The Collapse of Igbo Politics (3)
Kevin Ani
IN a multi-national state like Nigeria, there are two levels of
patriotism. There is the patriotism of the nation and then the
patriotism of the nation-state. Some of the most effective political
leaders who have operated from either the Yoruba region or the Hausa-
Fulani group have been patriots of their nations first, before trying to
be patriots of the Nigerian nation-state. It is only the Igbos who tend
to take the imaginary flight of wanting to be patriots of the Nigerian
nation-state without ever being patriots of the Igbo nation first. And
they have always failed because since the nations provide the
substructure on which the nation-state is erected, to proceed to the
latter without the former is to build without a solid foundation. And,
expectedly, such edifices very easily come crashing down. The only Igbo
leader who tried doing it the right way was late Michael Okpara, and,
ofcourse, he accomplished more for his people without diminishing his
national status. Inimitable Awo did try to go into politics of
domination but that was after he had, as Premier, established his
patriotism of the Yoruba nation. Late Ahmadu Bello did not offer any
apology for allowing his patriotism of the nation to supersede whatever
nation-state patriotism he had. Our Great Zik of Africa never really
justified to himself why he should allow his Igbo patriotism to lead his
politics. Circumstances tried to force him, but he was never really
ideologically converted to that theory.
But today, both the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani leaders who play it right
now have a secure home base, and it is impossible for any hegemonists to
come fighting in their home base. But the Igbo leaders have not gotten
it right yet, and that is why they lack a secure home base, and why
outside hegemonists come fishing for sycophants in Igbo land. They,
ofcourse, succeed. And one reason why they succeed is that Igbos
aspiring for political leadership look outside their home base to buy
support instead of building that support at home through demonstrating
undisputed Igbo patriotism. Igbos do not have enough clout outside to
make outsiders kings, nor do they have enough support at home to make
themselves kings either. And, ofcourse, they are never loved enough by
outsiders to be made kings by these outsiders. The result is that they
are never kings anywhere - neither at home nor abroad.
In order to be relevant to contemporary Nigerian reality, Igbo politics
must begin to refocus on rebuilding Igbo patriotism. Igbo politics must,
like the politics of its majority group counterparts, build its nation -
state patriotism on the patriotism of its nation. That is what others
are doing, and that is what the Igbos must do. Igbo political leaders
must be made in their home base, and draw their support from their own
people, and remain politically accountable to their people. Ofcourse,
they need cooperation from other people, but that cooperation will come
as a respect only to those who are in good standing at home. Hegemonists
don't like those who are in good standing at home because such people
don't lend themselves easily to be used to serve outside interests.
Because they are custodians of the interest of their people, they do not
sell out easily to outside interests.
Unfortunately for the Igbos, their poor pickings from the politics of
allocation has not allowed them to build up enough of the political and
economic capital with which political support is itself bought or built
upon. Both the Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani leaders have a superior
advantage in this respect. And they, especially the Hausa-Fulani, deploy
this to detract Igbo sycophants from commitment to Igbo interest. Worse
still, those Igbo leaders who sell out so easily to outside hegemonists
are presented as genuine Nigerian patriots, while the hegemonists
themselves still remain unapologetically rooted in the patriotism of
their nation.
Politics, I had indicated earlier, is an activity by which people
determine their fate. Since Igbos have failed to use their politics to
determine their own fate, it means that their politics has failed; it
has been purposeless. And proof of this is that far too much, Igbo fate
is being determined by forces outside Igbo land, whereas their other
majority colleagues are able to use their own politics to determine
their own fate.
Igbos must begin to refocus their politics. They must begin the politics
inspired by the patriotism of their nation. Other groups are playing the
politics of autonomy and so why should the Igbos not join this brand of
politics? It is politics which should begin by mobilising Igbo interest
and patriotism as the basis for reaching out to a wider nation - state
interaction. Charity begins at home, and so for the Igbos, Nigerian
patriotism must begin with Igbo patriotism. This requires a fresh
leadership orientation as it requires a redefinition of Igbo priorities.
While the redefinition is going on, we may become less than ourselves.
But this redefinition has to begin now to enable us recapture our
relevance in National politics subsequently. If we do not do this now,
we would be condemned to continuing in the unedifying scramble for the
politics of allocation. As the theory of consociational democracy
demands, it is the organised autonomy of major national segments in the
multi-nation state that sustains democracy in that state. All
significant national groups that can't organise their autonomy end up as
victims of the domination of those who can.
--
Fowarded by Kevin Ani
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