The Reign Of Betrayals In Igbo Land As Leaders

To survive, some women started befriending the Alhaji’s and soldiers who are killing their own people. There is absolutely nothing hunger cannot do. There is this woman from Ebenkoli, she has left his husband who is down already with Kwashiokor to follow Hausa Soldier. His friend Olamma just told the other village women that Nkọli a gabago iri abumchi.

Something used to describe those women that left their family to follow Northern Soldiers. Be it so belittling and shameful as it may look, be it as disdainful as the society might see it, those women got to survive. Some of them with children, had to base their survival on those lavishly paid Nigeria soldiers who have captured the outskirts of Biafra Land.
Those in the interior never understood what those of them around Nsukka suffered during the war. But the truth is that, there is absolutely no excuse for betrayal.

The challenge of the war brought all men and women of conscience in Igbo land together. That war became a war of survival to them. Even young boys of 10 and 12 willingly joined the war and fought as soldiers.

Stories were told of a poet who joined the war. A day came when he had to drop his pen to take up guns in defence of the mother land. Young boys walked courageously into battle. Even our women joined in the Frontline. Nigeria already sanf their propaganda about the fallen Poet. Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo gained eternity fighting the vandals in the Nsukka sector of Biafra Land.

The defeat of Biafra dealt a very big blow to Igbo land and Easterners at large, not actually because Igbo people are going back to Nigeria, but because it retired entirely all sons and daughters of Igbo land who have passion for pure sound leadership in Igbo land. Same thing it did in the riverine areas of Biafra. Men that fought and stood for Biafra were all relegated to the background, while men that are ready to demonize Biafra and Ndị Igbo became new leaders. That’s how the hatred against Biafra and Ndị Igbo was sold among the young.

The North never wanted to let the Igbo rise up again. Everything that will lead them to rising up again were checkmated. The North took time to retire all Igbo that played a role during the 3 years Biafra Republic lasted. Their eyes were opened to see those Igbo that were willing to betray their people. With the new Northern policy, betrayal became lucrative while sincerity and dedication to Igbo cause became an open stupidity. Anyone standing for the cause of Igbo people is crushed and humiliated out of office.

Gradually many dubious Easterners started making statements against their own people as to attract Northern attention. Same thing many young Igbo people are doing on social media, claiming detribalized Nigerian, in a country Fulani herdsmen terrorists will kill and go free, while peaceful protesters are shot and killed.
Gradually leadership started shifting towards slavishness for the Fulani Caliphate. Igbo people lost it all. Unfortunately, this was how today’s leaders were born. People who are ready to betray and kill their own people, as to remain in office were made leaders. Men that rose to stand for their people were either bribed into submission or frustrated out.

Many ignorantly thought the war ended in 1970, but it didn’t. There is a reason the North economically strangulated the East immediately after the war. The abandoned property and the taking over of monies belonging to Easterners after the war was to create vulnerable people who are ready to do anything for survival. People started doing anything to survive.

My own Dad told me his own story. After the war, he made it from Ideato North to Onitsha on foot, carrying a he goat and a gallon of Red Oil. On reaching Onitsha, they noticed that Hausa and Yoruba people have practically taken over Onitsha. According to him, he sold the items he came with and that was exactly what he is sitting on till today. They buy goods from the Northerners and Westerners and sell in retails. Gradually they kept building up and some rose to become importers. But there are others who got no patience to grow gradually, so they entered into the business of betraying their own people.

Don’t forget that it was after the Biafra war that many Ndị Igbo made it abroad, because the policy against Ndị Igbo was too hostile for them, hence their trooping out of Nigeria.

For 50 years, it has been the reign of Betrayals in Igbo land. Governors who will bring Nigeria soldiers to kill their own people reigned supreme. We still remembered the Python Dance. The killing and torturing of Easterners. What of the stealing of mandates by the Fulani caliphate using the supreme Court. It became so obvious to the people that they no longer have a say on who becomes leaders in Igbo land. Emeka Ihedioha was dethroned and Hope Uzodimma who unarguably a slave to the Caliphate was made Imo State governor.

