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REPORT
What late Dr. M.I. Okpara told me to tell Igbo leaders
By Ojay M. Grace The other day I "visited" with late Dr. M. I. Okpara
through a "channel." Apparently, he was very glad to see me.
Evidently, he has not lost his renowned intellectual power
and love of politics. My intention was to find out how the
non-physical world is and how he is interacting with the
angels. As I was about to start, he requested that I allow him
the privilege of asking one question. I said "sure sir." I
never had the chance to ask my questions because he turned
the table on me. Here's what transpired: Okpara: At the fellowship meeting last night, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo was bragging about how he has taken over
Nigeria. He showed me an email from the president of the
Egbe Omo Yoruba, USA, who referred to Awo as "Uncle Pontifex
Maximus." A footnote in the email caught my attention. It
states "Thank you for your guidance. As you advised, we did
not fall for the SCD (State Creation Diversion) strategy
conceived by the Hausa leadership. The Igbos did, and they
are paying dearly for it. We are organized around our tribal
group. Igbos organize around any potential geographic
boundaries they can imagine. They have so many states and local governments, and they
are taking full advantage of them. We are advising President
Obasanjo to triple the number of states and local
governments in the Ibo areas. With any luck, the Igbos will
start to organize around their streets, avenues and roads.
For example, they could have Asa Road Residents Association
and have fund raising to fix the potholes and paint street
signs. Igbos are now acting like minorities. That allows us
to concentrate and solve the Hausa problem once and for all,
with your help, of course." Is it true that state creation
has become a curse instead of a blessing for the Igbos or
are the Yorubas bragging as usual? Grace: I think the President of Egbe Omo Yoruba
intentionally underestimated the situation of the Igbos. He
failed to mention that SCD caused a new disease known as
MOFS ˆ Multiple Organization Forming Syndrome. Those
afflicted by MOFS have an unending need to create and head
new organizations even though they are unable to run the
ones they already have. Okpara: Explain that to me. Grace: Imagine a little boy and his brothers being thrown
into a room full of toy cars and trucks while some grown-ups
stayed in the main room discussing the division of the "bush
meat" they had just purchased. Each grown-up wanting the
choice part of the animal. The boys stay in the room with
the cars, running around with them, making car noises,
dividing the car-washing and fueling responsibilities, using
the cars to climb hills and even get involved in accidents.
Of course all that is fake. At the end, the cars are still
fake, and when they are through playing, they come out to
eat the leftover, if any. Okpara: I know I am not on earth with you. I don't get
it. Grace: I am sorry about that. I am trying not to depress
you. Okpara: Please do not insult me. I have seen tougher
circumstances both on earth and here in heaven than you have
or will ever confront. So be straight with me. I'm
waiting. Grace: Sir, during your time, you butted head with such
eminent Nigerians as Awolowo and Saduana of Sokoto. While
your preoccupation was the interest of the Igbos, Awo was
concerned with the Yoruba interest and Saduana with the
Hausa interest. Each of you passed on the bantam to the next
generation to carry on the good work. The descendants of Awo
and Saduana are making them proud. The Hausas set up a trap,
and the Igbos fail for it. They created so many states and
local governments, just like the room full of toys. Your
descendants are busy enjoying these governmental toys while
the Yorubas and the Hausas are busy negotiating the division
of national assets and power. They are passing the control
of the national government between each other, while your
descendants are spending all their time plotting how to
become the president or chairman of one local government
association or another. There are many more local
governments in non-Igbo areas, but I have never seen any
other group wasting the energy of their intellectuals
infinitely organizing local government meetings. The
terrible thing about it is that they are spending all this
time outside of Nigeria. They are so consumed by it that
they have no time to adequately participate in meaningful
dialogue at the national level. The funny thing is that they
are too nostalgic. They form associations for every local
government creation that has ever existed starting from
1960. There is no rhyme or rhythm to their thinking. Even
when a governmental structure has been abolished, they hang
on to it. For example, there is and associations formed
along Bende and Owerri Divisions. The members of the
organizations formed along old political divisions are also
members of associations formed along the new local
governments given to them by the central government. Sir,
should I continue. Okpara: Hmmmm. I don't want to talk down to you, but why
should organizing people be a curse? I must be missing
something. Grace: Sir, the problem is that your Igbo descendants are
spending too much time organizing along any new structure
