Opinion
There Was a Country – Ostia Chidoka.
Being a reflective thought of a PDP Chieftain, Ostia Chidoka.
“As I visited my Muslim friends and enjoyed sumptuous ram-themed dishes commemorating the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) in total obedience to God’s directive to sacrifice his son, I wondered why the two Abrahamic religions in Nigeria have not elicited obedience to rules as a matter of course. As I pondered, I remembered a story I heard recently that reminded me that we were not always a lawless country.
“I had to use Chinua Achebe’s book title to tell this story of a meeting I had with a Man a few days ago. He is from Yobe and in his 60s. In the course of our discussion, he mentioned that he spent one year at Nike Grammar School Enugu in 1976. I got curious. How did that happen? Was your father a federal civil servant or soldier? He answered in the negative.
“In the early 70s Borno state and Anambra state had a student exchange program that after the state common entrance examination those selected for the exchange program got two admission letters one to a school in Borno and the other to a school in Enugu.” I listened with rapt attention.
“In his case, he got admitted to a school in Maiduguri and Nike Grammar School in Enugu. His father, an uneducated man who lived in present-day Yobe, elected that he should go to Enugu. He was sad as this was a few years after the war, and he had grown up on a diet of widely held false notions fed by war propaganda about Igbo people.
“His father took him to Kano and put him on a Bus to Enugu. He was barely 12 years old. He cried most of the journey. An Igbo man seating next to him promised to take him to Nike Grammar School upon arrival at Enugu. He kept his promise.
“At Nike Grammar School, he was received warmly but was told he came a week early as the school had not resumed. The principal handed him over to a teacher and he stayed in his house for one week.
“On resumption, other Borno students arrived by a Bus provided by the Borno State Ministry of Education. All the Exchange program students stayed in school from the first term to the third term before going home. During the first and second term holidays, the school looked after them, provided meals, and ensured they were comfortable.
“At the end of the third term, the Anambra State government provided a Bus that took them to Maiduguri and handed all of them over to the Borno State Ministry of Education. It was an experience for him. To his regret, he changed schools to GSS Maiduguri without his father’s consent.
“Upon school resumption, he left home and resumed at GSS Maiduguri. When his father found out, he was disappointed. He asked him why he did not return to Enugu. The young man said it was far. He further asked him whether he was mistreated in Enugu. He answered in the negative and said he enjoyed it but the distance from home and the fact he had to spend a whole year before coming home was an issue for him.
“His father told him that he sent him to Enugu because he wanted him to be bigger and better than him and his mates around their home. He sent him because he believed that he had the capacity to withstand the difficulties which is why he did not send the sister. As a true Muslim, his father told him, he believed that he had not hurt anyone knowingly in his life, and as such no evil will befall his family no matter where they go. His father told him that those who have friends across Nigeria will be the leaders of the Nigeria of the future.
“At GSS Maiduguri, he bonded with the Anambra students on the Exchange Program, who was excited that he was at Enugu for one year.
“His one year in Enugu redefined his perception of Igbo people and framed his future interactions with other Nigerians. To this day, he maintained contact with his Igbo friends at Nike Grammar School. Three of them ended up as Lecturers and are still in touch with him. Some of the Igbo students at GSS Maiduguri are still in touch with him and consider him a brother. A few years back he got in touch with one of them, who is now a Pastor in Umuahia.
“I was sober as his narration ended. I had never heard of this student exchange program between States in the 1970s. The story was another sad testament to our failure as a nation. I thought can I send my 11-year-old son alone on a bus from Enugu to Maiduguri today even with mobile phones and GPS tracking? Can a government school in any part of the country be entrusted with students for one whole year without parental visits?
“Our bureaucracy is badly damaged almost irretrievably. As a nation, we took a wrong turn at some point and need to press the reset button NOW. The idea of a deliberate and intentional promotion of national integration should be pursued with renewed vigour. Unity in diversity should be a national aspiration and a measurable indicator of our journey to nationhood.
“The man who told me this story is today the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagun, former Nigerian Ambassador to Romania. He wished he finished at Nike Grammar School, and I wish his father was alive to see how his vision for his son turned out.
“There was indeed a country!”
* Mulade Calls for Developmental Bonds Amongst Ijaw & Itsekiri Nationalities
By Divine Perezide
A renowned peace and development advocate in the Niger Delta region, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, Ph.D has urged the Ijaw and the Itsekiri ethnic nationalities of Delta State to foster bonds of unity and friendship so as to attract investors to their areas for positive development and growth.
Comrade Mulade, who is the Ibe Serimowei of the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West council area of the State, made the call while speaking to some leaders from the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups in Warri
The United Nations peace ambassador appealed to the leaders from both ethnic nationalities to embrace peace, to unite, and to let love lead in their collective pursuit for sustainable development, devoid of bias and ethnic supremacy, which he said “is the only way that we can grow and development our areas.”
Speaking further, he sad, “Frankly, we are disgracing ourselves, and it is highly disappointing that many of us are beating the drum of ethnic war for personal interest and recognition.
“Please, we don’t need division, but progressive ties that will attract investors and development to our communities,” he pleaded.
Comrade Mulade further argued that the Ijaws and the Itsekiris contribute so much to the revenues of both the state and the nation, but are not recognised in terms of infrastructure, worsened by the continued state of acrimony.
“It is imperative to state that the Ijaw and Itsekiri areas in Delta State contribute the highest quota in the oil and gas industry as well as the blue economy, but we are deliberately deprived, neglected and shortchanged from development because of ethnic division and hatred amongst ourselves, which has eluded us”, he posited.
