By Mazi Omife I Omife, MON
I deeply believe in Igbo cause and will die believing in Igbo cause.
It was my belief in Igbo cause that spurred me to embark on annual documentary titled 100 FASCINATING IGBOS in the 90s.
I embarked on the project at a time when successful young Igbo entrepreneurs came under heavy criticism from some people from other tribes who accused them of making money through drug pushing and other criminal ventures.
In response, I commenced the annual publication during which period I packaged over one million young Igbo millionaires with outstanding achievements in various walks of life and their respective businesses to prove that they made their money through dint of hard work for which Igbos are known and not through dirty jobs.
I also made sure the books were widely circulated to most National and State libraries and universities.
This is why I was shocked to the marrow by Arthur Eze’s recent statement that Peter Obi should shelf his presidential ambition. I also believe the statement did not go down well with other Igbos.
Please let this stop.
Prince. Arthur Eze is one Igbo man I have great respect for from many years back.
He is a man with a big heart.
I have always believed that he believes in Igbo cause.
I was shocked by Dr. Arthur Eze’s statement because I believe that he is one of the people that should champion the Igbo cause and not to stand against it.
I love and respect Prince. Arthur Eze so much and believe that he should be the one to rally Igbos together for any Igbo presidential candidate particularly Peter Obi who has nationwide acceptability.
I recall at a time when I noticed that Prince Arthur Eze’s contemporaries across Nigeria had been conferred with the Nigerian national honours award, my company was the one that nominated him.
At that time, I didn’t have much information about him, so I approached Rt. Rev Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, the then Anglican Bishop, now Archbishop of Enugu Diocese and Dr. Chike Obidigbo of Hardis and Dromedas, from whom I got sufficient credentials to support his nomination. The nomination went through and he got the national honours award.
It is doubtful that Arthur Eze is aware of this fact to date. But all I did was in the spirit of Igbo nationalism. But his nephew, Prince Hon. Okey Eze is aware. I did the same thing for so many other Igbos. I believe that Igbos should promote their brothers and sisters and not run them down.
I am not in Peter Obi’s camp though. My camp is with Professor Peter Umeadi, APGA presidential candidate. Ask me why.
At the onset when politicians from other ethnic nationalities were declaring for the presidential race, only Professor Peter Umeadi in the entire Igbo land mustered the courage to declare his interest. And that was why the Association of South East Past Presidents-General with membership of about 4,635 drawn from all the communities in Igbo land and with me as National President gave a public endorsement of Professor Umeadi, before the emergence of Peter Obi and other Igbos in the presidential race.
The same applies to Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa. When the Southern governors reportedly reached an agreement that the presidency must come from the South in 2023 and that no Southerner should accept the position of Vice-presidential candidate, our association criticized Okowa for accepting the PDP vice president slot.
But when some people said that Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is not an Igbo man, I came out in his defence to say it is a capital lie, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is a full-fledged Igbo. I even published a brochure titled, Letter To Ndigbo, to defend my position.
What endeared Ifeanyi Okowa to me was his action at a time a group of Igbos declared a sit-at-home in Igbo land as a remembrance day for Igbos who died during the Biafra war. All the South East governors were against the order.
It was Ifeanyi Okowa who said that he himself lost many relatives and kinsmen in the war and that his administration was in support of the remembrance day.
It was after Okowa’s statement that the South East governors followed suit and that was how the remembrance day event was held throughout Igbo speaking areas of Nigeria.
So, Arthur Eze asking Peter Obi to wait for another time, I ask:
Is there any particular time meant for politicians to win elections?
Do politicians keep promises and agreements?
Must a presidential candidate win at the center to achieve political gain for his people?
When Zik contested the presidential election in 1979 under NPP, was it not only three states that he won – Plateau and the two Igbo States then, Anambra and Imo States?
Zik was not so daft not to know that he was not going to win the presidency. But he went into the race in the interest of Igbos. And no single Igbo man or woman criticized him the way some of us are criticizing Peter Obi today.
Does it mean that Igbos were more intelligent and united then than today?
After the election, Zik used the three NPP states to reach an accord with the ruling NPN and through the accord, Igbos got the position of Speaker of House of Reps in the person of Edwin Umezeoke and Minister for Sports, in the person of Paulinus Amadike, Minister for Education in the person of Dr. Ihechukwu Madubuike among other juicy positions in the Federal government.
Had Zik not contested for the presidency, Igbos would have got no say in the Federal government.
To cut a long story short, Igbos say that nkem bu nkem, mana nke anyi bu nke anyi. Igbos should start supporting their own.
Mazi Omife I Omife MON
(Mbuze Mbaukwu)
[email protected]
