By Sunny Ikhioya

When the late Abraham Lincoln described democracy as “government of the people, by the people and for the people“, he was referring to a government of adequate representation for all classes and categories of people.

The former President of the United States of America was simply saying that the peoples voices must be heard no matter how big or small.  But in these days and times, especially with regards to the Nigerian situation, people are classifying it as a government of the majority; someone even went as far as classifying it a “tyranny of the majority”.

There was a time in this country that we had two minority individuals at the controlling levers of the two major political parties. We had Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, NCNC, and Alfred Rewane of the Action Group, AG, both well respected at the hierarchy and both from the minority Itsekiri ethnic group.

Today, the whole of Delta State does not have a substantive ministerial representation; what we have is a minister of state. How things have changed!  A people that forget their heroes will always lack direction. We once boasted of Chief Okotie-Eboh, the man who established the Central Bank of Nigeria, supervised the establishment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, set up the Nigerian Security and Minting Company and introduced the first set of Nigerian currencies.

He was the driving force of the African Development Bank which was founded in 1964, and one of the foremost African business entrepreneurs. A transformational leader in politics, he was also the first African Chiropodist and most flamboyant politician of his time; he was well respected within and outside Nigeria.

He was not only one of those that were callously murdered by coupists in January 1966, he was, arguably, one of the greatest Nigerians that ever lived. But this great pride of the Niger Delta must be turning in his grave, crying for justice. Chief Okotie-Eboh was not only big in body frame, he was also very big in financial resources and left indelible footprints in Nigeria’s political and business history.It is the right time for the country and its people to give him the recognition that he deserves, especially when it has been established that the coup that terminated his life was a needless one.

The consequences of those killings is still here with us. Since the day of the killings, it was as if the light of progress for the country went off; we have been trying to find direction for the country ever since and until proper justice is done, we might continue to suffer these consequences.

There were four top-ranking politicians executed on that fateful January night of 1966: Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto; Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Prime minister; Chief Ladoke Akintola, Premier of Western Region; and Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, finance minister. Each of them has been recognised in one way or the other by the federal and respective state governments, except the ‘omimi ejoh’  Festus Okotie-Eboh, who did so much in actualising the creation of Midwest, later Bendel and now Edo and Delta states. How can people forget such a great man?If you visit Koko and Sapele in Delta State, you will find manufacturing factories established since the fifties before Nigeria attained independence status.

This was a man who believed so much in Nigeria’s independence through his words and actions; he boycotted foreign loans. Today, all principles of financial accountability set up during his time have been set aside; Nigeria is now a big borrowing nation and we are seeing the result. He was a proud Itsekiri man, always using every public occasion to showcase his rich Itsekiri culture and because of his flamboyance, not a few people were jealous of him.

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It is on record that he and the late Sir Louis Ojukwu – father of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu – were the major financiers of the NCNC party, the ruling party in those days. You cannot wish such a man away. He was instrumental to the siting of Koko Port, Nigeria’s first deep sea/natural port, requiring no dredging.

He facilitated the establishment of Gulf Oil, now Chevron, in Escravos-Ogidigben, its present base location, and was also not left out in educational developments. Many primary and secondary schools were built with his hard-earned money.

When you look at the record of Chief Okotie-Eboh in that short span of his lifetime, you will begin to wonder what our modern day politicians are doing with the opportunities that have been given to them.

Government, and indeed all Nigerians, must give official recognition to Chief Okotie-Eboh, both at the federal and state levels.

We all know that if he was from one of the major ethnic groups, he would have been recognised a long time ago, because even those that came into politics as poor men and died as very rich men are being idolised and worshipped in the country.

Why should a man of Okotie-Eboh’s calibre, who came with his resources be forgotten? It is the dilemma of the minority and we must correct this in the way we play our politics of today.

We have read history and we know those that have been indicted of corruption by various tribunals and commission of inquiry, ironically these ones have become heroes in our land yet a man of repute and great integrity is left to be rubbished in the dustbin of history, because a few people who had the media in their control, for malicious reasons, thought so and this is wrong.

Those of us from the minority ethnic groups must fight to remove such tag. The other day, his Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse 111, the Olu of Warri kingdom, visited President Muhammadu Buhari and one of the requests he made is “immortalising of the first finance minister of the country Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh.”

For the Olu of Warri to recognise the contributions of Okotie-Eboh to Nigeria, despite the historical antecedents of the two families, shows the nobility of the Olu’s personality.

For now, both Edo and Delta states must think of what befitting programmes they will put in place in honour of Chief Okotie-Eboh, while the Federal Government should be looking at a bigger picture.

The Central Bank, Nigeria Stock Exchange, Nigeria Printing and Minting Company and many other federal institutions have his imprints; he must be given recognition now.

*Ikhioya wrote via www.southsouthecho.com

Vanguard News Nigeria