Thoughts & Letters

THOUGHTS AND LETTERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS


 

 

1. ECONOMISTS AS SOCIETAL ARBITERS… 3
2. (Re)
 BITTER
 LESSONS
 FROM
 CHIBOK………….
 
 
 7
 

3. (Re)
 A
 WOMAN
 WHO
 ONLY
 ENJOYS
 RAPE…….
 
 10
 

4. TRANSITION TO MODERNITY: ITS IMPACT ON THE
RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIVES OF THE IGBO PEOPLE… 13

5. (Re)
 THE
 GHOST
 OF
 BIAFRA
 WILL
 CONTINUE
 TO
 HAUNT
 
NIGERIA…………………………………………………………………………..
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18
 

6. (Re)
 OF
 WEAK
 INSTITUTIONS
 AND
 NATIONAL
 DEVELOPMENT
 
(I)……………………………………………………………………………………
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20
 

7. (Re)
 CAN
 EVIL
 TRIUMPH
 OVER
 GOOD
 (3)?.............................
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23
 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  2
 

2
 
 

 

1

ECONOMISTS AS SOCIETAL ARBITERS

B.R. Ambedkar says “history shows that where ethics and economics
come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never
been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient
force to compel them.” Economics can be seen as the study of resource
allocation, distribution, and consumption of capital and investment and of
management of the factors of production. Of all the definitions of economics,
the most common and most accepted is that by Lionel Robbins wherein he
defined economics as the science that studies of human behavior as a
relationship between ends and scarce means, which have alternative uses. The
professionalization of economics, reflected in the academia has been described
as “the main change in economics since around 1900.”

An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of
economics. One, whose skill is the application of economic instruments to solve
problems that can be personal or societal.

Economists are indeed societal arbiters, owing to the fact that they work
in many fields of the society like academia, government and in the private
sector. They study consumer attitudes and economic confidence level in order
to spot the trends in economic society. They statistically analyze this
information and consequently make recommendations about ways to improve
the efficiency of a system or take advantage of trends as they begin. The
emergence of new trends into statecraft has given life to the relative
ineffectiveness of Night-watchmanism or a minimal statecraft which in its
strictest form means that the government only owed to the individuals of the
state; security. The German Socialist Ferdinand Lassalle in a 1862 speech in


  3
 

Berlin had criticized the bourgeois liberal limited government state. In order to
protect individual liberty, there must be an arbiter between the governing
powers and the governed.

The society of man is a very complex one, in lieu the diversity of
interests among social groups. The economist is first and foremost a student of
human behavior. He takes into account how humans naturally respond to the
forces of demand and supply and the consequences of these responses, both
manifest and latent for the society. The functions of Economists in daily
societal activities are legion owing primarily to the fact that the society is by
nature peopled by diverse natural responses of persons to the forces of demand
and supply. Incompatibility in these responses makes room for the inevitability
of conflict.

Economics is and will always remain the Siamese twin of politics. The
proper management of the two aforementioned elements by capable hands that
would preclude economists would be a boon to societal and indeed global peace
(this however in by no means banters the place of other professionals in the
society). A critique of societal activities like politics, sports, religion, and
entertainment absent economics is like speaking of global terrorism to the
neglect of Al-Qaida. Societal escapades can always trace their roots to the
forces of demand and supply. Past global activities like the Crusades and the
Inquisitions of the medieval age, the Crimean War of 1856, the Great
Depression of the 1930s, the First and the Second World Wars, etc. were all not
unconnected to economic situations

The Great Depression of 1929-1939, which had devastating effects on

both rich and poor countries alike, saw the nadir of personal income, tax

revenue, profits and prices of commodities while international trade and

unemployment in some countries plunged by more than 50% and 33%

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  4
 

4
 
 

 

respectively. By mid-1930, interest rates had dropped to low levels, but
expected deflation and continuing reluctance of people to borrow meant that
consumer spending and investment were depressed. As bad as the depression
was on European and indeed global economy; it was yet brought to its knees by
the legendary Hoover Moratorium (an economic policy).

Hence, it is axiomatic to claim that public activities, no matter how
uneconomic they may seem would always include in them, preserves of
economists.

In the light of present events, it is nothing short of lunacy to undermine
the place of economists in societal matters, both domestic and international.
Chief amongst the foreign policy of any state is her economic interest, an
interest that if well managed, bolsters her claims to power. It is indeed evident
that societal matters like Religion, Health, Culture, Security, Education,
Agriculture, etc. all share a common nexus; the economy. If indeed this is true,
it then justifies the claim that economists are societal arbiters and are cardinal
elements for the burgeoning of the society.

It is also otiose to recognize that most societal ills and demands are
powered by economic underpinnings. For instance, the Boko Haram insurgency
in Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil War, the present Ukrainian crisis involving
secessionist Crimea and recently the eastern part of Ukraine, the crisis in South
and mainland Sudan, Central African Republic and Greece, the protests in
Cambodia and Thailand, and the persistent industrial actions in most of Latin
America all possess the trappings of economic mismanagement.

Anyone who wishes to delve into the world of the aforementioned
brouhaha with a view to resolving them must as a prerequisite be learned in the
precincts of economic parlance. Recall that the Great Depression had been


  5
 

amputated from European and American politics by the legendary economic

policy of President Herbert Hoover of USA. Economic policies had also ended

the inflation that crippled Germany in the years after the First World War. The

Amnesty Scheme that was indeed economic in nature and application had

doused down militancy in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. The public policy

of the Three Rs (Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation) embarked

upon by the Yakubu Gowon-led government of Nigeria after the Civil War

indeed had economic flavor.

