Ndigbo are a stubborn stock, creatively independent and republican, yet quite emotional and very protective of anyone among their leaders who have either earned their confidence through trickery or truth. They can sacrifice their personal liberty and comfort to protect any of their leaders whom they trust or who have deceived them into trusting him. However, there have been very few Igbo leaders who have been fortunate to enjoy such affection from our people. I can only remember the irreplaceable Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Nnamdi Azikiwe and most recently, Nnamdi Kanu, as some of the Igbo leaders to have enjoyed an inimitable love of our people. Time is still fresh to know if MNK will retain the love and support, or he would go the way of Ralph Uwazuruike, who squandered the love he tricked many of us into giving him.
It is easy to understand why some Igbo youths, especially, my IPOB brethren are angry with Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Ekweremadu like myself is a believer in one Nigeria and he has not made any pretenses about it. He is not given to making explosive speeches, castigating Buhari and calling for Ndigbo to be allowed to secede. He has been measured in his steps and speeches, and this is not the kind of leaders, the IPOB think we need now. They, like most Igbos are dissatisfied with the Nigerian system and they don’t see any future for the Igbo man in Nigeria. Anyone who tries to make them love Nigeria or to exercise a little more patience with Nigeria is an enemy who must be dealt with.
As regrettable as the incident that took place earlier today at Numberg is, I think it brings to the fore, the palpable anger of the average Igbo youth against the prevailing political happenings in the country, and it calls for some deeper introspection among our Igbo leaders. Time is up for too much talk, too much writings. We must either devise more persuasive ways to get a number of our youths to buy into the Nigerian idea, convincing them, that we can still get what is due to us, or we listen to them, and see what ideas they have that really make this secession, enticing. We cannot continue to pretend that everything is alright, or that these people are mere noisemakers, while things gradually get out of hands.
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