Tinubu, Nigeria And Igbo Glitch (2)

Do not forget quickly that we started this conversation by arguing with facts that the Great Zik of Africa and Nigeria’s all time legendary political evangelist, was the most beautiful, attractive and colorful political machine ever manufactured by the Igbo country and by extension, Nigeria.

Even Zik himself confirmed this fact when he said “I am the most beautiful pride in Nigerian politics”.

All the stabilizing factors that essentially fabricated as well as coupled Nigeria to be one today were manufactured and calibrated by Zik.

Number one, both Awo and Ahmed Bello, in 1945, moved for Nigeria being divided into three separate parts with Lagos the only holding link. Zik opposed it on the reason that it would galvanize Nigerians into provincialism. Thereafter, he coined the slogan “One Nigeria”.

Thus in the 1949 All Parties Conference in Ibadan, Zik’s NCNC submitted a minority report on why Nigeria should remain one big family with a central capital in Lagos rather operating from the frame of regions, while Awo and Bello strongly appealed for regionalism.

Yet, retired General Yakubu Gowon led Nigeria to a civil war on the basis of “To keep Nigeria one is an absolute necessity” even when the largely Igbo dominated Biafra eventually wanted its own region as proposed by Awo and Bello in 1945/49.

And since then, Nigeria has maintained one unitary government and command regardless of the fact that an Igbo head of state, General Aguiyi Ironsi brutally lost his life in pursuance to unifying Nigeria – a course Zik gallantly supported but was generously pushed for by Awo and Bello.

The question now is, between Zik on one hand, and Awo with Bello on the other hand, who was right?

Two, in 1953, Bello had completed arrangement to pull the North out of Nigeria. Preparations were in high gear and Bello’s threat was known all over the country. His grouse was, the south was too fast developing for the North to catch up with. It was Zik who used personal diplomacy to convince Bello that “The Unity of Nigeria was greater than any group or person”. Bello lowered his guard and came to back to the house, once more.

Three, and the most monstrous, was in 1954 when the visionary Awo insisted that provision should be made in the 1954 Constitution to the effect that “any region that felt like seceding should be allowed to go”. Zik forcefully stood against it, insisting that “Once we are a federation we are indivisible and perpetual”.

That was when Nigerian leaders began using the arbitrary expression “The indivisibility and perpetuity of the federation”. It was a heated session during the 1954 constitution. The colonial office, through Lord Chandos, threw its weight behind Zik and secession was never a part of the constitution.

Hence, neither Issac Boro, Ojukwu nor Uwazuruike, not even Nnamdi Kanu, coould get away with his secession bid. It was Zik who killed it.

All the above accounts could be found in an interview Zik granted to the defunct New Nigerian newspapers in 1979 and reproduced by the book, ELECTIONS 1979, pages 162 and 163. It was a Daily Times publication, edited by Dr William Graf, Department of Political Science, University of Benin.

Two more issues on Zik before the President Tinubu factor. In 1951, it was reported that Zik nursed the suicidal even vaulting ambition of emerging the head of government business in Western Nigeria.

Therefore, rather than contesting the premiership election in Enugu, he journeyed all the way to Ibadan, to challenge, Awo, probably to prove he was the Great Zik. His party NCNC won majority of the assembly seats against Awo’s AG.

On the day of the swearing in, Awo lobbied most of the NCNC members and they dumped Zik for Awo and his Action Group. Zik who never forgave Awo (just as the Igbo, Yoruba disunity fully came into play as Awo dealt with Ndigbo during the war by recommending “starvation as a vital instrument of war strategy” against Ndigbo. Ndigbo replied by stoning Awo and his campaign team in Aba in 1979), rushed to Enugu where Prof Eyo Ita was cruising on the high plane, almost on the verge of becoming the Eastern Region premier, sacked the Efik first Nigerian Professor of Political Science and installed Okpara.

In a way, Zik chronically, out of anger, bitterness and frustration, repeated the horrendous ill treatment meted out to him in the West, on the Eastern Minorities now comprising Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

With that, the raging South East and South – South (excluding Delta and Edo states) was made manifest. This was why both Cross River and Rivers never voted for Zik’s NPP in 1979/83 as they went the way of NPN. (Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states were not created then).

Going into independence, Awo, before the December 12, 1959 General Elections supervised by the colonial masters, reckoned on Zik to form the government with him. Obviously recalling Awo’s Action Group members’ unmitigated cross carpeting brutality of 1951, decided to toe the path of Bello who, in spite of his deep rooted animosity against the Igbo, inclined to fly and work with Zik than Awo.

The Yoruba leader and builder who established the first radio, television stations and first modern stadium in Nigeria, was outrageously bitter against Zik. He felt embarrassed and insulted but managed to balm his wounds with soothing courage and soldiered on.

Here, we have established why Awo was too harsh on Zik in his book – Zik argued in favour of One Nigeria rather than regionalism, and embraced Bello’s Northern People’s Congress, NPC, instead of Awo’s AG. We have equally traced Ojukwu’s anger against Zik- his failure to allow the word secession to be inserted into the constitution ( there were two other reasons you will understand in the next edition).

And since The Guardian managers at 2003/5 were mostly drawn from Awo’s South West when its THE WHOLE TRUTH was published just as Ray Ekpu from former Cross River State was the editor of Newswatch magazine when Newswatch BEST hit the market, you may understand why Zik’s sentiments never mattered to any of them.

Although both The Guardian and Newswatch did beautiful cover stories when Zik turned 90 and when he died two years after, they still have questions to answer.

In the next article which may likely be the last in the series, we shall objectively make an inquest, revealing with historical facts the questions of (1) Some Igbo’s claim of Zik never did anything for them. (2) Zik never supported Ojukwu during the war (3) Zik’s political master plan Tinubu borrowed and improved on that made him the president (the February 25, 2023 huge electoral fraud not withstanding) and (4) what Ndigbo should do to avoid this continued super political glitch. Keep on reading!!

By Ori Martins