Although I am a Biafran, let me tell you why I don’t want a war with Nigeria. It’s simple. I’ve taken a deep look at myself, and I know I’m better than the average Nigerian. In fact, I’m better than every one of my oppressors. My condition is better than even those who are well represented in the Nigerian government.
I am more educated than the average Nigerian. The late Professor Shotimehin once said that the Yoruba’s claim to be the most educated ethnic group in Nigeria is only true in their newspapers.
In 1967, my father’s garment factory in Aba was turned into the Biafran Uniform Making Industry. After the war, the Nigerian military took all his machines. He had no money to start again. But he wrote letters to his overseas partners and secured a franchise to market sewing machines. To cut a long story short, not only did he rebuild one of Nigeria’s largest private garment mills, but he also succeeded in importing stockfish, used clothing (popularly called okrika), and more. He passed away fulfilled a few years ago. I know countless stories of garment makers and traders who were driven out of Port Harcourt and resettled in Aba after the war.
I am a true son of my father. I am Igbo, and I know what we have achieved in the last 50 years. Despite being “marginalized,” we have amassed enough wealth to be considered the richest tribe per capita in the world by The Economist. Not just Africa or Nigeria—the entire world! Nwanne!
Recently, a CNN Business investigation revealed that what the Igbos are doing at Alaba International Market is second only to Silicon Valley. A wise person knows their strength. The Bible says, “Man, know thyself.” Do we even know who we are? Have we truly evaluated our collective strength and passion as a people? Are we really good negotiators?
In the 1950s, while Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo were having strategic meetings with their people, our own Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was busy dreaming about the United States of Africa, calling himself the “Zik of Africa.” Was that really good politics?
Did Zik make wise political choices when he sidelined K.O. Mbadiwe and made Michael Okpara the Premier of the Eastern Region? If Zik were a good politician, wouldn’t he have known that the role Green Mbadiwe played in his life in the 1940s was impossible without his nephew, Kingsley? Iro ulo di njo! The whole world feared Zik. He was a legend until Kingsley Mbadiwe unmasked him. But did Zik think deeply before making certain decisions?
In the morning of January 15, 1966, when it was clear that Sardauna of Sokoto and Samuel Akintola were killed, why didn’t the coupists eliminate M.I. Okpara? Why didn’t they remove Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus, who was visiting Enugu, to kill Francis Akanu Ibiam, the Governor?
Why did General Ironsi wait six months after taking office to punish the coupists? Shouldn’t he have acted sooner to show the Hausa-Fulani that the coup wasn’t sanctioned by their elders? Was that good politics?
And during the war, when Ukpabi Asika was appointed Administrator of East Central State, what legacies did he leave behind, aside from his anti-war proverb onye ube ruru oracha?
Think about Nnamdi Azikiwe’s businesses! African Continental Bank (ACB), which Zik founded, stood the test of time. Imagine what an Hausa-Fulani Central Bank governor could have done to help ACB during Charles Soludo’s recapitalization era. Was that a missed opportunity for the Igbo? Look at Daily Times, which Zik also set up—it was very successful. Would Zik have been a better businessman than a politician?
Now, what do we remember Orji Uzor Kalu, Sam Egwu, Achike Udenwa, Chimaroke Nnamani, and Chinwoke Mbadinuju for after they left office? Wouldn’t it have been better for Chimaroke, with his reputation as a skilled surgeon, to have returned home to build a top-notch pediatric and gynecological clinic instead of enduring accusations of murder and scandal?
I was in Warsaw, Poland, in 2014, when I found a document showing that Orji Uzor Kalu bought a large vessel in 1994, five years before becoming governor of Abia State. Imagine if he had stuck with business rather than chasing political power and landing in prison.
Umunnem, are we good at managing money or running governments?
Look at the political power Abia State had during President Obasanjo’s era with people like Prince Vincent Ogbulafor and Onyema Ugochukwu. Yet, despite these lofty positions, what did we accomplish for Abia? Ndigbo, we are not good politicians.
When President Yar’Adua passed and Goodluck Jonathan took over, he courted the Igbo by touching our “mumu button.” He cut “Ebelemi” from his name and added “Azikiwe,” and we fell for it.
In an article from May 31, 2021, Jonathan stated that the Niger Delta people would rather remain with Nigeria than join Biafra. Ndigbo, we don’t understand politics.
But we understand business! There is no venture we can’t master. Chukwu ji azum afia, we gozie Ndigbo.
My dear brother, the enemy wants to provoke us into burning police stations and stealing outdated AK-47s. They want to destroy the multi-billion-dollar Alaba, ASPANDA, Trade Fair, Idumota, and Olowu markets in Lagos.
I’ll tell you for free: 80% of the beautiful homes in Lekki are owned by UmuIgbo. Go to the markets in Kano or the hotels in Northern Nigeria—we dominate there too.
The young boys who were settled last Christmas have defied the pandemic and spread across the world, working hard to return to Igboland this December, ready to show they’ve “made it.”
They call us illiterate traders, but we become better business professors with fewer schools! Just ask Cosmas Maduka, who lectures at Lagos Business School.
Ndigbo, we are unstoppable!
As much as we desire a restructured, egalitarian society where all Nigerians are equal before the law, the easiest path is not through burning police stations or killing security agents.
Two weeks ago, I remembered the late highlife legend Oliver de Coque. His ogiriga songs reminded me of the 419 era, when Igbo boys went to Gaddafi in Libya to collect their money. Who else could pull that off if not the Igbo?
We’ve conquered every business challenge to meet our needs. Afia ntu is just one example.
I’m a sharp guy. I’m a businessman. Nigeria is too small a market for us!
UmuIgbo, don’t let them turn AlaIgbo into a battlefield. We cannot afford to start over again. This war will set us back 100 years.
The enemy has a target.
Copyright – ICI
Please, if anyone knows the author of this piece, share his contact. He’s a true Igbo intellectual who understands the game.
This piece captures my thoughts. We stand to lose much more than we can gain from another war.
A word is enough for the wise.
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