TDIn the evolving Nigerian political space, Ndigbo must look beyond familiar rhetoric and draw from parallel historical experiences that offer wisdom, resilience, and pragmatic strategies.
The Jewish journey—marked by displacement, persecution, reinvention, and eventual statehood—offers a compelling lens through which to examine and reposition the Igbo struggle, identity, and future.
1. From Alienation to Alliance: Rebuilding Trust with Neighbors
Despite centuries of anti-Semitism across Europe, the Jewish people-maintained focus on returning to their ancestral home—Zion.
Ndigbo already have a homeland: the Southeast. However, the challenge lies not in reclaiming territory, but in building trust and strategic alliances with neighbors.
The Southeast must engage constructively with surrounding regions—Calabar, Benin, Agbor, and others—by exhibiting honesty, respect, and humility in their cultural and economic interactions.
The distance from Abakaliki to Ikom is barely three hours, yet a deep social and cultural disconnect persists between both peoples.
Similarly, while Benin to Agbor takes just 40 minutes, the Agbor native does not speak the Edo language.
More strikingly, though Agbor to Onitsha is a short two-hour drive and the Agbor man understands the Igbo language, he remains estranged from Igbo identity and solidarity.
These dissonances point to a long-standing fracture in perception, identity, and trust—underscoring the urgent need for intentional regional diplomacy aimed at healing suspicions and fostering integration across Nigeria’s southern corridor.
2. Rejecting Victimhood: Playing Sophisticated Politics in a Predatory System
The Jewish people did not allow centuries of persecution to reduce them to victims.
After the Holocaust, they channelled pain into purpose, preserving their identity through education, enterprise, and statecraft.
Ndigbo must do the same: move beyond the narrative of marginalization and war defeat, and begin to master the rules of engagement in Nigeria’s complex, multiethnic political game.
In such a system, politics is not driven by sentiment but by strategy, calculation, and negotiation.
The Igbo elite must learn to operate with tact, coalition-building, and long-term vision—qualities that have enabled smaller ethnic groups to secure greater political mileage.
3. Reinventing the Igbo Spirit: From Igba Boi to Strategic Capital
Following the civil war, the Southeast rose from the ashes of devastation.
In 1971, trailblazers like Chief Titus Ike Umeezoke and Ozoemena Nwankwu birthed the Peoples Club of Nigeria in Aba, rejecting Lagos for Enyimba as a hub of Igbo renaissance.
This spirit gave rise to industrialists like Mike Merchandise and Sir John Anyaehie.
Yet, the moral code that once governed Igbo entrepreneurship—rooted in hard work, integrity, and apprenticeship—is fading.
Today, the Igba boi tradition and artisan vocations are endangered, replaced by a disturbing veneration of wealth, regardless of its source.
We must urgently restore our ethical foundations, recalibrate our value system, and reaffirm the dignity of honest labor.
4. Biafra as an Ideal, Not a Geography
The perception of Biafra as a geographical statehood must give way to a conceptual reimagination.
Think of Biafra not as a secessionist goal, but as an ideological framework, akin to Bavaria in Germany—rejected for its regional nationalism, but globally respected for its contributions in engineering and innovation.
The Igbo must become a nation within a nation—like Israel in the Middle East—defined not by territory alone but by excellence in science, technology, industry, and education.
This will command global respect and position the Southeast as a powerhouse of innovation amidst national limitations.
5. Crisis as Catalyst: The Dreyfus Analogy and the Herzl Solution
The tipping point in the Jewish struggle was the unjust persecution of Captain Alfred Dreyfus in France, which galvanized Theodor Herzl and Jewish elites to pursue the establishment of Israel.
The Igbo must learn the art of transforming injustice into opportunity. This is a skill—one that demands unity, strategy, and elite consensus.
Our governors must begin by developing a regional curriculum that instills the tripartite Igbo spirit:
- Igba Mbo (Struggle) – The ethic of perseverance and enterprise.
- Njepu (Adventure) – The drive for expansion and global outreach.
- Ofo na Ogu (Justice and Fairness) – The moral compass of the Igbo worldview.
Conclusion: A New Igbo Consciousness
History does not favor the sentimental—it rewards the strategic. The Jewish experience teaches us that identity is not inherited; it is defended, redefined, and projected.
The Igbo must now shift from lamentation to reconstruction, from marginalization to innovation, and from isolation to integration.
To secure the future, Ndigbo must become not just a people of trade—but a people of ideas, alliances, and strategic influence.
Let Biafra rise—not as a secessionist cry, but as a global brand of resilience, excellence, and justice!
