I wanted to begin this reflection from 1964. But I am compelled to do a brief flip-back, not to 1945, but to 1953. In that year (1953), the jeering received by Northern politicians in Lagos was visited on Ndigbo in what was to be known as “The Kano Riots of 1953”. The riots were organized by Malam Inua Wada, secretary of the Kano branch of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) and later Federal Minister of Works under Balewa.
Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, a staunch Action Group (AG) politician had planned to visit Kano and Malam Wada had prepared over 1,000 men to “show Akintola and his men what we can do in our land when they come…we are prepared to face anything that comes out of this business”.
On Saturday 16th May, 1953, despite the fact that Akintola’s visit to Kano was cancelled, the organized and armed crowd unleashed mayhem on Easterners, especially Ndigbo. Ndigbo endured the bloody massacre with stoic calmness in the name of “One Nigeria”. And we continued with business as usual.
Then came 11 years later, 1964. While our leaders were busy struggling over the food left on the fire by colonialists and as they cooked it with the colonial utensils, the NPC leaders were busy scheming a bigger attack. While our own Zik (of Africa!!! Imagine that! While Alaigbo suffered) was busy telling Ahmedu Bello (of Northern Nigeria): “Let us forget our differences”, Bello was seriously and factually reminding him: No! We cannot forget our differences. I am a Fulani man, you are an Igbo man. I am a Muslim, you are a Christian. We must recognize our differences” our leaders lived in delusion. It is either they did not see the handwriting on the wall, or they saw it and took it for granted or could not careless!!! Whichever one it is, we have a bigger mountain today to climb.
Before then in 1948, the same Ahmedu Bello had told anyone that care to listen that “since 1914, the British government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country. But the Nigerian people themselves are historically different, in their background, in their religious beliefs and customs, and do not show themselves any willingness to unite, Nigerian unity is really a British intention for the country”. Can you imagine? By this time, they are not aware of the plan of the British to make them heir apparent to “Nigeria’s Throne”. They only knew of the memo of Lord Loius Vernon Harcourt, Secretary of States for the Colonies and the one that Igwe-Ocha (Port Harcourt) was named after. In the memo of 1912 to the British government, Harcourt wrote: “we have released Northern Nigeria from the lending string of the treasury. The promising and the well-conducted youth is now on allowance on his own and is about to effect an alliance with a southern lady of means. I have issued the special license and Sir Frederick Lugard would perform the ceremony. May the union be fruitful and the couple content”, the Southern “Lady of means” was Southern Nigeria. Thus, the North was conceived as a “gold digger” on the rich South whose means (the oil, green vegetation, etc) is now in the hands of the north. And as it is in Islam, as a wife, the South is just expected to keep quiet and endure the rape, the ravaging and reading from her husband, the North!!!
In the myopic, ignorant and careless state of our leaders, the leaders of the North had the audacity, the temerity and the effrontery to put this in the manifesto of NPC for the 1964 General Elections: “Time has come. We must show these intellectual fools that we are only in the morning of our leadership of this country. Our only obstacle are the Ibos. They have overplayed their card, they will sink”. I guess the “intellectual fools” refers to people like Zik, Macualey, Aja Nwachukwu etc Aja Nwachukwu used to have the biggest personal library in West Africa and Tafewa Balewa used to refer to him as “Bookish” Minister recall that Nwachukwu had resigned as a member of the Balewa Cabinet, on grounds of principle on January 14, 1966 a (day before the Nzeogwu Coup), without even being aware that there will be a Coup. Didn’t our leaders read this? Is a party, manifesto a secret document? Did they think this was a joke? Or they didn’t bloody care if it happened? Or, perhaps, they were waiting for God to come down from heaven and call them for a meeting at Enugu, Aba, Calabar, or Uyo?
When Syria laid a siege on Samaria for 2 years (2kings 6 and 7), God too did nothing! He did nothing until 4 lepers, I mean abandoned and forgotten men, arose, took a step of faith and God now overtook them (7:5, 7) and scattered the camp. Those of us who say we are praying and refusing to do the needful after the prayer, would blame God for their inaction. Even the Bible urges us to “watch and pray”.
What I wanted to do was to give you a transcription of the sitting of Northern Regions parliament on March 17. 1964 where the pogrom that began on May 29, 1966 was hatched incubated and then executed. I will do it some other time because this piece is already too long for some of my readers.
But am just wondering, can’t we declare a “National Day of Endangered Specie Alert for Ndigbo Worldwide”, when Ndigbo all over the world would stay at home to alert the world that we are now endangered specie? On that day all those who have the ration of Igbo gene (gene-ration) would do a protest stay at home. The day would be advertized ahead of time to reduce the level of victimization because of Igbophobia. And on the Sunday following it, all churches in Igboland should also close in protest as families worship God in their homes for that day. All the Igbo living anywhere in the world should also stay at home to pray and worship at home. After this, one other Sunday would be selected when all churches in Alaigbo and all Christians of Igbo extraction would just offer worship to God.
After these, we should then set in motion a security network to stop Sanbalat and Tobias from stopping the Nehemiahs, Zerubabels and Ezras of Igboland from rebuilding our clime…
…The Flashback…Then came March 17, 1964…please stay tuned…!!!
Evang. Joseph N. Agbo, Ph.D.
