It is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that the Igbo nation is in one of her most trial times politically. This is an era where youths have been erroneously misled by those who saw an earlier vacuum in leadership to see only them as righteous and begrudge every political leader except those endorsed by them as enemies of the land.
The situation is so bad that in the last three general elections, the Igbo Nation, one of Nigeria’s most populated and most respected races, has suddenly reduced herself to an emergency minority in a country where she is one of the major tripods that formed it.
As the echoes of misguided agitation roar across the orient of Nigeria, leadership is facing a huge challenge, as even traditional stools have been desecrated with gruesome abuse and even murder of kings once revered as untouchable and abominable to be abused.
With the self-destructive actions sending wrong signals amongst other Nigerians, a voice has risen in the East to remind the once revered Igbo Nation of her true position in the Nigerian federation and the need to stand up and claim her position with pride and dedication.
The Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is not a greenhorn in the Nigerian political corridor, nor is he an ancestor, but one can simply say ‘so far so good’ to his glittering political career full of success and well-deserved accolades.
Perhaps one of the angles through which Kalu has shown his leadership sagacity is in the state creation movement. The way he completely galvanised the whole South-East, a people whose current political history is littered with acrimonious experiences of betrayal and disagreement, to speak with one voice is unprecedented.
In a recent thank you visit by leaders of the Anim State movement led by Senator Osita Izunaso (Kpakpando Orlu), Kalu was empathic and did not mince words when he told the delegation that state creation is not just a status symbol or a name tag but an instrument of development to ensure that the dividends of democracy trickle down more to the grassroots.
He explained that the current status of the state creation movement for the Southeast would have been a mirage if he had decided to focus on the recent cantankerous politics that have reduced Ndigbo to mere complainants in a nation where they have equal stake with others.
“The more we’re, the merrier, especially when a particular place has been shortchanged for a while. I said so because we’re now beginning to recognise the geopolitical zone in the constitution. And when you look deep into these geopolitical zones, you will find out that only one region is lagging behind in terms of number of states, and that’s the South East, and it ought not to be so.
However, to change it is not through guns, violence, complaining and shouting marginalisation here and there. It’s through negotiations. It’s through shaking hands across the Niger. It’s through embracing one another. This is in line with a line in our national anthem: “Though tribes and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand.”
Kalu said that it was through this line of the National Anthem that they got exactly what to present to the committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the need to consider the South East and balance what appears to be lopsided.
“We made our brothers and sisters see us as brothers and sisters. We made them see that it should not be lopsided. Willingly and intentionally, a Northerner proudly stood up to move a motion without a fight. Not a South Easterner, after we have lobbied them because it is an instrument of legislative practice to lobby and dialogue, not to fight them and say it’s your fault or my fault,” Kalu said.
He told the delegation that the era of the blame game for the South East has ended, as it is now an era of how we can work and integrate as brothers in one nation.
“That’s the philosophy behind the reaching out, and everyone of them bought. Again, a northern senator stood up to move the motion, and that motion was not seconded by a Southeasterner.
“So when you say they’re Hausa/Fulani, they’re Yorubas, and they hate us, that’s not true. The manner in which you extend your hands to the other regions of this country is how they’ll receive it. If you show friendship, they’ll reciprocate.
“If I had gone to them, attacking them and complaining bitterly that they’re to blame, we’ll not be where we’re today. I went to them and said, ‘Brothers, can we reason together?’ In the process of reasoning, equity and equality came to the table.
“We achieved this by negotiations, embracing each other and shaking hands, and that’s what I’ve been preaching through South East Peace projects. We must use our tongue to count our teeth.
“Since I emerged as deputy speaker, the president of Nigeria has been approving most bills from me, and he didn’t discriminate to assent to them. He has been endorsing all, including the South East Development Agency bill, which many presidents refused to sign, but this man that I believe in signed it. He endorsed it immediately. He saw it was South East; he endorsed it.”
Showing Full Leadership And Capacity To Cause A Paradigm Shift In Reasoning
Kalu urged the South East to do away with that old mentality that they are hated, are not liked, and have all manner of wrong beliefs.
“The Nigeria we’re looking for is where your brother, both in the North and in the South, are brothers and sisters. So, if we’re going to achieve our aim, we must learn how to extend our hands. What we have just done is a needs analysis. It is a legislative function to understand the needs of the people. So, what we’ve just done is to analyse the needs as parliament and say that this is for the sake of equity and balance; the South East needs this.
“It doesn’t mean that the other regions don’t need it as well. They do. What we simply said was for us to balance and then move to the next level.
“Many people thought we’d not be able to come up with a name, but through a very serious, laborious and intentional engagement that cost a lot of resources.”
Call For A United Front
He said that he funded the process, stressing that nobody came to give them one naira, as they did their jobs on the basis of transparency, integrity, and accountability.
“If we can use this model in all we do as Igbo people, we’ll always succeed. If we can go in and come out with an agreement, we can do whatever we want.
“The power is in the Southern corridor now. So, if the Yorubas are supporting us to get a state, then we must support them to return as president for the second term.
“They’ve been supportive, and we can only reciprocate that by ensuring that the whole Southern Corridor supports that man that’s currently on that seat at the moment. One good turn deserves another. We must learn to be grateful.”
He, however, explained that he does not have the powers to make Anim State happen, but it is a process.
However, we must be open-minded. If the president or the powers that be decide that we can expand the territorial parameters for accommodations to be larger, you need to accept it.
“Let me repeat, you want Anim State, but if the powers that be in the process of approving this recommend that the horizon, the parameters of our jurisdiction, be increased, we need to accept it.
“I said so because it’s all about development. I don’t want it when it gets to that level of negotiation; we’ll be obstinate. The Igbos usually believe in not losing completely in any pursuit. When we get to that level of negotiation, let’s be open-minded; let’s be broad-minded.
“I’ll be in that room, and I want your support. All that matters is for Ndigbo to work with one another. We cannot do this without the support of the five governors. Let nobody lie to you; all of them must be involved, especially the governors from the affected areas.
“They must come to agreement. Draw up the stakeholders’ engagement list and add the five governors there and reach out to them. All these members here are the ones who are going to vote.
“It’s time to embrace friends from all regions. They’ll be the ones to vote. I don’t have a vote because I’ll be presiding. We need to make more friends.
“I know they were not coerced into agreeing to support us initially to give an extra state to the South East, but we still need to work. The president may not be averse to this, because he’s a lover of Ndigbo,” he said.
