PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI DOUBLES DOWN, GIVES NDIGBO MIDDLE FINGER?

Icheoku says fifteen appointments so far, yet none for Ndigbo, as no onye-Igbo (person) in the eyes of President Muhammadu Buhari is qualified enough to make his cut thus far? A people who constitute more than 1/3 of the country's population, being marginalized so blatantly in this manner, thus begging the question are Ndigbo still part of Nigeria or are they still in the dog house as a result of the supposedly 'no victor no vanquished' Biafra war of forty years ago? This is the president who said that he is president of everybody and for everybody; except that his actions so far seem to suggest that his 'everybody' excludes some people who in his eyes still remain suspect and not Nigerian enough nor worthy to be trusted with core appointments? 

As if tone-deaf to all the cries of marginalization and concentrating of all his appointments so far made in the North, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the appointment of six military and security chiefs with four of them from the North, one from the Yoruba Southwest and one from Ibibio South-south leaving the entire Ndigbo of Southeast with no appointee? Defense chief Olonishakin is Ekiti Southwest; army chief Buratai is Borno Northeast; Navy chief Ekwe-Ibas is Cross River Southsouth; Airforce chief Abubakar Dauda is Bauchi Northeast; Defense Intelligence chief Riku is Benue Northcentral and Security adviser is Borno Northeast. Three Northeasterners without even a single Southeasterner? This is the same pattern they did during states creation, giving Northwest seven states while Southeast was pegged at five. Icheoku asks has Ndigbo's fate in Nigeria so degenerated to such lowly level of nothingness that even Ibibios are now considered more important for appointments than Ndigbo? 

It is possible that this president is clueless about the tripod on which Nigeria used to rest upon or he does not really give a damn about what anyone thinks or could care less if an entire one third of the country's populace are left out in the cold of his government, holding the plate. Fifteen appointments, eleven from the North, two from the Southwest, one from the Southsouth but none from the Southeast? Icheoku asks where are Igbo leaders of thought, especially Oha na Eze Ndigbo on this or are they waiting until it is too late to start their protestation for inclusion in their own very Nigerian government. It is high time Ndigbo started re-articulating their politics and alliances in Nigeria if they are to still matter and in order to remain somewhat relevant. Imagine the entire ethnic group which make up more than one third of the country's population being so relegated to the background in the affairs of the land that even Ibibios are now considered far more important to and above them? Needless to add that an Ijaw minority was first considered and allowed a five year stint at the presidency before an Igbo person. 

May be it is about time Ndigbo drops their buying and selling hustling for more political activism and participation; and instead of making the pure-water money they are currently getting from their shops, learn how to plug into the hard currency machine that have made hard currency billionaires out of so many Northerners and Westerners alike that they can buy and command such enormous power and influence in policy-making decisions in Nigeria. Icheoku asks how much spare parts does an Igbo man hustling at Nkwo Nnewi or Idumota market needs to sell in one year to be able to make the same amount of money a Kano oil-well owner makes just within only twenty four hours? Or a Miyetti Allah who owns thousands of heads of cattle grazing freely on Ndigbo soil at 265,000 Naira each makes after selling the same cattle to Ndigbo during Christmas for example? If these cattle are grazed in the Southeast Igboland and sold to Ndigbo, why can't Ndigbo start their own cattle rearing operation and save for themselves all these money they are pouring into some Alhaji's pocket somewhere in Kaura Namoda? 

It is just a radical thinking forced on some militating circumstances and this is what can truly and competitively reposition Ndigbo in Nigeria and not all these hustling in Alaba or Idumagbo or wherever the heck the trading is going on, who cares even if it is in Mars? Icheoku does not know about you but this shabby fifth class citizen treatment being meted to Ndigbo in Nigeria is driving someone crazy here; yet Ndigbo are supposedly bona fides Nigerian citizens? It is becoming too shameful that fellow citizens of a country are treating fellow citizens as unequals, while still claiming that Nigeria is one? Icheoku recalls the genocidal Yakubu Gowon claimed he waged his atrocious war against Biafra in order to keep Nigeria one and you ask as what type of one? An Animal Farm type one or what? After the loss of the war, Icheoku has been a huge advocate of one Nigeria; but if these people don't want Ndigbo in Nigeria they should simply let them go but must stop all these disparate treatment of Ndigbo in the affairs of Nigeria. 

Icheoku says all these their attitudinal "we don't want you, we don't like you, we hate you, we detest you" which they manifest in everything they do and that goes on in Nigeria, especially on issues of positions and authority in Nigeria, must STOP. Indeed the Biafra war is apparently still going on, admitted in a cold fashion; otherwise how can anyone explain the President Muhammadu Buhari's FIFTEEN appointments so far that actively excluded the entire Ndigbo? Therefore, it might be a good hedging of bet if Ndigbo started seriously thinking home and start fixing their homeland just in case the inevitable happens someday down the road. But Icheoku says all these "you don't count, you don't matter in Nigeria" must stop and stop, it should and NOW. Whats going on Ndigbo or is no one putting his or her thinking cap?