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‘Oduah-Ihejirika Crisis': “Igbo should rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward”–Joe Igbokwe

‘Oduah-Ihejirika Crisis': “Igbo should rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward”–Joe Igbokwe New York[RR]Lagos–In an epistle by certain Jo Igbokwe, titled: “Open Letter To Ndigbo”, called Igbo-Nation to rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward, accusing of defending ex-Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah and General Ihejirika, rtd,who is allegedly eying to […]

Stella-Odua-bow

‘Oduah-Ihejirika Crisis': “Igbo should rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward”–Joe Igbokwe

New York[RR]Lagos–In an epistle by certain Jo Igbokwe, titled: “Open Letter To Ndigbo”, called Igbo-Nation to rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward, accusing of defending ex-Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah and General Ihejirika, rtd,who is allegedly eying to run for Abia State governorship election, 2015, Republic Reporters investigations show.

Igbokwe, said: “I suggest that Igbo should stop creating enemies for itself in Nigeria. I suggest that Igbo should rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward. If we are still one Nigeria, Igbo should consider the feelings of other Nigerians. This defeatism attitude must give way to politics of ideas. This persecution complex must stop. This leadership complex must seize to exist.”, he said.

Igbokwe, accused Igbo of defending Oduah, and Ihejirika, without because of ethnic proclivity.
“Two incidents involving Mrs Stella Oduah who was removed as a Minister for corruption and General Ihejirika who just retired from the Nigerian Army necessitated this open letter. Mrs. Stella Oduah was removed as a Minister of Aviation for issues bordering on corruption. She was accused of financial recklessness.

Adding that, “When the lid was blown open, our people went to town to defend Mrs Stella Oduah. All Igbo organizations went to town with the chorus LEAVE STELLA ODUAH ALONE. The shouts came from our people all over the world and it was loud enough and at best, deafening. When Mrs Stella Oduah was eventually eased out by the presidency, one thought our people will learn the lesson but not Igbo. Our leaders went to town with a project to honour Mrs Stella Oduah and others with awards in Lagos. In preparation for the ceremony one of the leaders spoke to the press. Hear him “we are honouring our own Mrs Stella Oduah to show the world that even when Nigeria mocks our brightest and best for doing a good job at the Aviation Industry, we must tell the world that we love and celebrate our own”. She was given an instant title of ADA IGBO. As I write this, billboards are at strategic locations in Igboland celebrating her as ADAIGBO.

But, respected commentator, Pastor Joe Attueyi, in response said that Igbokwe lack a sense of history, “Shame on you”, he said.
“Joe Igbokwe,You lack a sense of history with regards to the accusations against Ihejirika. And those who lack a sense of history tend to repeat the errors of the past.

“If Igbo leaders had risen up in 1966 to quench the false propaganda that Nzeogwu’s coup was an Igbo coup , the progrom that killed millions of innocent Igbos including pregnant women and children may not have occurred.

“From accusing Ihejirika of war crimes for the brutal way soldiers under his command were fighting boko haram you and your ilk have moved to accussing the same man of sponsoring boko haram. Which of the contradictory allegations do you want him to defend? Every Igbo man with a sense of history knows the next thing you guys will say is that boko haram is being sponsored by Igbos to set up the killing of innocent Igbos in the North. That is what Igbo leaders are screaming against.

“We have nothing to do with boko haram. It is of the North; funded by Northerners against the North.(and any other person living in the North). It can be stopped overnight by Northern elders if they so wish. The financial sponsors are not ghosts!

“Shame on you..”, he fumed.

Abraham Madu, wondered whether Igbo must be part of this one Nigeria project.
“Do we have to be a part of this one Nigeria? Is that a must? Scotland is on her way out of United Kingdom. Biafra will soon follow that foot step no matter how long it takes..”, he warned.

SteveK, Washington,DC, said,Joe Atuonye, is, his, “usual conflating two very different issues..”, he said.

“From accusing Ihejirika of war crimes for the brutal way soldiers under his command were fighting boko haram you and your ilk have moved to accusing the same man of sponsoring boko haram. Which of the contradictory allegations do you want him to defend?” – Joe the Trickster

Joe,”What you have written below is your usual conflating two very different issues.

“The first issue was that Northern leaders, NOT THE BOKO HARAM, complained that the tactics of the Nigerian Army under Gen. Iherjika was targeting innocent Northerners and brutalizing and murdering them in the name of fighting Boko Haram. I wrote about it then and I remember getting into a serious row with that JUI, who maintained that any level of brutality by the army is acceptable as long as it was in the fight against Boko Haram. In fact, some of you called me a Boko Haram sympathizer for raising the alarm.

