By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The founder of Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, and Secretary of Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, in this interview, says the South-East is in disarray politically, economically and culturally. Excerpts:

It has been a while since you spoke and it appears you have been hibernating. Nonetheless, what are your thoughts on the happenings in the South-East since the general elections?

These are trying moments for the South-East. Everything seems wrong with our region. We have not gotten our politics right, the economic outlook is worrisome, with the Monday shutdowns spanning over two years now, the economy of the region is in coma, and now very uncommon socio-cultural crises in the region have exploded through the roof into a crisis situation. What we have is a strange kind of spiritual awareness, devil worship in a nutshell, crisis situation, but regrettably our leaders are yet to understand that there is a calamity that has befallen us. The region is in trouble. There is fire on the mountain. Today’s South-East is the very opposite of the peaceful progressive region people loved to travel to and invest in. This is not about insecurity or agitation. Evil has arisen and snatched the souls of young people of the region. Something is terribly wrong somewhere. The modern day socio-cultural situation in Igbo land is actually frightening. The region is in disarray. Gay parties and spiritual rituals are now the in-thing for young people.

Homosexuality seems appealing to the youths, the craze raging like wildfire. But the most disturbing feature of life in the region today is the madness of rituals and quest for easy money. It is difficult to understand why our churches, traditional rulers, elders, the clergy and state governments are silent while a generation is being led astray by young and not so young spiritualist warlocks, mediums, sorcerers, wizards and occult masters of different grades and categories, strutting about as the new rulers of the firmament, displaying opulent lifestyle, attracting young people to the narrative of Oke ite and other rituals, and promising young folks instant wealth and a life of ease anchored on spiritual sacrifices of all sorts. The horrific reality is that young people believe that is the way to go, admire them, follow them and want to be like them. We have a new, unnatural and unsustainable culture of get-rich-quick simply by performing blood sacrifices and rituals. They are the new rulers of the land. There are just so many of them in every community. There are male and female seers, and mediums: Ezenwanyi and Ndi mmiri.

There are all kinds of marabouts, boasting of great powers. It is like the end time is near. The South-East has become unrecognizable. All kinds of marine spirits, principalities and powers are being brought in to take over the region. All hell is let loose. This is a very disturbing situation. This dangerous narrative by these characters has caught on like wildfire. If left unchecked, in a few years, most of the youths of my region will become native doctors, churches will be empty and these native doctors will decide what happens in Igbo land. It is truly frightening. Those who should raise alarm and gather the people to save the region are all silent. It’s a pandemic actually. Igbo land is gone to the dogs. The future is so bleak, discerning folks are leaving the country never to come back. It’s that bad.

This is frightening. Has it always been like this and what are leaders, especially state governments in the region, doing about it?

It has not always been this bad. It is actually a new uncomfortable phenomenon. It began gradually with a deliberate attack on Christianity in the social media about ten ago by radical young folks who eulogised what they called traditional African religion, criticized the Church virulently and mocked the Christian faith. Then mediums of all kinds emerged to display their powers, especially on the ability to make one very rich. Slowly they began to showcase their powers to make people instantly rich through blood sacrifices and rituals.

Gradually, the madness progressed to the stage where certain obviously insane fellows would denounce the Bible and celebrate deities and their chief priests, and then go on to display offensive opulence and ostentatious lifestyle.

They formed a cartel to intimidate and showcase their great wealth and lifestyle of stupendous wealth designed to impress and hoodwink young people. All these attracted young folks to believe that they can become billionaires overnight without going to school and without hard work. The authorities, who should regulate and streamline the activities of these mediums at least for the purposes of taxation, are doing absolutely nothing in this regard, suggesting that they themselves could be patrons of these powerful mediums, who currently rule the land, dominate the social media and control the minds of the vast majority of the naive and gullible youths of the region. They build fanciful houses, establish all sorts of going concerns, especially hospitality facilities, throw bundles of cash in the air at funerals, do giveaways and give out gifts to the public, commanding respect and admiration from the public.

They are clearly exploiting the poverty and ignorance in the land. People celebrate them as super stars and great men, their social media handles boasts of huge following and their popularity soars as the people’s authentic heroes and role models. Therein lies the tragedy. Our region is gone. The future is worrisome. Our values are turned upside down. Nobody is doing anything about it. Nobody is saying anything about it. The once beautiful serene and progressive Igbo land, where inventions, hard work and education were the hallmark of the region, has turned into a bazaar for ‘oke ite’ and other get rich quick rituals where young people desire to be billionaires through ritual sacrifices without hard work, without getting educated. It is unbelievable and it is heart rending. The damage to the psyche is huge and frightening.

Could this strange phenomenon be associated with the economic downturn, unemployment and the general hard times we face or failure of religious leaders?

