By Chinedu Ohanukachukwu
Welcome to the concluding segment of a saga dedicated to the propagation of Igboness in this day prevalent with hordes of conscienceless pundits propelling manipulative political gambits, while glossing over ominous, perilous realities of the moment.
Tragedy is: instigators of the havoc, mayhem are same saddled with the responsibilities of providing panacea to the malaise cum turbulence. The trouble with our beleaguered country is traceable to clannish, rapacious leadership and followers’ partisanship and docility, resulting in the 26-year unbroken democracy run that left the marooned masses holding the short end of the stick of underdevelopment disillusioned…
From the above overview therefore, Ndigbo and their states governments have crucial roles to play in making Ala Igbo thrives as a centre of excellence in human capacity building, industrialization and digital infotech globalization.
As Tom Stoppard would say: “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon”, yours sincerely, deploying power of penmanship, set agenda that would influence our perennial August meetings deliberations and followed up on matters arising from resolutions’ implemention some five years down the line of duty…
Progress Reports:
SECURITY — Security of life/property tops agenda of government as its Constitutional obligation to the people. Security, should by all means, be prioritized. Since security is local, the people stand in a vantage position to secure themselves and properties even as foreigners standing sentry over the local is rather antithetical to security.
However, unlike their Southwest counterparts that floated Omotekun security vigilante, Southeast governments weren’t in unison as regards central vigilante. But Ndigbo will be secured better by constituting a 3-tier security outfit at community, local council and state levels that operate 24/7 three shifts vigilance, coordinated by trained, equipped and life insurance covered personnel, paid from the security votes allocations.
Security gadgets, spy cameras should be fixed to proactively deter/nip sundry crimes in the bud. Awards conferred to the tier that recorded zero violent incident/death.
As federal government has set up Southeast Development Commission, mulls setting up state police, and our states governments fortifying communities/local councils with security vigilantes, stand as work in progress (WIP).
FOOD SECURITY: not much has been done to produce enough food items to sustain/feed ourselves. Our fertile, arable land should not be left fallow for hoodlums to inhabit and therefrom foment sundry criminalities.
Thus, our governments, organizations and good spirited individuals should collaborate and embark on large scale farming, plantations and farm settlements so as to produce food chains, its storage, processing, supplies as well as set up cottage industries that engage the able-bodies productively.
Furthermore, scholarship and attractive incentives should granted agric science/engineering students/staff. Special breeding of domestic animals, production of seedlings for cash/food crops, economic trees/orchards should be encouraged; so as to eat from our produce of fruits, vegetables, herbs and roots that are rich in organic values. Healthy living and longevity, are more than less, predicated on what we eat as food.
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT: Work is in progress as regards road constructions/rehabilitations sighted here and there. Transportation by road and air abound but rather expensive.
Concerted effort should then be geared towards opening up seaports by dredging River Niger up to Onitsha for bigger sea vessels to access.
Oguta Lake and Urashi River can be channaled down to the sea to ease broader means of transporting commuters, goods and services. It’s therefore an appeal to our illustrious business magnets and technocrats to team up with our political leaders in governments to give Ala Igbo steady electricity, using gas/fuel, coal and solar energy.
Build road/rail network, establish industries, mega markets, world class health centres and educational ivy institutions of high universal standards where to propagate the study of Igbo history, language, culture and traditions so that Nwa-afor Igbo should read, write and fluently speak our mother tongue so as to know in the real sense of knowledge: Anya elere-ele na nke aroro-aro; mara nke bu egbe tu n’ala n’egbe tu n’ahu; mara ji gaga n’ubi na nke gaga n’oba; maka adighi eke anya chi raa; n’ihi ya, ohuru huchaa maka mkpurokwu adighi anya uduko akpa…
POLITICAL REPRESENTATION: Politics is a serious business. The people who delegate mandate to the few that represent them in democratic governance should make input to the budget, monitor projects’ implemention and hold their representatives accountable.
Political parties may decide (hijack) who represent the people through consensus (selection) and such reps picked this way may not be amenable to accounting to the people.
To this end therefore, Okwuru agaghi akari onye kuru ya. Igbo-wu-Igbo, ndi mmegbu n’ewute, ka odiziri izuko, kpebie ma kwekorita na ka anyi ha eri agaghi eri onwe anyi. Maka mkpiri mba bu nta n’ata ha maka ala ukwu adighi amu abuo-abuo. Ihe aghaghi igbawe ma dimma ma ndi Eze, Nze, Ozo, Ichie na ndi okenye eji okwu ha agba izu gbakuo, weputa ofo, ogu, oji, ose oji na mmaya oku were tuo ndi ga emegbu Ndigbo ogbo site ugbua gawa n’ihu n’aka Chukwu Abiama.
Thenceforth, those elected by the people and those who elected themselves to represent Ndigbo in various arms of governments should then be made to beware of such laid down: Mantle of Mandate Missile (3Ms) as a spiritual force against sabotaging Igbo course. Maka ukwu ghara ala ogaghi efe n’elu. God in His infinite mercy can allow the good and the evil to co-inhabit till the end of time when the chaff are separated from the wheat and the former thrown into the furnace but, before the end of the tenure, the roguish reps must have ripped off our commonwealth and caused suffering and deaths of many who would have lived if the cornered democracy dividends were made available to the people as when due…
So, 3Ms is devised to check such wickedness and not to allow evil to thrive in Igbo land. The people have been deceived for long but this cannot be allowed continue since God, in His Omniscience, cannot be deceived nor mocked. “What a man sows that he will reap”, Gal 6:7. If after 26 years of unbroken democracy rule and our people are just holding the short end of the stick of underdevelopment then, those reps must have sold their humane consciences and will be needing spiritual deliverance to checkmate attendant ancestral curses going forward.
Finally, on any other business (AOB): The Igbo should celebrate the living more, and pay less expenses on ceremonies of the dead. I’m proposing therefore, a special transparent white plastic designed as casket to be screwed to a flat board of a plank. This top plastic will be unscrewed and kept before the ritual of dust to dust. Each family keeps their as igwe niile gaga n’uzu. So, while alive, we celebrate each passing days since at death there’ll be no going to mortuary or even the corpse taken to the House of God for sermon.
A day or two is for prayers for the repose of the soul before the remains of the dead gets interred.
Next motion is for those abroad to return home on reaching the age of 60. Before this relocation back to base, one must have set up his/her business concerns that would grant soft landing… Those with big conglomerate should go public with its shares (PLc); so as to let the business out live the owner(s).
Again, let there be a think tank of Igbo Council of Elders that collaborate with the Igbo in the Diasporas to institute monitoring and mentoring groups to oversee that Ala Igbo attract investment/tourism traffic. Ohanaeze Ndigbo, World Igbo Congress, Igbo National Congress, National Igbo Youth Council, National Igbo Women Council, Igbo Ezue Org. Igbo Amaka Org. Zuwakwa Igbo Org. ORA—USA Org, Association of Igbo Town Unions and others should take keen interest in all this…
It’s appreciating the Igbo clergy, intercessors and Kingdom Workers for fervent supplications against existential threats of oppression and exclusion of Ndigbo in national affairs. To every Nwa Afo Igbo ebe obuna ino, gbaa wing gi ofuma in exhibiting core family values and our rich cultural heritage humanely without arrogantly attracting the hate of the hostile hosts and the envy of neighbors and know when you’ve over stayed your welcome…
Thanking you for your attention, I remain yours sincerely, Elder Chukwunedu Ohanuruka Chukwuma were ya mere ihe, one man monologue exco of our time. I come in peace.
( Concluded )
