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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Geoffrey Onah, has said that the only way for the Igbo to rise again from the present setbacks was for them to enthrone people-oriented leadership across the states of the South East.
He said such leaders must be organic, genuine, visionary and above all, selfless. Bishop Onah gave the charge in a lecture he delivered in commemoration of this year’s Igbo Day Celebrations at the Old Government Lodge, Enugu.
He said that the region had regressed badly because of self-centered leaders who were only interested in filling their pockets. Onah also condemned the situation where Igbo sons and daughters are termed slaves by their fellow Igbo, warning that as long as such practices are not abolished completely, Ndigbo will continue to be treated as slaves in Nigeria.
He said: “They will tell you that Igbo enwe Eze but they go to Sokoto and answer Eze Ndigbo in Sokoto. When you come home, you have multiple autonomous communities with their own traditional rulers. Who will now tell Ndigbo to arise? Whose voice will they listen to? Who will lead us, who do we listen to?
“Our problem is lack of proper leaders and leadership. Lack of leadership is responsible for our disunity. They complement each other. Before, people rarely accepted leadership positions in Igbo land because they knew it was a sacrifice. But now, no one remembers to ask the person’s past life.
“And then you see criminals, liars and touts, once they have money and can shout, they become our leaders. Chinua Achebe said that if Igbo present a criminal as their representative, the person will end up representing his stomach and not the interest of the people.
“He will eat what belongs to him and also eat what belongs to us. Where were Igbo leaders when states were shared? Where were the Igbo leaders when the local governments were shared? But we came home and started sharing autonomous communities. Very often you hear people dragging that political positions should come to their place. They want governor; they want senator. Some will say it is their turn to produce local government chairman. This is all a sign of failure because if the leaders do what they are supposed to do, no one will care where they are from.
“When Michael Okpara was in charge of the entire Eastern region, he left his footprints everywhere you go, but we have had governors in different states and none of them can replicate what Okpara did.
“We should also return to our values of hard work, truth and respect. That is what our culture is about. Our culture is not just about masquerades, it is in our values. We have to go back to those values. This is the only way we can rise again.”
President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu highlighted the economic potential of the region noting that Ohanaeze has set mechanisms in motion to reinvent the region. He emphasized that the region will soon emerge from its present challenges.
“We have abundance of coal in Igbo land. We have limestone. We have unimaginable agricultural potential. We are going to exploit all these potentials and bring Igbo land back to its pride of place.
“We will have enough foreign reserves. We also have enormous potential in industries. Our coal is one of the best you can find in the whole world so we can generate our power. So, we have every reason to be positive. I am happy that I have the support of all the South East Governors. So, this is achievable,” Iwuanyanwu said. Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, said that it was time to make Igbo land a place for the Igbo to live in and prosper, adding that the South East, with its potential can stabilize the economy of Nigeria.
