How the Igbo Nation and Communities are Marginalized

A lot of people have on the contrary continued to question the assertion or what they call claim that the Igbo and indeed any nation with Nigerian larger society are marginalized. This school of thought is of the opinion that the cry of marginalization by the Igbo remains a propaganda ploy aimed at the continued expression or desire for succession having been quickly reabsorbed into the country after the civil war with unconditionally. This article will critically subject this arguments presented here and arrive at whether these peoples are marginalized or not. A particular article titled “Marginalisation? What is marginalization? Written by Gbenga Olawepo being a paper presented at a public lecture in Abuja organized by PYA to mark Nigeria’s 44th independence culled from This Day, October 9, 2004 and found in dawodu.com/olawepo1.htm relies on the New Webster’s Dictionary of English Language which defines ‘marginalization’ as to cause to live on the margins of society by excluding from the participation in many group effort.

But a more scholarly insight into this definition would portray that the definition is closely limited to the social aspect of the word ‘Marginalization’. Any intellectual individual would argue would justifiably submit that that it is dangerous to rely on one source in conclusively advancing opinions or arguments as Gbenga Olawepo has done here. This definition therefore fails short of what happens when ‘when people are being denied the degree of (political) power’, ‘when material deprivation such as mineral resources are unfairly dispersed in a society (see marginalization in wikipedia.org) This argument also fails to recognize that marginalization may exist in different levels such as Individual, community and global-structural/policies. (Again see wikipedia.org)

The evidence of distribution of political offices in the present dispensation such as federal ministers and ambassadors being appointed at least one from every state as a seeming justification for the absence of marginalization in the country amounts to an attempt to sweep the looming crises under the carpet in an attempt to move the nation forward. For if these were to be true, the issue of Niger-Delta would not be in existence in the first place and everyone including non-Igbo would not allege that their regions are underdeveloped even if one decides to go with the social aspect of the definition as presented by this paper presenter.

It is a fact that almost every race which makes up the geo-political entity called Nigeria has at one time or the other complained of marginalization. When the then Eastern region dominated the top echelon of the country’s military just

That the Igbo are marginalized is real. The origin of this marginalization can be traced to the period after the civil war in the country popularly referred to as the Biafran war. The aftermath of this war which the Igbo nation lost gave birth to the marginalization which this article will discuss elaborately.

Anyone conversant with the background of marginalization and how it operates will understand the stance of the Igbo race. As far as marginalization is concerned before the civil war which reversed the trend, the Northerners cried ‘Marginalization’ and ‘Araba’ became a popular word, similarly it was the turn of Bakassi people citizens of Nigeria who complained that their region was neglected such that the whole of the region had just a primary and secondary school without any presence of the country’s flag. Attention later shifted to the Yoruba who complained of political marginalization when the June 12 election was annulled by the then military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. We know that it was this cry that gave the region its first executive president in the leadership of chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the country’s former civilian president.

The people of Niger-Delta are the recent host of marginalization currently enjoying the euphoria with its militants seriously working to dethrone this, so much recognition have maybe accorded this development globally as the region has been put on world map. Why then will anyone seek to justifiably ignore and present a view that marginalization has never existed in the country?      

THE IGBO RACE PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR

Before the period stated above the Igbo enjoyed good positions in the Nigerian civil service due to hard and reigned supreme over other races in the country. It was therefore not surprising to find several Igbo people dominating even in the military service of the nation. At this period what was known of the Nigerian military enjoyed the contributions of the Igbo thus the then officers like Odimegwu Ojukwu (later dismissed), Umunakwe, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, Ike Nwachukwu, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and others were quick to rise. The Igbo nation would also boast of a sage like the late Rt. Honourable (Dr) Nnamdi Azikiwe who can best be regarded as one of the trio of the nationalists who wrestled the impendence of the country from the British. It should also be noted that some of the factors that enable the Igbo race to grow very fast was the quick acceptance of western education which the early Europeans who arrived in Nigeria introduced in 1843.

