Ghanaian, Nigerian Cultures On Display At Igbo Yam Festival, As Royalty Reveals Historical Igbo Links

BY MARTIN-LUTHER C KING

MODERN GHANA

It was a rare but fine blend of rich Igbo, Ghanaian and Nigerian cultures on display in Adoteiman, near Accra as His Royal Highness Igwe Chuma Raymond Okadigbo marked his seven years on the throne as the Eze Ndigbo in Adoteiman kingdom on October 30.

The occasion also celebrated Igwe Okadigbo's 2021 new yam festival.

Depicting a carnival-like atmosphere, the event started with the revered traditional ruler arriving at the event venue in a royal procession, accompanied by his gorgeously dressed wives, members of his family, his Onowu, or traditional prime minister, and other members of his cabinet, with a lavish display of fireworks to electrify the venue.

In his welcome address, Igwe Okadigbo thanked God for keeping him alive and in good health to mark his seven years on the throne as the Eze Ndigbo in Adoteiman kingdom in Ghana; and, to celebrate the new yam festival this year.

Explaining that the new yam festival was an old tradition in Igbo land, when the people gather to thank God for a bountiful yam harvest for the year and to formally announce that all are free to consume yam again, Okadigbo used the occasion to commend his beautiful wives, his Onowu, members of his cabinet and all who contributed in one way or the other towards making the event a success, assuring his guests that everything has been put in place to guarantee their safety, security and welfare during and afterwards the event.

In his goodwill message, Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, the Eze Ndi Igbo in Ghana, appreciated the hospitality and accommodative disposition of Ghanaians which, he said, made it possible for Ndi Igbo (Igbo people) to reside and thrive in Ghana without fear of attack, molestation or humiliation. He cautioned Igbos resident in Ghana to remain law abiding by ensuring that they obey all the laws of the land.

Commending Igwe Okadigbo and members of his cabinet for putting up such an event that promotes the rich cultural and traditional heritage of Ndi Igbo, Eze Ihenetu wished him many more happy returns on his throne.

Speaking, also, the chief of Dodowa, Okukrubuor Nene Tei Kwesi Agyemang V; paramount ruler of Damfa, Nii Dzani Tsuru; Benkumehene of Anya Denkyira Akyeapem division, HRH Dr. Nana Kum Krampah 1; chief of the Dagombas, Chief (Dr.) Mohammed Suntaba; as well as the paramount rulers of Kweiman, Adoteiman, and Amahyia

each, separately, gave glowing testimonies of their respective interactions with Igwe Okadigbo; and, appreciated the rare and uncommon entrepreneurial ingenuity of the Igbo people, citing the several traits they share in common with the Igbo race.

They commended Okadigbo for his leadership style which, they said, has promoted the cordial relationship between the Igbos in Ghana and their host communities.

Waxing historical, the chief of Dodowa, Okukrubuor Nene Tei Kwesi Agyemang V, also used the occasion to reveal publicly for the first time a historical connection between his Dodowa people of Ghana and the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria.

He said when his people journeyed from their original home in Israel nine hundred years ago in search of a new home, the first place they settled was the Nnewi area of Igbo land, where, he said, they were well-received by the original Igbo inhabitants.

According to him, his people later continued their journey from Igboland to Togo, and then, finally, to their present abode in Dodowa.

"So, anywhere you see an Nnewi man, tell him I am his brother," Okukrubuor Nene Tei Kwesi Agyemang V stated.

Proceedings at the event went a notch higher in excitement when the chief of the Dagombas, Mohammed Suntaba, arrived.

Surrounded by his entourage and retinue of drummers and musicians, he took a while moving around the event venue greeting other royalties present; all the while displaying some fascinating dance-steps.

The high points of the event were the eating of the new yam, and the subsequent conferment of chieftaincy titles by Igwe Okadigbo on some deserving Igbo sons and daughters, as well as Ghanaian friends of Igbos, who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavor.

Guests were later treated to various cultural dance and masquerade displays by a rich mix of Nigerian and Ghanaian groups, including from Ga-land, Eweland, the Dagomba; as well as from Yorubaland (Nigeria) and the hosts, Igboland (Nigeria).

Representatives of Anambra State community in Kasao, Onitsha Ado, Inner city palace, Dome Kwabenya, as well as delegates from other Igbo-speaking states in Nigeria and Ghanaians from Greater Accra, Volta, Savanah, Northern, and other regions were among the dignitaries that graced the occasion.

It Is Unlikely We’ll See An Igbo President In Our Lifetime – Okolo

Anthony Olisa Okolo

NEW TELEGRAPH INTERVIEW

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

Anthony Olisa Okolo is the President of Igbo National Movement (INM), a body of Igbo intelligentsia and entrepreneurs. In this interview with EMMANUEL IFEANYI, he speaks on issues concerning the Igbo nation in Nigeria and agitation for self-determination, among other issues

The Igbo National Movement (INM) has become more vocal on Igbo issue; what is responsible for this?

Simply put, the Igbo National Movement is a movement created to re-establish our Igbo nation. It is established for the progress of the Igbo national or as we call ourselves, ‘Ndigbo’ wherever we may be found on the earth, and also for the development of Igbo homelands (ala-Igbo), through the enhancement of our Igbo republican institutions.

The movement envisions the development of a nation of Ndigbo, arising into the world polity with a society that encourages justice, merit, equality and treats people with respect.

So, we’re simply doing what we are meant to do.

Are we looking at cultural awakening or reawakening of the Igbo nation?

Don’t get it twisted, Ndigbo meet all the criteria for nationhood. We have a common tongue, a common territory which is known to us and our neighbours, a common culture and now, a common purpose to regain that which the British took from us forcibly. We have been indigenous to our land for over 3,000 years and lived in peace with our neighbours all that time.

Why then should we look to the very recent past of the last 100 or so years as if that is the foundation of our identity? No, Ndigbo are far more ancient peoples than that, and as such, we are ripe for a re-awakening of who we are, and to seek to control our destiny in non-violent and constitutional agitation.

In this, I believe we are closely related to our brothers and sisters of other indigenous nations in Nigeria, who are also in the process of their cultural awakening.

We commend the Ijaw, the Yoruba, the people of the Middle Belt and the plurality of Nigerian indigenous people to take control of their destinies and to call for a real debate on the path for a new future, for the administrative entity that is the Nigerian federation.

This, we believe will be achieved through a sovereign national conference of the Indigenous people of Nigeria. It is one of our objectives to make this call and to support all Nigerian indigenous people to join this call. It may be the only way to save this federation, and re-create it into a system that the people can recognize and respect.

