Igbo presidency: A thought on equity
Victor Agusiobo
This brief write up doesn’t pretend to any delusions. It is not an affirmation that an Igbo
presidency would be a voyage in eldorado and the transformation of Nigeria into any form of paradise.
No! But it is true, very true and many know it that the Igbo presidency will sure address the myriad of issues on the nation’s political canvas.
It is a bit disturbing that the political elite do not seem to be truthfully worried by the primrose path Nigeria is headed with their insensitivity to the plight of the Igbos of Nigeria.
It is avowed that with just a little sacrifice on the path of the elite, Nigeria will get it right for all time.
Can the elite of this nation at this most trying time submerge their individual and composite egos within the sentiment called Nigeria and allow for a South East presidency? One is fully convinced that such a disposition is the best way to allow Nigeria to exist to the joy of her citizens and the admiration of the world.
Igbo presidency will destroy the atavistic craving that geography answers all political issues. It will strengthen our resolve to survive as a nation, strong, united with the formidable homeostasis that no one group can ever be the all in all in a complex frame like Nigeria.
Never in all my adult life have l advocated a pandering to geography and tribe; never have l found them holding the key to the success of a nation than now.
It is hurting to realize that the leaders of our nation do not seem to know when they hit the precipice and the need for a reverse. They don’t
seem to realize when to selflessly tame their egos and ambitions for the sake of the common good.
Igbo presidency is embedded in well founded emotions; it is mental; it is psychic and spiritual. In the very crevices of its protean folds are deep lessons for a nation in search of a song of unity and a creed of cohesion to uphold.
If an Igbo president does badly the lessons for Nigeria are rich. If he does well the lessons are richer. Whichever way it is considered, it is an experiment that is worth for Nigeria in ways profound. It will finally bring deeper understanding of the role of geography as a variable of governance in Nigeria.
Doubtlessly, seeking the presidency of Nigeria at this time of turmoil in our national history is not so enviable. But if the craving should cure the imbalance in our national leadership, then let all persons of good conscience take the risk, speak out and give the south east the chance it so deserves in a union of equals.
Before we sing the ultimate vile lullaby for a putatively great nation to lapse into irreversible slumber, the idea of a president of Igbo extraction presents itself as the elixir to a nation in search of meaning and essence.
The effort here is not an eulogy of the nationalistic orientations, the patriotic fervour of the lgbo to rule. No! It is not about the Igbos hardworking potentials and easy adaptability. It is hinged on the intrinsic even handed nature of Justice and equity.
It is based on the ancient but sublime assimilation of decent people that equals should be treated equally; that inequity breeds anarchy, that you can’t have peace in the absence of Justice and to each his own.
Igbo presidency is not a voyage in greed or need; it is the glorification of a noble principle. It is the principle of fairness, one that holds the whole of creation together: live and let live, accommodation and the taming of the blight of slanted, unbridled power and primitive acquisition that have destroyed many a nation.
Nigeria has the chance to make things right. Yes, no man has the right to rule another without that other’s consent and that’s why we entreat the rest of Nigeria to in good conscience, wisdom, reason, equity, Justice and patriotism give the the south east the chance for the sake of an enduring polity.