The economy is an inescapable element in governance, as it is the

fulcrum to which most societal endeavors pivot. This lends weight to the

economist’s cause in the society as an arbiter.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  6
 

6
 
 

 

2
 

(Re)
 BITTER
 LESSONS
 FROM
 CHIBOK
 

Sir,
 
 

I
  read
  your
  article
  in
  the
  Sun
  Newspaper
  of
  May
  17,
  2014,
  titled:
 
"Bitter
 Lessons
 from
 Chibok.”
 I
 wish
 to
 comment
 on
 the
 point
 you
 reiterated
 
in
  the
  fifteenth
  paragraph
  of
  the
  article
  in
  question
  wherein
  you
  opined
 
“Boko
  Haram
  will
  undoubtedly
  attract
  more
  respect
  and
  sympathy
  if
  it
 
stops
  wasting
  innocent
  lives
  and
  accepts
  the
  offer
  of
  dialogue.”
  I
  must
 
concur
 that
 dialogue
 is
 indeed
 a
 step
 towards
 ridding
 the
 state
 of
 terrorist
 
activities,
  provided
  the
  sect
  in
  question
  is
  sane
  enough
  to
  dialogue.
 
Secondly,
  even
  if
  Boko
  Haram
  agrees
  to
  dialogue
  with
  the
  Nigerian
 
government,
 have
 we
 the
 guarantee
 that
 their
 terms
 would
 not
 in
 any
 way
 
be
 nebulous.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dialoguing
  with
  Boko
  Haram
  and
  making
  concessions
  to
  them
 
indeed
  brings
  to
  mind
  the
  post-­‐World
  War
  I
  policy
  of
  appeasement
  that
 
only
  ended
  up
  bolstering
  Hitler’s
  claims
  to
  power.
  Franklin
  D.
  Roosevelt
 
had
 during
 the
 era
 of
 appeasement
 said
 that
 “no
 man
 can
 tame
 a
 tiger
 into
 
a
  kitten
  by
  stroking
  it;
  there
  can
  be
  no
  appeasement
  with
  ruthlessness.
 
There
 can
 be
 no
 reasoning
 with
 an
 incendiary
 bomb.”
 This
 statement
 of
 the
 
president
  of
  the
  United
  States
  of
  America
  in
  1940
  is
  indeed
  highly
 
applicable
  and
  is
  a
  suitable
  reply
  to
  the
  apostles
  of
  dialogue
  with
  the
 
militant
  sect.
  From
  the
  kidnap
  of
  over
  200
  innocent
  girls
  on
  April
  14th,
  to
 
the
  Madalla
  bombings
  of
  2010,
  to
  the
  bombing
  of
  Emab
  Plaza
  in
  Abuja,
  to
 


  7
 

the
  mayhem
  unleashed
  on
  most
  North-­‐eastern
  states,
  Boko
  Haram
  have
 
greatly
 disseminated
 the
 fact
 that
 they
 are
 actually
 peopled
 by
 lunatics
 who
 
possess
  no
  sense
  of
  decency,
  patriotism,
  morality
  or
  even
  sanity.
 
Negotiations
  involve
  zero-­‐sum
  situations
  wherein
  concessions
  by
  the
 
parties
  involved
  are
  inevitable.
  This
  arrangement
  is
  dangerous
  as
  regards
 
the
 sect
 whose
 ideology,
 if
 realized
 would
 spell
 doom
 for
 the
 Nigerian
 state.
 
One
  can
  only
  imagine
  what
  they
  would
  do
  if
  they
  could
  do
  all
  they
  can.
 
None
  of
  the
  demands
  of
  the
  sect
  are
  sane
  enough
  to
  be
  considered.
  More
 
appalling
  is
  the
  fact
  that
  the
  activities
  of
  the
  sect
  clearly
  negate
  their
 
preaching
 in
 all
 quarters.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Boko
  Haram
  preaches
  an
  obliteration
  of
  Western
  flavour
  from
  the
 
Nigerian
 way
 of
 life,
 yet,
 they
 employ
 by-­‐products
 of
 Western
 technology
 in
 
humongous
 measures
 to
 the
 accomplishment
 of
 their
 non-­‐sensical
 designs.
 
The
  RPGs,
  Armoured
  Personnel
  Carriers,
  Kalashnikov
  rifles,
  SMGs,
 
Western-­‐made
  vehicles,
  grenades
  and
  the
  likes,
  are
  not
  alien
  to
  Boko
 
Haram’s
 arsenals.
 The
 employment
 of
 the
 aforementioned
 by
 every
 means
 
has
 become
 a
 boon
 to
 this
 militant
 sect
 towards
 accomplishing
 their
 goal
 of
 
spear-­‐heading
 a
 putsch
 of
 the
 Nigerian
 government.
 The
 activities
 of
 these
 
apostles
  of
  violence
  have
  in
  by
  every
  means
  bantered
  the
  ideology
  they
 
claim
 to
 uphold.
 I
 liken
 them
 to
 Ecstatics
 bearing
 the
 markings
 of
 stigmata,
 
absent
 the
 odour
 of
 sanctity;
 hypocrites
 they
 truly
 are.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The
  world
  would
  never
  forget
  the
  April
  14
  event
  which
  many
  in
 
some
  quarters
  have
  accused
  the
  government
  of
  Jonathan
  of
  inaction
  or
 
lackadaisical
  attitude
  towards
  the
  rescue
  of
  the
  girls.
  It
  has
  been
  three
 
months
  of
  captivity
  for
  the
  Chibok
  girls,
  three
  months
  of
  living
  hell
  in
  the
 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  8
 