What’s your view on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), tge group’s agitation and the recent arrest of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is first and foremost an Igbo man and he is one of our own. In any family group, there are a variety of characters. Some are prudent and diplomatic, while others may be brash and confrontational.

A wise family will always align itself with the former and will at the same time seek to curb the excesses of the latter. But a wise family never abandons their child to an outsider’s discipline, lest they be viewed as uncaring and unwise.

So, while the family will always stand ‘with’ its own, it will not necessarily stand ‘for’ them where their ideology does not follow the wisdom of the family group. We stand with Mazi Kanu because Ndigbo do not abandon each other in adverse circumstances. We protect our own from the outsider.

We believe that discipline is best meted out within the family group, and Igbo justice is harsh indeed. But we do not stand for the ideology that suggests that all non-Igbos are our enemies. However, we believe that his recent abduction was unlawful and we have said so plainly.

But the Attorney-General of the Federation seems to stand that no law was broken in bringing Kanu back to Nigeria?

Unfortunately, the Attorney-General of the Federation pretends he does not know the law. He seems to believe that a warrant of arrest in Nigeria can be executed at will internationally without the process of extradition.

He thinks there is nothing unlawful in the Nigerian government kidnapping a British citizen who has renounced his Nigerian nationality in a foreign country, which he has entered legally with a British passport.

We believe he knows he is wrong, but we understand he must try to justify these illegal acts because it is what the government wishes him to do. But justifying illegality is not the job of the Chief Law Officer of a democratic country.

He must stand for justice and truth, even where it is against the instructions of the government he is part of. Not even Kenya will be so naive as to agree with him and certainly, Britain will not allow their citizen to be made a fool of as it is a poor reflection on them.

Is there a hidden agenda to the interest being showed on Igbo issues by INM?

The movement is being funded by love. Of what use is a hidden agenda?

What is the use of hiding a lamp beneath an opaque bucket? Our agenda is open to all and we are proud to share it.

We wish to reassert our rights as an indigenous nation and for the federation to recognize these rights as well as the rights of all indigenous nationals who are desirous to chart their course, whether within a re-negotiated Nigerian Confederation or in a clearly defined Commonwealth of Independent Nigerian States.

No Nigerian, who is Nigerian by birth, can be a Nigerian, if they were not firstborn to the nations indigenous to the land, upon the amalgamation by the British in 1914.

To be Nigerian is to be first Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Kanuri, Ijaw, Jukun, Tiv or any of the various nationalities that make up the Nigerian federation.

The promise of Nigeria lies not in replacing these identities, but in harnessing our diversity, allowing each to become the best version of ourselves.

How would you describe the Nigerian federation and how it is accepted by the people?

The government and Nigerians know that at present, Nigeria does not have the soul of a federation made up of the administrative units we have come to know as states, but is at heart, a federation of proud nations.

That is why most of the states created by the military have continued to fail to bring the people the development that they require. They have failed to energize the loyalty of the people and the people question the legitimacy of these units consistently.

How do you see the present political leadership in Igbo land?

With very few exceptions, the present political leadership in Ala-Igbo has failed to unite our people behind a common ‘post-war’ ideology that meets the dynamism of Ndigbo. We are builders, democratic and believe in merit.

Ndigbo would rather perish in the field of work than go cap in hand to beg for our supper. This monthly pilgrimage to Abuja to beg and scrape for our livelihood is un-Igbo. It has to stop. We have never really needed the support or interference of outsiders to develop our land.

After the war, we pulled ourselves out of the mire, with very little help from the victorious Federal Government who impoverished us. We rebuilt all we see in Ala-Igbo today from a pauper’s dowry of £20 per person.

Are you in support of a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction?

It is unlikely we will see an Igbo president in our lifetime. The people who know Igbo for what we are and despise us because of it will never let that happen. If they do allow it, they will hope to force upon us, an Igbo man or woman of such flawed character, that we will all be ashamed to call ourselves their kinsmen.

We have some of them who have been rigged in as governors today to provide proof of such perfidy.

What we need is for Ndigbo to use the power of the vote and social activism to regain control of Ala-Igbo. We should employ the best of us to the work towards regaining our national pride and to focus our energies on building an economy that will be a force to reckon with globally.

Ndigbo are never contended with anything less than excellence, so why should we continue to settle for mediocrity to please those who choose to be indolent? We are very clear on what ideology we are for, and how to achieve that ideology.

When we are ready to do so, our people will direct an appropriate vehicle to achieve these aims.

Looking at Nigeria today, what do you think 2023 will look like?

2023 will bring Nigerian indigenous people closer and closer to their freedom. For the first time, the corrupt military establishment is running out of alteregos to set upon the throne that they have created for themselves within the Nigerian government for it is them we call the cabal.

Their generation is old, grow weak and dying. Their stronghold on the younger and vibrant generation is dissipating and their achievements will eventually evaporate in smoke. 2023 will bring us closer to the realisation that “We the People” mentioned in the constitution of Nigeria, must have our voices heard.

The choice for Nigerians will be whether to heed these voices or to continue to allow the oligarchy to suppress them in the hope that once silenced, they will go away. Our voices will not go away. We will grow stronger and stronger until the tipping point is reached.

Between restructuring and outright struggle for an Igbo nation; which one is INM in support of?

Restructuring without recognizing the independence of the indigenous nations which make up the Nigerian Federation, and basing the restructuring process on that recognition, would be akin to putting make-up on a pig and taking it as a wife in the name of a beautiful woman.

It will not change anything other than words and soon the realization will hit home that one has made an awful mistake. The Igbo nation will stand on its own or it may choose to subject its sovereignty to a different administrative entity.

But that can only be decided through the expressed will of the people, and by making each indigenous nation understand what benefits such a system will bring to each national. What are tribes if not nations? And what are nations if not tribes? Yet one connotes the negative, and another has a positive interpretation.

That is an unfortunate paradigm encouraged by a colonial mentality with an ulterior motive to subdue. Very similar to how some people are called ‘migrants,’ while some others are called ‘expatriates.’ It is all a play on words which at the heart of it contains racist ideology.

Dialogue With Igbo’ll Address Agitations, Says Soludo

Charles Soludo

BY GODFREY GEORGE

PUNCH

A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof Charles Soludo, has said any dialogue that will quell agitations in the country must have Igbo in the front seat.

He stated this during a consultation of Anambra indigenes in Lagos on Friday.

Stressing that the platforms available at the moment may not be favourable to the Igbo, he suggested that they came together, joining forces to become a formidable force to champion the needs of Igbo people.

