Opinion
An Igboman is an Adventurist and Competitive in nature-Prof Ojiaku
Prof (Mazi) Okoro Ojiaku,a native of Imo state and the author of the Book on “Before Nigeria was” described an Igboman as an adventurist and competitive in nature which pinches him with other ethnic groups in Nigeria.
In this interview with the Publisher of Daily Echoes Media, Ignatius Okorocha, Prof Ojiaku dived into the genealogy of the country known as Nigeria.
He speaks on other issues of national importance.
Excerpts:
Prof can you tell us the import of your book on “Before Nigeria was”
Well,good to tell you that I am from Imo State and I am the author of the “Book Before Nigeria was” which is now the subject of our discussion.
Actually, I started with a question ” Why are we (Nigerians) the way we are today.That was the initial interest I had and it was in the cause of the research that I discovered that the question could be the other way round, “how did Nigeria become the way it is and it was on that note that I started with ‘Ecology’ that is the study of an environment and human behaviour in this country, which is the subject of my research. That is how Nigeria became what it is today was conditioned by the environment in which the various communities live in, comprising; the Igbo,the Yoruba,the Kanuri and the Hausa.
In the case of the Fulani, I discovered that they were included into the society and they came into the society and because of their adventure into the society alot of things started going different ways.That is, if they had not entered Nigeria the way they did, possibly the other three ethnic groups would have gotten themselves together and Nigeria would have become a different country today.
What other things in your book do you think can attract Nigerians to long to read this book?
There are two things that differentiate this book from other books. One of them is the meaning of the word Nigeria. South of River Niger and Benue is not Nigeria.What is Nigeria is not Nigeria by Lord Lugard and his virtual wife. Anybody North of Benue, North of Niger is a Nigerian but the interpretation dies not include Anybody South of any of those Rivers. That is one.
The second is the word Nigeria actually is an insult to the people who are called Nigerians because they are not what Nigeria means. Since they are not what Nigeria means,the question is what does Nigeria mean by the people who founded and coined the country, that is Mrs Lugard Niger-Aria. We, are not in Niger-aria, we are in Niger and Benue aria. So, there is no need saying that we are in Nigeria because you are in Niger-aria. A person who is in Niger-aria can be a Nigerian but a person who is in Niger/Benue-aria can not get a Nigeria. And I insisted that the word Nigeria should not apply to people in the South and secondly that Nigeria has to find a name for itself, possibly something like Nock-aria, that is area in the North. The North civilization which was about 500 BC and existed in this country called Nigeria. So, if all of us are going to be Nigerians it is Nock- aria not Nigeria.
The title of the book is before Nigeria was. The Ecology of the Igbos, the Yoruba, the Kanuri. These are the , major ethnic groups that make up Nigeria and are really the major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Fulani are not.
Talking about the Igbo ethnic group,we discovered that there is this perceived level of hatred mated on the Igbos by other ethnic groups in Nigeria. Why is it so?
The Igbos are not hated rather they are misunderstood and the major characteristics of an Igboman tend to frighten others, especially because of their competitive nature, their resilience,and their adventurism, these are the things that others have not been able to understand and whenever they come across the Igbo people, these particular features tend to disturb them. So, there is resentment against the Igbos because of these qualities.
Like I said before, the seemingly hatred against the Igboman is born out of his characteristics nature. His right is built around competition and it is one of the major principles that really instill into his psychic-the struggle to survive by competition. You don’t expect things to come to you.You have to work for it and consequently,it became part of their lives to go anywhere and survive because, if you have to survive not just in your own environment, but you can survive in anyother environment and when they go to a different environment where the people are not competitive they do the best they can to survive. An Igboman will go to a place empty handed and by the time he lives he has accumulated a lot. An Igboman is one person in Nigeria that can go anywhere and make the place his home permanently, build industries, establish and stay there as his home and the natives find a way of resenting him. The question is ‘Why? It is not because an Igboman is antagonistic, no it is because of his competitive nature aside other tribes don’t know how to handle competition, it frightens them and it worries them.
Don’t you think that this perceived antagonistic behaviour of other tribes in Nigeria against the Igbos may have been as a result of the civil war between Nigeria and Biafra?