“Amnesty International and other international civil rights groups also talked about it. Click on the following link to see the latest gory report.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hunting-boko-haram/

“The second issue is that Gen. Iherjika might have supported the Boko Haram, ostensibly, by transferring Nigerian Army equipment under his control to Boko Haram. After all, the Boko Haram now has quite a bit of Nigerian Army equipment, including armored combat vehicles.

These are two separate issues and the one doesn’t necessary to be a lie for the other to be true. For instance, if indeed, Gen. Iherjika was selling arms to Boko Haram. it makes absolute sense to send his ‘boys’ only to places he knows there is no Boko Haram combatants and massacre innocent villagers to maintain the appearance that he is fighting Boko Haram, as the army’s COAS while selling them arms at night.

“Note that I am not saying that Gen. Iherjika did this. And so far, even you shouldn’t be discussing this because no evidence for this exists anywhere since the Dr. Steven Davis report has been shown to be false.

“And your statement below shows that you were either not around in 1966 or you were a very small child who couldn’t know what was going on.

“If Igbo leaders had risen up in 1966 to quench the false propaganda that Nzeogwu’s coup was an Igbo coup , the progrom that killed millions of innocent Igbos including pregnant women and children may not have occurred.”

“In 1966, if you made it known that you were an Igbo – talk less of an Igbo leader – outside the Eastern Region enclave and tried to make any positive statement about the 1966 coup, you will not only be instant toast but precipitate more quickly the Civil War.

“The way to change people’s mind or defend the innocent is the truth; not lies and propaganda.

“Joe, frankly, judging by you proclivities, I doubt very much if you are truly a Christian at all. You remind me too much of Joseph Goebbels of the Third Reich, who also wore a cross (Swastika) on his throat!

Ihenadiaogu, said, Igbokwe’s write up, is, “convoluted misguided missive of this Igbo prodigal son my stomach started to churn..”, he said.
“Half way reading the convoluted misguided missive of this Igbo prodigal son my stomach started to churn. Mr. Igbokwe, fault finding is hatred and for as long as you continue to hate the same people you addressed as “brothers and sister” you would continue to find how bad the Igbo leaders are. In your analytical mind could please rationalize which tribe in Nigeria has actually looted the country? Unlike you who is complacent in your exile domicile in Lagos Ndiigbo saw Stella as Igbo Esther who finally made International flight to Alaigbo a reality.

“Everyone is “chopping” money and if Stella did what is the big deal. Catalog all the former heads of state and ministers, Police IG, Army Generals and Ambassadors who are mostly from other tribes other than Igbo and square up how much of the oil money from the former Eastern Nigeria has passed through their hands then your little Ass will back off.

“For you to even conceive that Gen. Ihejirika that eradicated kidnapping in the S/E and elevated the role of Nigeria army could be an accomplice to B/H I is cause to call the ambulance for you to be rushed to the emergency room. In case you don’t know people from old Bende or old Owerri province do not sell out, they did not sell out in Biafra and will not sell out in Nigeria.

“Your so call Mr. Davis is a hired mercenary who wanted to justify his pay. He has just hoodwinked Nigerians because he knows the political landscape and wants to be offered a sweeter reward when his kind of president is elected in Nigeria. Ndiigbo are not interested in your analysis because they know you but all things know what they want. We are not worried about those that persecute us but we are worried about our friends and the so called brothers like you that stood aloof while we are killed… Dr. MLK.

Ezeana Igirigi Achusim, warned SteveK, Washington,DC to stay clear, that, this is Igbo issue.
“Stevek:This is an Igbo issue. No one is asking for the intrusion by Igbo haters. Now that only Yoruba and Hausa soldiers are waging the war against Boko Haram, no innocent folks are being killed. They only flee south for safety. I hope no Igbo soldiers are fighting any Boko Haram in the north. Until they get near Plateau state.

Azu Ikejiani, writing from Kanec USA Inc.,said, the open letter from Igbokwe is true.

“This open letter to NdiIgbo is very true and straight to the point. When Ikemba was alive an issue came up and I stated that since “I am not privy to the agreement on his pardon I am not qualified to contribute either in the discussion.

“After the civil war I made a decision not to go to war with the masses without getting the details of why we should go to war. That is not a bad intent.

Read full text beneath:

At the risk of being tagged once again as anti Igbo by rabid commissioned slave traders who see Ndigbo as easy wares to be marketed to their political masters, I write this open letter to my people. At the huge risk of being called names by my brothers and sisters, I make bold to write this piece to my people. I have been called names in the past for speaking out and I may be wrong but please forgive me. I write because I know that a story that must be told never forgives silence. I write despite all odds because I know that when a writer is silent he or she is lying. I write because I want things to be done differently because I know that the greatest part of hell will be reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of great moral crisis. I write knowing fully well that I am not the best God ever created and therefore mine cannot be the last word. Two incidents involving Mrs Stella Oduah who was removed as a Minister for corruption and General Ihejirika who just retired from the Nigerian Army necessitated this open letter. Mrs. Stella Oduah was removed as a Minister of Aviation for issues bordering on corruption. She was accused of financial recklessness.

