Most people in Nigeria who do not take time to study and understand the Igbos, to know why they are not supporting or backing some of their leaders most times, are the ones saying that the Igbos are not united. The Viewers Corner News team have heard some Nigerians say that the Igbos are not united because of how they antagonise some of their leaders. They said that if Igbos are united, they should have presented one person to the people of Nigeria as a presidential candidate. That it may be difficult for the Igbos to present a candidate because of their disagreement most times on who leads them. Ex-governor Rochas Okorocha’s name was mentioned as an example by some of those people. They also said that those Igbos who are currently serving in government or have held one position or the other in the past would have been good choices from the south east to lead Nigeria. These were the views of some Nigerians who spoke to Viewers Corner News correspondents across the country during our fact finding mission not too long ago. Viewers Corner News extensive research showed that the Igbos are more united than any other ethnic group you can think of in Nigeria. The Igbos are always ready to assist their own people to make sure that their dream is achieved. The Igbos, wherever they are, assist in developing that place and turning it into a huge attraction. The Igbos appreciate everyone and associate freely with them.
What the Igbos do not like is; if they take you as their own and somewhere along the line, you turn against them for whatever reason. Perhaps powers in some quarters bought you over to start working against the Igbos by making reckless statements that would undermine their interest, then no matter how you may want to try to correct your mistakes, most Igbo people would never take you serious. Even if you were nice to them in the past, it would be difficult for them to trust you again. This is one of the reasons people see the Igbos as not united. In the real sense of it, they are more united than most ethnic groups in the country. Ex-governor Rochas Okorocha, before he became the governor of Imo state, was well liked by the Igbos. When he was elected the governor of his state, he became very corrupt and did not do what he was elected to do. Workers’ salaries and pensioners’ allowances were owed during his tenure. Despite that, he allegedly celebrated Christmas with about 650 million Naira instead of settling workers and pensioners. Although people from other regions in Nigeria may see Mr. Rochas Okorocha as a good leader, the majority of the Igbos do not see him that way because he did not do the right thing as the Igbos expected him to do while in office. The same with Mr. Chris Ngige, who the majority of Igbos are angry with him because he is allegedly working against the Igbos. If not, Mr. Ngige would have been in the good books of the Igbos. These are some of the things you have to know about the Igbos. Even if you are their own and begin to work against them, Igbos do not pretend, like most tribes in Nigeria do. When leaders of some tribes in Nigeria commit atrocities, their people will not say it out. Instead, they will hide and protect them, which is bad. Any country where such a system is practised, may find it extremely difficult to grow and move to the next level, just as it is in Nigeria today. There are lots of hide and seek games going on in Nigeria at the moment, most especially by the government of the country. During the time of Nigeria’s founding fathers, they did quite well. The best among them were given the jobs they were good at. Others were not worried as long as positive results would be achieved. There was no ethnic tension until the present generation of politicians came on board and messed Nigeria up.
Source: Viewers Corner News.