You see Nigeria felt that she has defeated the Igbos in 1970 and destroyed everything they had. Do you know that in 1970 an average Igboman did not have upto N20 but from 1975 on, the Igbos began to resurrect. The question is why? How did they do it. The Igboman was the last…but 10years after the civil war he came to be the first. What held other people back, was it the Igbos. The Igboman was not in politics, he had no money, he had no power, he had no control because he was ostracised he sought of started working on himself. He was able to come back to life and Nigeria became very very disturbed by it because this somebody they thought they have finished but he is now back to life.Those people who were his destroyers are now still looking for a way to live.
Again looking at power equation in Nigeria by way of rotational presidency, it does appear that the Igbo have been shortchanged. Prior to the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu,it was expected that an Igboman would emerge as the president of Nigeria. And having lost that opportunity in 2023 that power may likely move to North after Tinubu. When will an Igboman ascend the seat of presidency in Nigeria?
There are two answers to it. In my own view I don’t think the Igboman should try to ask Nigerians to make a leader.I think Nigeria has to come and beg an Igboman to be his president because without the igbos Nigeria will never succeed. The only true Nigerian in Nigeria is an Igbo. That is he lives anywhere,anyhow, with anybody under any condition. An Igboman goes to Kaduna and becomes a Kaduna man, he goes to Abeokuta, he builds a house and becomes an Abeokuta man. He goes to Kafanchan builds a house and ,ives there. In otherwords he can go to any part of Nigeria and resides there as his own. Therefore he is the only one person who qualifies as a Nigerian. The other people are sort of fake Nigerians. They are more interested in what they can get rather than what they can give.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently accorded amnesty to some convicts in various Prisons in the country but our brother Nnamdi Kanu was not included among such people. What do you think could be the reason for denying Kanu prerogative of mercy by the Federal government?
Actually in my own view Kanu’s incarceration is not particular to Kanu it is the incarceration of the Igbos in politics. The average Igboman in Nigeria today is incarcerated because a Fulani person can not be incarcerated in Nigeria as Kanu has been, a Yorubaman can not be incarcerated for so long as Kanu has been neither a Jukun or even anybody from the North but this is one person whose own community is unable to bring out after so many years inspite of court judgement.
The question is why?
There are two reasons. The first is lack of unity of purpose among the igbos. The second is because of the Igboman’s personal ambition. This is because he doesn’t talk as a group. He is for self. They said it is the golebility of an Igboman. He can easily be deceived. Whatever position he holds he can easily be bought over but a Fulani can not be. A Yorubaman can not be bought over but if he is bought over,he can easily decieve you to the point that he can never be deceived or bought over.
The second in my view is that a person like Peter Obi should not be bothering himself with Nigerian leadership struggle. Nigeria has to beg Obi to be its leader because as long as Obi is fighting for Nigeria, they will take it forgranted that he owes them an obligation. They are the people who owe him an obligation because they know that his leadership can bring them out of life.
Opinion
HURIWA Commends Senate’s Oversight On SEDC -Demands EFCC Probe,Arrests, Reconstitution of Commission’s Board
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has commended the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC), led by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, for what it described as a courageous, diligent and constitutionally mandated exercise of legislative oversight in probing the financial activities of the South East Development Commission.
HURIWA
HURIWA in a statement signed by its National Coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko said the revelations emerging from the Senate investigative hearing on the management of over N16.6 billion released to the Commission from the 2025 budget allocation raise disturbing questions that demand immediate intervention by anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.
The rights group particularly expressed outrage over allegations presented before the Senate Committee that the Commission allegedly expended N153 million on the rent of a one-room liaison office in Abuja and listed another N2.5 billion under what was reportedly categorized as “implied expenditure.”
According to HURIWA, such allegations, if established through investigation, represent a shocking abuse of public trust and a reckless deployment of scarce public resources at a time millions of citizens in the South-East region continue to grapple with poor infrastructure, youth unemployment, insecurity, inadequate healthcare facilities and widespread economic hardship.
