12072020 - Uzodinma, Ngige, Nnamani others meet, vow Igbo united front

Femi Adesina: Buhari
and Arthur who?
Femi Adesina, the
President’s
Chichidodo – you all
remember the bird in Ayi Kwei
Armah’s grim novel, The
Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet
Born? – well, he came again
last week with a whopper: a
big fat shit; an essay he titled,
'Buhari and the South-East:
Arthur Eze nails it.' I really
expect nothing less from
Adesina. After all, he works for
Buhari. And the Igbo have a
saying, it takes a lizard to fall
from the heights, look around
and whether or not anybody
is impressed, nod its head in
self-praise. But Adesina went
a little further, into Igbo land,
to recruit acolytes; those who
would nod their head when he
says, “Buhari done try na!” He
talks of Arthur Eze. And I was
genuinely curious. Arthur
who? I knew Arthur
Nwankwo. Polemicist of the
Igbo and Nigerian causes.
Writer, intellectual, publisher
of the Fourth Dimension
Press, and Chancellor of the
Eastern Mandate Union. A
man of consequence. God
rest his great Igbo spirit. I
mean to write a proper
memorial to that memorable
Aro-Igbo son when I free
myself of the cloying cobwebs
of the mind. But another
Arthur? Well, I dunno, but
there has been told the story
of an Arthur of Dunukofia,
who is said to have so much
money he sleeps atop of it. But
folks bear in mind, that money
is good, it just does not buy
sleep. A man who has money
and wants to sleep must
constantly appease the gods
of money. If Arthur Eze indeed
said, as reported by Femi
Adesina, that “Buhari has
demonstrated uncommon
goodwill towards the people
of the South-East,” and I
really doubt that Onye Igbo
(not the “Khaki Igbo”) would
say this; but if indeed Mr.
Arthur Eze said such a thing,
it is either he did not fully
suckle the breasts of an Igbo
woman, or he is compelled to
appease the gods of sleep
which all men of mindless
wealth must. In a Nigeria, with
a prebendal culture, where
Arthur Eze is said to get his
wealth from that tireless
orifice of the iron pipe that
vomits oil, and Buhari is
minister of oil, and with his
famous antipathy to the Igbo,
what does anybody expect
Arthur Eze to say? That Buhari
has demonstrated the most
vicious hatred of the Igbo of
any known President in
Nigeria? A man who makes
Obasanjo look so good, many
even have bouts of nostalgia
for his time, has no lower
mark to reach. But Arthur Eze,
the wealthy “oil man of
Dunukofia”, will not say that.
He will lose his oil license and
his wares, straight away, if he
dares. He is playing the game
of survival. He is what the
American Henry Louis Gates
Jr. will call a “Signifying
Monkey” who is using the
trick of Logos. In the language
of double speak, what you
think you hear is not what you
have really heard. I dare say,
Mr. Arthur Eze, knowing his
precarious situation as a
contemporary Igbo is
“signifying.” He is, after all, a
man of stupendous wealth.
And he has many gods to
propitiate. If Buhari told him
now to jump from the Ukpor
heights, he would jump. No
one ever admits publicly that
their mother’s cooking does
not come up to scratch. But
right now, if this President says
to Mr. Eze to face the East and
declare that his mother could
not cook worth a damn, you
can bet that our man Arthur
might be compelled to say so,
and his tongue might be in his
cheek. He is basically under
the blackmail of an oil
license, and a President who
will without compunction,
sooner ruin him, just because
he is Igbo. The evidence is
before us. Femi Adesina
should wait, one year after
Buhari leaves office, as he will,
thank God, someday soon, and
ask Arthur Eze to repeat
himself. If it is the Dunukofia
Eze, he is known to be amoral,
when it comes to power. He is
a man of wealth, and as I have
said, the only god he appeases,
or propitiates, is the god of
wealth. And the Igbo also have
a saying, “Onwere ego abughi
ogaranya.” A man may have
all the wealth in this world but
might still not belong to that
great conclave of the
aristocracy of the land. It is the
aristocracy of service and
forbearance. The Nze is
Ogaranya. He is often the
man who has roamed the
world, sought wealth, made
visible wealth, then gives up
on the pursuit of wealth, and
seeks his place among the
great titled of the land. He
swears the oath of truth, of
forbearance, of purity, and of
One of the great
Buhari projects in the
East is a painted
sepulcher! But where
is the Onitsha River
Port project? Where
are the rail projects?
