I have wondered about this: Every Igbo person should ask himself the following questions:
(1) If I were not an Igbo, will I be comfortable with the Igbos?
(2) If I were not an Igbo, will I welcome an Igbo president for Nigeria at this time?
(3) If any other group brags and boasts and claims to be better than others, as we, the igbos, often do, will I be comfortable with that?
I grew up my entire life (first 4 years in the Civil War) believing that we, the Igbos, were wronged by everybody else, that we were perfectly right and others were perfectly wrong, that others hate and envy us because we are special, which is why we call ourselves Umuchineke (special children of God). Of course, I had to believe all this because that was what Ojukwu told our parents, and which have been often repeated and transmitted from one generation to another.
I grew up having a lopsided understanding of the events between 1966 and 1970. In the brainwashing that we all received, we have no problem with the fact that Zik and M.I. Okpara were the only politicians in their class that were not killed in January 1966. And we don’t seem to understand that even if that was by coincidence, it was a troubling coincidence with serious ramifications. We read no meaning into the fact that Nwafor Orizu, an Igbo man, handed over the powers of a democratic government to a military general, also an Igbo man.
We read no meaning into the fact that the military General passed the Unification Decree that pushed the federal structure of the country toward a unitary system, much to the disconfort of the rest of the country. We failed to understand the implications of General Ironsi’s failure to punish the majority igbo officers who killed the political leaders of other ethnic groups. And why did Ironsi not punish Majors Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna? Because they were so popular among the Eastern youths especially the university students who praised them for killing the leaders of other ethnic groups. These chain of failures led to the counter coup of July 1966, which changed history.
In all these events, as an Igbo child, I was trained to blame others and absolve our people. So, I was miseducated. That miseducation continues till today. So, why and how would you expect others to trust you and be comfortable with you?
To change the mindset of Nigerians, we need to get proper education and proper orientation. It is not enough to think we are superior or that we were so wronged that we are entitled to something special. We cannot continue to think the way Ojukwu taught us in 1967 and expect a different outcome. It is unrealistic to expect that non-igbos will suddenly trust us. It will take time for that to happen. And whenever the Igbos try to really build the bridge, a group like IPOB will set us 50 years back.
So ask yourself, if I were the Yorubas, will I like the Igbos? Even the Ijaws don’t like the Igbos that much. So, maybe we ought to re-envision the pathway out of our predicament.
As for an Igbo presidency, do not expect it till after 16 years from now. Tinubu will get 8 years. A Northerner will get 8 years. Then, perhaps, the two main parties will both field an Igbo candidate based on zoning. Without zoning an igbo president will not emerge in the next 50 years. But with zoning, expect it in the next 16 years.
Many people were impressed by the performance of Peter Obi in the last election. But that was as random as the End-SARS protest. Indeed, Peter Obi led Labor Party was a peaceful form of End-SARS protest. They both took the powers that be by surprise. And as you can see, after the End-SARS protest, the powers that be moved quickly to prevent it from reoccurring soon. Likewise, having survived the shock of the Peter Obi movement, they are moving quickly to ensure that it doesn’t happen again soon.
We really need to pay close attention to history. Everything that happens now has happened before but in a slightly different format. We need to learn from history and we need proper education, not the misinformation that has led us far astray.