8
 
 

 

hands
  of
  lunatics
  and
  most
  importantly
  three
  months
  of
  a
  psychological
 
apocalypse.
  Nigerians
  can't
  help
  but
  ask
  why
  the
  fires
  that
  had
  forged
  the
 
protests
  and
  hysteria
  that
  marked
  the
  aftermath
  of
  the
  abduction
  have
 
suddenly
  been
  stifled?
  Perhaps
  Nigerians
  have
  concluded
  that
 
the
 Bringbackourgirls
 campaign
  is
  a
  lost
  cause.
  Has
  Boko
  Haram
  outgrown
 
Nigeria
 that
 they
 cannot
 be
 contained
 any
 longer?
 


 As
 we
 ponder
 on
 these
 and
 many
 more,
 let
 us
 cast
 our
 minds
 to
 the
 
Iran
  hostage
  crisis,
  popularly
  known
  in
  Iran
  as
  the
  “Conquest
  of
  the
 
American
  Spy
  Den”
  (November
  4,
  1979-­‐January
  20,
  1981)
  wherein
  52
 
American
  diplomats
  were
  held
  hostage
  in
  Iran
  for
  444
  days
  (1
  year,
  2
 
months,
  2
  weeks
  and
  2
  days).
  Tact
  and
  intelligence
  eventually
  brought
 
them
 back
 and
 not
 military
 might.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 It
  is
  my
  belief
  that
  the
  President,
  in
  the
  light
  of
  the
  lives
  of
  the
 
Chibok
 girls
 is
 treating
 Boko
 Haram
 like
 a
 bull
 in
 a
 China
 shop
 in
 order
 not
 
to
  escalate
  the
  already
  sorry
  situation.
  Patriotism
  is
  a
  prerequisite
  for
 
those
  who
  wish
  to
  delve
  into
  the
  parlance
  of
  statecraft,
  just
  as
  fidelity
  is
  a
 
force
  greater
  than
  wisdom;
  traits
  I
  am
  convinced
  are
  not
  lacking
  in
  our
 
beloved
  president,
  to
  whom
  we
  had
  given
  our
  mandate.
  Nigerians
  should
 
yet
 exercise
 a
 little
 patience
 with
 the
 President
 just
 like
 the
 Americans
 did
 
with
 Jimmy
 Carter
 between
 1979
 and
 1981.
 Were
 our
 reasoning,
 interests,
 
and
 imaginations
 not
 engaged,
 we
 would
 not
 and
 could
 not
 learn.
 
 

Igwemba
 Chukwugoziem
 
BA
 International
 Studies
 and
 Diplomacy
 
08082209245
 


  9
 

3
 

(Re)
 A
 WOMAN
 WHO
 ONLY
 ENJOYS
 RAPE
 

Good
 day,
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I
 wish
 to
 lend
 weight
 to
 the
 point
 you
 established
 in
 your
 piece
 

in
  the
 Sunday
 Sun
 of
  2nd
 November
  2014
  titled;
 A
 Woman
 Who
 Enjoys
 Only
 

Rape.
 Chief
 amongst
 the
 points
 you
 established
 is
 the
 relative
 irrelevance
 of
 

religious
 underpinnings
 of
 the
 tenants
 of
 the
 corridors
 of
 power
 any
 given
 

polity
  provided
  their
  cardinal
  duties
  are
  seen
  in
  implicit
  terms
  to
  be
 

discharged
  effectively.
  Its
  high
  time
  Nigerian
  politicians
  started
  deigning
 

politics
 the
 prerequisite
 that
 fore-­‐
 runs
 its
 effective
 practice.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Strategy
  is
  a
  cardinal
  instrument
  of
  statecraft
  employed
  in
 

humongous
  measures
  by
  learned
  politicians
  to
  the
  boon
  of
  the
  realm
  and
 

indeed
 themselves;
 one
 deficient
 in
 the
 camp
 of
 most
 of
 our
 politicians
 who
 

by
  every
  means
  have
  brought
  to
  light
  that
  they
  posses
  just
  its
  pedestrian
 

definition.
 It
 is
 only
 in
 Nigeria
 that
 the
 core
 issues
 of
 statecraft
 are
 muzzled,
 

shelved
  or
  simply
  treated
  lightly.
  Permit
  me
  yet
  again,
  to
  regurgitate
  from
 

our
  minds,
  the
  issue
  of
  the
  abducted
  Chibok
  girls
  whose
  fate
  and
 

whereabouts,
 at
 present
 remain
 yet
 unknown.
 It's
 been
 seven
 months
 since
 

their
  abduction,
  seven
  months
  of
  uncertainty
  on
  their
  part
  if
  indeed
  they
 

yet
  breathe;
  and
  above
  all,
  seven
  months
  of
  a
  psychological
  apocalypse.
 