justice; and to defend the
weakest of the land – orphans
and widows – and to keep the
sanctity of the earth. He is no
longer startled or seduced by
wealth or desire. The real Igbo
title of the Nze or the Ozo is
“taken,” it is never
“conferred,” because it comes
with serious individual
responsibilities and duties. No
true titled Igbo stands for
another man, or bends to be
conferred with a title. The
process begins when a man
first takes a bull to his kinsmen
to announce his preparedness
to enter that conclave of Ndi
Nzere – the sacred ones. Then
he follows up with a visit on
an appointed day to that
conclave itself called, “Otu
Ndi Nze na Ozo.” On the
anointed day, he sits on a very
low stool when the oldest of
the Nze, (Onye Isi Nze) leads
the invocations, and then the
feather of the Eagle is placed
on his cap, and the Akara –
the sacred bracelet is placed
on the heels signifying
servitude to the goddess of the
land. Then he enters into a
period of isolation, and
emerges thereafter with
authority. Such a man speaks
for the land. A Man like Nnia
Nwodo is Ogaranya, because
he has taken the title. He is
retired and no longer seeks
wealth; he has given up on the
pursuit of personal glory, and
has sworn the oath to defend
Ala-Igbo. If such a man were
to say what Arthur Eze is
reported to have said, the
earth itself on which he stands
will split into two. But he would
not dare, because the oath he
has sworn forbids him from
SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 12, 2020, PAGE 15
speaking in double tongues on And what else? The Owerri
matters concerning the Igbo. interchange that comes with
A violation of such an oath the bridge; the upgrade of the
carries consequences long Akanu International Airport
after him; down to those who in Enugu, some nameless
survive him. Those are the roads and bridges, and then,
people Femi Adesina should wait for it, the Zik
ask. And there are many such Mausoleum! By God, a
men among the Igbo, seen mausoleum! One of the great
and unseen. That invisible Buhari projects in the East is
conclave of the ancient Igbo a painted sepulcher! But
aristocracy sworn to its earth where is the Onitsha River Port
is the very secret strength of project? Where are the rail
the Igbo. And so, a man like projects? Where is the Oguta
Arthur Eze “nwere ego, ma Deep Lake Port project?
oburo ogranya.” That is, Where is the Aba Inland Port
Arthur Eze has stupendous project? What about all the
wealth, but he is not Ogaranya. broken, unbuilt federal roads
He has not eaten the true that connect the East with her
leaven of truth. The Igbo do South-South neighbours?
not close their shops because The Owerri-Umuahia-Ikot
Arthur Eze has said it. And Ekpene road; the Owerri Aba
what again did Femi Adesina road; the Owerri-Onitshasay
he ”nailed”? That Buhari Lokoja-Abuja highway; the
is the best thing to happen to Abakiliki to Gboko-to Jos-to
the Igbo since the discovery of Abuja, etc? Where are the
“Mai-Mai Oka”? And how is productive industries that
that? Well, for one, Buhari he should absorb highly skilled
said, built a police office in but wasting Igbo labour? The
Dunukofia, Arthur Eze’s town. South-East suffers the highest
For a moment, I thought this level of unemployment in
was a joke! When did building Nigeria. Every year, the Southa
police HQ mean East produces the highest
development; an institution number of university
meant to garrison the people graduates in the country.