When the lid was blown open, our people went to town to defend Mrs Stella Oduah. All Igbo organizations went to town with the chorus LEAVE STELLA ODUAH ALONE. The shouts came from our people all over the world and it was loud enough and at best, deafening. When Mrs Stella Oduah was eventually eased out by the presidency, one thought our people will learn the lesson but not Igbo. Our leaders went to town with a project to honour Mrs Stella Oduah and others with awards in Lagos. In preparation for the ceremony one of the leaders spoke to the press. Hear him “we are honouring our own Mrs Stella Oduah to show the world that even when Nigeria mocks our brightest and best for doing a good job at the Aviation Industry, we must tell the world that we love and celebrate our own”. She was given an instant title of ADA IGBO. As I write this, billboards are at strategic locations in Igboland celebrating her as ADAIGBO.

Now enter General Ihejirika, the former Chief of Army Staff. General Ihejirika just retired from the Army after serving for more than three decades. General Ihejirika is now eyeing the governorship seat in Abia State on the platform of PDP just few months after pulling out of the Nigerian Army. But just recently an Australian peace negotiator, Stephen Davis who was allegedly contracted by the federal government and who spent four months in Nigeria negotiating with Boko Haram to get the kidnapped Chibok girls out told the world that the former Governor of Borno State Ali Modu Sheriff and Ihejirika have hands in sponsoring Boko Haram. The moment Steven Davis statement hit the Nigerian public space, hell was let loose once again. Our people went to town with the usual mantra: LEAVE IHEJIRIKA ALONE. Almost all the Igbo organizations have issued press statement suggesting that General Ihejirika is now being persecuted for staking his life to fight Boko Haram for Nigeria. Again the noise was so loud and deafening. According to our people Ihejirika is being persecuted because he is Igbo. Even Igbo World Assembly (IWA) in far away United States was not left out in the drama. In the social media it is Igbo and other Nigerians.

Now the questions are: do we need to defend Mrs. Stella Oduah and General Ihejirika? Are they not old enough or competent enough to defend themselves? Were our people with them when they were serving? Can we swear we know them very well to continue this noise? Do we really know the character of these persons? Why this prebendal politics? If we continue to defend our tribes only, who will then defend Nigeria? Who is working for Nigeria if I may ask? Is it not bad behaviour for Igbo to continue to defend what they know nothing about? Are we not making ourselves objects of ridicule in the eyes of other Nigerians? When we pour invectives on other Nigerians or people who are different from us are we not endangering the lives and businesses of Ndigbo scattered all over Nigerians?

Have we forgotten that our people are the most mobile in Nigeria? Do we know how other Nigerians rate us in this predictable primitive defense? Do we consider the feelings of other Nigerians? What signals are we sending out with this improper behaviour? Don’t we have men and women who will say enough is enough in this madness of defending the indefensible? We know Igbo history, philosophy and sociology, when did it tolerate blind and unquestionable defence of someone who might have compromised his or herself while in office? When has Igbo become so ethically compromised that they do must defend even thieves from Igboland? Are these Igbo not aware that such fight, like in the case of Stella Oduah not only ridicules the Igbo but belittles them before others? What happens to the sanctimonious resolve of our fore fathers never to get involved in war of blame?

When Professor Grace Grange, IG Tafa Balogun, and Speaker Patricia Etteh, were removed for corruption, did the Yoruba resort to this kind of blackmail? What is the North saying about Ali Modu Sherrif, the former Governor of Borno State implicated in Boko Haram insurgency with Ihejirika? These are just few cases I wanted to mention for empha

To the best of my knowledge I do not think our people are playing better politics in Nigeria now. I do not think the way we are going now will help us politically. I do not think other Nigerians will trust us if we continue this way. I have slim hope that other Nigerians will take serious in matters of Nigerian politics. I am not led to believe that we are getting it right, rather I think we are going the wrong way.

For emphasis, Ihejirika may be guilty or not but it is his to prove. I am not saying he is guilty for I do not know the details. He doesn’t need all the cahoots of persuaders now striving to show their support for him to do so. In every sane society, security is a complicated issue and every person within that society, even the president, is a suspect until proven otherwise. The best for Ihejirika is to step out and put a solid defence and shame his accusers. If he believes he will get the mob to extricate him, he is making a mistake and getting himself indicted by history and that is far more dangerous for him.

I suggest that Igbo should stop creating enemies for itself in Nigeria. I suggest that Igbo should rise above ethnic preoccupation to help move Nigeria forward. If we are still one Nigeria, Igbo should consider the feelings of other Nigerians. This defeatism attitude must give way to politics of ideas. This persecution complex must stop. This leadership complex must seize to exist.

Update later..

Credit: Joe Igbokwe.
Lagos

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