One
  can
  only
  wonder
  if
  they
  are
  ever
  going
  to
  be
  released.
  Perhaps,
  their
 

story
  would
  go
  down
  in
  history
  like
  that
  of
  American
  D.B
  Cooper
  who
  till
 

date
 hasn't
 been
 found.
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I
  recall
  vividly
  the
  global
  uproar
  and
  hysteria
  that
  marked
  the
 

aftermath
  of
  their
  abduction,
  how
  our
  beloved
  president
  swore
  to
  secure
 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  10
 

10
 
 

 

their
  release,
  how
  the
  military,
  standing
  as
  Mars
  ready
  for
  war
  swore
  to
 
give
  the
  insurgents
  hell
  if
  given
  the
  fire,
  how
  the
  safe
  release
  of
  the
  girls
 
would
  drive
  home
  the
  president's
  legitimate
  claim
  to
  another
  term,
  how
 
optimistic
  I
  was
  that
  the
  Chibok
  saga
  is
  the
  beginning
  of
  the
  end
  of
  the
 
Boko
 Haram
 insurgency
 whose
 violence
 and
 madness
 have
 swept
 through
 
the
 country,
 echoing
 into
 the
 heavens.
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Since
 the
 emergence
 of
 the
 Boko
 Haram
 insurgents,
 the
 bodies
 of
 
stout
  men,
  women,
  and
  children
  are
  continually
  left
  in
  their
  wake
  half
  or
 
completely
 devoured.
 Town
 and
 villages
 are
 constantly
 been
 sacked,
 while
 
we
  fiddle
  over
  2015.
  It
  is
  disheartening
  to
  learn
  that
  Nigerian
  politicians
 
are
  already
  plumbing
  for
  political
  offices
  at
  a
  time
  when
  insurgency
  have
 
placed
  our
  beloved
  country
  on
  pins
  and
  needles.
  The
  international
 
community
  is
  at
  present
  taken
  aback
  by
  the
  activities
  of
  the
  country's
 
politicians
  whose
  haste
  at
  present
  continues
  to
  best
  them.
  They
  have
 
brought
  to
  light
  the
  fact
  that
  they
  are
  willing
  to
  set
  just
  about
  anything
 
under
  the
  hammer
  to
  ensure
  their
  grip
  on
  power
  come
  2015.
  Alas,
  only
  a
 
fool
 would
 dare
 chide
 United
 States
 John
 McCain
 for
 calling
 Nigeria
 a
 state
 
without
 a
 government
 in
 the
 light
 of
 the
 present
 political
 happenings
 in
 the
 
country.
 If
 the
 government
 cannot
 at
 least
 guarantee
 the
 populace
 security,
 
then
 what
 claims
 have
 they
 to
 2015?
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  I’d
  say
  to
  Nigerians
  that
  it’s
  time
  to
  awake
  from
  slumber,
  for
 
what
 we
 need
 so
 much
 is
 to
 realize
 the
 ideal,
 not
 to
 idealize
 the
 real,
 to
 bare
 
teeth
  and
  cut
  our
  losses.
  Like
  the
  Jews,
  we
  yet
  need
  that
  political
  messiah
 
whose
  religion
  would
  fall
  short
  of
  notice,
  to
  deliver
  us
  from
  this
 Augean
 
stable.
 Arise
 O
 Nigerians;
 tilt
 your
 bows
 higher,
 for
 we
 aim
 the
 heavens.
 


 


  11
 

Igwemba
 Chukwugoziem
 
BA.
 International
 Studies
 and
 Diplomacy.
 
08082209245.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  12
 

12
 
 

 

4
 

TRANSITION TO MODERNITY: ITS IMPACT ON
THE RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIVES OF THE IGBO

PEOPLE

The transition to modernity anywhere in the world can well be examined
under the subject of globalization. One of the decades of International Relations
opines that no state in the world is an island unto herself, and to that extent,
needs others to survive. This phenomenon has made globalization inevitable.

The concept of Globalization preaches the harmonization of the
governments, cultures, and values of the world into a semblance order such that
any practice outside this order is considered barbaric and uncivilized.

The Arab-Spring revolution, which was engineered by the West in the
name of exporting democracy to the rest of the world was actually a ploy by the
West to bolster her interests. Whereas the governments in Libya, Egypt,
Tunisia, Morocco, and others were overthrown and replaced, Bahrain got
military support from the United States to repel any uprising against her
government. This was all to protect America’s interests in Bahrain.

It can be said that Africa started having contacts with the outside world
as early as the 15th Century. The essence of these contacts especially for the
West was primarily to create a channel of penetration for the exploitation of the
rich and arable continent. To this extent, Africa was labeled uncivilized and
uncultured and without a history.


  13
 

The first Europeans who made contact with Africa had contradicted
themselves in their reports. This was evident in some of their paintings which
depicted Africans fully clothed, whilst others in their paintings reported
Africans to be unclothed. The first Europeans who visited the Benin kingdom in
present day Edo State compared it to the Warmos Street in Amsterdam. On the
other hand, another European; Commander R.H Bacon writing in The City of
Blood about the Benin Kingdom described its history as “one long record of
savagery of the most debased kind.” These reports are indeed laden with holes
more than a kitchen sponge.

The Igbo nation has not been without culture and history or even
civilization. It is not unknown to us that one of the best Egalitarian systems of
government in the world could be traced back to the Igbo people of Nigeria.
This fact, by all means, lends weight to Walter Rodney's claim in How Europe
Underdeveloped Africa that before the emergence of the Europeans into Africa,
we had our own ways and a functioning system.

However, this is not to opine that modernization has had no positive
impact on the religious and social lives of the Igbos. The gains therefrom are as
clear as the sky.