Soludo said, “Yes, there are agitations and I respect them. But dialogue is the answer. They must dialogue; Igbo and Nigeria. That will settle it once there’s an organised platform, where the Igbo will be in front seat. Forget about the APC and PDP. For us to negotiate our way to the centre, we must come together and form a formidable force for doing this.


“I call on all Igbo to come together, step out and build our land into a liveable homeland.”

Speaking further, he said that the reason for the unrest in Anambra State and in other parts of the South East was the deep-seated unemployment in the region, adding, “Our answer to these unrests is prosperity and job creation. Once there are jobs everywhere, all of those people will come out of the bushes and do something productive with that lives.”

Soludo said he had over 40 support groups pleading with him to be governor of the state.

He stated that he had to give it a good thought before accepting in February, 2021, because he wanted to make Anambra a liveable homeland for all.

The militarization Of Igbo Land

BY THIS DAY EDITORIAL

The deployment of soldiers in the southeast is unconstitutional, contends Sonnie Ekwowusi

The ongoing militarisation of Anambra State and the rest of Igbo land under the guise of combating insecurity is illegal and unconstitutional. Capitalizing on the messy political violence and a few political assassinations in Anambra which claimed the life of Dr. Chike Akunyili and other precious lives, the Federal Attorney-General and Justice of Minister Abubakar Malami (SAN) had announced last week that the federal government might declare a state of emergency in Anambra State. Not unexpectedly, prominent Nigerians and institutions have been blasting Malami for harbouring and uttering such a wicked statement. Notably among them is the Anambra State governor Chief Willie Obiano. Chief Obiano has said that he had reached President Buhari on the matter who told him to ignore Malami as the federal government does not intend to declare an emergency rule in Anambra.

Why is the Federal Attorney-General pressuring the federal government to declare a state of emergency in Anambra when a state of emergency had not been declared in different parts of North East and North West battling deadly terrorism and armed struggle resulting day after day in monumental human casualties and sacking of communities? When a people’s dignity, honour, pride, reputation, and existential values are constantly eroded in nauseating fatalistic Fulanization and Jihadization, there is a cause for concern. Being a senior lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria for that matter, Malami ought to have known that neither he nor President Buhari nor any other political office holder can wake up one morning and unilaterally declare a state of emergency in Anambra. Even though our democracy has been seriously corrupted and abused at recent times, government actions are still governed by the rule of law, especially the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the supreme law of the land. By virtue of section 305 (1)(2) (3a-g)(4)(5)(6) of the Constitution, President Buhari may through an instrument published in the Official Gazette issue a Proclamation for a State of emergency in Anambra. Thereafter President Buhari shall immediately, after the said publication, transmit copies of the Official Gazette of the Government of the federation containing the Proclamation to the National Assembly which will decide whether or not to pass a resolution approving the proclamation. Note that President Buhari shall not issue a proclamation for a state of emergency in Anambra unless there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety or there is a clear and present danger of a breakdown of public order and public safety in Anambra. In a nutshell, President Buhari cannot declare a state of emergency in Anambra without an instrument published in the official gazette, and, without issuing a proclamation to that effect, and, without the concurrence of the National Assembly.


Apart from Malami’s state of emergency threat, the federal government, under the guise of protecting lives and protecting in Anambra and the South East, has deployed soldiers to invade Anambra State and the rest of the South-East in what has been tagged as “Operation Golden Dawn” ( reminiscent of George Wallace’s Operation Golden Dawn). The latest military offence, which is no different from Operation Python Dance 1 & 11 of 2016-2017, is actually targeted at dislodging IPOB and ESN as well as create the enabling environment for the federal-assisted Anambra politicians to steal the Anambra Gubernatorial election come November 6. Considering the atrocities committed in Igbo land by soldiers deployed to invade Igbo land under “Operation Python Dance” 1 & 11, it beats the imagination that the government has again deployed soldiers to invade the same Igbo land. You will recall that during the so-called “Operation Python Dance” 1 & 11, several innocent Igbo civilians were either murdered or badly injured or publicly flogged or harassed or hounded by soldiers. The disturbing video clips of the aforesaid invasions are still available for all to watch.

The latest deployment of soldiers to invade Anambra State and the rest of the South-East under “Operation Golden Dawn” is illegal and unconstitutional. Section 217(2)(a) (b)(c)(d) of the 1999 Constitution has in no unmistakable terms spelt out the circumstances and conditions under which President Buhari can deploy soldiers to any state of the federation. There are: (i) for the defence of Nigeria from external aggression. (ii) for the maintenance of the territorial integrity and securing the borders of Nigeria from violation on land, sea and air, (iii) for suppressing insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the President; subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly. In other words, whilst President Buhari can freely deploy our military to defend our country against aggression and to maintain our territorial integrity, he cannot dispatch the Nigerian soldiers (acting under “Operation Golden Dawn”) to invade Anambra State and the rest of the South-East in order to combat insurrection and/or other internal armed conflicts in those place without “such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of National Assembly, and “performing such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly” as stipulated by section 217(2)(c)(d) of the 1999 Constitution. It is clear that the aforesaid constitutional provisions were violated when President Buhari deployed the Nigeria soldiers under “Operation Golden Dawn” to invade Anambra and the rest of the South East.

Even a plea of the doctrine of necessity by President Buhari cannot avail him or justify “Operation Golden Dawn”. The doctrine of necessity can only be pleaded upon certain conditions such as; (a) there must exist an imperative necessity arising from danger affecting Anambra State; (b) the action must be proportionate to the necessity (c) action taken to meet the exigency and must be the only available action (d) there must be incapacitation of the state security apparatus which normally maintains security. During the prosecution of “Operation Python Dance 1 & 11 in Igbo land from 2016-2017, the Nigerian soldiers did not comply with the Rules of Engagements (ROE). The soldiers went berserk intimidating, harassing innocent passengers and motorists and unlawfully incarcerating innocent citizens in Igbo land. They also went about killing suspected Biafra agitators and IPOB members and dumping their corpses in nearby bushes. Now, recent reports reaching us attest that the soldiers operating under “Operation Golden Dawn” are committing the aforesaid crimes which they committed in Igbo land under “Operation Python Dance 1 & 11. For example, for adorning an outfit depicting the Biafran rising sun, prominent actor Chiwetalu Agu was last week publicly molested and humiliated by some soldiers. Other innocent citizens in Igbo land are presently experiencing similar molestation or humiliation.

This is unacceptable. How can soldiers who are supposed to be combating crimes turn round to start committing their own crimes? No matter the situation, committing jungle justice in Igbo land cannot be rationalized. Two wrongs cannot make a right. Soldiers cannot do wrong in order to right another wrong. The end does not justify the means. Soldiers cannot employ illegal means to achieve a lawful end in Anambra and the rest of the South East. There should be no repeat of the atrocities of soldiers under the previous Operation Python Dance 1 & 11 in the South-East.