“The Nigerian people are entitled to know how every kobo appropriated for regional development is spent. The allegations emerging from the Senate hearing are deeply troubling and demand immediate, transparent and independent investigation. No public official entrusted with development funds should be allowed to treat public resources as personal assets.”
HURIWA specifically called on the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately invite the Managing Director and relevant management officials of the South East Development Commission for interrogation and forensic scrutiny of all expenditures made from the N16.6 billion allocation.
The association stated that the Senate Committee has already performed its constitutional responsibility by exposing apparent discrepancies and demanding accountability and that anti-corruption agencies must now complement that effort through criminal and forensic investigations where necessary.
“If investigations establish financial misconduct, diversion of public funds, inflation of contracts, procurement violations or any form of abuse of office, arrests and prosecutions must follow without delay. Public office holders must understand that accountability is not negotiable and that impunity can no longer be tolerated in institutions created to uplift disadvantaged regions.”
HURIWA noted that the South East Development Commission was established to address decades of infrastructural deficits and developmental neglect in the region and not to become another bureaucratic structure for wasteful spending.
The association contrasted the emerging controversy with the performance of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), which it said has over the years executed numerous transformative projects across the six states of the North-East region.< According to HURIWA, despite challenges associated with post-insurgency reconstruction, the North East Development Commission has become visible through the construction and rehabilitation of roads, schools, hospitals, housing projects, water facilities and other critical infrastructure that have directly impacted millions of citizens. "The South East Development Commission was expected to emulate and even improve upon the developmental template established by the North East Development Commission. Unfortunately, what Nigerians are hearing at this stage are allegations of questionable expenditures rather than reports of transformational projects."
Consequently, HURIWA called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and relevant authorities to urgently review the governance architecture of the South East Development Commission and consider the immediate reconstitution of its governing board in the interest of transparency, credibility and effective service delivery.
HURIWA said that it has not categorically accused the hierarchy of the South East Development Commission of any crimes but stressed that development commissions must be managed by individuals whose commitment to integrity, accountability and prudent management of public resources is beyond reproach.
HURIWA urged the Senate Committee not to relent in its investigation and called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, professional bodies and stakeholders across the South-East to closely monitor developments surrounding the matter. HURIWA hopes that the investigative activities around the management of resources of the SEDC by the anti-graft institutions would be in a position to ascertain if anyone is guilty of these allegations or not. This is a clarion advocacy call for a full investigation.
“The South-East people deserve a development commission that works for the people and not for a privileged few. Every naira appropriated for development must translate into visible projects and measurable improvements in the lives of citizens. Anything short of this constitutes a betrayal of public trust.”
The association reaffirmed its commitment to supporting all lawful efforts aimed at promoting transparency, combating corruption and ensuring that public institutions remain accountable to the Nigerian people.
Opinion
HURIWA Commends Senate’s Oversight On SEDC -Demands EFCC Probe,Arrests, Reconstitution of Commission’s Board
Opinion
HURIWA questions FG’S evacuation plan for Nigerians fleeing xenophobia in South Africa; demands justice, compensation*
By George Mgbeleke
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has received with mixed feelings the announcement by the Federal Government of Nigeria regarding the planned evacuation of over 1,000 Nigerians from South Africa following the resurgence of xenophobic attacks against African migrants, including Nigerian citizens.
In a statement signed by National Coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko the group said, “While we commend the Federal Government for eventually assuming responsibility for the transportation costs of the affected Nigerians and facilitating their safe return home, HURIWA believes that the evacuation exercise, standing alone, is grossly inadequate and fails to address the far-reaching humanitarian, economic, diplomatic, legal and moral dimensions of this recurring tragedy.
“Indeed, the proposed evacuation raises more questions than answers.
The first and perhaps most fundamental question is: What becomes of the accumulated wealth, businesses, investments, landed properties, shops, vehicles, equipment, bank deposits and other assets painstakingly acquired by Nigerians who are now being compelled by fear, insecurity and targeted hostility to abandon their lives in South Africa?