created for them. As each state or local government is
created, a mental boundary immediately erupts. I have never
heard of a Yoruba man being asked to leave a newly created
Yoruba state. Once a new state is created, any Igbo whose
father was not a native of the new state will be required to
leave his/her governmental job. In Canada, the USA and
Europe, all Igbos will immediately think it is their duty to
form a new association to reflects the new creation. They
start to discriminate against other Igbos for no logical
reason. Okpara: Are these organizations functional? Grace: Practically, all office-seeking Igbos are
afflicted with MOFS. Functionality is one thing MOFS
sufferers are averse to. They will talk great talks about
things they will do, but they somehow finds "good" excuses
why those things were not done during their leadership. For
instance, in Houston, Texas, Igbos have hundreds of
organizations created by the same group of persons. Funny
enough, practically none of them has an office for the
organization where you can meet and discuss organization
matters. Nor is any one of them listed in the telephone
directory. Most, if not all, these organizations have no
computers, no desks, no chairs, no tables or anything in
their name. The president of most of them acts as the
defacto secretary, treasurer and PRO. The phone number and
address of the organization is dependant on who the
president is at any one time. When a president's term is up,
he or she has nothing to hand over to the next group. Every
reasonable contact with the organization must be through the
president. So if the president is out of town, indisposed or
just busy, the organization's activities are frozen. Okpara: Are you saying that self-sufficient and educated
Igbos overseas are not applying the knowledge they have
acquired? Are you saying that they are that shallow and
crazy? Grace: Sir, it is worse than that. There are more
associations formed by Igbos overseas than in Nigeria. It is
possible that they are feeling guilty or not being
physically present in Igboland. It is possible that
leadership was thrust on them, but they have no clue what
direction to lead so they do whatever for the sake of doing
something. It is possible that they learnt nothing from you
and need re-education.. Each one of them thinks that he or
she is a born leader and deserves to be president or
chairman of an organization. Their appetite for new
organization is insatiable. They will even create two
associations for the same local government to serve the same
purpose. In order to justify their existence, they will
spend time and money trying to perform functions more
suitably done by state and central governments. They want to
provide light, water, hospital, schools, road, you name it,
for their respective local governments. Okpara: Wait! Wait!! Wait!!! You are kidding, right? What
does the government then do? Grace: Good question. Because the governors know that
each Igbo community will assume governmental functions, they
embezzle the money that would have been assigned for those
governmental duties and functions. It is now expected that
those in government will steal money instead of fixing roads
and supplying water to the populace. They expect some
launching by some Igbo organization sooner or latter in
their hope to avoid performing their duties. Of course, no
one challenges them. One thing is that these so-called
leaders learnt the wrong lessons from the first Nigerian
civil war. As you know, after the war, Igbos rebounded and
got back on their feet through self-help. That proved that
the Igbos will do what it takes to survive afer going
through hard times. Now, the new Igbo leaders think that
self-help efforts and the assumption of governmental duties
has to be a permanent feature of the Igbo life and
culture. Okpara: I suppose all these efforts means that Igboland
is like heaven, right? Grace: Sorry to disappoint you. No other group in Nigeria
raises as much money through community effort as Igbos do.
The devil is in how it is used. My guess is that Igbos raise
over 10 times as much money as any other group. However, the
money is in the hands of 10,000 organizations. The share of
each community is just enough to buy one or two computers
for a school. No one community has enough to buy software,
train the teacher, repair classrooms, pave the road to the
schools, buy uniform for the students, pay staff salary and
buy books. The computer itself becomes useless. The same can
be said for their efforts to improve hospitals, build roods
and supply electricity and water. It is a mess. On the other
hand, other groups raise very little money, but they
leverage it very well. They figure out a way to capture at
least one significant ministry of the federal government. It
pays well. One good minister can direct several millions of
Naira to solve a problem that requires several years of
launching by Igbos and yet the problem remains as it was
before the launching. In fact, most of the launchings do not
make money, and those that do cost at least half the money
realized. To make matters worse, these people claim to be
community conscious. The evidence proves the opposite. Item:
In Houston, Texas, USA, Igbos refuse to patronize Ndichie
Hall, an Igbo establishment for parties and functions.