Prior to this time, the Caste System had been a cancer on the body of the
Igbo tradition. Under this system, some people were considered to be properties
of the gods and hence felt the stench of segregation from the society especially
when it came to marriages.

Modernization has also introduced the art of family planning in the social
lives of the Igbos, helping to reduce poverty and increasing the quality of
parental care.

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  14
 

14
 
 

 

The practice of banishing people from the land or forcing widows to
drink the bath water of their dead husbands to prove their innocence in his death
has also been abolished with the advent of modern laws. Contemporary laws
have come to hold sway over social practices that have now been considered
inhumane.

In the parlance of religion, the emergence of Christianity has helped
abolish some atrocities, hitherto this time committed by the Igbos in the name
of religion. Both Christianity and the laws of the land have completely
annihilated the practice of human sacrifice and the killing of twins that was
prevalent mostly amongst the Arochukwu people of present Anambra state.
These atrocious religious practices lend weight to Blaise Paschal’s claim in
Mankind Search for God; that men never do evil so cheerfully and so
completely as when they do it from religious conviction.

Anyone who intends to delve into a cursory examination of the religious
and social impacts of the transition to modernity on the lives of the Igbo people
would clearly be exposed to the idea of adopting a Western way of life and the
abandonment of the indigenous Igbo practices and values. In religious and
social undertones, the adverse effects of this transition on the lives of the Igbo
people are legion.
In the spirit of modernization, it has become accepted and legal for unmarried
couples to live together. Prior to “modernization,” it was frowned upon for
couples that are not legally married to live together. However, present trends
permit this arrangement as long as the people involved consent to it.

Premarital sex and children born out of wedlock have been on the
increase since the advent of modernization in our social way life.


  15
 

Indecent dressing amongst mostly youths has been considered the modern way
of dressing.

The Igbo language is also fast declining in the light of the decline in the
number of speakers of the language. Most Igbos cannot speak the language
owing to the fact that their parents had brought them up in the English
language. There is also a decline in the practice of the cultures of the Igbo
people owing to the fact that they are presently being considered barbaric and
fetish by many. Little wonder the United Nations opined that the Igbo language
is fast waning.

The age grade system, the Masquerade cult, the Ekpe cult and most
notable indigenous Igbo societies have been labeled fetish and barbaric and had
since been replaced with Western associations like Knighthood, Rotary club,
etc. all in the name of Modernization.

In terms of religion; modernization has placed wealth as the ultimate
achievement man can attain. Hence, this has imbibed the love of money in our
religious practices to the extent that our relationship with God has been strained
in our pursuit for more wealth.

Modern religion (Christianity) has replaced Igbo cultural practices like
the celebration of New Yam festival, the celebration of the Igbo New Year and
the masquerade cult. On the contrary, the same religion upholds Halloween.

The transition to modernity has impacted both positively and negatively
on the religious and social lives of the Igbos. The problem lies mainly in the
fact that the negative impacts by far outweigh the positive impacts; for these
bye products of modernization seeks not only to modernize but also like the
French policy of assimilation, to westernize the Igbos. A menace that has to be

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  16
 

16
 
 

 

killed in the light of the fact our values start to die the very day we start to loose
our culture.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


  17
 

5
 


 (Re)
 THE
 GHOST
 OF
 BIAFRA
 WILL
 CONTINUE
 TO
 

HAUNT
 NIGERIA
 


 

Good
 day
 Sir,
 
 


 
  I
 read
 your
 piece
 in
 the
 DAILYSUN
 of
 November
 20,
 2015.
 I
 must
 

admit
 that
 I
 had
 written
 you
 off
 at
 the
 early
 stages
 of
 reading
 your
 piece
 as
 

one
 of
 the
 writers
 who
 possess
 but
 a
 pedestrian
 analysis
 of
 the
 parlance
 of
 

statecraft
 and
 would
 get
 their
 hands
 on
 paper
 to
 write
 just
 about
 anything
 

that
 comes
 to
 mind
 without
 weighing
 the
 pros
 and
 the
 cons.
 A
 well-­‐written
 

piece
 you
 have
 done
 I
 must
 confess.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  It
 pains
 to
 know
 that
 the
 IPOB
 is
 somewhat
 getting
 childish
 

with
 its
 demands.
 The
 question
 I
 ask
 the
 members
 is;
 on
 what
 grounds
 are
 

they
 asking
 for
 the
 State
 of
 Biafra?
 The
 Igbos
 remain
 yet
 the
 most
 placed
 

and
 the
 most
 buoyant
 tribe
 in
 Nigeria
 with
 investments
 like
 you
 wrote,
 

largely
 outside
 Biafran
 heartland,
 yet
 they
 speak
 of
 marginalization.
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
T  he
 precipitates
 of
 statehood
 are
 also
 lacking
 in
 their
 struggle,
 

thereby
 lending
 credence
 to
 the
 claim
 that
 the
 struggle
 is
 merely
 an
 anti-­‐

Buhari
 movement.
 Tibet,
 Hong
 Kong,
 Aland,
 Kashmir,
 and
 Judea
 are
 all
 

territories
 with
 sensible
 reasons
 as
 to
 why
 statehood
 should
 be
 granted
 to
 

them,
 Biafra
 is
 certainly
 nowhere
 near
 this
 list.
 

