By Abuchi Obiora
This week’s discourse will look at the originating history of the contributions of Nigerians of the Igbo ethnic nationality in Diaspora to the struggle of the Igbos for political independence and self-rule. I shall do this also considering the expectations of the Igbos from a Nigerian-born American Economist, Consultant to International Corporations, Industrialist, Businessman, Politician, and most importantly, a member of crème de la crème in American politics who will soon make history in America for Nigeria and add to the laurels already in the kitty of Igbos of Nigeria in Diaspora. I am talking about E.E. Okpa Jr. who presently seems to be the most visible Igbo man, nay Nigerian in the politics of the United States of America.
It is no longer news that the Nigerian-born American citizen by choice, E.E. Okpa Jr., born of an Igbo royal parentage in the South Eastern part of Nigeria, is contesting for a United States Congressional District #32 election on 1st march 2022. What will be a novel and legendary news in the annals of the United States Congressional election come March 2nd,2022 is that a Nigeria-born American by choice who left the comfort of his father’s royalty, not entering the U.S as either an economic or political refuge, has won in the polls and become a U.S Congressman after quietly taking time to prepare himself for that esteemed office.
Before we look at the opportunities that will be thrown up for both Nigeria and the Igbo nation by this happenstance when it does take place, let us first go down the history lane to give credit to another pathfinder in Igbo nationalism who lived more than one hundred and fifty years ago.
The history of Igbo nationalism started 39yrs earlier than the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates of the Niger area with the colony of Lagos to contrapt what Ms. Henshaw, girlfriend to Lord Fredrick Lugard called Nigeria. This history started with a son of former re-captive Igbo parents called James Africanus Beale Horton (1835-1883). This Igbo son proposed a modern independent nation of the Igbos in 1865 when he published a work titled “The Empire of the Eboes/ Hackbous/Heebos/Iboes/Igboes/Egboes with the Requirements Necessary for Establishing that Self-Government Recommended by the Committee of the House of Commons, 1865; and a Vindication of the African Race”.
It is widely believed within the ranks of historians of Igbo nationalism who trace the cradle of Igbo civilization down to the exilic period of Israel, that the visionary patriotic, and erudite personality, in concert with other Igbo ex-slaves, their friends and colleagues, had mounted pressure on the British House of Commons and secured independence for the Igbo nation. While the British government, in its long preparation to amalgamate other neighbours of the Igbos with the Igbos to secure its selfish private business interest, the man went to the streets publishing what they had agreed with the British government and expected the British government to do. The onus of proof against this position of historians of Igbo nation including me lies on the present British government whose agents during the period may have destroyed all vestiges and records of the quest for Igbo nation kept by the curators in the British parliamentary archives.
In that report, Mr. Beale (‘Biale’ means ‘Come and See’ in Igbo language) sought for an independent Igbo Nation with a self-government, National Army, currency and other paraphernalia of a nation state. He anchored his argument on the viability and sustainability of such an Igbo nation, pointing to a research he completed which proves, in his own words that ,” the Igbo race was the most emulative, intelligent and adaptive race in West Africa, and with modern support they will vindicate the black race”. These words are still valid today in 2022, exactly 157 years later after they were said in 1865.
Mr. Beale (James was his Christian baptismal name and Horton was the Slave Master’s name which they needed to carry for identification, while ‘Africanus’ was to locate the slave’s continent of origin) who also researched and found out that the Igbos were Jewish immigrants to Nigeria, was born in the British Colony of Sierra Leone to parents who were former re-captive Igbo slaves. He lived in Gloucester until 1847 when he moved to Freetown where he attended the CMS (Church Missionary Society) School and later transfered to the prestigious Fourah Bay College 1853 where he has trained for a Ministry in the Church of ENGLAND, Anglican Communion. Being a very bright man, he was selected two years later by the British government to study Medicine in preparation for a Medical Career in the British Royal Army. This move put a hold to his Christian Ministerial Career as he was sent to Kings College in London for three years, and then to Edinburgh University for a fourth year where he earned an MD in Medicine.