Instead, they give their money to Asians by renting their
halls. In fact, Asian halls are springing up all over
Houston to accommodate the numerous launching by Igbos.
Item: After all these years of organizing and helping Igbos
in Nigeria, the Igbo areas have the highest unemployment
rate, massive refusal by their male adults to attend school,
the worst roads, schools, hospitals, supply of electricity
and water. It is pathetic. Okpara: God almighty! Who are your leaders? Are they
crazy? Are they educated? Grace: Well, there is a saying that only a crazy person
will do the same thing over and over and expects different
results. They are very educated. All of them possess
university degrees, from the first degree to doctorates in
all fields. It is possible that there is a cause on them.
With your contact up there, you may assist in removing the
curse. Okpara: How can this problem be resolved? Is there some
how that we can satisfy the individual need for power and
the needs of Igbos? Let me be blunt: can we make all Igbos
leaders of something? Grace: Sir, you got me. As you know, I am a lawyer and am
trained to anticipate all questions and plan for them. I did
not plan for this question. If you allow me time, I will
give you adequate answer. Okpara: If Awo and Sarduana's kids are living up to
expectation, and my own are failing to do their part, I am
unhappy. I, Michael Okpara, hereby decree as follows:
Whereas it is established that every Igbo man wants to be
known as a president or chairman of one or more
organizations; Whereas those presidents and chairmen will
want to justify their existence by launching one thing or
another; in recognition of the foregoing rights, IT is
hereby mandated and ordained that every Igbo person is now a
president or chairman of any organization or association of
his/her choice. Each chairman or president can sub-divide
the organization and make him or herself the president or
chairman of the subdivided organization, without limit to
number. In recognition of this new dispensation, all Igbo
organizations formed pursuant to villages, divisions, local
governments and states are hereby dissolved. All
organizations must be geared to finding ways to make
governments perform their duties. All funds raised must be
targeted to an Igbo Preservation Fund (IPF). All Igbos are
hereby banned from contributing to any launching that is
designed to perform governmental functions. These are my
commandments. Tell all of them to hear and carry forth. You
may now leave. This discussion is over. I have a prayer
meeting with Awo. I think I really need it. Grace: May I ask you one question? Stop, don't go,
please. Sir, can you get me an interview with Chief Awo?
Please, don't go yet!! Hate
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Okpara:
If Awo and Sarduana's kids are living up to expectation, and
my own are failing to do their part, I am unhappy. I,
Michael Okpara hereby decree as follows: Whereas it is
established that every Igbo man wants to be known as a
president or chairman of one or more organizations; Whereas
those presidents and chairmen will want to justify their
existence by launching one thing or another; in recognition
of the foregoing rights, IT is hereby mandated and ordained
that every Igbo person is now a president or chairman of any
organization or association of his/her choice. Each chairman
or president can sub-divide the organization and make him or
herself the president or chairman of the subdivided
organization, without limit to number. In recognition of
this new dispensation, all Igbo organizations formed
pursuant to villages, divisions, local governments and
states are hereby dissolved. All organizations must be
geared to finding ways to make governments perform their
duties. All funds raised must be targeted to an Igbo
Preservation Fund (IPF). All Igbos are hereby banned from
contributing to any launching that is designed to perform
governmental functions. These are my commandments. Tell all
of them to hear and carry forth. You may now leave. This
discussion is over. I have a prayer meeting with Awo. I
think I really need it.
That was how the Honorable M. I Okpara dismissed me. In the
end, I concluded that he served Igbos well and any Igbo
organization that solely emphasized the political boundaries
created for Igbos is not serving the memory of Dr. Okpara.
As the NRA (National Rifle Association) says, "Guns do not
kill people; people do." I say, "Organizations do not
destroy a racial group, their alleged leaders do."
Grace, an attorney, serves as a contributing editor and
columnist for USAfricaonline.com and USAfrica The Newspaper.
September 2, 1999.He appears in the picture, above.
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