Ejikeme

By Ejikeme Ibe

In a few days’ time, Nigerians will be going to the polls once more to elect their President, a host of Governors and sundry officials who will preside over the affairs of their country and constituencies for the next 4 years starting on 29 May 2015. I cannot remember any election in living memory that has the potentials to profoundly define and change the dynamics of Nigerian politics like the coming one – at least at the national level. Even though there are 14 presidential candidates on the official INEC list, the coming polls, like the last presidential contest, is again a straight fight between two main candidates, President Goodluck Jonathan (GEJ) of the ruling PDP and the opposition APC candidate, Gen (Rtd) Muhammadu Buhari (GMB). With no disrespect to the twelve other presidential candidates, I think that I can fairly refer to them. Buhari we all know has lost in all his past attempts, but unlike the previous elections, Buhari looks not only a serious contender if we are to believe some of the pre-election opinion polls. The coming elections is also unique for the fact that for the first time in a very long while, the politicians are actually engaging with the masses through electioneering campaign to win votes. It is like the old days of soap box oratory that gave Nigeria political lingos like penkelemesi and timbre & calibre are back with us again. Apparently, the fear of being found out by “Permanent Voters Card” PVC accuracy is the beginning of wisdom. I am excited about this elections not because of any CHANGE or CONTINUITY jingle, but because of the prospect which a fool proof free, and fair election through the use of the PVC, holds for Nigeria. We may well end up with the unthinkable in the form of a bunch of Governors, legislators and even a President who happens to be the Election Day wish of the people. I say “election day” because the Jury is still out on the question of party primaries of the 2 main parties having any semblance of due process. For me, no one has typified the mood of the times we are in like Chief Nyesom Wike the PDP Governorship candidate in Rivers State by the way he engages and connects with the masses in simple down to earth language. The Governorship contest in Lagos between Agbaje and Ambode is also a fascinating contest with no candidate leaving anything to chance. So it is a new era in Nigerian politics and I urge every Igbo of voting age to embrace it.

If the PVC introduced by Attahiru Jega’s INEC succeeds, Nigerian politics as we know it will never be the same again. For the courage to deploy this innovative approach in Nigeria of all places, Jega deserves full credit even with the much reported PCV distribution logistic problems and card reader operational palaver. If we end up with a true government for the people, by the people and to the people on 29 May 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan who sanctioned the system would have left an enduring legacy – win or lose – and deserves our accolades. Going forward, I would like the system to be made more robust by the incorporation of biometric authentication at the point of voter registration as well as the polling booths. Rome was not built in a day as the saying goes so I will go with any outcome of the PVC and card reader system for now.

My background as a Nigerian living outside the country for a little over a decade now suggests that I have no political affiliation or immediate personal ambitions. I will make bold to say that I have no personal interest in any of the candidates at the local, state or federal levels aside from the fact there will be no Governorship contest in my state. I would clarify that when I say “personal interest”, I mean personal interest in the Nigerian sense of direct gains since none of them is my friend, uncle, business associate, aunt, sibling or schoolmate. I will not gain anything personally if any of the candidates win or lose, but what I cannot deny is an interest which is nested within the group interest of the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. All I have is an aspiration to see every Nigerian – the Igbo inclusive – stand shoulder to shoulder and compete with peers from elsewhere in the country without any presumed disadvantage or imputed advantage. I desire to see a level playing field and a fair deal for all Nigerians which I believe is the deal from which Igbos will benefit most. I therefore crave the attention of every Igbos across the political divide in PDP, APC, APGA, LP, UPP, PPA, KOWA, AA, ACPN, AD, CPP, HOPE, NCP, APA, ACCORD, SDP and MPPP who has not made up their mind.  I also plead with those with their minds already made up to read and perhaps strengthen their positions.

I have come to analyse for myself that the problem with Nigeria is not that of its corrupt people, but a problem of structure. Nigeria has been rocking on a very faulty foundations built firstly on what many Nigerians consider a monumentally fraudulent census figures. Based on this same census data is the creation of states, allocation of resources, employment into the civil service, enrolment into the armed forces and allocation of places into our universities and Unity Schools today. So I really want us to be clear as Igbos what the problems possibly are. Truth be told, we have more than our own fair share of paid home-grown agents of destabilisation and incompetent politicians. We have even contrived to elect for ourselves Governors and Senators with no clear understanding of the task in hand and consequently no long term vision, but they all pale in significance compared to what we have been denied over the years through the faulty and lopsided system that operates in Nigeria. Top on top list as I have alluded to earlier is the population census of Nigeria as it goes without saying that most Nigerians now believe the country has never had any credible census. This matter should be put to bed immediately by the next government as a matter of urgency by conducting an accurate census based on biometric capture. The world has moved on and will leave Nigeria far behind if this is not accorded the urgent attention it needs. The good news is that the technology is there and God help us if we stumble on a government with the political will to see it through.

