THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER: WANTED: IGBOS IN POSITION OF POWER IN NIGERIA A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER DECRIED THE DEARTH OF IGBOS IN POSITION OF AUTHORITY IN NIGERIA AND DISCLOSED TO NIGERIANS THAT IGBOS, A SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY IN THE NIGERIAN FAMILY HAVE NO SINGLE STRATEGIC AND POWERFUL POSITION OF POWER IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY. THEN, AN AGENT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HIT THE AIR WAVES WITH AN ADVERTISEMENT WHEREIN IT LISTED SOME MINISTERS OF IGBO EXTRACTION, AND BOASTED THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS TREATED IGBOS SUPREMELY GREAT WHEN IT COMES TO APPOINTMENTS TO POSITIONS OF POWER. THAT ADVERTIZEMENT IS NOT ONLY DECEPTIVE, IT APPEARS TO BE DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO PULL WOOL OVER THE EYES OF THE GULLIBLE AMONG THE IGBOS AND NIGERIANS SO AS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PERPETRATE THE UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF MARGINALIZATION AND DEPRIVATION WHICH THE IGBOS ARE FACING IN THE PRESENT DISPENSATION. IGBOS HAVE NEVER HAD IT SO BAD SINCE NIGERIAN INDEPENDENCE. FACTS THEY SAY, ARE SACROSANCT AND FIGURES DO NOT LIE. HERE ARE THE FACTS AND FIGURES WITH REGARD TO THE STATE OF THE IGBOS IN THE PRESENT DISPENSATION: BEGINNING WITH THE MINISTERIAL POSITION WHERE WE ARE TOLD THAT IGBOS ARE FAVOURED, IT MAY BE INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT OF THE 39 FEDERAL MINISTERS IN NIGERIA 17 ARE FROM THE HAUSA/FULANI NORTH, 9 ARE FROM THE YORUBA WEST AND ONLY 7 ARE FROM THE IGBO EAST. IS THIS WHAT IS MEANT BY FAVORING THE IGBOS WITH MINISTERIAL POSITIONS? IN OTHERS WORDS, WHEN IT COMES TO MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS IGBOS HAVE THE LEAST OF THE THREE MAJOR ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE COUNTRY. FURTHER, THE PRESIDENT AND THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO IS THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN NIGERIA IS NOT AN IGBO. FINE, ONE WOULD QUICKLY CONCEDE THAT NOT EVERY ETHNIC GROUP CAN BE PRESIDENT AT THE SAME TIME. BUT HOW ABOUT THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION? OKAY, ONLY ONE ETHNIC GROUP CAN BE VICE PRESIDENT AT ANY GIVEN TIME, WE AGREE. THEN THE QUESTION NAGGING FOR AN ANSWER IS, WHY IS IT THAT NO IGBO IS APPOINTED TO ANY OF THE OTHER NUMEROUS POSITIONS OF POWER IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY? SOMEONE NEEDS TO GO TO THE AIR AND EXPLAIN TO THE IGBOS AND NIGERIANS GENERALLY WHY, THE SENATE PRESIDENT IS NOT AN IGBO. THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IS A NON- IGBO. THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE IS NOT IGBO. THE CHIEF OF STAFF ARMY, IS NOT IGBO. THE CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF IS NOT IGBO. THE CHIEF OF AIR FORCE NOT IGBO. THE HEAD OF SSS THE HEAD OF CUSTOM AND THE CHIEF OF IMMIGRATION NONE IS IGBO, THE HEAD OF PRISONS IS A NON-IGBO, EVEN THE CHIEF OF CIVIL DEFENSE IS ONE OTHER THAN IGBO. THE CHIEF JUSTICE IS A NON-IGBO. THE CHIEF JUDGE OF THE FEDERATION IS NOT AN IGBO. THE ACCOUNTANT GENERAL IS NOT AN IGBO. ONE CAN GO ON AND ON RECOUNTING A LITANY OF OTHER POSITIONS OF POWER AND AUTHORITY IN THIS COUNTRY FROM WHICH IGBOS ARE EXCLUDED. CLEARLY, THE DELIBERATE EXCLUSION OF THE IGBOS FROM THESE STRATEGIC POSITIONS OF POWER IS NOT ONLY POLITICALLY AND MORALLY WRONG, IT IS A VIOLATION OF SECTION 14 SUBSECTION 3 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AS AMENDED. THIS PROVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION STATES INTER ALIA: “THE COMPOSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION OR ANY OF ITS AGENCIES AND CONDUCT OF ITS AFFAIRS SHALL BE CARRIED OUT IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO REFLECT THE FEDERAL CHARACTER OF NIGERIA AND THE NEED TO PROMOTE NATIONAL UNITY…” AS WE CAN SEE, THE EXCLUSION OF THE IGBOS IN THE ABOVE LISTED STRATEGIC AND POWERFUL POSITIONS EXERTS A CHILLING EFFECT ON THIS ALL- IMPORTANT SECTION OF THE NIGERIA CONSTITUTION AND MUST BE ADDRESSED SOONER THAN LATTER. TO BRANDISH A LIST OF SEVEN MINISTERS AS THE SHARE OF THE IGBOS IN THE POWER SHARING EQUATION OF THE FEDERATION AMOUNTS TO SHEER POLITICAL GIMMICKRY MEANT TO HOODWINK THE IGBOS. BUT IGBOS HAVE BECOME WARY OF THE POLITICS OF VOODOO ECONOMICS AND FUSSY MATHEMATICS. THE DAYS OF THE SHARE AND SHARE POLITICS AND THE POLITICS OF ABRACADABRA ARE OVER AS FAR AS THE IGBO AREA IS CONCERNED. NO ONE CAN FOOL THE IGBOS ANYMORE. THEY HAVE LEARNED TO LOOK UP TO THE FACTS, ACCURATE FACTS AND FIGURES. IT MUST BE SOUNDED LOUD AND CLEAR THAT IGBOS ARE NOWHERE, REPEAT, NOWHERE IN THE POWER SHARING EQUATION IN THE CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA. THIS IS THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 23:03:53 +0000
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