Igbo.

Am sorry I cannot help it if you hate my lineage. Am sorry I cannot help it if you detest Igbo, am sorry I cannot help it if you hate me because am Igbo. Igbo is who I am, my name is Igbo and I must die an Igbo.

You see Igbo as a threat, why? You call Igbo rapist, criminals, ritualist, prostitutes, kidnappers. You attribute all negative vices to represent Igbo? Why do you do that? You do because you feel threatened that Igbo might outrun the rest of the tribes. Why do you hate Igbo and despise us? You do that because we are creative, enlightened, hardworking, industrious, genius, intelligent, smart, rich, beautiful and amazing. But its difficult for you to admit it because you feel jealous of my race.

Igbo do not own politics, Igbo do not control the economy neither do we control the natural resources and the common wealth of the nation. You do, we don't and yet, despite the fact that you own everything, we still remain one indispensable race that has outshined the other race in all ramifications.

You fear us because you want to exterminate and annihilate our race, you deny us many things and yet we are stronger, richer and mightier. You fear us because we are everywhere. You fear us because no matter how rural a place might be, when Igbo steps in, they turn it into a Paradise. We have our own resources, which lies in resourcefulness, we do not bother you and your control over the polity, but yet when we cough you and the other race begin to shiver.

Am proud being an Igbo, am proud of my heritage and culture. Igbo means high class, Igbo means independence, Igbo means hard work and strength, Igbo means riches, Igbo means resourcefulness, Igbo means self belonging, Igbo means self esteem, Igbo means pride, Igbo means swag.

Udo diri unu umunnem.
# IgboAmaka
# AnyiBuNdiMmeri

Michael Ezeaka
------------------------------

This is beautiful poetry ...

In response to Alaba Ajibola, the Babcock Lecturer Hate Speech against Igbos.

BIBLICAL TRADITIONS OF NDI IGBO BEFORE THE MISSIONARIES CAME TO AFRICA* IGBO 101.

1. NSÓ NWANYĮ
In Igboland women live apart from their husbands and neither cook for them nor enter their husband's quarters when they are in their period. They are seen as unclean. Even up till today such practice is still applicable in some parts of Igboland especially by the traditionalists. Before a woman can enter the palace of Obi of Onitsha, she will be asked if she is in her period, if yes, she will be asked to stay out.

Leviticus 15: 19-20
When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean, anyone who touches her or anything she has sat on becomes unclean.

2. ANA OBI
An Igbo man's ancestral heritage, called “Ana Obi” is not sellable, elders will not permit this. If this is somehow done due to the influence of the West the person is considered a fool and is ostracized by the community.

1 Kings 21:3
I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors, and the Lord forbid that I should sell it, said Naboth.

3. IKUCHI NWANYĮ
Igbos have practiced the taking of a late brother's wife into marriage after she had been widowed until the white men came. Now it is rarely done but except in very rural villages.

Deuteronomy 25:5
A widow of a dead man is not to be married outside the family; it is the duty of the dead man's brother to marry her.

4. ĮGBA ODIBO
In Igboland, there is a unique form of apprenticeship in which either a male family member or a community member will spend six (6) years (usually in their teens to their adulthood) working for another family. And on the seventh year, the head of the host household, who is usually the older man who brought the apprentice into his household, will establish (Igbo: idu uno) the apprentice
by either setting up a business for him or giving money or tools by which to make a living.

Exodus 21:2
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you for six years. In the seventh year he is to be set free without having to pay you anything.

5. IRI JI OFŲŲ
In Igboland , the yam is very important as it is their staple crop. There are celebrations such as the New yam festival (Igbo: Iri Ji) which are held for the harvesting of the yam. New Yam festival (Igbo: Iri ji) is celebrated annually to secure a good harvest of the staple crop. In the olden days it is an abomination for one to eat a new harvest before the festival. It's a tradition that you give the gods of the land first as a thanksgiving.

Deuteronomy 16:9
Count 7 weeks from the time that you begin to harvest the crops, and celebrate the harvest festival to honor the lord your God, by bringing him a freewill offering in proportion to the blessing he has given you. Celebrate in the Lord's presence together with your children, servants, foreigners. Be sure that you obey my command, said the Lord.

6. IBE UGWU
In Igboland it's a tradition that the male children are circumcised on the 8th day. This tradition is still practiced till date.

Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised.

7. ÓMŲGWÓ
In Igboland, there is a practice known as "ile omugwo ". After a woman has given birth to a child, a very close and experienced relative of hers, in most cases her mother is required by tradition to come spend time with her and her husband. During which she is to do all the work of the wife, while the new mom's only assignment to the baby will be to breastfeed. This goes on for a month or more. In the Igbo old tradition, at this time, the new mom lives apart from her husband, would not cook or enter his quarters.

Leviticus 12:1-4
For seven days after a woman gives birth, she is ritually unclean as she is during her monthly period. It will be 33 days until she is ritually clean from the loss of blood; she is not to touch anything that is holy.

THE IGBO TRIBE AND ITS FEAR OF EXTINCTION

The Igbo tribe is in a serious problem and danger of extinction for the following reasons:

50% of Igbos are born outside Igbo land. Meaning that those children are not likely to live and work in Igbo land and cannot speak Igbo language but foreign language (Yoruba, Hausa, French, English).

40% of Igbos girls between the age of 25 & 45 are single with no hope of marriage because 35% of Igbo boys live overseas and they have all married white ladies.

75% of Igbo youths leave Igbo land every year in search of opportunities in Yoruba, Hausa land or overseas.