Next on my list of issues that need urgent national attention is the issue of quota system for jobs and appointments at the federal level. Quota system by the way is borne out of a noble intention which is to ensure that all parts of the country have a sense of belonging in our national affairs. It becomes an unfair policy when the population data on which it is largely based is anything but accurate. Therefore if we are going to carry on with quota system also referred to as the principle of federal character, we must all aspire for accurate census figures.

Igbo youths spend the longest time in the job market compared to their counterparts elsewhere in the country meaning that Igbo states have arguably the highest per capita number of unemployed fresh graduates. There is a growing number of well qualified Igbo graduate who are market Traders today. With no disrespect to the trading profession, most of these graduates are Traders not because they want to, but because they have to. This is happening in a country where some states have near zero cases of graduate unemployment. It is then either that the Igbo Governors are performing so badly and not creating enough jobs or a case of some states not having anything near the populations they are credited with the same reason they are a state in the first instance.

Another issue on my list is the issue of educational advantage or disadvantage by which the standards of entrance to institutions are lowered for some states who are tagged “educationally disadvantaged” or raise – if you like – for states considered to be “educationally advantaged”. This was probably justifiable in the past when the whole of northern part of Nigeria probably had fewer primary schools than Lagos metropolis. But this system has been in operation for at least 50 years and the gap should have been bridged. The time has come to review the impact of this system in wiping off the disadvantage. If the gap has not been bridged after at least 5 decades of operation, it probably never will or there never was any disadvantage in the first place. We have to really find another solution to tackle the problem of backwardness other than one that appear to punish hard work and reward laziness. Take for instance the case where it was widely reported recently that the entry mark for Anambra candidates in the federal unity schools exams was 139 for the males and 139 for the females. In a ridiculous contrast a male candidate from Zamfara State would need to score 4 (FOUR) while his female counterpart will need to score 2 (TWO). If this is  a fact it simply goes against the natural principle that all men are born equal and free. Just tell me what advantage the son of a Palwine Tapper from rural Ogbaru in Anambra State has over the son of a Permanent secretary from Zamfara in the 21^st century yet he has to study hard by burning candles in the night – for lack of electricity – to score 139 while this his age mate from Zamfara of privileged parentage gains the same entrance easily after nights of playing the wii. As a way of stretching your imagination further, in another scenario a boy born to Anambra parents who grows up in Zamfara will be said to have an advantage over the son of a Zamfara man that grew up in Anambra. I struggle to find the reasons for imputing these advantages or disadvantages. We have to make up our mind if the disadvantage if at all there is any is environmental or genetically inherited? It is either the Anambra boy is blessed with super brains and the Zamfara boy is blessed with not so super brains or some states do not have the populations attributed to them that the standards have to be lowered to absurd levels for them to make up their numbers. I know for one that I did not inherit any super brains from my parents because I went to University in the northern part of Nigeria and was beaten severally by my northern classmates who I was supposed to have an advantage over. Welcome to the weird world of the Affirmative Action Nigerian style all because the system operates on state of origin not state of residence basis. Somebody is cheating somebody here and we Igbos are at the receiving end of it. When these boys grow up and apply for a place in any of our Universities or federal civil service, they will not be entering as part of the quota of their states of residence, but the quota of the states of origin of their parents highlighting the fourth issue which is the right of citizenship of every Nigerian. So who is fooling who and how long will this tomfoolery go on? Tell me this is fair and tell me we are a serious nation if we have not found a fair and sensible way to give a voice to any group that is obviously disadvantaged.

