The Worrisome Igbo Politics of Discrimination By Adedamola Adetayo
1. Dr. Alex Otti is an IGBO MAN from Isiala-Ngwa area of Abia State. He has ALWAYS been identified to be from there.
But today, the same Ngwa people say Otti is a FOREIGNER IN ABIA by virtue of the area of Ngwa that he comes from.
They are of the opinion that he isn’t an “original Ngwa man.”
They say he is “Not Abia enough” to be the governor of their state!!!
It is what has caused all the wahala in Abia State Guber.
He has won eventually, but I can imagine that he will have problems.
2. Not too long ago, in this 4th Republic , a Yoruba man who had stayed forever in ONITSHA went beyond this boundaries.
He wanted to contest COUNCILORSHIP POSITION in one of their WARDS in that town.
Ordinary Councillor o!!!
They told him to clear out, but he didn’t understand.
He was summarily liquidated.
3. In Enugu, we saw a viral video of a leader, an elderly man, insisting that a particular politician whose ancestry was traced to nearby EBONYI STATE can never be allowed to be their Governor in Enugu
He said NEVER.
He was terribly agitated about it.
They didn’t allow that man.
4. In Anambra again, Bianca Onoh is an IGBO WOMAN. Her father was from neighbouring Enugu, which used to be one state with them, but she married no less a man than Emeka Ojukwu himself
A whole Ojukwu.
But Ojukwu was Anambra.
Bianca indicated that she wanted to contest the senatorial election in Anambra.
Anambra People told her to go to HER FATHERS LAND!!!!
That was it.
5. Ironically, Mrs Betty Akeredolu came to her own fathers land to ask for a senatorial ticket
Her father’s land is IMO.
Imo people promptly told her to go back to her HUSBAND’S LAND IN ONDO STATE to find the ticket.
6. To this day, they still have the OSU CASTE system in that Igbo land.
Christianity couldn’t wash it away.
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OSU people still suffer humiliations amongst fellow Igbo people.
They have limitations to their rights up to this day.
They are discriminated against.
7. But these Abia, Anambra , Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo men are all over the place in Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Osun and Lagos states telling you stories of ‘One Nigeria” and preaching against”Tribalism ” that it is fair and okay for them to become anything of politics in your land as they LIVE AND OWN HOUSES IN YOUR COMMUNITIES.
They want to be able to contest elections as GOVERNOR in Lagos, and in fact, they want to achieve it by IGBO BLOC VOTES as they have moved half of their population into Lagos.
They want to be SENATORS in Lagos.
They want to be DEPUTY-GOVERNOR in Ogun.
They actually feel they deserve to be consulted in Ekiti before you choose your leaders.
They OPENLY tell you that LAGOS IS NO MAN’S LAND.
HOW A PEOPLE DEMAND FROM YOU WHAT THEY CAN’T GIVE YOU IS WHAT I WANT TO UNDERSTAND.
They don’t do these things in the NORTH because they are very much aware that the NORTHERNERS KNOW THEM.
They do it to the Yoruba people because they are also very aware that the Yorubas don’t travel to the EAST and therefore don’t know the IGBO characters.
Yorubas are very easy-going and easily contented. We hardly have had reasons to go up and down to the spaces of other people.
But you come to us when we DIDN’T INVITE YOU and then begin to harrass us with games of competition, which is something that isn’t part of our own culture.
We don’t go about with crazy aggression trying to outdo or get better than our neighbours.
Our ancestors taught us to be okay and satisfied with what we have.
We only look to be the better of ourselves, to become better people than we were yesterday.
Money was and still is not a yardstick of measuring the quality of men in Yoruba land – YOUR OMOLÚÀBÍ CONTENT IS.
We will continue to educate our people.
Things can’t be the same again.
Adedamola Adetayo
