If you had been wondering why Nigerians in the Diaspora are reluctant to return home to invest their hard-earned money to create jobs and offer specialised services to the society, you would find the six-year nightmare of Citizen John Mabayoje, a renowned physician, in the hands of Nigerian Customs under the watch of ex-Comptroller-General Abdullahi Dikko Inde quite instructive. Also, If you had been trying to crack the kernel or decipher the raison d’être of the secessionist agitation for Biafra, you probably need to read the analysis of Citizen Mcginger Ibeneme who took to the social media to vent his perspective.
Today, in the spirit of contributing to ongoing debates on both issues, I serve you the individual perspectives of these two Nigerians which I have taken the liberty to edit for clarity and space. My Customs Ordeal By Dr. John Mabayoje Please call me to testify on how the former CG of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko Inde and his corrupt men tried to sabotage my attempt to invest in Nigeria.
I’ve been working on a project to integrate healthcare with agricultural production to employ about 300 people after several decades in the US. I shipped a 40 Ft container (No. APHU 618 626-9) loaded with medical equipment and other requirements but the customs seized it, accusing me of importing a container full of arms and ammunition. Dikko announced that a boat meant for Niger Delta operations was found on board as well as arms and ammunition whereas the boat is for a lake/fish farm reservoir at the back of my property.The safe in the container was subjected to a CAT scan and found to be empty. The members of the Committee to investigate these serious allegations visited the lake.They exonerated me of any wrongdoing.
Mr Dikko then released the matter to the Police. In Jan 2010 I was given my passport back. Since then I’ve been consistently tossed around by the Customs.The container has been sitting at Apapa seizure since. So many Physicians and other professionals abroad cite my predicament as reason why they will never consider investing at home. Medical equipment that should be saving lives are in that container.I have completed a residence. I have no furniture. We use plastic chairs and hunting camp folding chairs to seat in my house. Is that fair? I am prepared to come and testify against Dikko and his band of corrupt Customsmen anytime. Biafra: Let’s look in the mirror! Enugu State, my state, my home. Igboland, my fatherland. It was Peter Obi who buried APC in Igboland when he claimed that Fashola deported Igbos. He went on air, sensationalised it. Good job. Igbo youths lapped on it. Jonathan and PDP were all smiles and Obi was hailed for a job well done. He quickly joined the party on leaving office as planned.
APGA, the alleged Igbo party was dumped and left to crumble. Ojukwu had died. The new Igbo party was PDP. The plan was going well. Jonathan would win election and our brothers would continue chopping on our behalf. The Grand plan was for 2017. Oil blocks allocations would expire in 2017 and there would be fresh allocations. Boys were positioning themselves for the greatest cake. Dasuki released 500M to Jim for igbo elders. They did a perfect job. In churches Buhari was branded antichrist and anti-christians whose ambitions were to islamise the East and persecute Christians. Prayer points were raised and brethren fasted against his emergence… At the election the elders dutifully allocated 500,000 votes to Jonathan, maybe at N1000 per vote; and 15,000 votes to Buhari.
This was igbo project remember. By 2017 igbo sons would own oil blocks on our behalf … Suddenly, like the great titanic, everything went wrong! Our brother didn’t win after all! Wow! What next? They started shouting persecution. We need Biafra! We never really wanted Nigeria. We only managed to take part in the election. Our brothers in the Niger Delta will join us and we will get Biafra. Let’s just own all the oil blocks at once. But Wike threw the first stone. He warned against any Biafra rubbish. Wow! I thought we fought for these people? And Buhari is arresting people up and down. Nwobodo has been named. Who next? Uche Ekwunife has been sacked by the court. She has finally joined that same APC, the one they had described as “anti Igbo Islamic party” … Our father, Senator Jim Nwobodo, founding member and biggest chieftain of PDP, member of the yam-eating Dasuki committee of eminent Nigerians, in company of another former Enugu senator, walked into the stakeholders’ meeting of the APC in Enugu and declared loyalty. He has joined the “Islamic” party! Who’s the fool here? Igbo youths!
You all put your businesses on the line. You were ready to go to war in Lagos. You risked your families and livelihood for these men. They lied to you and you believed them. They now use you the way Northern elders use their youths…. Did they do our roads? No! Did they provide infrastructure? Did they create more jobs to employ our teeming qualified graduates? Did they improve our schools? They did nothing! They don’t have our interests at heart. It’s always all about their pockets. As old as elder Jim is, he still decamps up and down. Men without ears, men without shame. Yet we defend them. We protect them with our lives. Why? See the Western youths calling out Olu Falae. See the Northern youths calling out the princely Dasuki. But we? No way! These men are eating on our behalf, we must attack anyone who mentions their name. In fact, we shall adopt any other accused person as ours and defend him no matter how he insulted Ndigbo in the past. FFK is now our son! Who has done this to us? Are we cursed or are we the cause? The real enemies of Igboland are our political leaders at present. Let us sack the enemies at home. We Igbos are blessed with intellectuals, why do we let charlatans lead us? 2019 is around the corner. Now is the time to start.