Ndi-Igbo: The New Colonial Developers In Africa

There are reasons the old Ndi-Igbo were admired, trusted like other Nigerians throughout Africa and beyond: until lately, as their Youths took over. Igbo hard work and trust in Yoruba established businesses were very reliable. Their contribution by way of culture, businesses and African ethics to their hosts throughout Africa gave them a good reputation. Nigerians were worldly welcomed for their professional skills, during Peace Keeping and Wars to rebuild.

When Kwame Nkrumah told us to be wary of Colonial Explorers in Africa, he would not have known that there are African developers beating their chests for bringing economic salvation to fellow Africans in the name of petty trade. Nkrumah himself was a strong African developer that encouraged economic liberation in most African countries. Africans remember Nkrumah for his selfless devotion to African liberation from the yoke of European colonialism.

We cannot imagine any educated African leader throwing out the children of Nkrumah, but Nigeria did. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo cried when the children of Nkrumah were thrown out of Nigeria under the excuse that they increased the crime rate as every intolerant world leader used it as an excuse to throw out migrants. Some even claimed Kofi Busia as President of Ghana, threw Nigerians out of Ghana first.

Even if Kofi Busia had thrown out Nigerians first, which country in the world can afford to take all the refugees from Nigeria if the country breaks into pieces? The population of Ghana can be compared to that of Lagos. So which African countries would willingly take any number of Nigerians “invasion” without threatening its own infrastructure and economic survival.

Tanzania barred foreign nationals from owning and operating mainly small-scale businesses, sparking concern and a backlash from neighboring Kenya. The new directive prohibits them from 15 sectors including mobile money transfers, tour guiding, small-scale mining, on-farm crop buying, beauty salons, curio shops and establishing radio and TV operations.

Tanzania’s Industry and Trade Minister Jafo put it succinctly that he hoped their ban announced on foreigners, would also encourage other foreigners to invest in large-scale businesses.

Most countries want to keep petty trades and small businesses in the hands of the locals. Resentments against Nigerians are not coming from South Africa, Ghana or Tanzania alone. Yet, most African countries welcome Dangote, a Nigerian investment!

Africans were their Brothers’ Keeper in those days. When the Europeans were forced to leave some African countries, the French were so spiteful, they uprooted their foundations that facilitated their exploitation as they did in Haiti. They forced Haiti to pay them reparation, compensation and penalties turning the country into the poorest in the Western hemisphere. When they did the same in Guinea, Nkrumah took it upon himself to find relief from Ghana.

This does not diminish Nigeria’s contributions to African countries. Indeed, when these African countries were threatened as their so-called colonial masters left, these African countries bragged that they could replace all the experts that left; with Nigerians. Those were the days Nigerians truly fulfilled the world’s expectation as the potential Regional Power in Africa.

The best friends of the Ndi-Igbo in the world are in Yorubaland. There is no other place in Africa where the Igbo were mentored to produce political and economic leaders than in Yorubaland. It is where they settled amicably and prospered. There was a time, Nigerians were thinking that if the country had to separate, it should be along Northern and Southern borders because the Southern people are culturally similar.

However, knowing what we now realize, it was a one-way love affair. The Igbo never trusted Yoruba as partners and their children that grew up in the West were so warned. If they had a choice between killing a snake or Yoruba, they are better off killing the Yoruba first. These were those Yoruba saw as allies economically and politically. It is disappointing today, to say the least.

The last Election in Nigeria was a good case in point. The Igbo enjoyed unlimited tolerance in Lagos. Yoruba Youths had decided to teach their leaders a lesson after some of them were brutalized, maimed and killed during the Operation Occupy Lekki Protest. So, they sent a message to the APC leaders ruling the State by voting for Igbo Peter Obi; not their own Tinubu.

Ironically, Igbo did not vote for any other party apart from that of Peter Obi. Since they think they had a majority of the voters in Lagos, Peter Obi committed political malpractice by going to Alaba, the Igbo business center, to thank them for their votes in Lagos. It was the cautionary reawakening that Yoruba Youths needed to remind them of the Igbo ambition to rule the West!

In retrospect, no matter how many times Awolowo had tried to form a political alliance with Azikiwe, it never worked since the beginning of Nigeria. Awolowo was cautioned several times, and it finally led to the breakup of Awolowo and his deputy S.L. Akintola. While Awolowo and his entourage were trying to negotiate alliance with Zik in the East, Zik representatives were in the North negotiating with NPC. Akintolata finally had enough and formed an alliance with the North.

Zik was mentored by Herbert Macauley, a Yoruba. Zik made sure that no Yoruba got any leadership position in NCNC again after he succeeded his mentor, Herbert Macauley. Nevertheless, Azikiwe led the NCNC in the Lagos Council and as leader in the Western House over the Yoruba members. The ultimate price and goal of the Igbo was to rule the Yoruba. This was developed over the years while Yoruba members of his Party trusted him.

There are still Yoruba leaders that have not given up on the Igbo. Various groups within Yoruba are planning to meet Igbo Elders and negotiate Peace between these two traditional friends. But the chances of getting favorable results are not promising. In the first place, The Igbo Youths totally control their Elders by threats and intimidation that are constantly made openly. On the other hand, The Yoruba Youths cry out that their Elders sold them out to Igbo by intolerable accommodation that have been abused with impunity. They are not going back to those days.