He said they should stop insulting the Igbo “when we have many good presidential materials from the South-East geo-political zone. For the Igbo to clinch the Presidency in 2015, there are certain things that must be put in place without which it will be a pipe dream.
One, the Igbo must be united. Number two, we must know what the Presidency is thinking: whether President Goodluck Jonathan has made a statement as to whether he wants to run in 2015 or not. You know you cannot underrate the power of incumbency. And if he is running, then the whole thing takes a different posture. I do not think that if he eventually decides to run again in 2015 that the Igbo would want to come out and oppose him in that respect. So, it should be known whether the seat is going to be vacant for new entrants or whether it is going to be somebody continuing from where he stopped.
But supposing that he says he is not going to run, then, of
course, there are many Igbo, who are potentially good presidential materials
and it doesn’t require rocket science to comb them out. They will come out.
There are many of them. I can even begin to mention names but may be, it is too
premature to mention names and, even now, you are focusing your mind on some of
them in your search and thinking of the matter.
It does not take miracle. First of all, the Igbo must be united.
They must know under what umbrella they are going to seek the Presidency of
this country. The other members of the Nigerian populace are of course very
important. If they are sympathetic towards the Igbo’s aspiration, it will make
it feasible, possible and achievable. But if they vehemently oppose it, the
task will become more difficult and the achievement will become tedious. But as
for the desire, or having made a case that the Igbo should produce the next
President after Goodluck Jonathan, there is no doubt about it.
The Igbo are very well decided on that and very well determined to
work for it. Some other ethnic groups are said to be afraid that if an Igbo man
is allowed to become the President of Nigeria that he might divide the country
into independent segments. How do you react to that? Whoever is saying that is
simply playing mischief.
Who are the people now fighting the division of this country? Is
it the Igbo? Are the Igbo the people championing Boko Haram? Are the Igbo the
people clamoring for Islamic State? Are the Igbo the people championing Oduduwa
State ? This is a wrong accusation, mischievous accusation, uncomplimentary
accusation. The Igbo certainly are not that way inclined.
They (the Igbo) have invested in Nigeria more than any other
ethnic group, the Hausas, the Yorubas, the Ijaws, the Ibibios, name them. So,
it is a mischievous accusation. If the country will be divided, forces that
will divide it will make it divide. Don’t blame it on the Igbo. This is an
extension of a mischievous thinking, wrong thinking that the Igbo wanted to
divide this country to carve out the sovereign State of Biafra .
That is a wrong interpretation of the events of 1965, 66, 67,
wrong interpretation because Igbo were hounded and killed in every part of the
country and they decided and said, okay since we have been chased from every
part of the country, let us go to our home land and look after ourselves. And
the war was declared against the Igbo. So, the accusation is a continuation of
wrong thoughts that the Igbo wanted to divide the country. The Igbo never
wanted to divide the country.
And it is high time this thing was made as clear as possible to
the rest of the population, anybody who cares to listen. Some other people are
also of the opinion that the Igbo, because of love of money, can sell the
Presidency to other ethnic groups if given the chance. Are you of the same
opinion, Sir? I don’t know where you get these mischievous views and opinions
about the Igbo. Who are the wealthiest people in this country today? They are
not Igbo. Count the wealthy people in Nigeria ; they are the Yorubas, the
Hausas or Fulanis.
The Igbo do individual lone range struggling. And when they
struggle people say they love money. It is not true. Have you ever seen a
Yoruba person, Hausa person, Jukun person or Ibibio person who goes to throw
his money into the River Niger or into the Ocean? Have you seen one? Talking
about the mischievous stealing in this country, how many of them were done by
the Igbo? You read papers.
How many Igbo are involved in dirty dealings, money laundering and
cheating? They are not many. The Igbo are just people who struggle from sun up
to sun down for their daily bread. And people say they love money. Tell me the
other Nigerian who will come and give you scholarship, give scholarship to your
children and take your responsibilities.
They must stop that insult on the Igbo.
Source: Sun
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