Insecurity in Southeast: Celebrating Ekpa’s arrest is diversionary, says Obidigbo
ELDER statesman, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has described as enablers of double standards and injustice, those rejoicing over the supposed recent arrest and incarceration of leader of Biafran Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE), Mr. Simon Ekpa Njoku, in Finland.
He expressed dismay that one year after the narrow-minded regime of General Muhammadu Buhari ended, the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu is still playing games with the state of insecurity in South East, which he said is fuelled by a combination of factors.
While noting that outright criminality from all sides, and official neglect aided by lack of seriousness are at the root of the hopelessness and despair in Igbo land, Obidigbo lamented that the Federal Government ignored the most potent cause of social unrest in the region to chase shadows.
He decried the celebration of reported ‘neutralisation’ of several youths, both civilians and security officers across the land, the supposed leaders of our collective tomorrow, saying that such announcements give the impression of great achievement, rather than remorse for the destruction of our youths.
In a statement made available to media on Tuesday, the elder statesman said that “the fact remains that our youths are neutralised in various parts of the country irrespective of their ethnic nationality or religious persuasion.”
Obidigbo stated: “Why is it that 54 years after the end of the civil war, the Federal Government still behaves as if injustice and unfair treatment is the best way to remind Igbo that they lost the war, despite the proclamation of no victor no vanguished? The echoes of Biafra from young people, most of whom were not even born during the war, is their own way of challenging the unfair deal against the Igbo.
“Nigeria says it is practicing democracy but flagrantly undermines the rule of law, which is the bedrock of genuine democracy just so that Igbo should not be allowed to exercise freedom of choice or enjoy fundamental rights.
“At every point in Nigeria’s march to the future, decisions are taken in such a way to suggest that strenuous efforts are being made to shroud the truth through official secrecy built around the marginalization of the Igbo. And, truth be told, the 2023 general elections showed truly that Igbo are real targets of bigotry and internal xenophobia.
“Nnamdi Kanu was kidnapped by agents of government. Kidnapping is a crime and no responsible government should be seen to be committing crime against her own citizens, especially where there are legal means of bringing offenders to book. Many Igbo believe that Biafra is spiritual. Therefore, if one leader goes down, there is the possibility that many others would still spring up.”
Obidigbo noted that just within minutes after it became imperative that Ekpa would be out of circulation, Dr. Ngozi Orabueze, a woman, mounted the saddle, stressing that “this is a pointer to the failure of Igbo political leadership, which like their counterparts from other ethnicities are very selfish and far removed from the people.”
Lamenting the double standard being applied to what concerns the Igbo, Obidigbo declared: “It could be argued that this leadership failure explains the fact that several persons from other ethnic groups have joined in advocating for the separation of Nigeria, since the Amalgamation instrument expired in 2014, without any reasonable attempt to review it holistically by all ethnic nationalities.
“But, the painful part is that even those other people that addressed the press to announce their desire for secession are walking the streets freely with nobody interrogating or threatening them with arrest. So, why is Kanu’s case different, if not because he is Igbo of Southeast.”
The elder statesman maintained that Igbo has continued to receive the short end of the stick in Nigeria, stressing that the political and economic marginalization of the Southeast has become very unbearable to young people from the region.
He asserted that based on the continuing oppression against Igbo, there was nothing outside the ordinary for young Igbo boys and girls to start questioning the status quo to the extent of calling for a separate homeland or a referendum to determine their citizenship of the country.
“Referendum is a form of civic vote in matters that have direct bearing on the socio-political condition of citizens. If that is so, what offence did Mazi Nnamdi Kanu commit by asking that Igbo should be allowed their right to self determination?.
“Instead of engaging the young man, attempts were made to neutralise him. And when that failed, he ran for his dear life only to be kidnapped and forcibly renditioned to Nigeria to continue court trial for alleged debatable treason. Yet, when the court ruled that he should be let loose, the powers that be insisted on the policy of might is right,” Obidigbo stated.
The elder statesman contended that it was out of pain for the show of gross injustice and unfair treatment against Kanu and by extension Igbo, that Simon Ekpa rose to levy his protest.
He regretted that instead of tackling the root cause of insecurity in Southeast, the authorities have been scratching on the surface adding, “not every Igbo agrees with Ekpa’s style of drawing attention to the unjust treatment, but they are all aggrieved at the suffocating injustice.
According to Obidigbo, the insincerity of political leaders both from Igbo land and at the national level over the IPOB agitation and Sit-at-home protest has contributed immensely in transforming the molehill of youth restiveness into a mountain of social disaster.
He said that if the Federal Government was genuinely interested in restoring normalcy in Southeast it should start by releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without much ado, arguing that the blind budget being expended in the process of mobilizing for the arrest or extradition of Simon Ekpa should have gone into better purposes.
The elder statesman declared: “How long will this moving round a circle continue? The Igbo are not deceived, because it beggars belief that free citizens will obey the directives of a man that is thousands of kilometers away from the shores of Nigeria when there are several elected political leaders overseeing the geopolitical zone.
“The seeming popularity of the sit-at-home in Southeast stems from the fact that majority Igbo are not happy with the ugly treatment that Nigeria continues to give them. Ekpa rose in place of Kanu and instead of abating, the cycle could continue to produce offshoots until reason prevails.
“Recently, some commentators argued that the appointment of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu as minister of state was to douse the agitation and insecurity in Southeast. But, this is part of the misreading of the sociology of the Igbo. Igbo are united by ideology of fairness and never bow to individual whims.
“Igbo are wont to discard even their gods when they no longer reflect their purpose. That is why it is said that when a wooden idol misbehaves it would be told the particular wood used in carving it and thereafter discarded. This summarises the principle of Igbo enweze (Igbo know no king) associated with Igbo.
“In 1983, Rt. Hon. Nnamdi Azikiwe said that if you step on a worm it would turn. Therefore, the insecurity in Southeast is first and foremost caused by injustice against Igbo and wrongful incarceration of Kanu, which some criminal-minded idle hands are exploiting.
“Such criminal activities further worsen the already terrible unemployment situation as well as drive away investors and investments just thereby exacerbating the vicious cycle.”
Source:- Tribuneonlineng
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