of Dunukofia? Not a library; How many of these young,
not the headquarters of the talented Igbo of the South-
National Space Research East has the Buhari
Agency; not the National administration offered
Defence Production Plant; not employment since 2015? In a
a Tools and Fabrication Plant; place where trained nuclear
not the National Livestock scientists, Lab technologists,
Research and Production Chemists, Physicists,
Center, but the police Biologists, etc have become
headquarters! A garrison for petty traders, or are riding
an already over-garrisoned Okada, or just suppurating in
part of the country. This is sick! restless unemployment? How
The Dunukofia people many young Igbo businesses
themselves will beg for that did this administration
police office to be removed. support with credits and loans
Now Femi Adesina adds and contracts? How many
among the other things Igbo does Buhari have in his
Buhari has done for the East, presidential administration?
for which he is a great friend How many young Igbo did
of the South-East: first, the this administration kill with
Second Niger Bridge. For the its “Operation Python
records, Buhari did not begin Dance”? Femi Adesina should
nor has he completed this stop insulting the Igbo. Here
bridge. President Goodluck is the bottom line: the years of
Jonathan commenced work the Buhari presidency are
on this bridge, and it was wasted years for the Igbo. But
already budgeted for before change will come, whether the
Buhari assumed office. But, likes of Femi Adesina want it
again, if a perennially or not. Adesina has apparently
uncompleted bridge is the enjoyed throwing the Igbo
major federal infrastructural under the bus. Good for him!
project in the South-East since But Buhari is no friend of the
1999, then the Federal Igbo. Will never be. And the
Republic of Nigeria is sick thing is, the Igbo are past
beyond measure. A bridge! caring. They look to the future.
Maybe I am
turning into one
of those prickly
Aunties we used to avoid
when we were young. The
ones who always had
something to say about
what, when, why and where
we said or did something. I
am usually quite easy going,
even if I say so myself. I don’t
believe I take myself too
seriously, and I do not stand
on ceremony. I don’t do
many of the expected
‘Excellency’ or ‘Big Madam’
things. I do not like to keep
people waiting, and on the
rare occasions when I am
late, I apologise. I respond
to calls, texts and WhatsApp
messages, maybe not
immediately, but I try. Now,
these days, I am prickly. It
all began during the
Covid19 lockdowns in April.
I started to get more calls
than usual, all from
strangers claiming to be
hungry and needing help. I
would refer them to my PA
who would ask for their
account details to send them
money. That seemed to have
Loud Whispers
With
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
She is the Founder of
Abovewhispers.com, an online
community for women. She is the First
Lady of Ekiti State, and she can be reached
at BAF@abovewhispers.co
Prickly Auntie
been a mistake. The more
people we helped, they more
they told, passing my
number from one person to
the next. I stopped picking
calls from numbers I did not
know, and when someone
called more than five times
without sending a text, I
would save the number as
‘Unknown Caller 1, 2, 3’ and
so on till there is now
‘Unknown Caller 127’. I
have been able to sort out
roughly a quarter of them
and I hope to be able to do
them all, but they keep
coming! A particularly
persistent woman called
245 times, believe me, I
counted and I had a witness.
We sought her out and when
she was asked why she
called so many times she
responded that she thought
the network was preventing
her calls from getting
through. Please do not ask
how they got my number in
the first place. I am always
saying that if people can
have our numbers when we
are campaigning, we
should not change them
when we vote them in, that
is a breach of trust.
Unfortunately, I am one of
those people who is unable
to manage more than one
telephone number, not for
lack of trying. I simply can’t.
So perhaps I shouldn’t
complain when I am called
245 times. In fact, I am not
complaining at all, I am
grateful to be in a position
to help, but it does get quite
tiring, which makes me
prickly.
During the lockdowns, I
was also busy with the Ekiti
State Food Bank, making
sure that we could help as
many people as possible. We
managed to get food packs
to over 60,000 households in
the State. Then there were
the sexual and gender-based
violence cases we had to deal
with during that period, and
it still continues. You can
imagine my exasperation
and dismay when I heard
that because I had not been
seen in public for many
weeks, people were
speculating that I was ill!
