I woke up on the 28th of March 2011 with a sour taste in my mouth. A taste that emanates from a few years of losing my pride and respect as an Igbo youth. Memories as a college student, I gave lectures on the book “Things fall apart” by Chinua Achebe to the students of Covington Latin School in Kentucky.
I woke up on the 28th of March 2011 with a sour taste in my mouth. A taste that emanates from a few years of losing my pride and respect as an Igbo youth. Memories as a college student, I gave lectures on the book “Things fall apart” by Chinua Achebe to the students of Covington Latin School in Kentucky.
The pride I had in saying “this story was set in my state and indeed my village” still lingers in my head as I remember the astonishment on the faces of the kids having seen their own modern day ‘Okonkwo’ even though I am of mixed race. Today, it seems like things really have fallen apart. The pride and the confidence I had as an Igbo youth is nearly non existent and going extinct by the day. If I was to give the same lecture to my two year old daughter today; I would limit my high points to the value of this great book and its story, my low points would be that of a dying ethnic group to which I belong.
After discussing issues we face as Igbo youth with my peers over the last year (a conversation that turned to daily routine), I decided that I must write my thoughts as it is a show of the faith I still have in my state and my people.
One of my greatest fears as an Igbo youth is that the death of Ojukwu (this said with the prayers that God continues to preserve his life) might be the death of Igbo pride. The relevance of APGA is important to the Igbo fight. Why should this be a fear? It is a fear because we are fast becoming irrelevant group in Nigeria. Yesterday we were enterprising, smart, ‘cunning’ and bold, today we are still enterprising, smart, ‘cunning’ but have lost our boldness due to our irrelevance in the affairs of political power. How long will we remain enterprising? I bet not very long. There is no industry without the backing of power in the third world. We are becoming less necessary to the rest of Nigeria. We have championed many industries, but now we are not needed to sustain the economies of scale. This is not the fault of any ethnic group as it is a ‘rule of thumb’ in any business environment.
As a consultant, I have written numerous businesses and implementation plans that cuts across all ethnic groups. I find that most of them have been implemented everywhere but in the backyard of the originators. Many Igbo youths have done the same; many in professional services, social services and vocational skills. We are in Lagos, Abuja and in many parts of the world. Why are we not home? Very simple, there is no platform available to engage the youths in Anambra state! The elders with all due respect did not envision the new craze in world development, the youth. We are failing because our elders have failed to put our pride before their personal gains. We continue on the downward spiral because the youth feel the pains but have refused to come together in forum to work in an effort to bring about change and save our heritage.
Your Excellency, I want you to take the initiative to engage the youth of your state and build a forum. There are youth leaders among mechanics, there are youth leaders among the farmers, youth leaders in the markets, youth leaders in sports, energy, medicine, law and even in the homeless shelters. Engage every youth faction to come under the movement of APGA. Affiliation is a tricky subject in Nigeria but after careful analysis, I have come to the conclusion that APGA is all we have left in Anambra state. (This said with no affiliation to you and to note that none of my family members is serving in the party).
Today, the North is in contention for the presidency because they created a forum of their elders to fight for relevance. Under scrutiny the purpose is working, and the youth are understanding more on ‘power tussle’ initiatives and the need to adopt tactics. In the south-west ACN has become a force to recon with, the pride with which the people talk about their spread and work of the Governor of Lagos state is admirable. What do we have? Where are our own elders? What do our own youth have to say?
As much as I push for peace at all times within every part of Nigeria, I believe the term ‘one Nigeria’ is overrated. We are one only by the borders surrounding our nation, rate of development clearly differ. How many Yoruba or Hausa people have built a school or clinic in Anambra? They do not have the obligation to do so therefore it is understandable. How many Igbo’s have done so across state lines? This is not the fault of ethnicity, or lack of will. It is purely a case of abandonment by the leaders and elders of Igbo people. How do we reunite the most destabilized part of the nation? We must engage the youth in the process of building alliances and addressing the plights before us. There is need for a media blitz. Is APGA even on twitter? Is Anambra on twitter? Is there a coalition of Igbos on twitter? The most followed social network in the world where issues can be followed, exchanged with progress reports and feedback.
A few weeks ago I had a sit down with Amobi Okoye, an NFL star who hails from Aguku Nri and plays for the Houston Texans. He and his crew were in Lagos and Abuja promoting the game of American football to the youth. The most important aspect of the game is teamwork. Unlike most sports, you need every player on the team to play well to win. Everyone has a different function. My question to him was “why not Anambra state?” Amobi is a young man with a heart for charity that does not border on ethnicity, and that is the right thing to do. With that said; do kids in Anambra not aspire to be in the NFL? Do they not aspire to get scholarships abroad? Is it not important for them to learn that a team is better than an individual player? Do they not deserve motivation? Or can they simply not run with a ball to a touch line? Sounds like the Igbo leadership! Everyone else can! So why not Anambra? Amobi would come to Anambra in a heartbeat but there is no initiative to engage such show of commitment by his youth team. It’s not all about money; the Amobi foundation raised its own funds to provide these camps. Once again Anambra lost a freebie from a son who was willing. This is one of thousands of examples.
Once again, I emphasize that charity must be for all. But realistically is that the mind frame of the typical Nigerian citizen or ‘super citizen leader’? Charity never got to the Niger-delta kids, women, homeless people, the sick, the hungry until ‘they’ ventured into power. If we don’t make an effort to preserve the little power we have and fight for the power we have lost; regardless of how many boreholes, homes, hospitals, schools we build, we will go hungry and become the dinosaurs of Nigerian ethnicity. Nigeria is a nation where power is tussled and not inherited or ‘properly zoned’; if we are not in the tussle then we have failed the people who sweat and died for our existence.
My advice is that a platform is created by the youth for the youth and supported by the government of Anambra state. It should be initiated and spilled over to the entire south east region. We must dialogue with youths from across Nigeria, bringing opportunities to the people and building on what we have while striving for renewed relevance. We the Igbo youth have the heart, we must drive ourselves. As I turn thirty next year, I use the word ‘youth’ very lightly in a society where the likes of Dele Momodu are considered youth. I also refrain from portraying myself as a representative of the Igbo youth, and do not claim to be the epitome of integrous igbonism. I am simply stating the side of a tired youth with a heart for his people and one that’s tired of watching his pride walk away.
This is not a proposal, as one cannot be written bearing the heart of a fight for justice for the Igbo people. We need action! I have a lot more to say on this matter but I will do so as my sour mouth goes bitter. I have no ambition to venture into politics as I believe politics is for the one with a drive to rule. My plight is for the Igbo youth to stand and keep the pride we deserve and work everyday to prove. We must get back what we have lost.
My reason for using APGA as a stand is very simple. APGA is what we have left, it is our CPC, it is our ANPP, it is our CAN and we must work hard to stay in the frontlines and away from the confusions of the PDP.
Being Igbo is not speaking the language, it is not atilogwu dancing, neither is it the representation of a red cap. It is a badge of honor that signifies that through all difficulties we have overcome. It is a pride. A friend of mine once asked the question: “what will your obituary say if you had to write it today?” mine will say “he wrote his thoughts”. what will yours say?
Imagine if the youth were united?
Best Regards,
Gihan Olisaeloka Mbelu from Ikenga Ogidi, Anambra State
[email protected]
To: Your Excellency The Governor Of Anambra State
Cc: Leadership of APGA
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