85 % of Igbos have family houses and own investments outside Igbo land. They strongly believe in one Nigeria but failed to know that NO Yoruba or Hausa man has a family house or investment in Igbo land.

Igbos are the only people who believe that living outside their land is an achievement.

Igbos are the only tribe that celebrate their tradition outside their land e.g. Eze Ndi Igbo, Igbo Village in America and this is because they have family homes in foreign lands.

Igbos have failed to know that the children you have outside Igbo land especially overseas will never think of living in Igbo land. So what happens to the properties you are building for them when you are gone?

Igbos are the only tribe who see their land as a place to visit or a tourist site than a place to work and live.

Igbos are the only tribe who instead of promoting and appreciating their culture through movies and documentaries they have sought to ridicule it by portraying rituals, killings, wickedness, love for money and other social vices which were not originally inherent in our culture thereby cursing more harm than actually promoting their culture.

Igbos are the only people who without hesitation believe their history and description when it is told or written by an enemy or a foreigner. E.g. that you do not love yourselves or that you love money.

Igbos are the ONLY largest tribe on earth who fought for their independence and failed to achieve their freedom after 40 years.

Igbos are the only tribe who fails to honour their brave heroes and heroines especially the innocent children starved to death during the Biafran war.

Igbos are the only tribe who embraced their enemy after a bloody civil war and subsequently become slaves.

Igbos do not find it necessary to teach their own version of history to their children.

Igbos fight for marginalisation in Nigeria but has no collective strength or teeth to bite.

Igbos how long are you going to fight for your relevance in Nigeria?

How long are you going to fight for a functional airport, rail networks and other structural establishments that underpin sustainable development?

How long are you prepared to wait for your enemy to guide you to your destiny?

Oh Igbos!
Where are your leaders?

Unfortunately, none of them live and work in Igbo land. If you wish to save the future of your children, your identity, your generation and your race then you need freedom and that freedom is Biafra.

Ukpana Okpoko gburu bu nti chiri ya!

By Chime Eze
#COPIED

The Igbo: We die for causes, not for personalities

Written by Emeka Maduewesi

~on fb. 28th September, 2016.


The Igbo will never die for anyone. We will not even riot for anyone. But the Igbo will die for any cause they believe in because the Igbo have a true sense of justice and a determination to obtain it.


The Igbo will not riot because one of their own lost an election. Operation Wetie was the Western response to a massively rigged 1965 election. The Yoruba doused fellow Yorubas in petrol and burnt them alife. Properties were burnt with occupants. The Igbo will never do this.


In 1983, the Yoruba went on a rampage again over the massive rigging by NPN. Lifes were lost and properties destroyed. The riots were over personalities.


Contrast that with Anambra State where Chief Emeka Ojukwu was rigged out by his own NPN, who also rigged out Chief Jim Nwobodo. The Igbo did not protest because the goat's head is still in the goat's bag.


In the North, ba muso was the battle cry when Sultan Dasuki was imposed on the Sokoto Caliphate. The riot and protest lasted for days and crippled economic activities.


The Igbo will riot over issues and causes. The Aba Women Riot was over Tax. The Enugu coal mine riot was about conditions of service. The Ekumeku Uprising was over British colonialization.


Those of "Ekumeku" ancestry - Umu Eze Chima and Umu Nri - were at the forefront of the struggles for Nigerian independence, with people like Dr. A A Nwafor Orizu and Chief Osita Agwuna serving prison terms. Any struggles the parents could not conclude is continued by the children by other means.


The Biafran war was a response to the genocide. The war in fact was brought upon us. The battlefield was Eastern Region. The war ended in 1970 but the issues and causes were not resolved. That is where we are today.


The Igbo will also jointly rise to fight evil in their midst. They did it in Onitsha in the 1980's, Owerri in the 90's, and with Bakkassi in the 2000.


The Igbo will not die for any man. But the Igbo will stand by any man who symbolizes their cause and their pursuit of justice. Even if the man dies, the struggle continues, and like the Ekumeku warriors, the children will pick up the baton from their parents.


This is the Igbo I know, the Igbo I am, and the Igbo we are. This is my story. Feel free to tell yours.

RT. HON. DR. NNAMDI AZIKIWE TO DR. CHUBA OKADIGBO (1981)

"My boy, may you live to your full potential, ascend to a dizzy height as is possible for anyone of your political description in your era to rise. May you be acknowledged world-wide as you rise as an eagle atop trees, float among the clouds, preside over the affairs of fellow men.... as leaders of all countries pour into Nigeria to breathe into her ear.

But then, Chuba, if it is not the tradition of our people that elders are roundly insulted by young men of the world, as you have unjustly done to me, may your reign come to an abrupt and shattering close. As you look ahead, Chuba, as you see the horizon, dedicating a great marble palace that is the envy of the world, toasted by the most powerful men in the land, may the great big hand snatch it away from you. Just as you look forward to hosting the world’s most powerful leader and shaking his hands, as you begin to smell the recognition and leadership of the Igbo people, may the crown fall off your head and your political head fall off your shoulders.

None of my words will come to pass, Chuba, until you have risen to the very height of your power and glory and health, but then you will be hounded and humiliated and disgraced out of office, your credibility and your name in tatters forever...”
THE REST IS HISTORY AS EVERY WORD OF THE CURSE ON CHUBA CAME TO PASS.

LET'S BE AS PASSIONATE AS WE WANT TO AND BE MODERATE IN OUR CONTRIBUTIONS IN PUBLIC DISCUSSION TO ISSUES AS WORDS OF OUR ELDERS ARE WORDS OF WISDOM

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