Igbo Hurt By Not Having One Voice –Okafouzu Ugochukwu

 

BY HENRY AKUBUIRO

SUN NEWS ONLINE

Okafouzu Ugochukwu is the founder of Mbido Igbo Association and one of the facilitators of the Iri Ji Ndi Igbo National New Yam Festival. He works in the famous Igboukwu Ancestral Land Palace as its Secretary. A market leader and traditional title holder of Ugochinechendo Omogho na Oku Uzu Owerezukala both in Orumba North and South LGA of Anambra State, he spoke to Sunday Sun on the travails of Igbo culture and how UNESCO has been short changing the people.

What is the difference between Mbido Igbo Association and other groups?

Mbido Igbo Association came to be because the Igbo arts, culture and tourism were highly neglected and relegated to the background. The Igbo are no longer in touch with their very highly esteemed culture. From their language, mode of dressing, cuisine, dance, cosmetics, etcetera, very few want to do them the Igbo way or improve on the ones handed down to us by our ancestors. So we came together in 2003 and asked ourselves where we were going. We looked at the achievements of our great ancestors at Igboukwu, fully documented in their arts, which survived till date, and is adjudged one of the best in the world. We came to the conclusion that we should go back to the source and origin, and imbibe the spirit of our great ancestors that made them achieve those lofty goals. That quest to return to the origin and the source gave birth to the name and movement called Mbido Igbo Association. We want to go back to the ancient times and be like them.

One wonders why there are no UNESCO heritage sites in Igboland. Are there such befitting sites to be recognised by the world body?

Our major mandate is to research, promote and showcase Igbo Race arts, culture and tourism to the nation and world. We have gone far in achieving this mandate. We have done deep research on Igbo arts and culture. We chose to use Igboukwu arts, which is one of the best ever produced by Igbo men in time. We took it and are now promoting it by involving the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, especially the National Gallery of Art.

Today, they organise an annual art exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Igboukwu Outstation, where all schools in the country that offer arts as a discipline are called to exhibit their artworks. Many works of art have been exhibited at this annual art exhibition. Schools like Federal Polytechnic, Oko; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and a host of others have exhibited their works at this programme from 2004 till date. Many tourists have appreciated these works of art. Today, no Igbo man can say that he doesn’t have an avenue to exhibit his artworks, and it has encouraged many to go back to arts, because it pays. All the different art media are encouraged. It was an Igboukwu man, Simon Okeke of Umudege, who designed the famous Biafran currency — get a Biafran currency note and see the intricate design it had!

On culture and tourism, we found out that the best we have is the yam culture, which is found everywhere Igbo reside. We researched it, and found out how yam and its festivals started. We looked into the history of New Yam Festival by going through the different communities’ method of celebrating New Yam Festival, and we adopted Igboukwu because of its richness and the folklore of how yam was discovered in their community, which they preserved in the ancient festival they called Igwa Nsi, which literally mean to remove the poison in yam to make it edible.

To us, New Yam Festival is the chief of all Igbo Race festivals, and we hinged on it and made it the hub of the festivities. We got the Federal Government involved in showcasing this important festival, and it paid off, because the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Abuja head office, and Isuofia outstations, are indeed helping us to package and promote the festival to meet national and international standards. Therefore, in October, 2007, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture made it a national festival akin to Argungu Fishing and Osun Osogbo Groove festivals of the North and West respectively.

We showcase this festival, in conjunction with Ndi Eze Ndi Igbo na Uzo Ije worldwide. This group is very important in showcasing this festival. We are in constant touch with its leadership, because they are our important stakeholders in this job.

It appears the Igbo culture is not so much reckoned with and celebrated worldwide like the Orisa of Yoruba abroad?

We came to find out that the Igbo are short-changed in terms of recognition of their historical sites by the Federal Government and UNESCO. We set out to work on this, and were able to find out that the first three sites recognised by the Federal Government were in Abia State, especially in Arochukwu area, and there it ended. Out of the 67 sites recognised by the government, only three were from the southeast, and nothing more.

We worked tirelessly on this, and, in 2014, towards the buildup of the programme for the Nigerian Centenary celebrations, we added another five slots, including: Owerezukala Wonderful Caves and Waterfalls in Orumba South LGA of Anambra State; Dike Ukpor Tower at Mmadueke compound, Umudike village, Ukpor, Nnewi South LGA of Anambra State; Biafra Exchange House at Atuchukwu Compound, Amichi (the house where Biafran forces handed over to Nigerian Army, represented by General Olusegun Obasanjo); Nnamdi Azikiwe Mausoleum in Onitsha; Ogbunike Caves in Oyi LGA of Anambra State. In all, we recommended 10 sites, and only five survived, and were declared by the federal government in 2014 as part of the centenary programme.

As for good sites to be declared World Heritage Sites, we have these which we are currently pursuing: Owerezukala Waterfalls and caves; Amacho Caves in Ebonyi State; Igboukwu Archaeological Sites; Iri Ji Ndi Igbo National New Yam Festival; Olokoro Wooden Caves in Umuahia Abia State.

Today, we have Sukur in Adamawa State and Osun Osogbo Groove declared as World Heritage Sites, while Kano City walls and Idanre Hills are listed too on UNESCO list, but none from the southeast and south-south of the country.

The New Yam Festival has endured in Igboland over centuries, what makes this yam culture unique?

The Yoruba is strong, because Ife and Ibadan were given their rightful places by the government of the colonial masters. Till date, majority of Yoruba recognise Ife as their source and Orisa Festival of Oyo State as its major festival. Olubadan of Ibadan plays a major role in showcasing Orisa Festival of the west. Everywhere Yoruba are, especially those sold into slavery, they still observe Orisa Festival, especially those in the West Indies and Latin American people.

The New Yam Festival is equally celebrated world over by Igbo and their families and friends. One can see that Igbo in Ghana celebrated their New Yam Festival in September 2021, while others are celebrating theirs, too. What is lacking is publicity, and we encourage Igbo communities outside Igboland who celebrate this festival to give the much desired publicity. So the celebration of the New Yam Festival is now worldwide.

Unlike the Yoruba or Hausa societies, there is a leadership deficit among the Igbo, leading to the Igbo speaking in discordant voices; it’s hard to find one person whose voice carries weight that could rally everybody politically. Is there any solution to this anomaly?