THE IGBO RACE DURING THE WAR

During the Nigeria civil war (1967-1970) caused by problems which even ordinarily could have been solved through civilian means had the situation not blown out of proportion, we know that the various tactics employed by the military government of Nigeria were baseless and brutal ranging from the hunger policies to series of  massacres carried out in the Igbo region, massacres which the people of Anioma especially will continue to remember, and I would call on the people of this region and indeed the Igbo nation to put together an annual event in memory of the people of the region who lost their lives in this brutal massacres. Lives gruesomely wasted in Asaba, Isheagu, Ogwashi-Uku, Ibusa, Owerri, Ameke-Item etc. Events such as annual lectures and events similar to June 12 should also be recommended.

The Asaba massacre was carried was carried out in September 1966 by Ibrahim Haruna in which about 500 Igbo officers were killed.

It is very sad that though the then Head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon has apologized to the people of Asaba and the Igbo in general but the man behind this cruel act, Major-Gen. Ibrahim Haruna who was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) commanding two divisions of the Nigerian Army has since stated he has no regret over the Asaba and other massacres. He maintained at the famous Oputa panel that the massacres were motivated by sense of duty to preserve the unity of Nigeria but the question that needs to answered here is whether crimes remains the only means of preserving a nation’s unity.  (No regrets for the Asaba massacre of Igbo-Haruna, Wednesday, 10th October 2001, nigeriamasterweb.com) n an ideal society, Major-General Ibrahim Haruna would have publicly tendered apologies to the Igbo race for resorting to war crime instead of exhibiting soldierly brilliance as a trained soldier.

THE IGBO IN PRESENT DAY NIGERIA

Various administrators have come up with policies which have denied the Igbo race certain political offices. It is sad to cast one’s mind on the fact that there is no single sea port in the whole of Eastern region even though Onitsha can adequately become one if the government chooses. What has happened to the much publicized Onitsha second bridge? The bridge remains unseen for ages and nothing to be the solution. The commercial nerve of the country housing large commercial markets in Onitsha, Aba, Owerri, Nnewi, and in other places has only one bridge access, a home of traffic jam on the bridge once reportedly shaky but later ignored and no sea port at all.   

It is doubtful whether an Igbo man will ever become an Inspector-General of police if the background identity of the present one in the person of Mr. Mike Okiro is deliberately made conflicting. Again we ask ourselves whether it is possible to create an ethnic-group. The identity of Mr Mike Okiro appeared confusing on whether was an Igbo man or ‘Rivers man’ He is obviously the Agunechemba 1 of Egbema in Rivers state, a core Igbo man from Ndoni, an Anioma town the first from the Igbo-ethnic group to serve as the Inspector-General of police since creation of the country by the British.

Policies of several regimes in the country have been deemed targeted at the Igbo, for instance, there appears no reason why Anioma state should not have been created by Ibrahim Babangida for the Igbo people instead of the controversially locating the present capital of Delta state in Asaba. The artificial creation of geo-political groups in Nigeria by Gen. Abacha obviously led to the loss of certain proportions of the once eastern region because of demarcations on tribal grounds. Rivers, Cross-Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, and parts of Delta state were once eastern region of Nigeria controlled by the Igbo. Series of core Igbo towns and communities with oil have since been cede to Rivers state. 

The Eastern Igbo are not alone in these marginalization crises. Igbo from the south-south region are inclusive as no meaningful government presence is seen in this Igbo own areas of this region. Professor Itsay Sagay once suggested in his article published in the Guardian that the Anioma people in the Delta state be optionally moved into Anambra state, a statement that suggests another round of marginalization on the Igbo yet known in Delta state because the ‘core Deltans’ as they choose to call themselves would not want to exist in Delta state where the capital is situated in Igbo town of Asaba.

Ohaneze Ndiigbo will really have to prove to the people that they are capable of situating the Igbo in the glorious realm of the nation’s socio-political life. Marginalization exists for sure and it will therefore amount to sheer ignorance to deliberately assume that none exists. Igbo towns are parts of Nigeria and the development of this region will add to the development of country so we need development.