“Many of these Nigerians did not arrive in South Africa yesterday. They have lived there for years and, in many cases, for decades. They have paid taxes, established businesses, employed workers, contributed to local economies and built lives through hard work and enterprise. If these citizens are now being forced out by organised xenophobic violence, does the Nigerian government have a framework for pursuing restitution, compensation and legal protection for their assets?
“Will their losses simply be written off as collateral damage while government celebrates the evacuation of victims from a hostile environment?”
HURIWA submits that evacuation without compensation amounts to managing the consequences of injustice while ignoring the injustice itself.
Secondly, what becomes of the thousands of Nigerians who have established families in South Africa?
Many Nigerians are legally married to South African citizens and have children who possess dual heritage and whose identities are intertwined with both countries. These are not merely immigration statistics; they are families, spouses, children and communities.
Has the Nigerian government negotiated safeguards for these mixed-nationality families?
What becomes of the Nigerian husband whose South African wife cannot immediately relocate?
What becomes of the South African spouse whose Nigerian partner is forced to leave?
What happens to children whose education, healthcare, social relationships and future are rooted in South Africa?
What legal and humanitarian mechanisms are being put in place to prevent the fragmentation of families and the emotional trauma that often accompanies forced displacement?
Thirdly, HURIWA is compelled to ask whether Nigeria has fully exhausted the diplomatic mechanisms available through the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the United Nations system and other international human rights platforms before resorting to mass evacuation.
Nigeria is not an insignificant nation on the African continent.
Nigeria played pivotal roles in the liberation struggles of Southern Africa. Nigerian taxpayers contributed enormously to anti-apartheid campaigns. Nigeria sacrificed diplomatic, economic and political resources in support of the freedom and dignity of Black South Africans during the dark years of apartheid.
It is therefore deeply troubling that decades after apartheid, Nigerians and other Africans continue to face violent hostility in a country whose liberation Nigeria vigorously supported.
The question therefore is this: Has Nigeria sufficiently leveraged its historic moral authority and diplomatic influence to compel South Africa to discharge its constitutional and international obligations to protect every lawful resident within its territory regardless of nationality?
The recurring xenophobic attacks in South Africa are not merely criminal incidents. They represent repeated assaults on the ideals of African unity, Pan-African solidarity and human dignity.
Even more disturbing is the perception across Africa that perpetrators of xenophobic violence often act with a sense of impunity because accountability remains weak and consequences are minimal.
HURIWA therefore demands that the Nigerian government publicly disclose the diplomatic measures it has initiated to ensure accountability from South African authorities.
Has Nigeria demanded compensation for victims?
Has Nigeria sought guarantees against future attacks?
Has Nigeria requested the prosecution of perpetrators and organisers of xenophobic violence?
Has Nigeria demanded an independent investigation into allegations that some security institutions have either failed to act decisively or have looked the other way while foreign nationals were targeted?
These are legitimate questions that require immediate answers.
Furthermore, HURIWA believes Nigerians deserve to know whether the Federal Government has considered proportionate economic and diplomatic responses to the persistent victimisation of its citizens.
South African businesses continue to thrive in Nigeria under the protection of Nigerian laws and security institutions. Their investments are protected. Their personnel operate freely. Their commercial interests are safeguarded.
Yet, Nigerian citizens in South Africa continue to live under the recurring shadow of xenophobic violence.
While HURIWA is not advocating reckless retaliation, we insist that diplomacy must be accompanied by consequences where repeated violations occur without meaningful corrective action.
No nation that values its citizens should appear indifferent when those citizens are repeatedly subjected to violence, intimidation and displacement abroad.
Another critical concern is the fate of the more than 1,000 Nigerians expected to return home.
What specific reintegration framework has the Federal Government developed for them?
How many jobs have been created for them?
What financial support packages have been approved?
What business recovery schemes have been established?
What psychological counselling and trauma-support programmes have been designed for victims who may have witnessed violence, lost loved ones, lost businesses or suffered severe emotional distress?
The return of displaced citizens should not mark the end of government responsibility; rather, it should signal the beginning of a comprehensive rehabilitation process.
Anything short of that would amount to transporting victims from one crisis into another.