Dr. Beale was commissioned and sent back to West Africa in 1859 and later was promoted to the exclusive army rank of Surgeon-Major in the British Army. He retired at the age of 45 and returned to Freetown where he championed the course of Independence of African countries giving more attention to the realization of an Igbo nation. He died in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1883.
I have taken time to recount part of the story of a patriotic Igbo son in Diaspora to show that much of the assistance in the realization of political independent of any people under a certain subjugation may be enlisted beyond the shores of the land of oppression. In this regard, there are so many, many Igbo sons and daughter in the Diaspora whose visibilities in the international politics, industry and commerce, shall assist the realization of the nation state of Igbos. We shall have time to say something about these gentlemen and noble ladies in the future works of the Kaleidoscope.
This week, we will say something about E.E. Okpa Jr. and the good prospects and expectations of the Igbos, Nigerians and Africans from him when he attains the esteemed office of a United States Congressman. We will do this by looking at his antecedents to advance the course of the Igbos and Africans and hence the need to quickly give him massive Igbo and African support in his present quest to became a U.S. Congressman.
To start with, a proverb in Hausa language says that “Nasu nasu, kukuma namu namu”. This proverb means “Our own is our own but my own is my own”. Ms. Annko Briggs, an activist of the Niger Delta agitation for resource control born of a Nigeria father and a British mother said in a national discourse that she first remains an Ijaw woman before being a Nigerian, insisting that she cannot trade away or sacrifice her Ijaw nationality on the uncertain platter of Nigeria, her country.
As a matter of fact, there is nothing wrong in protecting our individual identities to be able to strengthen our common identity. This is the way it ought to be. This is the way it is done the world over. Charity, they say, begins at home.
This discourse is addressed to Igbos who may be found anywhere and everywhere in the world and to Nigeria and Africans. I first say Igbos because is from amongst them that both E.E. Okpa Jr. (whose high visibility in the international community is being discussed here) and myself, derive our ancestral origin.
It is said in Igbo language, “Igbo enwe Eze”. When translated to the English language, this dictum means “Igbos have no King”. Very unwisely, this dictum has taken negative connotations amongst the Igbos wherefore some Igbos, not respecting laudable achievements of their kits and kins, resort to the derogation of whosoever they believe does better than them, not giving honour to whom honour is due. It is unfortunate that I have to wash our dirty linings in the public because another Igbo adage says that “Oburu na emeghiaghi onya, ma tusakwa ya ogwu, odighi ala” (If you do not open up a wound and apply remedy to it, it does not heal”)
My honest intention here which I feel overrides any other consideration is to address the apathy of the Igbos in recognizing the successes of their heroes and heroines, so that all of us, the Igbos everywhere in the world, irrespective of our diverse world views and achievements in all the fields and professions, should gather together and support one of us, our son and brother, E.E. Okpa Jr., who has attained high visibility in not only the U.S politics , but also in international business, to attain the esteemed office of a U.S. Congressman.
This brings me quickly to the issue of what used to be a strong rallying point for the Igbos, which has become a divisive factor in the Igbo nation.
I am talking about the issue of the defunct Federal Republic of Biafra and the quest for the realization of that delayed, but not displaced agenda.
For the purpose of not being misunderstood and clarity also, I implore anybody and everybody who seeks for the realization of the Biafra project through political recalcitrance, to hearken to the words of Rene Descartes (31st march, 1596 – 11th February, 1650), the French Philosopher, Mathematician, Scientist and ardent Roman Catholic Church adherent who invented Analytical Geometry that ”I think, therefore, I am”, (Cogito Ego Sum).
The Igbos must put on their thinking caps and act right, being careful not to run themselves into extinction. They must, like the Jews did for many thousands of years, manage their politics with their natural neighbours from other ethnic nationalities lest they be extinguished by people who may benefit from the absence of the Igbos in Nigeria.