Igbo are copycats, and adaptability is one of their character traits. The Igbo man can adapt and live anywhere. In fact, it is a general saying here in Nigeria that any community where you go and there is no Igbo living there, that community won’t support Iife, and there is no need living there. Igbo are itinerant by nature, and they travel far and wide. They easily adopt the lifestyle of their host community in order to belong and indigenise. They wouldn’t like to be seen as foreigners so that their host will be docile to them and accommodate them without much ado and harm. In order for one to profit from any given society, one needs not be in hostility with his host; otherwise, it would be counterproductive and won’t augur well for the visitor, in which case is an Igbo man. This makes the Igbo man to easily lose his Identity to that of his host, and, whenever he goes home to Igbo Homeland, he travels with it. Igbo copy a lot in order to make both ends meet and to survive.

Culture is a variable tool towards redirecting the minds of the Igbo youths. Igbo are republican in nature, and it is part of our culture. Nzuko Umunna na Umunne among the Igbo is as old as man. Therefore, Nzuko Umunna na Umunne. Nzuko Ogbe na nke Obodo has a lot to do towards building better youths of tomorrow and a better society tomorrow.

Some critics say the Igbo are incapable of producing the next Nigerian president because everybody would likely come out to run, is there a compelling case for Igbo Presidency?

One cannot be politically correct without being culturally correct, too. This is because politics is sharing of values, and these values are products of culture. If one is culturally sound, he will be politically sound, too. Both of them are children of the same parents. One cannot live or survive without the other. Therefore, it follows that if you want to exterminate a people, first of all deal with their culture, and, if their culture is dead, the people are politically dead, too. It is culture that awakens the politics, without which politics is dead. How can Igbos speak with one voice and go one direction?

In Igbo land today, our culture is competing for supremacy, and no one agrees with each other. Nri/Eri is saying that they are the head of Igbo culture and their culture is supreme.

Even among them, Agu Ukwu Nri, Enugwu Ukwu and Agulueri are saying that they are the head of Umunri. Even in Nri Eri hegemony, there is a supremacy issue.

Arochukwu Oke Igbo is saying that they are the ancestral land of all Igbo and that their culture is supreme. Yes, the Aros are united under Arochukwu as its head.

Moreover, Igboukwu is saying that they are the origin of Igbo. They have their archaeological sites and other cultural materials to prove it like Nze na Ozo, ancient Igbo market, and their name says a lot on it being the ancestral land of all Igbo.

Then the Amaigbo in Imo State is also claiming to be the ancestral land of Igbo, using the fame of King Jaja of Opobo who, incidentally, is a slave from Amaigbo in Imo State. It was this and others that made the colonial masters in 1925 to appoint The HP Mathew Commission to study all the Igbo culture available to them and see which culture is central and could be used to galvanise all the Igbo into one. By 1926, HP Matthew submitted its report without recommending one, and there the matter ended. Arochukwu thought that they would be appointed, but it eluded them. While other similar commissions in the north and west made recommendations, the one of the southeast couldn’t recommend any of the cultures, and that is our problem till date. It is now to your tent oh Israel, and every culture is on its own!

Yes, Arochukwu contributed a lot in Igbo race, especially military culture. Nri Eri contributed a lot in theocracy and divinity, while Igboukwu contributed a lot in trade and commerce. Who will call the Igbo together is very hard. Igbo will be together again the day Nri Eri, Arochukwu, Amaigbo, Okotu and Igboukwu will be together under one umbrella na ofu nzuko and agree to work together, respecting each other’s contributions in the making of Igbo race.

We all know our ancestors and their routes, only that ego has blinded our eyes, but the reality is there. Each of these cultures has something to say about Igbo, and the majority of these cultures are in Anambra State. So let’s come together and agree to work together.

Arewa has a clearing House in the Sultan of Sokoto and Emir of Kano, while Yoruba have their clearing House in the Ooni of Ife and Olubadan of Ibadan. The South-south has the Oba of Bini and Obong of Calabar. What stops the Igbo from having their own clearing house which could be Igboukwu and Arochukwu or Nri Eri and Amaigbo? The Sun Newspaper can even organise a conference for these cultures and work to bring them together.

Once these communities unite, na ofu nzuko, and harmonise themselves, things will work for the Igbo, and we will be politically correct again. North obeys Arewa, while Yoruba obey Afenifere. Do the Igbo obey Ohaneze? Your guess is as good as mine. There is hope for the Igbo. Let’s unite culturally, and every other thing will follow, including politics and its interests.

Igbo presidency is possible, but will the Igbo allow the person to succeed? That’s another issue. You see when we got the President of the Senate all the south eastern states tasted it, because we had no clearing House, and those who had cleared for us. The Hausa had as well as Yoruba. If the clearing house rejects your Senate Presidency, the occupier will be impeached, and so on.

The Ohanaeze is trying it’s best to be the clearing house but politics cannot give birth to culture because it is culture that gives birth to politics. It is a man who impregnates a lady, not a lady impregnating a man. There is hope for us the day the ancestors of these cultures will decide to come together under one umbrella, the politics will be given birth, and nobody can kill it or quench its fire, because it will rage widely and fiercely. Until then, we keep our hands crossed, waiting in joyful hope on time.

Igbo Landing Legacy To Get Historical Recognition On Island

 

The Coastal Georgia Historical Society

BY LARRY HOBBS

THE BRUNSWICK NEWS

An African-American legend grounded in fact tells how members of the Igbo tribe drowned themselves in the inland waters off St. Simons Island more than two centuries ago rather than face a life of enslavement.

This tale of redemption in the face of bondage survived in the oral tradition for generations before historians lent it credence, but soon the Igbo Landing legacy will hold a place of permanence on St. Simons Island.

The Coastal Georgia Historical Society announced this week that a roadside marker will go up to commemorate that historic moment in 1803 near Dunbar Creek.

The Georgia Historical Society marker will go up near the intersection of Frederica Road and Sea Island Causeway at the Old Stables Corner lot preserved by the St. Simons Land Trust.

The marker came about through the efforts of high school students from Glynn Academy’s Ethnology Club, according to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. Intrigued by Igbo (pronounced Ebo) Landing’s enduring legacy of freedom at all costs, the Glynn Academy students researched the tale’s history and applied to the state historical society for the marker.

Numerous historical markers line the island’s roadways, marking everything from the 1742 Battle of Gullyhole Creek to the military trail that is now Demere Road.

“We’re proud that the students of Glynn Academy chose to apply for a historical marker and that they chose such an important event in history to highlight,” said Sandy White, education director for the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. “The club’s detailed research and well written application that accurately reflected the written record and the cultural traditions of the Gullah Geechee peoples led to a successful outcome, including a matching grant of $2,500 from the Georgia Historical Society.”

