A former Governor of old Anambra State, Dr Emeka Ezeife, has attributed ‘Nigeria’s colossal failure’ to the myopic struggle between the Yoruba and Igbo tribe to serve the Fulani people.
Ezeife said this in an open letter to Nigerians made available to the media. He said the Yoruba and Igbo people have harboured suspicions against one another, leaving the Fulani to hold sway over the country.
According to him, the quest of certain leaders from both tribes to leave the country, speaks to the mistrust built from the competition between foremost Nigeria’s nationalists, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo, in times past.
Ezeife accused the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of devising policies aimed at pulling down and forcing out the Igbo tribe from Nigeria but concluded that if the two nations in the South do not present a united front, Nigeria would not arrive at its desired destination.
“Nigeria’s colossal failure is the result of very unenlightened and myopic competition between the two groups (Yoruba and Igbo) as to which should carry the briefcase for the Fulani (to whom the British handed over the leadership of Nigeria).
“I submit that it is not in the best long-term interest of either group to leave Nigeria,” he said.
In Ezeife’s view, the Fulani race has succeeded in dividing the tribes to the east and west of the country, forcing them to work as lone rangers.
“One serious contribution the Fulani is making to Nigeria’s development is forcing the Igbo and the Yoruba to think of the feasibility of their desirable long term political achievements with their current lone ranging strategy,” Ezeife said.
“Effective cooperation between Igbo and Yoruba can salvage Nigeria and lead her to explosive growth and development, making Nigeria a world superpower, thereby raising the respect and dignity of all black people on earth, which, we believe, is her manifest destiny!!!”
The former governor also noted that the possibility of this cooperation is made even more difficult by the feeling of isolation engendered by the present administration.
The letter partly read, “The IPOB followers and, to some extent, the MASSOB people are very surprised that many of their Igbo elders are still hoping for the continuation of one Nigeria, and their surprise is justified.
“What I see as ‘the-pull-Igbo-down and push-Igbo-out-of-Nigeria’ policies of the current Federal Government make it surprising that any Igbo should be hoping for the continuation of Nigeria. A few examples of pull-Igbo-down policy are these: the most prominent Nigerian in the cement importation business was Mr Ibeto. He was pulled down.
“Attempts were made to pull down Innoson, the first and the only car manufacturer in Nigeria. Ifeanyi Uba (now a senator) has been attacked and harassed. He has the largest petroleum products storage outfit in the country. Emzor Pharmaceuticals was closed down for no justifiable reason.
“Many less well-known manufacturers and businessmen suffered and are suffering the same fate. Many importers had their importation seized and they had to buy the goods back from favoured persons from the North. Evidence of push-Igbo out of Nigeria policy abound.
“The Southeast has been excluded from the National Security Council; we are excluded from the highly publicised national railway project, currently being executed.
“We were the only zone excluded from benefiting from the most jumbo loan Nigeria is taking. We were virtually excluded from the palliatives for COVID-19. Just a few days ago, the roads to be built by the Federal Government were listed; the Southeast is the only zone in which no road will be built.”