IPOB
 prides
 itself
 in
 conducting
 peaceful
 protests;
 I
 think
 that
 claim
 

somewhat
 deluded.
 How
 can
 they
 speak
 of
 peaceful
 protests
 when
 in
 fact
 

the
 roads
 are
 jammed
 up,
 economic
 activities
 brought
 to
 a
 halt
 and
 mini
 

looting
 and
 destruction
 of
 properties
 prevail.
 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  18
 

18
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I  nstead
 of
 clamuoring
 for
 a
 state,
 we
 should
 ask
 for
 better
 

democratic
 reforms
 and
 constitutional
 amendments
 that
 would
 see
 the
 

burgeoning
 of
 Nigeria
 as
 the
 Americans
 and
 South
 Africans
 did
 and
 are
 still
 

doing.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I,
 however,
 do
 not
 agree
 that
 the
 presidency
 should
 be
 conceded
 to
 

the
 Igbos
 as
 appeasement;
 that
 would
 be
 political
 auctioneering
 at
 its
 crux.
 

The
 essence
 of
 democracy
 is;
 victory
 to
 the
 most
 popular
 and
 credible
 

candidate.
 This
 is
 a
 democracy,
 not
 a
 market
 place.
 


 

Igwemba
 Chukwugoziem
 

BA
 International
 Studies
 and
 Diplomacy
 

08082209245
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


  19
 

6
 

(Re)
 OF
 WEAK
 INSTITUTIONS
 AND
 NATIONAL
 

DEVELOPMENT
 (I)
 

Kalu’s
 Leadership
 Series:
 April
 9,
 2016.
 

 
Good
 day
 Your
 Excellency,
 

I
  must
  confess
  that
  reading
  your
  article
  every
  Saturday
  is
  always
 
very
  rejuvenating.
  Were
  that
  I
  had
  the
  time
  and
  means,
  I
  would
  make
  it
  a
 
duty
  to
  always
  share
  my
  thoughts
  on
  any
  article
  that
  comes
  out
  under
 
the
 Kalu’s
  Leadership
  Series.
  Alas,
  the
  quest
  for
  the
  burgeoning
  of
  my
 
career
 and
 the
 pursuit
 of
 life’s
 needs
 have
 seen
 me
 far
 from
 this
 want.
 

Concerning
  the
  blame
  game
  you
  lightly
  opined
  in
  the
  fourth
 
paragraph,
 I
 wish
 to
 state
 that
 it
 has
 come
 to
 my
 notice
 that
 Nigerians
 have
 
become
 notorious
 for
 rating
 immediate
 past
 administrations
 as
 better
 than
 
the
  present.
  Many
  complained
  during
  the
  time
  of
  Late
  President
  Yar
  Adua
 
that
 the
 country
 fared
 better
 when
 Ex-­‐President
 Obasanjo
 held
 sway,
 same
 
was
  also
  said
  of
  Ex-­‐President
  Jonathan
  as
  performing
  largely
  below
  Late
 
President
 Yar
 Adua.
 Presently,
 a
 good
 number
 of
 Nigerians
 are
 clamouring
 
for
  the
  overthrow
  of
  the
  present
  government
  of
  President
  Buhari
  and
  a
 
reverse
 to
 the
 days
 of
 President
 Jonathan.
 It
 leaves
 one
 asking
 whether
 it
 is
 
inherent
  in
  us
  to
  always
  crave
  the
  past.
  Many
  have
  failed
  to
  applaud
  the
 
tempest
  of
  President
  Buhari’s
  firm
  leadership
  under
  which
  terrorism
  and
 
insurgency
  have
  been
  stifled.
  Presently,
  19
  of
  the
  21
  wards
  that
  hitherto
 
were
 under
 the
 sway
 of
 the
 Boko
 Haram
 insurgents
 have
 been
 successfully
 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  20
 

20
 
 

 

liberated.
 The
 crusade
 against
 corruption
 has
 gotten
 a
 fillip
 as
 public
 office
 
holders
 are
 now
 being
 held
 more
 accountable
 for
 their
 actions.
 

Much
 more
 appalling
 is
 the
 nosedive
 of
 the
 reading
 culture
 amongst
 
the
  youths
  of
  Nigeria
  who
  would
  rather
  refresh
  their
  knowledge
  of
  the
 
state
 of
 things
 in
 the
 country
 and
 indeed
 the
 world
 by
 listening
 to
 hearsays
 
on
  social
  media
  rather
  than
  enriching
  their
  minds
  with
  the
  legions
  of
 
educational
  materials
  available
  on-­‐air,
  in
  bookstores
  and
  on
  the
  internet.
 
This
  has
  unfortunately
  made
  many
  youths
  ignorant
  of
  the
  happenings
 
around
  them,
  causing
  them
  to
  follow
  opinions
  on
  social
  media
  sheepishly
 
as
  the
  rats
  followed
  the
  Pied
  Piper
  of
  Hamelin.
  I
  have
  taken
  the
  liberty
  of
 
chiding
  most
  of
  my
  university
  colleagues
  who
  like
  myself;
  hold
  degrees
  in
 
International
  Relations
  for
  making
  it
  a
  duty
  to
  besmirch
  the
  reputation
  of
 
our
  beloved
  President
  and
  the
  State
  on
  social
  media.
  I
  had
  hinged
  my
 
disgust
 for
 their
 actions
 on
 the
 fact
 that
 it
 negates
 the
 very
 essence
 of
 their
 
training
  in
  the
  university
  and
  clearly
  passes
  a
  ‘vote
  of
  no
  confidence’
  on
 
them
  to
  any
  employer
  of
  labour
  who
  chooses
  to
  evaluate
  them
  vis-­‐a-­‐vis
 
their
  social
  media
  activities.
  However,
  I
  entertain
  constructive
  criticism
  of
 
the
 government,
 because
 even
 the
 bible
 states
 that
 whom
 the
 Lord
 loveth,
 
He
 correcteth.
 No
 government
 of
 the
 world
 enjoys
 or
 ever
 enjoyed
 absolute
 
legitimacy,
 even
 that
 of
 the
 legendary
 Lee
 Kuan
 Yew
 of
 Singapore.
 

