Igbo Leadership Problem
OpenLife Nigeria reports that Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, the President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos, is making a serious case for credible Ndigbo leadership that would harmonise the combined interesst of the South East for unity and advancement. In an interview with the seasoned business man and art collector at his Ikoyi, Lagos, office, he contextualizes the issues and offers solutions
President, why do some Ndigbo feel superior than others. Are they not from same south east or is it because of differences in language or are there other tribes in Igbo land?
My media brother, it is laughable.
It is only just some Ndigbo that are claiming to be superior to others through their state of origin.
The Yoruba and Hausa are not so. Those tribes have different ideas.
Clearly, the reason the Yorubas succeed in politics is because the issue of state of origin doesn’t arise among themselves.
What is important is your name. How does it relate with the Yoruba names and the language?
You must flow with the language whether you are from Benin or Côte d’Ivoire. Call him a Sierra Leonean or call him a Brazilian.
Above all, what matters in Yoruba is your name and the language.
Ogun State where you have 70 percent of prominent men in Yoruba land never claim to be superior to any other Yoruba men and women who are from other states.
Instead, all of them claim to be Lagosians to achieve their political ambitions and succeed in their various areas of businesses.
For example, there are those who are lamenting that they are real Lagosians but have been pushed to the edge of politics because the whole of south west came together and see their culture and tradition as one.
They therefore claim to be son of the soil in Lagos.
If you want to find out, you can go and meet Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo. He will brief you more.
Today, the Yoruba are in charge of Nigeria’s government including the most vibrant State in the country which is Lagos.
That is the benefit of peoples’ culture and tradition, undiluted.
Yes, for me, Anambra is the pride of Ndigbo. In all associations, any thing Ndigbo is doing in anywhere in the world, Anambra people always come out enmass to support financially and ensure that success is achieved.
But that does not mean that individually, they are superior than other Igbo men.
However, the most worrisome aspect of it is that few Anambra men and women who are greedy including some who are hanging up in Alaba international market road, looking for people who want to buy television set so that they would add N3000 or N5000 to earn their living, are the ones claiming to be superior to other Igbo men who are not from Anambra State {Ndi oso ahaia}.
The height of greediness was exhibited by an Anambra person who is a former head of all the Ohanaeze Ndigbo women. She came back to beg for provost or PRO or deputy welfare as her next office in Ohanaeze election.
But the billionaires from Anambra are calm. They see themselves as Igbo man apart from those who are rich in physical but not in spirit.
Example is a renowned transporter and Chairman of Chisco Group of Companies, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu,
Charles Odunukwe {Chardon}, Chief Mike Ome etc.
The doors of these great men are always opened. They are multi billionaires from Anamabra State.
They eat and dine with common people.
They don’t mind eating with low level people on the streets. I can testify to this because they are my very close friends who I can visit without even calling them.
There are many others not mentioned here. Importantly, these Anambra billionaires don’t listen to gossip of any kind. They don’t relate with people based on their state of origin. They see every Igbo person as one.
Therefore, Ndigbo, we must think deeply and plan very well if we are aspiring to be Israelites in the next generation.
It is noteworthy that millionaires and billionaires from Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia , Delta States are not helping.
Majority of them who are already successful keep low level Ndigbo, that are even from same family, at bay.
Except in an occasion in the village, some of their families members, not to talk of age group, find it difficult to see them.
Whenever they give you appointment, you can be there from 10 am till 5pm without seeing them. Sometime, such appointment will be postponed.
The worse of all is that sometime, they will not even pick you calls. But if they find out that you are a successful man or woman like they are, they would be the one calling, instructing their security guards to open the gate for proper packaging and display.
The display of these characters by these few successful men from the states listed above is a function of lack of wisdom and common sense.
Once such individuals get to leadership, they would mess it up within a short period. Such individuals can only make profit in the office for personal use. So, quality leadership is the key to address these issues.
In the cities where those people reside, they always do their things strictly by invitation. But men from Anambra state who are millionaires and billionaires carry their people along. They don’t segregate. Though in every 12, there is always judas. But their judas, in this direction, is not too obvious.
Anambra big men can also boast of how many people they have made millionaires and billionaires in different currencies.
They make some of their businesses open to their people and even offer guidance to whoever is interested to succeed in the business they initiated as founders.
They attend their village meetings with common people. Those who cannot attend send financial supports.
These Anambra billionaires also show compassionate concerns towards their traditional rulers in their various villages and towns.
These are what I expect from the successful people from Imo, Abia, Ebonyi and Delta states.
But it is only about 5 percent of the millionaires and billionaires in Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Delta and Enugu states that are doing what Anambra successful men are doing.
Example is Chief, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, who is the sponsor of most of the events of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos and Honourable Linus Okorie who fund the election of Ohanaeze Lagos in 2018.
He also provided the money with which the first Ohanaeze Ndigbo secretariat in Lagos -Igbo House, was achieved.
These two gentle men did this without personal interest but for Igbo interest.
These successful people from these five states-Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and Delta prefer having Anambra successful men as their family members and friends than those who come from their States, except if you are like them.
Notably, in December, they attend over 75 percent of events of Anambra successful men.
If given chance, they can even act as an ushers just to belong to the guest list in the family of Anambra successful men.
With the 95 percent of successful men from those five states mentioned above, I can assure you that some of them are suffering from inferiority complex.
That is why they cannot identify with their fellow brothers and family members because they didn’t believe they could be where they are today. But that is God for you.
Again, when you go into all the states, you would see an Abiriba man showing to be superior to Umuahia.
In Enugu State, the people from Udi will be showing how they are more important than Nsukka.
In Imo state, an Orlu man will be telling you how superior he is to an Mbaise man.
In Anambra, some Nnewi people will tell you that the most foolish Nnewi man is the wisest man in Ozubulu.
These challenges are all over the States. Ndigbo, our problems are much. These are some of the major problems Ndigbo have that we need quality leadership to address and bring everybody together.
During the time of Akanu Ibiam, an Ebonyi man who was the founder of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, he met with Nnamdi Azikiwe from Anambra State to support him to achieve the vision of Ohanaeze immediately he conceived the idea.
Today, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is all over the world. Every Igbo man has his qualities , individually.
I, Solomon Ogbonna, President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State, contested Ohanaeze election with an Anambra man and I defeated him with a large margin, the kind that has never happened in any Ohanaeze election.
But that does not make you to be superior to your fellow Igbo men and women no matter the State you come from in the south east or your success in life. There is no fake Igbo man or woman.
Ndigbo, we need quality leader and we have it. What we need is to bring the person to the platform of leadership before 2027. Ndigbo, it is also a must that we go back to our culture and tradition.
That is the master key if we need our general progress for our future and generation yet unborn.
We are one family. No Igbo man is from a different family. The states are just mere political demographics.
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