It is really multifaceted and complex. Young people are easily swayed and manipulated to believe that there are short cuts to wealth and the easy life. They have no idea they will pay a price and that they are only destroying themselves. They are too young to understand the damage they are visiting on themselves. Our leaders, political and religious, must stand up and take the bull by the horn and check this unhealthy menace, before it completely overruns the land, strong enough to intimidate and silence contrary views. They are already getting there. When graduates are unemployed, idle and hungry, whilst ritualists live large, society is passing a powerful message to the young folks that “hard work and education do not pay. This is the way to go.” Igbo land is sadly in disarray and it should not be so. Our leaders must move fast to check this ugly trend.

Igbo Day ceremony can’t address this disturbing phenomenon?

When my humble self, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu and Comrade Uche Chukwumerije fought to establish Igbo Day 23 years ago, the idea was to carry the younger generation along, encourage them to come out and identify their genuine needs and address them, to identify and encourage young talents and to articulate solutions to issues affecting our people. I hope today’s organisers will go through the history of Igbo Day and itemize the aims and objectives.

What does the future hold for the region and the country?

Nigeria is moving on, it is the South-East that needs to sit up and face the reality. Politically, our youths have been manipulated by very selfish politicians to believe that pouring invective on national icons like Nobel laureate or one of the greatest and globally respected pastors, because they expressed contrary political views, will help us. No, attacking and insulting prominent and very eminent personalities from other regions, who have different political opinions, will only earn us more enemies, not friends. We cannot access the presidency without the support of others. And insulting their leaders won’t help us earn their trust and respect. Nobody will support us politically if we continue insulting their leaders and icons.

I appeal to politicians manipulating these young social media warriors to remember that we will need the support of the leaders we are disrespecting and abusing today. The desperate desire for power should not blind us to the reality that destroying relationships, while making enemies everywhere, will negatively impact on us when we will need the support of the same people we are viciously insulting today.

There are better ways to engage and sustain one’s political structure towards 2027. Programming one’s supporters to descend and tear to shreds anyone with contrary political view will offend large swathes of the country who will wait for you when you ask for their support in future. I have said it before, this new culture of attacking and insulting anyone with contrary political view is not in our character. About the future, I think the facts are self evident that Nigeria’s future is anchored on true federalism, power devolution and upright governance. We have to whittle down powers from the center and devolve more power to the federating units. This inevitable restructuring of the polity will transform Nigeria into a truly great nation.

What are your impressions of governors in the region? Are they living up to expectations?

Three of them are only four months old in office. We will have to watch their strides for at least a year to be able to have informed opinion on their style, tempo and direction. Mbah, Nwifuru and Otti should be conscious that the people are watching their every move. Soludo is trying to impress Ndi Anambra and to regain their trust and support. I wish him luck in that regard. Uzodinma of Imo, whom we have criticized in the past, seems set to win second term. The division amongst the opposition, the inability of the PDP and LP to put up a united front, will see Uzodinma coasting to victory. Moreover, knowing the challenges he is facing, he has embarked on development projects that will earn him the people’s support. He has also gotten influential leaders of the state to his side. Winning the election is existential for him. He may win convincingly. The odds are in his favour. He has also shown impressive leadership of the South-East Governors Forum. They are trying to rebrand the forum and earn the support of the people. They have my support in that regard. I pray they work together as a team moving forward. The region is desperate for development. Lack of development and dearth of critical infrastructure are remotely responsible for the 24-year-old agitation in the region. Denying the zone critical infrastructure inspired a feeling of mistreatment, alienation and isolation, which in turn inspired agitation.

The South-East desperately needs a commercial sea port of whatever size. The region needs a dry port or container terminal. The region needs a functional international airport with cargo wing. The region needs railway lines into East Africa through Port Harcourt to Ogoja and into the Cameroon and the Congo. The region needs another railway through Port Harcourt via Onitsha, Benin, Lagos to Cotonou, Accra, Abidjan etc. The region is desperately in need of regular and increased power supply to reduce the carbon monoxide fumes in our markets from thousands of generators and the region desires an export processing zone and free trade centre. These are some of the demands Nnamdi Kanu presented to the South-East Governors at the meeting he held with them on August 30, 2017. He added these to his demand for the restructuring of the country. I was at the meeting six years ago and I don’t think much has changed. I know that the agitation is powered by the fear of tomorrow. Young folks from the region living in the Diaspora and contributing their resources to sustain the agitation simply do not see a future for their children in Nigeria. They believe Nigeria does not want to treat them right. They don’t want to see their children experience the same humiliation and marginalization they were forced to swallow all their lives. They desire a better deal for their progeny. Equity, fairness and justice to the South-East will help reduce the feeling of mistreatment, alienation and isolation that powers the agitation.