For more than a week now, the media have been awash, attempting to interpret President Muhammadu Buhari’s interview on Arise TV where he copiously described Biafra territory as a dot in a circle.
According to Buhari; “So that IPOB is just like a dot in a circle. Even if they want to exit, they’ll have no access to anywhere. And the way they are spread all over the country, having businesses and properties. I don’t think IPOB knows what they are talking about. In any case, we say we’ll talk to them in the language that they understand. We’ll organize the police and the military to pursue them.”
The fact is, that dot Buhari talked about has been the force behind the fantastic and enterprising Igbo’s successes in Nigeria. The late Prof Chinua Achebe mentioned on two accounts that Ndigbo were late starters in the affairs of Nigeria. But once they entered the race, Ndigbo took over the entire space. First, Zik fantastically led Nigeria to independence. Within that period, the first speaker of the House of Representatives Aja, was Igbo.
The first president of senate, Nwafor Orizu, was an Igbo icon. At the same time, the first army commander was an Igbo scion who eventually emerged the first military head of state, General Aguiyi Ironsi. Still in the army, the inspirational Ojukwu entered the army as the first ever graduate to do so.
In that dot Buhari talked about was the late Prof Kenneth Dike who transformed what was derogatorily known University College Ibadan whose certificates came from Ibadan into an amazing and scholastic institution, the University of Ibadan. Even the now prestigious University of Lagos, was made possible by an Igbo ward, the equally late Prof Eni Njoku. There was a Mathematician, Prof Chike Obi just as Chinua Achebe made not just Nigeria but Africa proud with his sensational book called THINGS FALL APART.
The News Echo publisher, Chief (Sir) Chimezie Kingsley, in his address last Friday at the launch of the newspaper captured it all when he said; “Since after the war in 1970 when my generation was still toddlers, Ndigbo have, understandably developed cold feet about everything Nigeria. Sadly, Ndigbo are lagging behind in the Nigerian project. For the first time in democratic Nigeria, an Igbo is not the president, not the vice president; an Igbo is not president of the senate, not deputy senate president; an Igbo is not the house of representative speaker, and not deputy speaker. Even, things are so politically bad for Ndigbo that the national chairman of the ruling party is not an Igbo.
“Yes. Though I have not come here to lament or cry over a split milk, it is still necessary and important to remind us that our noble forbearers led by the legendary Zik and supported by other iconic minds like M.I.Okpara, Nwafor Orizu, Mbaonu Ojike, Akanu Ibiam, Alvan Ikoku, Mbanefo, Mbadiwe, Mbazuruike Amaechi, Sam Mbakwe, Raymond Njoku and few others led this country to independence. Let me say it with every sense of pride and dignity that in sports, Ndigbo have set admirable records.
For instance, the first indigenous Super Eagles coach was our own pathfinder, Dan Anyiam who later moulded Rangers into both national and international champions. About four years before independence, undergraduate boy, Emmanuel Ifeajuna had put Nigeria in the global map of sports when his jump of six feet seven inches won gold in the Vancouver Commonwealth Games.
Of course, the first full blooded African to be so honoured in the field of boxing was the great Dick Tiger Ihetu was so accomplished in the rings that he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and was also recognized by the influential magazine, The Ring Magazine.
Rangers International Football Club were the first club in Nigeria to qualify for the first ever CAF organized club competition in 1975, five years after the civil war, but they lost gallantly to Hafia of Guinea. We equally remember that Christian Chukwu was the first Nigerian to lift the African Cup of Nations just as coach Chris Udemezue took the country to her first ever FIFA organized football competition when he qualified the Flying Eagles to the 1983 U-20 FIFA World Cup Finals in Mexoco.
As we gather here, the exploits of both Kanu Nwamkwo and Chioma Ajunwa at the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games are still evergreen. And we also chronicle that Enyimba remain the only football club in the country ever to have lifted the once elusive CAF Champions League.
“You see, those who are very much conversant with history will tell you that the first indigenous vice chancellor Nigeria ever produced was an Igbo called Prof K.O. Dike who transformed what was regarded as University College Ibadan whose certificates came from Ibadan into an international and award winning university. Again, the second vice chancellor in Nigeria was Prof Eni Njoku who built UNILAG into a glorious university.
It is sad to state here that some years ago when UNILAG celebrated its 50th year anniversary, the authorities never deemed it wise to include their pioneer VC in the brochure! In the army, the late General Aguiyi Ironsi was the first GOC of the Nigerian army and fate would have it, he emerged as the first head of state. Between 1959 and 1966, Ndigbo were in the commanding height of Nigeria’s hold.
Look at this: Zik was the governor general and later president, Orizu was the senate president, Aja was the speaker of the house of representatives and Ironsi was the army commander. This was how the Igbo started. But right now, we are nowhere”.
What of our business moguls like COSCHARIS, Chicason, Innoson, ABC, The Young Shall Grow Motors, Ifeanyi Ubah, Emzor woman Okoli, Tony Ezenna , Soludo, etc. These men and women came from that dot. After all, the mustered looks so much like a dot both in shape and size. We are in a dot and we proud of it.