So to me as an Igbo, my issues in Nigeria are crystal clear and these are the issues I will be taking to the polls if I was to vote in this coming election. Again to me and I hope most Igbos, it is clear that Nigeria does not have the corruption problem, but the problem of structure. Get the political structure right, banish all forms of discriminations and unfair advantages, then we can all boldly come together and deal with corruption as equal compatriots. I will say with no scruples whatsoever that there is still corruption under GEJ, but that is not Igbo priority. Don’t get me wrong, corruption is still a big problem, but we as Igbos have bigger fishes to fry. Our main priority should be to rid the nation of all anti-equity viruses built into the Nigerian system. You will be missing the point as an Igbo going to vote this election with just the issue of corruption, continuity and change on the back of your mind. Leenu gi otele – excuse my French – iji alu ogu corruption along with the rest of the country when they have achieved equity far ahead of you. You should have no apologies to anyone who will not see it from your point and please don’t see from their points of continuity or change until they deliver or set a timetable when they will deliver on these issues. You have to make it clear that there is nothing fanciful in any change or continuity mantra if they do not incorporate these issues. Therefore you have to be clear on the type of continuity you do not want and the type of change we really aspire for. Anybody selling their change to us should also be ready to buy our own change which is CHANGE to quota system, CHANGE to educational disadvantaged status and CHANGE to archaic figures with modern biometric data. Any continuity salesman should also be willing to buy our DISCONTINUITY to quota system, DISCONTINUITY to educational disadvantaged status and DISCONTINUITY to archaic figures with modern biometric data.

I suggest that as Igbos we spend every political energy we have in fighting for an end to discriminations and the enthronement of equity and fairness in Nigeria. These to me are worth more than 10 2^nd Niger bridges and even an Igbo President. Of course I am happy that we must all have realised that the fleeting pursuit of an Igbo President will be a mirage under the current structure. My question to all Igbo politicians is this. Have you told your party about these issues that we consider dearest to our hearts and what is the position of your party and presidential candidate? To put it quite bluntly any candidate seeking Igbo votes must strike these cords or take the highway. That simply should determine who we cast our votes for in this and future elections and that way no one will take your votes for granted anymore. In recent weeks I have heard of several endorsements of GEJ and GMB by a number of Igbo umbrella groups but none of these endorsements had anything to say about these core issues at the heart of Igbo aspiration in Nigeria. Apart from Ohaneze that mentioned the possible implementation of the outcome from past national conference as their reason for endorsing a particular candidate, no mention has been made of the so called Igbo educational advantage, not a mention of the right of citizenship of every Nigerian and quota system. And you kind of pause and ask yourself ‘who are these people and whose interests do they represent’?

The real shock and scandal to me is not how the Nigerian state let this carry on for so long, but how we Igbos have come to accept it as the norm. The biggest indictment goes to the current crop of Senators and members of House of Representatives representing us at Abuja. These issues should be at the front burner of our national discourse and none of them cared or dared to raise it at the floor of both houses. And then you wonder if they at all know what issues are closest to heart of the people they represent. Not even a single motion at the House of Representatives and the Senate was raised in in 16 years of the current democratic experiment against educational disadvantage? It is sad pity and a grossly scandalous failure on the part of past and serving Igbo legislators. Who are they waiting for to raise a motion for 16 years against the so called educational advantage of Igbos? The Senator representing Zamfara Central Senatorial Constituency? Just raise a single motion on the floor of the house is what we ask of you whether it was passed or not just raise the motion. Though I set out by saying I am not rooting for any particular candidates, the only group of people I will warn you against voting for is any of the current crop of South East Senators and House of Rep members. They are all a disgrace and must be rejected and sent packing without any exception if between now and Election Day a motion is not raised seeking a federal law to ban the labelling of any Nigerian child educationally disadvantaged in this 21 century. This way we will be sending the right signals to the next group that we will no longer accept business as usual. Another group that must not be sent to the Senate is any past or current Governor vying for the Senate. If the new era delivers on its promises of free and fair polls, then the election of a sitting Governors to the Senate will no longer be a fait accompli. Therefore do not leave it to chance go and vote them out. Are we Igbos cursed or are we the cause that we will recycle these expired men that have that have done nothing than to steal and keep stealing from us? I don’t care which sacred party they belong to be it APGA, APC or PDP, in my personal opinion NONE of them should be returned.

I know that you the Igbo voter is one of the most disenchanted and disengaged from the political process out of every group in Nigeria and maybe justifiably so because previously you felt yours votes never really counted, but now that the story is about to change, you have to be positioned to grasp the opportunities it presents. If you know the power you can wield with that PCV between the tip of your index finger and your thumb you will rise up from your election apathy and get out and cast your vote on March 28. If you know the significance of this election, there is no way you will sit at home on March 28 2015. In making your decisions, I will suggest you set your emotions and sentiments aside because at the end of the day the candidate you reject out of emotional considerations may actually hold the key to your aspirations. Therefore the fact Fani Kayode insulted Igbos in the past and now works for GEJ should not be a minus for the President. The fact the President happens to come from the old Eastern Region should not be a plus for him either. The fact Buhari was a key participant in the July 66 coup that nearly decimated the Igbo officer cadre in the Nigerian Army and fought against Igbos during the civil war should also never be used against him in this election if he will deliver on our core aspirations. Who cares about these issues of the past if the candidate delivers what we most desperately need?

