Ladies and Gentlemen:
I would like you to seriously consider what I would like to say on this Igbo Day Celebration. There are a lot of achievements Ndiigbo have contributed to Nigeria and the world; these contributions MUST BE CRYSTALLIZED AND CELEBRATED as the legacies of Ndiigbo, just like we celebrate the contributions and legacies of other ethnic groups to human civilization, survival and progress, specifically in religions, spirituality, science and technology, medicine, astronomy, geography et cetera [Christmas, Sallah, Hanukkah, New Year/Yam, Thanksgiving etc ]. However, to ignore these contributions and settle for a celebration of an Ethnic Group is disturbing. When was the last time you heard about people seriously celebrating German Day, Jewish Day, Arab Day, Chinese Day, English Day, Italian Day, ….? It should be much more palatable at this age of man/woman to Celebrate an achievement or Legacy that is associated with our Ethnic heritage, rather than just our Ethnic Group! My candid thought-provoking opinion on this matter. Take care. Joe Igietseme
From: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Aminu Saad Beli
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 8:14 AM
To: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] Today Is Igbo Day In Nigeria
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With all my heart, I join you and all my Igbo friends in this celebration. May God grant your prayers and make you be where you rightly belong in the nation's scheme of things. I remember a childhood friend Sunday in 1965 in Funtua town where my family was in exile as a result of political persecution against my father who was a member of NEPU. I lost Sunday in that war, and I miss him to date. I sometime think my keen interest in the Igbo has a lot to do with that social background. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Long Live the Ndigbo as this remarkable day is celebrated.
--- On Wed, 9/29/10, Igbokwe Joe <nationalvision@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Igbokwe Joe <nationalvision@yahoo.com>
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] Today Is Igbo Day In Nigeria
To: aburo147@yahoo.co.uk, razdele@yahoo.co.uk, sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk, gwhitehorse@yahoo.co.uk, olatennese@yahoo.co.uk, gbenga_omo@yahoo.co.uk, kazugbos@yahoo.co.uk, foonshaw2004@yahoo.co.uk
Cc: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com, "niger forum" <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>, AnambraForum@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 4:43 AM
| Today Is Igbo Day In Nigeria For nearly 40 million Ndigbo throughout Nigeria and all over the world, today September 29 2010 is their day. Every September 29 Ndigbo gather wherever they are to reflect on the journey so far in the chequered history of Nigeria . It is a day set aside by Ndigbo and for Ndigbo to re-examine themselves and then take stock where they are coming from, where they are now and where they are going. It is a day Igbo all over the world set aside to remember Nigeria-Biafra Civil War that caused them one million souls, a needless war that took Igbo back by 30 years. I have no doubt in my mind that Ndigbo will use the occasion to assess whether they and other Nigerians have learnt any lesson from that unfortunate events of 1966 to 1970. I am sure Ndigbo will use the occasion to reflect whether they are getting their fair share in the project Nigeria . I believe Ndigbo will use the day to reposition themselves in the struggle for a better Nigeria . This is because a better Nigeria will guarantee a better Ndigbo and same for other Nigerians. As I write this, Igbo nations has the least number of States, the least local governments, the least in the Senate, the least in the House of Representative, the least even in revenue allocation to states and local governments. In 2005, president Obasanjo's Constitutional Conference approved an additional state for South East to balance up with other zones in Nigeria . If you do the simple arithmetic from 2006 (4 years now) and use allocation to Anambra State as a template, Nigeria would have robbed Ndigbo several billions of Naira. This is official and systemic marginalization. Or what do you think? Igbo nation will use today to do some brain storming on the menace and spate of kidnappings ravaging the South East Nigeria. I am sure Ndigbo will use today's forum to ask for presidential intervention to address this scourge in Igbo heartland. I guess also that Igbo will use today's event to reflect on 2011 elections and pass words round that no political animal will deceive the East this time around. This is very important as the former dictator Ibrahim Babangida is transversing the whole of Igboland telling them how much he loves them, promising to handover power to an Igbo in 2015. Now Igbo must know this: if you believe IBB everything is lost. Ndigbo must open their eyes very well. You have to get to 2011 before you get to 2015. Ndigbo must use this august occasion to tell our young ones that crimes do not pay. They must tell the young ones that the only way to get out of poverty is to get educated and obtain a certificate. Both of them are very important but getting educated is more important. It is important to use this medium to remind Ndigbo that they are the greatest stakeholder in the project Nigeria . Why do I say so? Now listen to this: Nigeria has three major ethnic groups: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. The Hausa/Fulani Empire has Hausa people stretching all through the Sahel to the Sudan . They are mostly Muslims and they have contact with the Arab world. The Yoruba nation has Togo , Benin Republic , Sierra Leone and even Brazil and Cuba to run to where their kinsmen are. The Igbo nation has no outlet anywhere else. It is therefore in the interest of Ndigbo to fight for the survival of Nigeria as a political entity. As Ndigbo celebrate their day today I cannot but wish them whatever they wish themselves. Nigeria has a great future. And this I believe. Joe Igbokwe Lagos | |
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