Governor Obiano who is an APGA governor, a party that claims to be for the interest of Ndị Igbo openly supported the emergence of Mohammadu Buhari against his own brother and predecessor. There is another in Ebonyi State who cried of his protection for the Fulani herdsmen terrorists and yet they killed his own people. Dave Umahi cried because he knows he is a slave to the Fulani caliphate, and as a slave he can do nothing other than cry out his sorrows. His fellow crying mate in Enugu was never informed about Emene attack of Igbo youths. He heard it on news like every other person. These are the men ruling Igbo land. Shameless slaves who cared only about doing what is pleasing to the Fulani, at the detriment of their own people’s interest.

As these things were going on, fear enveloped everybody. The Fulani herdsmen will kill our people and our people out of fear will go for peace talks or else we put the lives of our people living in the North in severe danger. The Igbo continued to look for a Savior. But none came.

When Ikemba Ojukwu returned from exile, the slaves of the Caliphate who have taken over Igbo land with the aid of the Caliphate went to him and convinced him to contest elections. They told him he will win, since he had great followers. The old man, the lover of his own people saw the number that came to welcome him from exile and believed truly that he can win. Probably, he never knew how rotten the country he left behind have become.

He decided to start with Senatorial seat. In this case, it will be a sure win for him, or so he taught. For it is his own immediate constituency that will vote for him. The campaign was done, the election day came, votes were counted and the all mighty Ojukwu, the Ikemba of Ndị Igbo lost. The headlines in Nigeria Media read, Ndị Igbo Have Rejected Ojukwu”. This was a big blow to the Biafra project. As of then Ojukwu was the only symbol of Biafra and his rejection is symbolically a rejection of Biafra. The news kept raging. Ask the North, they will tell you how Igbo people rejected Ojukwu. Some will even tell you how Igbo people don’t love themselves, citing how Ojukwu that fought for them were rejected by them in the polls.

In all these, no one asked questions. How did Ojukwu lost the election? Did Ndị Igbo truly rejected the one that sacrificed for them? A critical analysis of that event shows that it was Nigeria government that rigged Ojukwu out and used their lying media to sell that Ndị Igbo rejected Ojukwu. Permit me to say it here that should Nnamdi Kanu return to Nigeria to contest ordinary Local Government Chairman election, under the present structure he will be rigged out.

Unfortunately, Till today, the people are yet to know that Nigeria Media is as deadly as Nigeria government. They work hand in hand and are there to get paid as to cover up the atrocities of the government. Ojukwu went on to go for the president and again Ojukwu lost as usual. Those that advised him to go into politics were same people that were advising IPOB to go into politics or metamorphose into a political party. IPOB would have committed suicide had it been they listened and joined Nigeria politics.

The salvation of the people of the East started getting lifeline with the emergence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. When they tried to bribe him and failed, they went to assassinate him and again failed.

The emergence of this hero of the East brought back courage and hope for the Easterners. He raised up youths who are ready to bring back the spirit of Ojukwu, Philip Effiong and Akanu Ibiam into Biafra land.
Gradually, he started exposing truly what Nigeria Government is to the Easterners; a complete evil. He exposed the Eastern leaders and their slavish tendencies. For the first time, the North no longer attack our people living up North at every little thing. Recall that our people have ones paid with their blood because a man from Denmark drew a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. But today, all those have stopped due to the emergence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

He is the hope of Easterners not being Islamized and Fulanized by the Fulani. He is the reason Igbo people have not wake up to witness a repeat of Agatu massacre in Igbo land.

For us to gain our freedom, we must dethrone today’s leaders. They are not with the mandate of the people. They are warrant chiefs forced on us by the Fulani in disguise of leaders. Ndị Igbo have been manipulated since 1970 till date. Those asking you to work with your leaders are either ignorant or criminals employed by the same today’s leaders. The only thing you can allow, if you truly want to birth a sane society is their support. But to work with them is a huge no. How do you take over, if you still leave them in the driving seat? How do you make good laws when you are working with these dirty leaders? Tell me how? It is better for our salvation to take longer, than allow today’s leaders charge of the new nation. Then we must have died, tortured, imprisoned and suffered for nothing. Nothing good can ever come from the Fulani caliphate or those serving them against the interest of their own people.

To survive some men and women did lots of things, including bedding the enemy and betraying their own people. That’s why saboteurs are too many. The system encouraged betrayal and discouraged selfless service.

You really don’t know what they called us for standing for what is right. They said we know nothing. That’s because some of our mates left and sided with the oppressors. But their boat is about to crash.

Elochukwu Ohagi, Philosopher, Teacher And Activist, 2021.
For Family Writers Press International