“I want to strongly appeal to our revered traditional rulers, political leaders, and stakeholders to allow peace and development thrive”
“We are victims of underdevelopment because of our individual and ethnic pride that is affecting our growth and development. Today, all development efforts are concentrated in the uplands while neglecting the sources of the resources,” he lamented.
By: Prof. Benedict Binebai
One must aver that concerning the Niger Delta, that most vital and economically pulsating hub of Nigeria, the paramount endeavour ought to be the fortification of hope amongst its denizens and the edification of its citizenry. In this vein, the Federal Government has demonstrated sagacity in instituting the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), a most commendable initiative. Moreover, the appointment of a true scion of the region’s struggle, Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro, as the administrator of the PAP, bespeaks a discerning choice.
Albeit tumultuous times erstwhile beset the region, there now prevails a relative tranquillity, and the narratives of vision pertaining to the management of funds have resonated with striking efficacy in the ears of the region’s inhabitants. Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro, the eminent PAP boss, merits approbation for his stewardship. In a span of less than two years, the felicitous outcomes of the programme, as interpreted and operated by this distinguished gentleman, have been manifestly evident. His tenure has been characterised by an assiduous dedication to fostering peace, stability, and a renaissance of hope in the Niger Delta. The beauty of the programme, as conveyed through his adept administration, has captured the imagination of the region’s populace, engendering a sense of optimism touching upon the prospects for sustainable development and harmonious coexistence.
By: Prof. Benedict Binebai
The Tompolo Model of the Revolution of the Mind is a pivotal framework for empowering the Ijaw nation through a profound and transformative shift in collective consciousness, perception, and thinking. This model, spearheaded by Tompolo, a former militant commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), emphasises the empowerment of the Ijaw people to reclaim their identity, challenge oppressive systems, and drive progress through cultural empowerment, self-determination, and adaptive strategies. It involves breaking free from mental constraints imposed by external forces, embracing one’s heritage, and fostering a renewed sense of agency to address challenges and seize opportunities.
The Tompolo Model ignites a revolution of the mind for the Ijaw nation, implying a significant metamorphosis in cognition, perception, and approach to challenges and opportunities amongst the Ijaw people, who predominantly reside in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. With a population of around 15 million, the Ijaw have a distinct culture that includes traditions like returning deceased women to their natal homes for burial and celebrations honouring water spirits. Historically strong in fishing, trading, and water transport within their mangrove forests and creeks, the Ijaw face challenges like environmental degradation from oil spills. The Tompolo Model could catalyse advances in cultural preservation and empowerment, emboldening the Ijaw to embrace their legacy whilst navigating modern exigencies. It could leverage historical strengths in fishing and trading for economic progress in the Niger Delta. It might also nurture efficacious, inclusive governance in the Ijaw’s clan-based polity, where chiefs and elders entwine tradition with democratic tenets. Potential outcomes include enhancement of identity and pride amongst the Ijaw through fortified cultural essence, inciting innovation to surmount challenges like poverty, and espousing sustainable stewardship of the Niger Delta’s natural resources.
Tompolo, through his leadership in the struggle for his people’s emancipation amidst environmental degradation and exploitation by oil companies, has been instrumental in galvanising efforts towards emancipation, cultural empowerment, and sustainable development.
Through cultural risorgimento, political activism, spiritual authenticity, pragmatism, economic empowerment, educational support, historical restoration, and geographical restoration, the Ijaw nation could experience significant progress via the Tompolo Model.
Building bridges across tribe and geography in the Niger Delta could foster inter-tribal cooperation, enhance connectivity within the complex waterways, and promote cultural exchanges for peaceful coexistence and development in the region.
The Tompolo Model of a mind revolution for the Ijaw nation resonates with Frantz Fanon’s concepts of mental decolonisation and liberation through awakened consciousness. Fanon, in his work “The Wretched of the Earth”, emphasised the necessity for colonised peoples to break free from imposed mental frameworks and reclaim their essence, culture, and volition. Similarly, Tompolo’s leadership in advocating for the Niger Delta’s emancipation amidst environmental onslaughts echoes Fanon’s call for a revolution in consciousness to defy oppressive systems. Both visions underscore the importance of reclaiming cultural identity, challenging external domination, and nurturing empowerment through transformed mindset to drive progress and liberation.
Additionally, the theory of *Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed* supports Tompolo’s revolution of the mind. Freire’s work emphasises the importance of critical consciousness and empowerment of marginalised communities through education and collective action. Like Fanon, Freire advocates for breaking free from oppressive structures and fostering a sense of agency among oppressed peoples to drive change. Tompolo’s efforts in empowering the Ijaw people amidst environmental and economic challenges in the Niger Delta align with Freire’s principles of promoting critical awareness, empowerment, and liberation of marginalised communities.
The revolution of the mind is one of the greatest weapons of progress and decolonisation. By transforming collective consciousness and breaking free from mental constraints imposed by external forces, communities like the Ijaw can reclaim their identity, drive self-determined progress, and challenge systems of oppression. This revolution empowers marginalised peoples to assert their agency, nurture cultural pride, and seek sustainable development pathways that align with their values and heritage. In the context of the Tompolo Model, the revolution of the mind stands as a powerful tool for the Ijaw nation to navigate the complexities of modern challenges while staying rooted in their cultural essence.
In conclusion, the Tompolo Model emerges as a potent catalyst for progress, empowerment, and the reclaiming of identity in the Niger Delta. Tompolo’s vision aligns with principles of liberation and self-determination, echoing the transformative ideas of Frantz Fanon and resonating with Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of empowerment. By championing the cause of the Ijaw people and navigating the complexities of tradition and modernity, the Tompolo Model for a mind revolution stands as a powerful framework for transformative change when driven by a commitment to cultural integrity, environmental stewardship, and the empowerment of marginalised communities.