I often write very positive and glowing things about the Igbo people of Nigeria’s Southeast, because Igbos are a people I admire a lot. You may disagree with me, but I believe that they are the most intelligent and enterprising Black African ethnic nationality on planet Earth, bar none.
Elsewhere, I have written about their apprenticeship system, which is the world’s most successful, having produced more millionaires per capita than Harvard, Yale or Oxford universities.
According to American economic journalist Robert Neuwirth, the Igbos in Alaba Market generate $4 billion annually (₦ 2 trillion).
Think about that for a minute. 10,000 Igbos generate more internal revenue than the 19 Northern Nigerian states combined. To put this in perspective, note that Kaduna generated ₦44 billion IGR last year and was celebrated by the Northern Governors Forum.
ALTERNATIVE By Reno Omokri
How did the Southwest get the Presidency in 1999? It was because they were united as a people after the death of Chief MKO Abiola, in saying that if justice was not done to them, they would leave Nigeria.
There were absolutely no dissenting voices. And the most liberal and nationalistic Yoruba man, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was quoted as saying âI believe in unity, but I do not believe in unity at all cost.â
The military regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar was stunned. The North panicked. The rest of the country looked on helplessly.
Every attempt at breaching the resolve of the Southwest was frustrated. Fringe sycophants who tried to voice out their Northern masters’ opinions were publicly beaten to a pulp by Yoruba youths. Those who were tempted by the crumbs from the powers that be, learnt their lessons from the mistakes of those less fortunate men.