HURIWA therefore calls for the immediate establishment of a Presidential Task Force on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnee Nigerians from South Africa, comprising relevant ministries, financial institutions, private-sector stakeholders, civil society organisations and diaspora representatives.
Such a body should be mandated to develop emergency economic assistance programmes, access-to-credit facilities, vocational support initiatives, business recovery grants and long-term reintegration strategies.
Finally, HURIWA warns that the recurring pattern of xenophobic violence against Africans in South Africa represents a grave threat to continental integration and the vision of a united Africa.
Africa cannot preach unity while Africans are hunted, intimidated and displaced in fellow African countries because of their nationality.
The dignity, security and rights of every African must be protected wherever they reside on the continent.
The Federal Government of Nigeria must therefore move beyond evacuation and pursue a comprehensive strategy anchored on justice, accountability, compensation, diplomatic firmness, protection of family rights, economic rehabilitation and the defence of the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens. Indeed, these values should incorporated or rather become the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy direction and engraved in the constitution that is being amended.
Nigeria owes its citizens nothing less.
Rev Fr Chief Alia: unpacking the truth about MOAUM strike
By Our Correspondent THE ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Moses Orshio Adasu University,...
Democracy Day: Akpabio Urges Unity, Resilience, Citizen Participation
By George Mgbeleke The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, has called on Nigerians to embrace unity, vigilance,...
June 12 sacrifices yet to reflect in Nigeria’s political reality- Rights lawyer
By Our Correspondent As Nigeria celebrates democracy day today, Delta State-based human rights lawyer and activist, Barrister Oghenejabor Ikimi,...
TEXT OF PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU’S DEMOCRACY DAY ADDRESS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2026
Fellow Nigerians Today, we celebrate democracy and the enduring Nigerian spirit. For 27 unbroken years, since May 29, 1999, Nigerians...
Senate Sets to establish State Police ….As Bill Scales 2nd reading
By George Mgbeleke A bill seeking to establish state police and transfer policing powers to subnational governments in order to...
Senate Extends 2025 Budget Implementation to September 30th
By George Mgbeleke The Senate on Wednesday approved a three-month extension of the implementation period for the capital component of...
JUNE 12: Democracy Remains Nigeria’s Strongest Path To Unity,Progress, Prosperity-Gov.Fubara
By George Mgbeleke Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed that democracy remains the most effective system of...
Niger state AG charges counsels on diligence and professionalism in Prosecuting court cases
By Uthman-Baba Naseer,Minna Prosecuting Counsels in the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner For Justice in Niger State,have been...
Kaiama Grammar School, FGGC, Imiringi, Clinch Top Prizes at NCDMB Science Quiz Competition
By David Owei,Bayelsa The 9th edition of the NCDMB/NTA Science Quiz Competition for Secondary Schools in Bayelsa State came to...
Senate Rejects Public Accounts C’ttee’s Warrant Against Ex-NNPC Boss Kyari …..Says only Senate President is empowered to issue warrants of Arrest
By George Mgbeleke The Senate on Wednesday debated a motion by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele seeking to preserve the institutional...
-
Politics1 year agoGov Okpebholo moves to end Cultism *Threatens action against leading cult groups *Vows to demolish more cult houses in Edo State
-
Politics10 months agoASUU-NDU protest against FG loans, unpaid salaries,Non-Implementation of agreements …..says loans is generational slavery
-
Business & Economy10 months agoPC-NCG Issues Disclaimer on Purported Nigerian Coast Guard National Orientation Exercise In Anambra State
-
Entertainment2 years agoJubilation galore as Parishioners of CKC Kurudu celebrate their cultural heritage ….FG should exploit our Cultural heritage to unite Nigerians-Rev Fr Dim
-
Sports4 months agoBayelsa-born ex-football star’s son, Opuama donates spike shoes to Athletics Association
-
General News2 years agoReps hold public hearing on FMC Ugwuaji Awkunanaw
-
Law & Crime11 months agoLegal practitioner raises alarm over threat to his life by CSP Muhammed Abdulkareem
-
General News2 years agoCelebration galore as UDA Successfully Elected New Exco ……I will digitalize processes that will raise UDA to greater height -Comr. Okejiri