I am of the view that the political emancipation of the Igbos lies, first, in their ability to present a united front, and second, in recognizing and utilizing the opportunities offered by the activities of Igbos in Diaspora, to attaining that purpose. The third point here is for the Igbos to have the patience to apply some established and definite life principles of survival and success that precede politics, which they are widely known to understand. These life principles have nothing to do with religion, tribe or ethnicity because they are as day and night, sunrise and sunset, the several seasons of the year, in fact, all stable life phenomena. These natural principles of success in which the Igbos are adepts at include diligence, tenacity, prudence and long suffering. Meanwhile, let me tarry on this deviation. It will be a subject of discussion for another day.
Be that as it may, and with this Diaspora assistance perspective, it behooves the Igbos to have a longtime strategy for the realization of their self-rule goal by aligning themselves with the opportunities created by the successes and exploits of their sons and daughters like E.E. Okpa Jr., who have become citizens of other countries or reside in the Diaspora.
One special thing about E.E. Okpa Jr., is that the man himself is a global citizen of the world. His antecedents prove this. Talking about Africa and her foreign policy, E.E. Okpa Jr. detests the beggarly attitude of African countries which has made the continent remain poor. He believes that Africa must sit up and compete with the rest of the world because it has the latent strength and comparative advantages to do that.
With E.E. Okpa Jr. as a U.S Congressman, funds will be attracted to Africa but those funds must be utilized to make Africa great. If E.E. Okpa Jr. has such lofty ideas for African countries, I think Nigeria, his country of birth, stands to benefit more as he attains the position of a U.S Congressman, because all the present wastes of resources in Nigeria may be addressed through his expert advice and liaison with the American government and system which he understands and relates very well with.
Believing that both the U.S and Africa has a lot to benefit with no loser in a game of strategy through his ideas when he becomes a U.S Congressman, E.E Okpa Jr. said, “U.S does not know how to deal or relate to Africa because her relationship with African-Americans is frosty. Their approach is more out of grief and sympathy as opposed to strategy fashioned on win-win”. In this regard, he had made several attempts to influence economic developments in Nigeria during the tenures of previous governments whose officials did not implement his ideas and proposals because their personal interest were not built in the proposals. He has documents to prove the allegation.
Apart from other things, E.E. Okpa Jr. may influence in favour of his ancestral origin – Igbo land,Nigeria and Africa, he is already working assiduously to track and recover monies of the Igbos holed up in British Banks during the Nigerian Civil war as a result of executive lawlessness of the then military regime of General Yakubu Gowon. In his own words,” I have worked on this case since early 2000 while graduating from Leadership Dallas Programme”
E.E Okpa Jr. has done so many quiet things to seek out and recover important documents long hidden away by the British authorities to thwart all possible efforts of recovering the Igbo money running into several hundreds of thousands of Sterling Pounds holed up in British Banks.
Sensitizing the world on the injustice meted to the Igbos after the civil war and the declaration of the fictitious so called “No Victor, No Vanquished” propaganda of the Gowon regime, E.E Okpa Jr. has written so many Articles and addressed sundry audiences on this injustice. One of those works was tittled “20 Pounds: Where is the REST” which was published by USAfrica online, a Houston-based Media House and online newspaper. In his own words, E.E. Okpa Jr. says,“To the best of my knowledge, no other Igbo Nigerian has the type of documentation and legal brief I have”. He continued,” I have copies of letters from UK Prime Minister’s Office, British Exchequer, World Court and the Hagues and copy of the Gowon-signed Decree that authorized the seizure” (of the Igbo money).
He continued further,” I went to NY (New York) and retained a law (firm) with support of a Dallas firm. ”E.E Okpa Jr. concluded by telling Igbos that,” Imagine me a member of U.S Congress, I will put pressure on the matter”.
In the light of the revelations of this discourse about this great man in our midst, let us all put on our thinking caps and continue the process of political emancipation of the Igbo nation started by one of us, Dr. Beale Horton, some 157 years ago, through massively supporting Igbos in Diaspora in all their endeavors, starting with E.E Okpa Jr. in his quest to clinch the Texas District #32 U.S Congressional election billed to conclude on 1st March, 2022.
We can link up our support through www.okpaforcongress.com or make our financial donations through https://secure.winred.com/okpa-for-congress/launch
ABUCHI OBIORA
abuchioboira@gmail.com
For:
Global Upfront Newspapers.
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