Many
  Nigerians
  are
  complaining
  that
  the
  state
  of
  things
  in
  the
 
country
  has
  gotten
  very
  worse.
  My
  reply
  back
  to
  them
  is
  that
  the
  entire
 
world
  is
  currently
  being
  pummeled
  by
  various
  economic
  downturns,
 
causing
  a
  lot
  of
  them
  to
  begin
  shedding
  off
  undue
  weights
  and
  cutting
 
losses
 so
 as
 to
 meet
 up
 with
 present
 demands.
 A
 move
 we
 have
 refused
 to
 
fully
 make.
 Just
 last
 week
 (6th
 April,
 2016)
 in
 Venezuela,
 President
 Nicolas
 


  21
 

Maduro
  included
  Friday
  as
  part
  of
  the
  weekends
  for
  two
  months
  and
  also
 
urged
  ladies
  to
  minimize
  their
  use
  of
  hair
  dryers
  so
  as
  to
  conserve
 
electricity
  and
  as
  well
  curb
  power
  outage
  in
  Venezuela.
  Senegal
  recently
 
scrapped
  an
  arm
  of
  her
  legislature
  so
  as
  to
  minimize
  the
  cost
  of
 
governance.
  Desperate
  times
  require
  desperate
  measures
  I
  would
  say.
 
Even
  the
  Oil-­‐rich
  Saudi
  Arabia
  is
  griping
  that
  the
  Oil
  Price
  Plummet
  is
 
adversely
 affecting
 her
 economy.
 
 

Ninety
 percent
 of
 Nigeria’s
 revenue
 comes
 from
 the
 sales
 of
 Oil.
 Only
 
a
 lunatic
 would
 fail
 to
 take
 into
 account
 that
 this
 free
 fall
 would
 mean
 less
 
money
 into
 the
 country’s
 treasury.
 To
 this
 extent,
 the
 State
 cannot
 continue
 
spending,
  as
  she
  was
  when
  oil
  was
  much
  prized
  if
  indeed
  we
  expect
  the
 
economy
  to
  burgeon.
  Hitler’s
 Mein
  Kampf
 teaches
  us
  that
  "the
  mental
 
attitude
 which
 forces
 self-­‐interest
 to
 recede
 into
 the
 background
 in
 favour
 
of
  common
  weal
  is
  the
  prerequisite
  for
  any
  kind
  of
  really
  human
 
civilization.”
 

It
  is
  never
  by
  socio-­‐political
  and
  economic
  downturns
  that
  nations
 
are
  ruined,
  but
  by
  the
  loss
  of
  their
  powers
  of
  resistance.
  Voltaire
  did
  not
 
just
  write,
  Da
  Vinci
  did
  not
  just
  paint
  and
  Einstein
  did
  not
  just
  think.
  We
 
ought
 to
 do
 much
 more
 than
 wish.
 
Igwemba
 Chukwugoziem
 
BA.
 International
 Studies
 and
 Diplomacy
 
08082209245
 (Abuja)
 

 

 

 


 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  22
 

22
 
 

 

7
 

(Re)
 CAN
 EVIL
 TRIUMPH
 OVER
 GOOD
 (3)?
 

Good
  day
  Your
  Excellency,
  I
  read
  your
  article
  in
 The
 Sun
 of
  18th
 July
 
2015
 titled
 Can
 Evil
 Triumph
 over
 Good?
 (3).
 

In
 the
 eighteenth
 paragraph,
 you
 blamed
 injustice
 as
 the
 major
 cause
 
of
  conflict
  in
  Africa.
  I,
  however,
  do
  not
  think
  injustice
  alone
  is
  the
  major
 
cause
  of
  conflict
  in
  Africa,
  but
  a
  lack
  of
  patriotism
  for
  the
  fatherland
  and
 
greed.
  It
  is
  not
  unknown
  that
  some
  Africans
  are
  somewhat
  myopic
  in
 
matters
  relating
  to
  statecraft;
  always
  seeking
  after
  our
  immediate
  pockets
 
to
 the
 neglect
 of
 the
 realm
 we
 have
 been
 called
 to
 serve.
 Longs-­‐term
 plans
 
are
  almost
  always
  alien
  to
  our
  policies.
  The
  time
  is
  ripe
  for
  political
  office
 
holders
  to
  concentrate
  on
  ameliorating
  the
  decadence
  in
  the
  country,
  and
 
also
 formulate
 policies
 that
 would
 forever
 yield
 positive
 results
 even
 in
 the
 
years
  to
  come.
  The
  Monroe
  Doctrine
  that
  yet
  is
  the
  backbone
  of
  American
 
foreign
 policy
 was
 promulgated
 as
 far
 back
 as
 1823.
 Legion
 are
 the
 lessons
 
to
 be
 learned
 from
 it
 by
 our
 leaders;
 one
 of
 which
 is
 to
 gear
 their
 energies
 
towards
  the
  propagation
  of
  issues
  that
  would
  ameliorate
  the
  Nigerian
 
state,
 and
 not
 towards
 the
 bloating
 of
 their
 bank
 accounts.
 

