Those that call me a tribalist and an igbo-hater are easily misguided and ignorant. Perhaps they do not understand the significance of those words or the factual import of their significance. Those that understand me well like you can confirm the detail that I am not a racist or a bigot and that I address such sentiments as being unworthy of a man of class, good breeding and heritage. I am although a firm believer in the propagation of truth and I, like you, realise the worth and significance of annals. Sadly many of our igbo brothers and sisters do not accept as true in that. annals for them comprises of only one thing-how other Nigerians have habitually marginalised them and treated them awfully.
If only they knew their own annals, where they are approaching from, what they used to be and where they were 100 years ago and what their forefathers did to the rest of Nigeria over the last 80 years they would understand why they have always had such a hard time in this homeland. unhappily because they dont know any of these things they will not learn from it. And if they cannot learn from it they will extend to make the identical mistakes. That is why they can come to another mans land and territory and call it their own and when we state ”no” they notify us to closed up and call us tribalists.
I was not a tribalist when I wrote a tribute to Ojukwu after he died or when I accused the ’60′s pogroms that took place in the north in which their persons were slaughtered like soars. I was not a tribalist when I wrote against Yarima and progeny wedding ceremony in the north. Yet now I am a tribalist because I talked the reality about our annals and who we the yoruba are. I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with overlook (removed) I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate connection with Miss (removed) I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate connection with overlook (removed).
I was not an tribalist when I composed term papers defending the rights of the igbo and every other Nigerian nationality to exercise their right of self-determination and leave Nigeria if that is what they wanted to do. I was not a tribalist when I consistently wrote that Nigeria should have a Sovereign National seminar where the rights and obligations of all its diverse nationalities will be clearly characterised and acquiesced upon. I was not a tribalist when I engaged more igbo persons as a Minister of the Federal Republic than even my own yoruba. I was not a tribalist when I composed an term paper, just two years before, extolling the virtues of igbo women. I was not a tribalist when I condemned the bombing of predominantly igbo and church member places of worship and the murdering of the igbo and other ones by Boko Haram in the north over the last three years.
I was not a tribalist when I risked my life by consistently composing against Boko Haram even though I live in the north. I was not a tribalist when I composed against political sharia. I was not a tribalist when I composed in protection of the igbo when it came to the abandoned house issue. I could go on and on. These people have very short recollections and any person that does not agree with them all the time or that says one word against them at any point in time is marked a tribalist for life.
They called Chief Obafemi Awolowo a tribalist, a genocidal maniac, a child-killer and an igbo-hater easily because the man denied to connect sides with them in the war yet they forgot that when Awolowo ran for the Presidency his running mate was from the east and not from the north. They called Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, head S.L Akintola and Sir Ahmadu Bello as igbo-haters and tribalists simply because they saw through the igbo agenda at a very early stage and they slain them for it. They called General Yakubu Gowon a genocidal maniac, a child-killer, an igbo-hater and a tribalist easily because he stood up to Ojukwu and insisted on holding Nigeria together and even though he declared that there was ”no victor and no vanquished” after the conflict.
They accused leader Olusegun Obasanjo of being a tribalist and an igbo-hater even though he nominated an igbo man as the first GOC in the Nigerian armed detachment since 1966 and even though he nominated more igbos into key positions in his government than any President before him. They suspect leader Shehu Shagari and the northerners of being tribalists and igbo-haters even though he pardoned Ojukwu and permitted him to come back back home after the civil conflict. They have accused the Nigerian persons of being tribalist and igbo-haters easily because we have not had an igbo leader since 1966 forgetting that Nigeria was magnamonious in victory and that she not only gladly met them back into the bend after the municipal conflict but that she also provided them the Vice Presidency only ten years subsequent.
They have labelled the yoruba as tribalists and igbo-haters easily because we have refused to accept their claims to our land and territory and even though we were more charitable, hospitable, accomodating and bountiful to them than any other nationality in Nigeria after the civil conflict. We have been too kind and gentle with them. That is the difficulty. They glimpse our liberal and accomodating environment as stupidity and flaw. That is why they habitually like to go round calling the yoruba cowards ignoring that the annals of the yoruba proves otherwise. It is now time to notify the truth. They despise the yoruba and they only pretend to believe in one Nigeria as long as they can always have their way and laud it over other ones. Worst of all they have no holding back components because cash and the acquisition of wealth is their sole objective and reason in life.
somebody should to notify them that this is not a virtue but a vice. It is a heritage deficiency which is conveyed out of not having any annals. If they did they would be less aggressive, more restrained and far more municipal to other ones. If talking these acrid dwelling truths and craving and battling for a better Nigeria makes me a tribalist then it is a toga that I would be joyous to wear. I will not sit by quietly and permit my persons, the yoruba persons of south western Nigeria, to be rubbished, abused and betrayed by anyone no matter how aggressive that any person may believe he is. I make or offer no apology for my outlooks. My many claim in my two term papers titled ”Lagos, The Igbo and the Servants Of reality” and ”The Bitter reality About The Igbo” respectively stand.
Meanwhile I have read all kinds of odd submissions in various newspapers and blogs that have held themselves out as rejoinders to my two items titled “Lagos, The Igbo and the domestics Of reality” and “The acrid reality About The Igbo”. Sadly other than the usual misuse and irreverant thrash not one of those so-called ”rejoinders” has been adept to address ANY of the matters that I increased in either of the two items, response any of the questions that I posed in them or successfully dispute my production of historical details.
The bellicose environment and vulgarity of these so-called rejoinders goes to verify two things. foremost that those that I have described as being collectively unlettered, uncouth, uncultured, unrestrained and crude in all their ways actually are all those things and a lot more and secondly that they will not put up any reasonable or grave contention to discredit or refute the message so rather than they are attempting to decimate the messenger. Meanwhile the two essays have been released in diverse newspapers in our homeland and out-of-doors and it will extend to be published by others long into the forseeable future.
The message is clear and it is currently out there. It cannot be called back in. The equine has bolted from the stable and the falcon has left the nest. No matter how hard those that are trying to threaten us into quiet may try it will not work and we will not be cowed. The note is currently out there and the genie is currently out of the container. Those that request to extend to denigrate and belittle the yoruba and lay assertion to what is rightfully ours should desist from doing so. They should allocate us our calm and give us our due respect and they will get the same in return. If they do not do so those things will elude them and eventually annals will replicate itself again in this country.
Meanwhile when any person reads a rejoinder that addresses the matters that I increased in my term papers and that has some grade of scholarship and intellectual content they should delight let me know and I may well dignify it with a answer. The shameless and emotional thrash and disjointed verbiage that have been recounted as rejoinders so far are just not up to rub. They are bereft of any scholarship and thoughtful content. They also invoke shame in me for the the faceless plebians that composed them and those they assertion to comprise. When the igbo, or any person else, find a real author that can traverse swords with me and give me a good run for my cash someone should delight let me understand. I am itching for a genuine debate with a worthy adversary on this topic.
Like the large Achilles I feel that I have no agree. Are there no Hector’s out there? unhappily it seems that my accusers, traducers, opposers and haters will not find one. All they have is their hate, their ignorance, their abuses and their inbred crudity and vulgarity.