In May 1803, captured members from the Igbo tribe in present-day Nigeria were bound from Savannah to St. Simons Island aboard the Morovia for a life of enslavement. They revolted, and three crewmen of the ship went overboard to their deaths.

The Morovia came ashore somewhere near Dunbar Creek. There, it is said, anywhere from 10 to 13 members of the tribe walked in chains as one into the water and drowned themselves rather than face a life of slavery.

Roswell King, a white overseer at the Butler Plantation, told of witnessing the tribal members as they “took to the swamp” and drowned, according to New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Retold in African American communities throughout the region for generations, the sacrifice for freedom became a tale of salvation over death. As tradition holds, they walked into the water chanting, “The water spirit brought us, the water spirit will take us home.”

In other retellings of Igbo Landing, their souls took flight and returned home.

Many scholars point to Igbo Landing as the historical source for the “Flying African” stories, mystical tales of human flight that represented rising above brutal oppression and bondage.

Traditionally, African Americans recognize the event as taking place on Dunbar Creek near privately-held land on Atlantic Avenue. The Old Stables location provided a more public location for the marker.

In July 2017, Igbo tribal leaders from Atlanta to Nigeria gathered on the banks of Dunbar Creek at the Atlantic Avenue site for a ceremony to consecrate the grounds and break bread with old family members.

“It is with great elation and gratitude that the entire Igbo community worldwide receives the news of the announcement of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society that it will recognize the brave, courageous and ultimate sacrifice of our Igbo ancestors,” said Bobby Aniekwu, an Atlanta area attorney and Igbo chieftain. “The courageous action of those brave Igbo ancestors is now generally recognized as the first documented slavery resistance in United States.”

Amy Roberts, executive director of the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition, also took part in that ceremony. She has long championed public recognition for Igbo Landing, a story revered within the coastal Gullah Geechee community.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Igbo Landing marker,” Roberts said.

The marker’s message is being drafted by the Georgia Historical Society with assistance and oversight from the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society and Glynn Academy’s Ethnology Club. The marker will be sent to a foundry for casting.

“We had never done this before so we were learning as we went along,” said Glynn Academy senior and Ethnology Club President Rachael Walters. “I am so happy the club is part of the first marker application in Glynn Academy history.”

Igbo Can't Be President

 Former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuka has picked holes on the power rotation principle of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), saying it was designed to keep the Igbo out of power. Chukwuka, a medical doctor and politician of note, who is now based in the United States of America, also spoke on his political antecedents among other issues.

 

BY CHIDI NNADI

SUN NEWS ONLINE AUGUST 31, 2011

Political Tutelage:

When General Ibrahim Babangida dissolved the 13 political parties formed then, and established the National Republican Convention(NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), being a progressive, I quickly registered in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where I contested and won the state publicity secretary of the SDP in the old Anambra State. Discharging that position with dexterity and unparallel amiability, I became popular with all governments and served in various capacities both in political parties and the government of my state.

At the Jos convention that produced the late Chief MKO Abiola, I won the post of Assistant National Publicity Secretary, but when the convention was cancelled and the re-run election ordered at Abuja Sheraton Hotel, I lost that opportunity to national limelight to the political organogram of the late Alhaji Shehu Yar’Adua. Not deterred by this, I went back to Anambra State, and was later appointed by Dr. Ezeife as cabinet consultant on Health Matters.

Later Colonel Mike Attah appointed me the director general of Bureau of Information and Culture; then Dr. Mbadinuju as Special Adviser on Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Media and Publicity and Managing Director of ANSEPA. Later, the then President, Chief Obasanjo appointed me the Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA) when Professor Jerry Gana was the supervising minister. Finally, I worked with Dr. Chris Ngige as Senior Special Assistant on Mobilization and State Orientation.


Passion For Politics;

Regrettably, politics has not at all times presented a bed of roses for me. My worst period in politics was when I was dropped as the DG of NOA in Abuja. No sooner was I appointed to the job of orientation than that appointment was lost in a mysterious circumstance which till today remains inexplicable to me. All I know was that my Personal Assistant continued to warn me to hide my intelligence, that Abuja politics is not Anambra politics. Of course, I ignored him to my own detriment.

Yes, Abuja politics is dirty. If you are smart, you will be schemed out of the system. They need idiots, half-baked fools, embryonic politicians that are initiative barren. They hate those who are inherently endowed with visions and dreams to move this nation forward. This is the political quagmire that has for many years stagnated the progress of this nation. Realizing that the orientator has to be orientated in Abuja politics, my PA bought me a book called “The 48 Laws of Power”, which opened my eyes to the fact that my intelligence will soon have a negative impact and cause me to lose my job.

Categorically, he opined that if he was the president of the country, and witnessed what I did at the podium, he would simply drop whoever was the Minister of Information and immediately appoint me in his place. All my pleas to him to take it easy with me fell on deaf ears. He promised to call my minister to remove me as I was after his job. Surprisingly, two days after that encounter, I lost my job in the most mysterious circumstance. No reason was given. That is Abuja politics and I do not regret the impact I made as DG of NOA. If you go to NOA today, I am well respected. My stay in office was barely a year, but the impact was reverberating and the echo and ripple effect were felt in all nooks and crannies of this nation.

So, At What Point Did You Leave The Country And Why?

Since Dr. Ngige lost his governorship seat in the court in 2006, I travelled to America to study their system, and also disappear from the scene. Having worked in their hospitals, taught in their nursing schools and taught mathematics in their higher schools, I have come to the conclusion that Nigeria is a country endowed with individuals with high acumen. Our children are by far more intelligent than an average American child in secondary school.

Unfortunately, the country is still dangerously verged on a perilous pathway heading to absolute collapse and decay, if something is not done soon. In 2010, I visited my country from USA where I boasted that Nigeria has more agreeable, sagacious and astute politicians who can’t compromise on issues of nation building than the GOP and Democrats in America. But the level of infrastructural deterioration and decay in almost all sectors of the nation is not only humiliating, but an outrageous insensibility on the part of the government to the plights of the common man of this nation that voted them into power.

Impressions About "Nigeria";

Let me begin with the road infrastructure. From Shagamu to Benin, Lagos to Ibadan, Enugu to Abuja, Enugu to Onitsha, Enugu to Port-Harcourt, Enugu to Nsukka, Ore to Ondo to Ife to Ibadan, the roads have been ignored by successive governments of this nation is not only criminal, but wicked. I wonder what is in resurfacing a road. Billions of taxpayers’ money are every year appropriated for these roads and yet nothing tangible is done. It is indeed shameful for anyone to call himself a senator or member of House of Representatives, or president, or governor in this nation when these roads are crying and begging for reconstruction. Obviously, our highways have posed terrible nightmares to commuters and road carnages have assumed an unprecedented dimension in the history of this nation. Consequently, I make bold to suggest that all senators, governors and presidents of this nation should as a matter of criminal negligence to their duties resign their positions if they cannot cater for the people and provide adequate amenities for the citizenry.

