A Note Of Warning

GREAT IMO JONATHAN

I have noticed for a long time that many of us Nigerians have developed the habit of descending into ethnic, religious and partisan divides whenever issues that require intelligent and honest discussions are raised. I may understand especially, that we belong to different political parties and may have reasons to bicker on partisanship. But what I find difficult to understand is the reason people go off points of discuss to abuse a whole tribe because they want to impress God knows who.

Particularly, I have noticed some people who rush to condemn or abuse the entire Igbo nation to impress people when subjects in discuss have nothing to do with tribe. The likes of Zara Onyinye now go around abusing the Igbo nation in order to impress people; forgetting that all political parties in Nigeria are made up of all tribes in Nigeria and that people voted as individuals irrespective of their tribes.

Sometimes I am ashamed of some of us who claim to support Buhari because some of us do it more, hoping to impress others. Especially, we keep making it look like President Buhari is an enemy of the Igbo nation or that the Igbo nation is enemy to Buhari. We take the opinion of few vociferous PDP members from South East as the opinion of Nde Igbo, even when there are loud voices and notable Igbo sons and daughters in APC who have stood out in the party and within the region. Even when President Buhari himself cannot mistake the opinion of these few vociferous PDP members from the South East as the voice of the Igbo nation. Not even when there are people of other tribes who are also opposed to him.

Some of us after making stupid ethnic comments go around thinking we are enlightened. But by doing such we expose our illiteracy; because educated minds deal with issues and not personalities, tribe or religion.

I am a supporter of President Buhari not just on social media but on ground. I was the agent of APC during the presidential election in my own village. I followed Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah to all his campaign rallies and I saw him speak for Buhari all through. In one of the videos I recorded of his meetings with royal fathers in Abia State, he said many lofty things that Buhari has done for the South East and they all agreed with him; things that President Buhari himself could not say by himself. I was really amazed how many of my people came out to vote for President Buhari. The support I was getting from my people angered PDP members including a special adviser to Abia governor and other political appointees from my community and they started a fight that almost resulted to bloodshed. My younger brother was hit with wood, some of my supporters were chased with machetes and some of my boys were also wounded. One of them lost a phone worth 65,000 in the process. But in the end PDP people were angry because they are used to rigging the community but this time it was not easy for them. Although INEC did a dirty job in the state after voting but we have our people express their support for APC.

After all these, I find it difficult to understand how one Zara Onyinye and her likes, who could not canvas for APC in their villages and defend President Buhari will be in the comfort of their friends in Abuja and Lagos and be abusing the Igbo nation in order to impress others. They stupidly think that by abusing and bashing the Igbo nation others will love them. My brothers and sisters that is pure stupidity! If you are a loveable person, anybody who comes your way will love you, be they Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba. A lot of my friends are Yoruba and Hausa and I enjoy their friendship because it is based on mutual respect and ideological affinity. My political mentor is Asiwaju, the Jagaban of Africa and he has never taught us to abuse people, their tribe or religion. And I am happy with that school of thought.

You can’t be causing division in Nigeria and think you are helping President Buhari. That is stupidity. Building national unity should be a prerequisite for political engagement. Hate attracts hate but love and respect are mutually enduring.

Hence, i will like my friends to know that from now onwards, if I read any idiot anywhere abuse Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba, and attempt to further widen our divide because of politics, he or she will get a good answer from me. I will call that person an ‘IDIOT’ for making such a comment. Nigeria is bigger than PDP and APC.

God bless Nigeria!

 

Great Imo Jonathan writes from Umuahia, Abia State.