Some of my aides where
even ready to bundle me into
a radio studio so that people
could hear my voice! What
part of ‘Stay at home’ do
people not understand? Even
if I had indeed been ill, what
would have been the big
deal? As I mentioned, I like
to think that I am relatable,
but this is misread as being
available or open to all kinds
of things. So, I hereby
present a list of things that
can aggravate my
‘prickliness’. Things might
change, but till further
notice, this is the list:
You don’t need to use
your wife and new
baby/babies as an
excuse to get my
attention. You can just
inform me of your new
blessing and see
whether I will do the
needful or not.
•Invitations to attend a
wedding, birthday,
launching, or any such
celebration that is not on
Zoom. The COVID19
experts have advised that
those of us over fifty should
avoid crowds and be careful
as we go about. I am quite
happy to support the event,
but I am unavailable till
further notice. Yes, this is one
time I am happy to dance
around singing, ‘I am over
fifty, I am over fifty, I am over
fifty, well over fifty, well over
fifty, lalalalalalala….’.
•WhatsApp messages
and letters about products
that your company is
selling and would like
endorsement for from Ekiti
State, or investors you
would like to bring to Ekiti
State. Kindly go to the Ekiti
State website and contact
the Ministry of Trade and
Investment. There is also a
Special Adviser on Trade
and Investment. The day he
offends me, I will put his
number in the public
domain, but he hasn’t so I
will not release it for now.
•Information concerning
my husband Dr Kayode
Fayemi and his politics –
kindly send the information
to the Chief of Staff, c/o
Governor’s Office, Ado
Ekiti. I would love to deliver
all such messages, but
because there is so little time
available for conversations,
forgive me if I choose not to
spend my politicallytruncated
time in the ‘other
room’ on things that are
outside of my lane. Please be
assured that the day the
Chief of Staff ‘runs into
barbed wire’ with me, I will
make his number available
on Facebook and Twitter.
•This is for my numerous
sons and younger brothers.
As ‘Mother-General’ I am
always willing to help.
However, there is a persistent
request that baffles me. The
one about ‘Excellency, your
wife has just delivered a
baby/twins and I don’t have
money for the hospital bill’.
This is not the same as your
car having an accident or
your home being burgled or
you breaking your limbs.
This is something you had
nine-months notice of. You
don’t need to use your wife
and new baby/babies as an
excuse to get my attention.
You can just inform me of
your new blessing and see
whether I will do the needful
or not.
•If you would like to see
me, kindly book an
appointment. Believe me, it
works. What does not work
is trying to ‘ambush’ me.
When I ask why people do
not book appointments
before showing up, I am told
that they are afraid you will
say no, but if they show up
unannounced, you will have
no choice but to attend to
them. I am sorry, no please.
If I give you an appointment
I will keep it. The only people
who can get away with the
‘ambushing’ tactic are my
elders. If the issue is very
urgent, even if I can’t attend
to you, I will make sure
someone does, and that you
are treated with the respect
and dignity you deserve.
Now, the people who stress
you out the most are the
ones around you, and I am
sure some of them will read
this, they know themselves.
You who waits till there is
only one drop of honey in the
bottle before you replace it.
You who is always so
nervous, you almost need a
diagram for everything. You
who will come and ask me
in front of the person I want
to give money to how much
should you give the person.
You who sneaked away to
Lagos during the lockdown
and was calling as if you
were right here in Ado-Ekiti,
you think I did not know?
You who posts on Facebook
everyday about all your
enemies, real and imagined,
can’t you give it a rest? You
who called me to complain
that you heard I said you are
getting too old to drive from
Ekiti to Lagos and you can’t
see well at night, even if I
said so, would I tell you I
said so? You all know
yourselves. Be careful, don’t
turn me into a prickly Auntie!