The
  formulation
  of
  policies
  that
  serve
  the
  interest
  of
  only
  a
  selected
 
few
  is
  highly
  unpatriotic
  and
 un-­‐nationalistic.
  Hitler’s
 Mein
  Kampf
 (1925)
 
says
  that
 “the
 question
 of
 nationalizing
 a
 people
 is
 first
 and
 foremost
 one
 of
 
establishing
 healthy
 social
 conditions
 which
 will
 furnish
 the
 grounds
 that
 are
 
necessary
  for
  the
  education
  of
  the
  individual.
  For
  only
  when
  family
 
upbringing
  and
  school
  education
  have
  inculcated
  in
  the
  individual
  a
 
knowledge
  of
  the
  cultural
  and
  economic,
  and
  above
  all,
  the
  political
 


  23
 

greatness
 of
 his
 own
 country.
 Then
 and
 then
 only
 will
 it
 be
 possible
 for
 him
 to
 

feel
 proud
 of
 being
 a
 citizen
 of
 such
 a
 country.”
 The
  promulgation
  of
  public
 

policies
 that
 neglect
 the
 socio-­‐cultural
 and
 political
 institutions
 of
 the
 state
 

deprives
  the
  citizens
  of
  that
  sense
  of
  belonging
  and
  in
  the
  long
  run
  makes
 

the
  land
  fertile
  for
  the
  growth
  of
  hatred
  for
  the
  government.
  This
  is
  the
 

Pandora
 box
 that
 eventually
 leads
 to
 conflict.
 

In
  the
  twenty-­‐second
  paragraph,
  you
  made
  mention
  of
  the
  need
  to
 

negotiate
  with
  Boko
  Haram;
  a
  reasonable
  step
  I
  would
  say.
  However,
 

inasmuch
  as
  negotiation
  is
  a
  step
  towards
  annihilating
  the
  grand
  kerfuffle
 

that
 has
 bedeviled
 and
 is
 bedeviling
 the
 state,
 we
 must
 pause
 for
 a
 moment
 

and
  take
  into
  account
  the
  manner
  of
  persons
  we
  wish
  to
 close
  the
  gates
  to
 

the
  temple
  of
  Janus
 with.
 Franklin
  Roosevelt
  says
  that
  it
  is
  impossible
  to
 

negotiate
 with
 an
 incendiary
 bomb
 or
 with
 ruthlessness;
 a
 statement
 which
 

has
  not
  lost
  face
  in
  the
  light
  of
  the
  attempt
  to
  negotiate
  with
  these
 

terrorists.
 Negotiating
 with
 Boko
 Haram
 can
 be
 likened
 to
 appeasing
 Hitler.
 

I
  can’t
  help
  but
  imagine
  the
  nature
  of
  their
  demands
  when
  eventually
  the
 

State
  comes
  to
  the
  table
  with
  them.
  However,
  negotiation
  yet
  is
  a
  viable
 

option
  in
  the
  light
  of
  the
  lives
  that
  are
  lost
  on
  account
  of
  the
  escapades
  of
 

the
  insurgents.
  I
  only
  pray
  that
  the
  government
  of
  President
  Muhammadu
 

Buhari
 and
 the
 insurgents
 can
 find
 a
 reasonable
 common
 ground;
 one
 that
 

would
 see
 an
 end
 to
 terrorist
 activities
 in
 the
 State.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The
  resurgence
  of
  Boko
  Haram
  activities
  after
  the
  exit
  of
  ex-­‐

president
 Goodluck
 Jonathan
 is
 appalling,
 but
 the
 lessons
 learned
 from
 his
 

last
  days
  in
  office
  cannot
  go
  unnoticed.
  In
  the
  last
  days
  of
  Goodluck
 

Jonathan
 in
 office,
 the
 Boko
 Haram
 insurgents
 were
 literally
 at
 the
 mercy
 of
 

the
  Nigerian
  state,
  as
  the
  Nigerian
  army
  invoked
  a
 Blitzkrieg
 on
  their
 

Thoughts
 and
 Letters
  24
 

24
 
 

 

strongholds,
 bombing
 them
 in
 the
 words
 of
 Hitler
 "to
 nothing."
 The
 game
 of
 
"never
  again"
  was
  echoed
  from
  the
  very
  hearts
  of
  liberated
  towns
  and
 
villages
  as
  the
  world
  was
  awed
  by
  the
  satellite
  footage
  of
  the
  insurgents
 
reeling
 under
 the
 weight
 of
 the
 military
 might
 of
 Nigeria.
 This
 alone
 drives
 
home
  the
  point
  that
  Boko
  Haram
  is
  not
  and
  can
  never
  be
  stronger
  than
 
Nigeria,
  that
  Boko
  Haram
  can
  always
  be
  defeated
  and
  annihilated
  even
 
with
 the
 ISIS
 alliance.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 But
  some
  people
  who
  would
  read
  this
  may
  gripe
  that
  I
  forgot
  to
 
include
 corruption
 as
 a
 cause
 of
 conflict.
 I
 didn’t
 forget
 it;
 I
 only
 took
 it
 for
 
granted.
 

 
Igwemba
 Chukwugoziem
 
BA
 International
 Studies
 and
 Diplomacy
 
08082209245
 

 

 


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