One basic information that other ethnic nationalities should understand about the Igbos is that Igbos are not cowards, but sometimes, it’s more honourable and golden to remain silent when you are in the midst of core enemies
“When we keep eulogising failures, we should understand that we are all going to partake in the dividend yield of such failure.. Nigeria has been eulogised as the giant of Africa, yet, the giant cannot protect, feed or dignify its citizens, rather, it has borrowed to consume on non-essential needs and has become a giant in its indebtedness to non-giants in the world.”- DSM.
Any time I read from Joe Igbokwe’s venomous article against his own people, I am always wondering if this man understands that a true Igbo man can never be buried outside his ancestral land. I have tried to ignore his rantings, and which is basically tailored towards derogation and abuse of his own ancestral race. Oftentimes, I have ignored his public assaults, and hence, never responded.
I equally understand that age sometimes could be a heavy burden to an elder who talks and behaves like a fool. Otherwise, how can a full grown up man be able to abuse his own ancestral root? It’s like a foolish child who was once fed by a neighbour, coming home to spit on his or her parents. The simple reason was that his parent’s neighbour served him or her a plate of rice, and he or she forgets the many years of his or her parents struggle to feed him or her. Joe is behaving like a cursed child of his parents, and hence, he sees nothing wrong in despising his parents and all that his parents stand for.
Joe Igbokwe is an Igbo, and whose ancestral identity has been victimised by those who felt that they’re gods. He doesn’t care so far his paymasters are marginalising and brutalising the same people he claimed to lead. How can you claim to lead an abused and victimised kith and kins without any conscience of betrayal?
Joe in his article, widely circulated in many social media, captioned: ‘An Honest Advice For Igbo Across Nigeria especially in Lagos.’, Joe started with a claim of being an APC leader in Lagos State. He vaunted that he has lived in Lagos State for the past 40 years, and as such, knew more than some of us who have lived in Lagos for close to 50 years. Joe’s insinuations that the 2020 #EndSARS protest was the ugly manifestation of the Igbos in Lagos State, triggered this piece of mine. As if that was not enough, his myopic reasoning adduced that the incoming hunger protest was as a result of the Labour Party’s loss of elections in 2023 and Igbos ungratefulness in APC’s regime.
Without being immodest, Joe, in his right thinking mind didn’t know that a protest is a citizen’s constitutional right and not even a privilege. Joe in his short sightedness, didn’t know that what happened in 10th October 2020 is a state-sponsored genocide against the citizens. In a decent society, everyone that participated in such absurdity should have been arraigned and prosecuted. Joe justified a jungle justice meted to our children, who were protesting against police brutality, and yet, Joe could claim to be a leader. What kind of leader will justify a state under siege, and just to appease his master? It’s only a slave that will applaud his or her master’s societal cruelty. Joe seems to have sold out to his master, and as such, has descended so low to even appraise his own personal self-worth amongst his race.
My problem about this issue of protest against the bad governance system is, ‘Why is the government afraid of a peaceful protest?’ The protest against the bad governance system is not about any tribe, party, religion or region. We have been taken for granted, and sadly, the elites are very much in good terms with the sufferings of the masses.
I have heard many social commentators advocating that Lagos is no longer a federal capital, and as such, no protest will be allowed in Lagos State. Lagos State has now rolled out the Oro ritualistic worship on the 1st of August, just as it did during the infamous last elections. Oro festival has become a Lagos State rituals at every point of national issue; and guess what, these same ritualists that are parading themselves as Oro worshippers can be seen as Christians and Muslims. The question is, ‘has Lagos State become an exclusive Oro bequeathed enclave even when its leaders are claiming to be Christians and Muslims?
These same Lagos State protectors went further to state that any sort of protest should be conducted in Abuja, FCT. What I tried to fathom is if there are constitutional provisions that state that no protest will be allowed in any part of Nigeria except FCT. The most anti protest radicals are calling that all protesters should do so from their respective villages. The question is, am I not a Nigerian, with equal rights to know that my place of residence is part of Nigeria? Must I be in my village before I could champion any infringement of human rights issue?
This is part of Joe’s tantric reason in his disparaging remarks about his own people. Joe Igbokwe may claim APC hierarchical clustering algorithm leadership, but definitely, not in any way closer to lead any right thinking Igbo person.
This man is irrelevant to the Ndigbo. He claimed to be an APC Igbos leader in Lagos, but can someone ask Joe when he last visited his ancestral Igbo land?Can Joe, as a true Igbo leader of APC campaign in his village?
The realities of why Nigerians want to embark on a protest nationwide are very obvious. Nigerians are hungry and angry with a government that is making them slaves in the midst of plenty. How long shall Nigerians live on few cups of rice or maize distribution palliative care? Why can’t the government provide a conducive environment for all Nigerians to proudly serve and work for their human existence? How can a sane society condone the lavishly lifestyles of its leadership and only to be bribed with a few cups of rice? Nigerians have been deprived of their ancestral lands, killed and maimed, and yet, we must not ask those who are in charge of government policies, questions? Are we all dummies, and to the extent that even a simple peaceful protest, we can’t embark on?
Social Media has become a war zone between the Yoruba and themselves. They are out to pull out the igbos into a sinister provocation, but many Igbos have remained silent even in the midst of a deliberate verdict of victimisation by this regime’s anti Igbos policies.
In Nigeria, Joe Igbokwe and company are always excited to blame political opponents for APC’s incompetence governance system, and this is because, APC has sincerely refused to look in the mirror for a candid personal appraisal. In Nigeria presently, every useless government policy has to be blamed on PO, Obedient Movement and ungrateful Igbos.