When Chief Obasanjo came to power he promised that power outage will be a thing of the past within six months of his being in office. Eight years later, he left the country in a comatose state. Power outage became worse than before. As a matter of fact, no nation can develop technologically when electric supply is not predictable. No industries can be sited or built in this nation when power is on and off. The use of computers for global networking and indeed information processing cannot prosper in a paralyzed energy sector.

Today, Nigeria has the most backward police force the world over. Created to control crime and protect the citizens, our police force unlike what I saw in America, is a caricature of crime control mechanics. With shameful roadblocks mounted here and there, sometimes in every kilometer, the police have reduced their status to mere illegal tollgate collectors, and yet everyone ignores this corruptive tendency. As a matter of fact, the road blocks have achieved nothing in crime control.

The Police Force in this nation is begging for reorganization and should be made lucrative. Government should abolish police barracks and allow police to live in neighborhoods for ease of busting and controlling crime. Since the roads are bad and may not be repaired anytime soon, police should now use power bikes to control crime. They should patrol rather than mount road blocks to collect illegal tolls and cause untold hardship to road users. Government should pay police salaries that are commensurate to the job of crime control and the risk involved. This is common sense. Give the police the necessary equipment and tools to perform their duties and reap the imponderable benefits. We can do it. Yes we can, if we have the will and zeal.

Igbo President Project In 2015:

The Igbo are finished politically in this nation. It will be difficult in the present political dispensation for an Igbo man to be the president of this country. The present political computation and permutation as arranged by Chief Obasanjo of the PDP does not favour the Igbo who have been marginalized by Obasanjo’s crafty political equation of South South plus South West plus North Central plus North West equal to a win-win for him. That is why in the PDP National Working Committee, no Igbo man is even appointed a sweeper or a messenger. However, all hope is not lost since the Igbo man is as incompressible as water. We surely will rebound at the appropriate time. We have the capacity, capabilities, ingenuity, sagacity and political maneuver to scale this political man-made hurdle and reintegrate ourselves into the national political stream. We refuse to be condemned and confined to the present political incarceration. Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo should wake up and lead appropriately.

Nigeria’s Northern Elders Forum: Keeping The Igbo Is Not Worth A Civil War

BY JOHN CAMPBELL

On June 9, following a closed-door meeting, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) issued a public statement that the Igbo-dominated southeast should be allowed to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria if it was necessary to avoid a civil war. NEF spokesman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said “the Forum has arrived at the difficult conclusion that if support for secession among the Igbo is as widespread as it is being made to look, and Igbo leadership appears to be in support of it, then the country should be advised not to stand in the way.” His statement continued that secession was not in the best interest of the Igbos or of Nigerians. Rather, all should work to rebuild Nigeria. But, blocking secession “will not help a country already burdened with failures on its knees to fight another war to keep the Igbo in Nigeria.” The statement also suggested that northerners subject to harassment in the southeast should return to the north. There was no reference to secessionist sentiment in Yorubaland, in southwest Nigeria, to which former President Olusegun Obasanjo has referred. The former president said that Yoruba secession, too, would be unwise, but that maintaining unity should not come “at any cost.”

Though there is no specific reference to it, clearly animating the NEF statement is the memory of Nigeria’s 1967-70 civil war, successfully fought by Nigerian nationalists to keep Igbo-dominated Biafra in the federation; it left up to two million dead. It, too, involved massive population movements, with Igbos fleeing to the south a northern pogrom and fewer northerners leaving the southeast. In the civil war, northern elites strongly supported the nationalists. Current Igbo disgruntlement has its roots in defeat in the civil war and the belief that they are marginalized from the upper reaches of the Nigerian state. (There has never been an Igbo president of Nigeria.) Such feelings of marginalization are exacerbated by Nigeria’s nationwide epidemic of violence and economic malaise. The NEF, for its part, has responded to rising insecurity in Nigeria by calling for President Buhari to resign or to be impeached. Resignation or impeachment is a reversal of the NEF’s support of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential candidacy in 2015.

It should be noted that the NEF statement in support of allowing secession had two caveats: that there be widespread support for it among the Igbo but also among their “leadership” (not further defined). While secessionist advocates will argue to the contrary, prima facie evidence for both either way is thin.

Do the views of the NEF matter? How representative is it of northern elite opinion? Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media Femi Adesina responded to its June 9 statement by dismissing the NEF as “a mere irritant” that hardly exists beyond its convener, Ango Abdullahi—a distinguished, former vice chancellor (president) of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. According to Adesina, the former vice chancellor is a general with no troops. Indeed, the influence of the NEF is hard to judge. But, its public statements attract widespread media attention. As with former President Obasanjo’s comments on Yoruba separatism, at the very least the NEF statements is an indication that rising insecurity is leading at least some of Nigeria’s elites to rethink the basis of the Nigerian state—and of the consequences of its civil war.

JuneTeenth and the American Civil War

 

Clea Hollis. Image via Tribune-Democrat

BY CLEA HOLLIS

Juneteenth, June 19, has been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Black Independence Day. The significance of the different titles for the same holiday could be unraveled in the history of the American Civil War.

The title, Emancipation Day is associated with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, issued as a document to free American slaves.

However, that document was a misnomer, because all slaves were not freed. Only 11 southern states, that upheld the practice of slave owners, were part of the Confederate Army.

Other southern states not included in the confederation were exempt from freeing their slaves.

Therefore, the Emancipation Proclamation freed 3 million Confederate slaves and excluded slaves in other states.

With the slow horseback express media of 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was delivered to Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1885.

During the delivery time – two years and six months – Texas slaves were not emancipated, until Major General Gordan Granger’s enforcement.

General orders No. 3, headquarters district of Texas, June 19, 1865: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance and with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves all absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.

“The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages.” – By order of Major General Granger.

For solidarity, African Americans have chosen to acknowledge Juneteenth as Emancipation Day. Juneteenth was first celebrated as a state holiday in 1980 in Texas. Gov. Tom Wolf officially legislated Juneteenth as a Pennsylvania state holiday in 2019.

Forty-six states now celebrate Juneteenth.

The Spanish introduced slavery to the colonies in the early 16th Century. The subjects were probably captured, mostly from the Igbo Kingdom. A small group of about 20 Africans was brought to the colonies as indentured slaves and could earn their freedom. However, with the arrival of the 17th century, slaves had become property.

