*Says Igbo haven’t had a fair deal in Nigeria

Chief Nduka Eya,  Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is an educationist, elder statesman and a patriot. In this interview with Vanguard, he bares his mind on the numerous problems confronting Nigeria since independence and says that there is still hope for future generations. Excerpts:

BY TONY EDIKE

ON Nigeria’s journey, so far, as an independent nation

We thank God; a young man or woman born 52 years ago should be a family person with children, looking forward to grand-children. So on that score, God has been kind to Nigeria and I think God loves Nigeria. Let me talk about Ohanaeze which I am the secretary first before I take on other issues.

The Igbo have had a very rough deal in 52 years in Nigeria unlike any other ethnic group in this country. Forty years after the war, the Igbos are still groaning to be part and parcel of Nigeria, a country they contributed so much to building, and they live in any part and regard it as their home, yet now and then they are being chased like rats.

The war came as a result of these chasing around and the people said, ‘okay, leave us alone so that we can go and manage our own affairs.’ Gowon and his group said he was doing police action but it turned into a war. They dragged us back, we gave up and we came back fully as Nigerians. Yet they don’t accept us as Nigerians. Do they want us to fly in the air?

Collective interest of Ndigbo

The collective interest of Ndigbo is that we are Nigerians, whether Nigeria breaks up today or tomorrow, Ndigbo remain Nigerians. These are people, who go to Zamfara,  Sokoto, Bauchi, Katsina, Lagos, Ilorin, etc, settle there, use their strength and struggle with their entrepreneurship spirit to develop the place, build houses there more than they build in their own home towns and yet people don’t accept them, what have we done to Nigeria?

Their collective interest this time around is that key position that is the presidency of Nigeria should go round all groups in Nigeria and that’s why the Igbo supported the South-South and President Goodluck Jonathan.

How did we come about this great literal question?  In 52 years, one section of this country through the barrel of the gun ruled us for 38 years, doing things the way they liked without consultation, passing decrees, creating states and local governments as it pleased them. So Kano has 44 local governments while we in Enugu have 17, Anambra has 21. Added, the whole of Igboland is not up to what some two states have. And yet we all own this country.  We are saying that, enough is enough. We are part of this system and if you don’t want us to participate, let us go our separate ways. Governance means equity, fair play and justice.

Fair play and justice

The Igbo have not been given fair play and justice. This is what we are crying for. And when you put the rulership from 1960 down to the present, the South-South has not even been there at all. That’s why we said, those who have not been there should, particularly when the man, by divine mercy, was already sitting there.

And some people who have ruled us for 38 years clamoured for the man to go so that they will come back.  That is why we  supported the South-South and this South-South is where the golden egg is laid. The position of Ndigbo is after Jonathan who is from South-South, the next will be South-East in an unbroken succession. All those from the North who have aspired, we say it is the turn of the South-East because with six months in power, we are the least.
Will this zonal argument work for Nigeria?

The zonal issue did not start today, it started with Justice Karibe White constitutional review. The recommendation was given to Abacha who had gun and they pushed it away and promoted this decree, this constitution which was a military decree.

Why didn’t he put the recommendation of six zones? We are saying we don’t even want zone any more. Those six zones should now be regions because historically Nigeria had four regions as Northern Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria, and Mid-West Nigeria. Those ones worked better.

The University of Nigeria, the first five million pounds used in building the university came from the Eastern Nigeria Marketing Board. So why are we strangulating ourselves because there is oil?  So why we are saying six regions is that it will stop the rat race for creation of states and local governments.

We are saying go back to the regions, but this time six -. South East, South west, South-south, in the south; North-East, North-Central, North-West in the North. There should be two federating units – the federal government and the regional governments.

We have fought a war, we know what war means. We don’t want anymore war. We want to sit down and run this country. So we are saying if you go to your region, and you get the federal money between the federal and the region, if you want to create 35 states in your region go ahead and do so and fund them. Similarly in local government, if the North Central or North East gets its own money and decide to create a million local governments, they should do so and fund it with the regional fund. These people will not agree, they said they will not agree. They cannot say they will not agree because when they cheated us beyond level they accepted region, why won’t they accept region now?

This country is one we have accepted but it must be one in fair play, equity and justice. Anything outside that, there will be crisis. God loves us too much otherwise this country would have broken up.

In the 1950s when we were talking about self-government the West was ready and we ourselves (East) were ready. And the British were using the North against the rest of us. Azikiwe, in his wisdom being a Pan African, said, ‘no these people are our brothers let us wait for them.’

Honestly, if Zik had said Let’s go on our own, we would have gotten self independence, probably this nonsense will not be happening now.  But people are blaming him but it was his vision at the time. So he was doing a good thing to unite us. Now those who stopped, struggled with their sweat and set up these things are the most maltreated.

Any hope for future generation given the challenges we are facing?
We have hope. Let young people learn. Look at what is paining some of us; I was pioneer Registrar of Federal Polytechnic Idah with late Chukwujekwu as Rector and late Nwadialor as Bursar.  Ahmadu Ali brought us specifically to create a good institution. If you go to the polytechnic, I have a street named after me, Nwadialor has a street named after him, Chukwujekwu also has and that is recognition.

Now I was brought to that institution through the University of Nigeria where I was seconded to be Permanent Secretary under Chief Jim Nwobodo of the old Anambra State in 1979.  Why did I need to leave my job? It is because of this government of injustice, unfair play and inequity, because the Anambra North then was nowhere. By the time they created Anambra and Enugu State the people left were drivers and messengers.

That is why we have to go to schools to bring teachers to fill the civil service.  If we were fair, they should have a balance. So I was brought out for a balance. I came in as Permanent Secretary and I stayed there for eight years.  Then I was appointed by the military as Commissioner for Education in the old Anambra State now three states.

Permanent secretaries
We did our best. When we came, we found what was called GRA – Government Reserved Area built by the Colonial Masters.  Why reserved? They are occupied by permanent secretaries, top officials of government, who at 1.30 am the governor may call and say, ‘look I have a problem can we go together, give me a paper by morning?’  He knows where everybody lives.  He goes there and you do a paper and by 4 o’clock you will wonder how it happened.

The example is that when the military came, I was Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance in the then old Enugu State and as I was going home I heard the news at about 9pm that I had been changed, I turned back and went to the office, wrote my handover note and left it for my secretary so in the morning I will come and sign it. She was full of wonders.