We can’t blame the nepotistic governance system because the president is from our tribe. Igbos are the ones undermining the policies of every government in power. Even when Igbos have decided to stay aloof, they’re still being accused of trying to destroy the economy because their tribesman lost an election. Even the clamour for a peaceful national protest, EndSAARS debacle became a vituperation against the Igbos and which has been ignited as a paley for the Igbos to destroy Lagos State. Even though the Igbos are trying not to be involved, some diehard tribalists and Igbo saboteurs like Joe Igbokwe, are forcing all Nigerians to believe that Igbos are the only tribe that’s fanning the hunger protest flame. Even when hunger and insecurity are becoming increasingly popular in Nigeria, Igbos are the ones to be dealt with. We are all aware of the present bondage, but speak against it, you’re either an enemy of the president or someone who wants to destroy the nation. So, how can we blame this government for feeding all Nigerians with a few cups of rotten maize and rice? How can we blame a government that has reduced us into the dustbin pickers? It’s very clear that we can’t blame a government that can be extravagant to even spend borrowed funds on exotic lifestyles and useless frivolities. Yes, who dares blame a government that has rendered Nigerians hopeless and unsecured?
Dangote Refinery saboteurs are not Igbos, but are the untouchables part of this regime. When I talked about how a government that has been traveling all over the world, canvassing for investors, and it’s the same government that’s destroying the only company of our own son of the soil, some educated elders turned it into a defence mechanism for the government, and as usual, vent their tribal emotions. When we are serious about Nigeria, we won’t hail any government that’s nothing but a colossal failure. Like one of my quotes says,
“A bad governance system is a curse to any country that prides itself on bad leadership. Fortunately, the bad governance system doesn’t spare anyone… it’s an all inclusive disaster in a society.” – DSM.
One basic information that other ethnic nationalities should understand about the Igbos is that Igbos are not cowards, but sometimes, it’s more honourable and golden to remain silent when you are in the midst of core enemies. Igbos have been battered in various intentional anti policies, but they have remained silent. Why are all the problems that Nigerians are facing right now, are still being attributed to the Igbos? What exactly does the state of Nigeria want the Igbos to do? We have been taunted and openly beating up for even living in Lagos, and yet, our silence has been misconstrued to be cowardly. Our properties are targeted, and any slightest chance of mayhem, Igbos and their properties are the victims. Yet, we’ve been accused of trying to secede. It’s only a tree that will be informed of a plan to cut it down, and still won’t run away. In most policies of most government, Igbos are targets of exclusion, and yet, Joe Igbokwe and company were totally blinded. Joe didn’t see anything about what his own people are going through in Lagos State, rather, he has the guts to castigate the Igbos as if he is an ‘OSU’. Joe Igbokwe should be informed that the hallmark of any sincere national cohesion, reconciliation, repentance and healing process starts from equity and justice. That’s the simple truth, and unfortunately, Igbos are still being treated as a conquered race by any government in power. In the same vein, Igbos have resorted to minding their existence clause in Nigeria’s lopsided constitution abracadabra.
In all honesty, and seeing the amount of hatred emanating from most of my friends about the upcoming national protest, I am really happy that most of those who are saying no to any form of constitutional protest are elites. My joy is that they have friends and relations who are finding life so difficult to bear. The claim by Joe that it’s LP and Igbos that are organising the protest is laughable, but highly mischievous, and this is because, hunger, insecurity and poverty are not aware of tribal or political party affiliation. I’m happy that Igbos are talking to themselves not to be part of the protest. Igbos are tolerating all the injustice, denials to political offices and outright dehumanising antics, even when they’ve decided to live as a self-help race, and yet, people like Joe Igbokwe and Bayo Onanuga are bent to venoms of hatred.
Nigeria has become a society where evil is protected because of politics. This is Nigeria where government failures are attributed to a tribe. This is a country where being normal is abnormal. I am in full support for the new renewed suffering and smiling agenda of what Nigerians have appropriated to themselves as the best living standard. IGBOS SHOULD ABSTAIN FROM ANY ISSUES OF APC and this recent call for a NATIONAL PROTEST. No Igbo man or woman blood should be spilled in a society that has already started to applaud leadership rascalities and selfishness.
The truth is that impliedly, all Nigerians have been dehumanised and there’s no difference between those in IDP CAMPS and ordinary citizens. We are all living as beggars because the government, through the policy of palliative alms, has reduced the energetic and resilience of Nigerians, and today, we are waiting for the government to feed us with a few cups of rice.
When people like Joe Igbokwe open up their sycophants’ mouths to discredit the igbos because of politics, it goes to show that some people are born as slaves for life.
Joe Igbokwe has lost all accolades of being called an igbo man, and if I am doubted, let him follow me to South East at his convenience. This message is equally for all Igbo leaders, who have nothing else to add value to their igbo race except being saboteurs and booths- lickers to their foreign masters. I am a proud igbo man, no regrets, and it’s a race well blessed in the midst of neighbouring hostilities. This has nothing to do with tribal bigotry, but a sense of honour to remind Joe Igbokwe that, ‘a man who doesn’t know where he’s coming from, will definitely not be able to know where he’s going’. There’s always a consequence for any ancestral heritage betrayal hence I plead with him to have a rethink about betraying his race because of politics. Remember that,
“violence is avoidable where peace is acceptable” – DSM
Dr. Sunny Oby Maduka (DSM)