Therefore, when the founding fathers wrote, “all men are created equal,” they did not include women or slaves.

The 1800 census tabulated 893,600 slaves; however, by 1860, the census recorded 3.9 million slaves.

Slavery was adopted by taking advantage of people of color, with many different languages, from different cultures, who could not communicate with each other. To control the slaves the masters forbade them to learn to read or write.

Therefore, despite the restriction, many slaves were brave and intelligent to overcome barriers shaking the chains of slavery.

During my grade school, high school education, and even college, examples of African Americans being intellectually inferior and not expected to compete in the classroom after they were given the “privilege” to attend school have generated unconscious bias about the descendants of slaves.

However. research today identifies the descendants of the Igbo Tribe from Nigeria, as one of the most intelligent groups who are living among us in Johnstown and the United States.

The Igbo villages were raided and the people were captured and put on slave ships, mostly to America. During the Atlantic slave trade, between 1650 and 1900, 1.4 million slaves were shipped to America, from the Bight of Biafra Kingdom. An estimated 60% of Black Americans can be linked to the Igbo Kingdom.

The National Juneteenth Observation Foundation creates upgraded curricula for schools to present an accurate presentation of slavery and the achievements of Black Americans.

The Johnstown Branch, NAACP will celebrate Juneteenth with a week-long celebration, of activities in downtown Johnstown. The celebration is open to the Johnstown community June 12-19.

Alan Cashaw, president of the Johnstown Branch, NAACP announced the theme of 2021 Juneteenth as “Get Right Ready.” Jim Crow, policies of segregation, discrimination and exclusion post-slavery, have systemically caused the Black population of the U.S. not to advance themselves in this society. Systemic racism has impeded wealth building, education, health care, religious freedom, employment – business ownership – equal protection under the law and access to voting.

The shackles of slavery will forever be a weighted tragedy in the hearts of people of color. As we celebrate 2021 Juneteenth, let us go forth as a community appreciating all citizens.

Clea P. Hollis is secretary of African American Heritage Society Inc.

Clea P. Hollis is secretary of African American Heritage Society Inc.

SOURCE: THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT

Ohaneze, IPOB Reconcile, Agrees To Work Together

Nnamdi Kanu and John Nia Nwodo. Image via Youtube

BY JOE CHUKINDI
Pan Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo and the separatist Igbo group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have mended fences, with a promise to work together for the common good of Igbo people.

Both groups met on Tuesday at the home of the First Republic Aviation Minister, Chief Mbazuluike Amechi in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Both groups have been at daggers drawn in recent times, with the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu calling on his members to attack the leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Nnia Nwodo, anywhere he is seen.

But Amechi who met with the group described the rivalry as unnecessary as they were both working for the good of Igbo people.


“I summoned the two bodies to express my displeasure with what I have been reading in the newspapers about Kanu giving orders for the stoning of Chief Nwodo.

“I’m happy that even before this peace meeting, Kanu has retracted the statement. We, therefore, appeal to Nwodo to accept the retraction and get it off his mind as IPOB has agreed to work with them.

“The two bodies must realize that it is the same battle they are fighting, which is marginalization, killings and denial of the Federal Government to develop South East and Igbo land in general.

IPOB, represented by Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to Nnamdi Kanu said he was at the meeting with the blessings and instructions of his client, just as he thanked Amaechi who he said was not a stranger to what he was doing having been once declared a terrorist.

Also, speaking on behalf of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Anambra State President of the body, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, said the body endorsed all that was contained in the communique.

He said, “Those who thought our fences are fallen will know that the fences are much stronger than they thought.”

Trailblazing As A Brown Girl At Brown University

Ugoji Nwanaji-Enwerem image via Brown Daily Herald

BY UGOJI NWANAJI-ENWEREM

I remember being wide-eyed and nervous. My stomach was in knots, yet my heart was warm and full of anticipation. My parents and I had decided to take a road trip from my home in North Carolina to Providence, Rhode Island for my college move-in. At the time, I was 17 years old, and I knew that this 785-mile journey was going to be life changing. I can still remember the traditional Nigerian music that my dad played from artists like Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and the Oriental Brothers International Band. I began to wonder how so many of my norms, such as listening and jamming aloud to Nigerian music and speaking Igbo — my native language — would be viewed as “not so normal” with my transition into college. For this reason, the music we played during that car ride still resonates in my ears today whenever I think about my journey to move into Brown.

When I arrived on campus, I participated in the pre-orientation program Excellence at Brown. While doing research for one of the program’s writing assignments, I found the following quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Emerson’s words served as a guiding mantra for my next four years as an undergraduate student. As a first-generation Nigerian American concentrator in STEM, I recognized quite early in my journey that my identity at this Ivy League institution, already fulfilled the notion of forging a new path on College Hill. I can recall being in many spaces, such as my organic chemistry lectures or my research assistantships, where I was one of few — if not the only — faces of color in these spaces.

Despite the loneliness I felt in certain spaces at Brown, I found community through organizations such as the Modern African Dance Club, a collective that curates and performs dance pieces in public spaces to Nigerian music. These groups allowed me to raise awareness of and remain connected to my heritage while I pursued my biology concentration and scientific research. In doing so, I established a trail tailored to my identity at Brown. In addition, I contributed to a collective effort and a historic, ongoing story of students creating spaces for themselves and their culture on campus. By creating this space, we became trailblazers. As I approach my own graduation, I have come to appreciate all of the “not so normal” aspects of my life. The parts of our stories that appear rare at Brown create diversity, texture and beauty to who we are and to the world.

To me, trailblazing is an art form. It is how we discover paths to thrive in new spaces where only wilderness existed before. As we journey forward, we often have to move aside branches, or trim them back. We tramp down and push aside long grasses, we venture across rivers and streams and explore inner and outer landscapes. The uniqueness and diversity of all of our identities create room for us all to be trailblazers, which to me is a defining hallmark and strength of the class of 2020.

Each year I spent at Brown was full of unexpected surprises, but my senior year was particularly unconventional. I always viewed the moment of receiving my degree as a foreseen destination. But no one could have predicted the moment unfolding in such an unexpected climate, like a global pandemic. With the arrival of COVID-19, we cannot take the final steps of walking through the Van Wickle Gates and across the stage, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with our professors and loved ones in the May heat. Instead, our degrees will be mailed to our doorsteps. But this does not take away from the triumphs and progress we’ve accomplished throughout our time on campus, nor does this erase the beauty and completeness of the trails we forged at Brown.

----------------BROWN DAILY HERALD