IGBOS, THE TRUE BELIEVERS OF ONE NIGERIA.
As someone from Central Nigeria commonly known as the MIDDLEBELT, I really cannot understand how I still find a significant number of Middlebelters, Yorubas and even Niger-deltan ethnic nationalities speaking against the agitation of the Igbos to secede from Nigeria. Although, over time, I have come to understand that this character comes from the ‘fear of the unknown’. Most of us are afraid of what will come with and after the division of Nigeria. So we think that no matter how terrible and unworkable Nigeria is, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW IS BETTER THAN THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW. However, this is a very false and terrible narrative mostly adopted by cowardly people.
Noah K.
In the Nigeria of today, there are many unscrupulous people who preach PEACE and a ONE NIGERIA, but this does not reflect in their actions. Unfortunately, these people succeed in fooling and deceiving lots of gullible Middlebelters and Southerners with their empty words.
Nobody actually believes in a ONE NIGERIA more than the Igbos. You can take that to the bank.
I am from Gindiri, a small town of about 30,000 residents in Mangu LGA of Plateau state. There are Igbos who have not just been living in Gindiri town, but have been living in the surrounding interior villages for ages. Now, this is not something that will come as a surprise to most of us. However, the point I want to emphasize here is that, most of these Igbos actually own the houses and lands that they stay in my hometown. They paid for these lands and built their houses with their hard earned money, thereby contributing immensely to the development of the community and the real estate value.
This is something Igbos are known for all over Nigeria.
Go to the core north, you see Igbos with landed properties not just in the big cities like Kano, Katsina or Sokoto, but even in the smaller towns as far as areas close to the border with Niger republic like Jibia, Daura, Gumel, Nguru, Gashua, Hadejia e.t.c. You can hardly see other Southern Nigerians or even Middlebelt people in some of these extreme Core-northern towns, not to even think of us owning houses or properties in these towns.
Now, many of us may say, “But the Igbos are business people, they make huge profits from all these places they settle, so what is so special in them owning properties in those places?”.
Well, Core-northerners (Hausas, Fulanis and Kanuris) are also very good traders and business people. They control the Bureau de change In Nigeria, they control the transportation and sales of foodstuffs and livestock all over Nigeria, they have a strong influence in the importation and sales of textiles, jewelleries, wristwatches, amongst many other things.
Today, the core northerners are found in almost all the nook and crannies of Southern Nigeria, raking in Billions of Naira on a daily basis through these avenues. However, in spite of this, it is almost like an abomination for them to secure landed properties in Southern Nigeria.
Most Core-northern traders and hustlers residing in Southern Nigeria usually live in congested slums, shanties, temporary structures and shabby looking almost dillapidated rented houses. These places are usually called HAUSA QUARTERS.
Now, I understand that a lot of the Core-northerners who come to the south are terribly poverty stricken and most of these ones are wheelbarrow pushers, Metal scrap gatherers, Sugarcane hawkers, labourers e.t.c. These ones may not be able to afford a decent appartment. However, some are very rich, like the ones who control the Bureau de change and the ones who own the trailers of foodstuffs and livestocks offloading daily in every Southern Nigerian city/town. The issue is that, these ones still do not acquire landed properties and build high quality houses befitting of their financial status. This is in spite of the fact that some of them have lived in Southern Nigeria for generations.
I have lived much of my life in Southern Nigeria and travelled across almost all the states in Southern Nigeria. I find lots of my Middlebelt people who work in Southern Nigeria and have made wealth through the Federal civil service. A good number of us buy and acquire landed properties in Southern Nigeria. My own family members own landed properties in different states of Southern Nigeria. However, I have hardly come across a Hausa’ fulani or Kanuri Muslim who is a senior/rich civil servant acquiring lands to build his mansion in Port Harcourt, Calabar, Benin, Lagos, Onitsha, Owerri, Warri, Ibadan or Oshogbo. It is very rare!
The population of Core-northerners in Lagos outnumbers the population of Igbos in Kano by a wide margin, but go to Sabon gari in Kano and see the mansions and estates owned and dominated by Igbos there. Land and rent in Sabongari is almost as expensive as Lekki because of the Igbos. Meanwhile, where is that beautiful estate in Lagos which is dominated by mansions owned by Core-northern muslims?? In spite of the thousands of core northern millionaires residing in Lagos? Those millionaire Alhajis who are the top officials of the Nigerian Immigration, Customs, Ports authority, Police, Military, Civil defense, e.t.c serving in Lagos? Where are their estates and mansions in Lagos? The millionaire Bureau de change operators and transporters of foodstuffs/livestock who own multiple trailer loads of products offloading in Southern cities, where are their estates and mansions in Southern Nigeria??
Fulani Herdsmen have refused to acquire lands in Nigeria to ranch their cattles. They roam around freely causing havoc, living in people’s ancestral lands and forests rent-free and completely tax-free, yet they are not the major consumers of their cattle, rather we are.
Now, If the Core northerners want the rest of us to so much believe that they stand for ONE NIGERIA, why don’t they invest in real estate in Southern Nigeria?
How do you live in a land for decades, make millions of Naira in profit/salary from that land and then you simply go back to Sokoto, Kano or Katsina with your prayer mat/kettle and a Ghana-must-go? Then you come out in public to preach ONE NIGERIA??
During election times, Southerners and Middlebelters residing in the Core-north remain in their respective locations to cast their votes, meanwhile in the South, trailers are used to evacuate Core-northerners back to their respective states to vote. Why does this happen?
These are some of the reasons why I as a Middlebelter whole-heartedly support the Igbos in their quest for self-determination. I also support the Oduduwa republic agitators and definitely give all my support to a proposed KWARARAFA REPUBLIC for Middlebelt people.
Self determination is a fundamental right and not a criminal offence.
The Igbos have clearly come to an understanding that they have been giving so much more to Nigeria, while they get very little to nothing in return. That is a clear case of a parasitic relationship.
The current existence of Nigeria is nothing but a parasitic and toxic relationship and that is why the country is currently collapsing. The parasites have started to outgrow the hosts in size.
The Igbos immensely contribute to the development of wherever they migrate to by acquiring landed properties and paying their taxes as law-abiding citizens. They are the true believers of a UNITED NIGERIA based on their actions!!
I refuse to be among those gullible, confused and brainwashed Middlebelt people or Southern Nigerians who will still fall for the message of a deceptive ONE NIGERIA built on lies and fraud.
You cannot preach ONE NIGERIA to me by your mouth only, it has to show in your actions.
If you are from the Middlebelt/Southern Nigeria and you agree and support the contents of this article, please do well to share it on your wall, pages and groups with your friends and family.
God bless BIAFRA
God bless ODUDUWA
God bless KWARARAFA (Middlebelt)
God bless Southern/Middlebelt Nigerian union.
Written by
(Noah K. Son_Of_The_Plateau)