In the presidential race, we have these options in no particular preference:-

Option 1 –  Any of the also-rans

Option 2 – Gen Muhammadu Buhari

Option 3 –  President Goodluck Jonathan

Option 4 – Stay at home in protest

The main problem is not only that the line-up in the Presidential contest is so bereft of quality, the only viable choice is between the incumbent President and his APC challenger Gen Buhari hardly a stellar cast. I wish we had better choices than these 2 from the 2 leading parties. So we have no choice other than to make a choice of the lot. I will not suggest any particular option to you, but the option you must not chose is option 4. Even if you fancy neither GEJ nor GMB, go and vote for any of the also-rans so that your vote will be counted. Cast your vote you must because the total vote count in the coming elections may give us an idea of the real population spread in the country if the issue of child voting is checked.

Just a recap for you, if you are shouting PDP, continuity or uncommon transformation you should be sure what is in it for the average Igboman on the street based on the issues I have highlighted. I know what is in it for the Igbo elites namely: – ministerial positions and contracts for those who worked assiduously for the party. The continuity we need is also not the continuity of the unsustainable structure of institutionalised inequalities. Continuity has nothing to offer Igbo if it does not incorporate the speedy implementation of the resolutions out of the last national Conference. It must also go beyond that to spell out the time frame for conducting a biometric census, enforcing the rights of citizenship, ending educational disadvantage areas syndrome and curtailing the influence of quota system in our federal parastatals. If you are shouting APC or Change, you should also be clear on what their plan is to pursue a restructuring of the country along the lines of the last national conference, conduct an accurate biometric census and end the age old discriminatory practices of ‘educational disadvantaged area’ and Quota system. There are no ifs or buts maka ndi uta.

In case you have not read the resolutions of the last national conference, here is a link to follow and believe me it has a lot of core Igbo aspirations built into it.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/167070-key-national-conference-recommendations-you-need-to-know.html

Without any real promises from the 2 parties, then we must carefully consider who among the 2 candidates is most likely to implement the outcome of the last national conference.  I will not make you mind up for you, but you have to look at the candidates and parties and vote for the one who you think is most likely to end these discriminatory practices. Granted that no administration may be capable of righting all these wrongs in their tenure, you must think of who is most likely to set the country on the road to equity and fair play and who is most likely take steps to perpetuate the status quo?

You must not only ensure that you vote, you must ensure that these issues are highlighted to the illiterate voter in your village who will either be sitting at home or voting for the sake of APC or PDP branded bag of rice. Encourage them to eat the rice and vote for your conviction regardless because there is not technology in the rice to trace whom the consumer voted for. If such a means was available to Nigerians, we should have been to the moon and back several times. There is a heck of a lot riding on the back of this election including billion of local and foreign money, but what you should consider most is the fate and destiny of future generation of Igbos yet unborn. A region got you on the jugular since 1966 until recently when their vice grip started loosening miraculously and you ought to give it a hard thought before you submit yourself willingly to another stranglehold. You will have no one to blame but yourself if you vote in anybody that will rather do nothing about your predicament. The reality on the ground for me and you is that in this generation the son of the Ogbaru Palmwine tapper is playing catch up and at a disadvantage to his Zamfara age mate. When in 2 more generations and 50 years’ time, you find that your own grandchildren along with the children of the Ogbaru boy is still struggling against a boy from Zamfara, please hold your hands up and say you messed it up in your time. I cannot say anymore even though I have not exhausted all I needed to say. I have left it all for you in proverbs and I am confident that as true Igbos, you do not me to provide the interpretations. Remember the old Igbo saying that “To whom a proverb is interpreted, their mother’s dowry is a waste”. Ndigbo were nu ire unu guo eze unu onu.

Unfortunately I have no vote, but if I had one, I have a clear idea of the candidates I should not vote for and the candidates I should cast my precious vote for. Think wisely, Vote wisely and God bless you.

Ejikeme Ibe B. Eng Msc MCIHT is a UK based Transportation Consultant