RT HON BENJAMIN KALU AND THE EMERGING IGBO RENAISSANCE IN NATIONAL POLITICS.
Realistically or seemingly, the 1967-1970 Civil War, being an aftermath of the January 15 Military interregnum in Nigeria, did leave some bitter pills in the mouth of particularly Nigerians of the Igbo extraction, not minding the mantra of No victor No vanquished, which was bandied by the country’s Military leadership and it’s accompanying ‘Three R’s’ of Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation and it’s inability to heal wounds and provide the much needed succor as was expected, if indeed, no one was either victorious or vanquished.
Also, it would not also be contested that there is an obvious marginalization, if not a systemic ostracization of the Igbo nation, making them look like endangered species in a country where there is seemingly so, a cosmetic inuendo of ‘Unity in Diversity’, which has been viewed by many as glaringly hypocritical and an outrageously outright lie.
The above shall not in any way suffice, as there is also a collaboration with the ‘oppressors’, the enabling will of ‘sons of the soil’, modern day saboteurs as it were, who relish personal interest, so much so that they openly disparage their own for selfish reasons, which has also given rise to their being quarantined and isolated amidst their crocodile and hypocrisy garnished tears because if burning issues tilted to their personal whims, it would have been to them, a credit to Democracy, where justice said to be done is seen as done.
Be that as it may, a lesson must be learnt from the above, that he who sells his brother will never be trusted by the buyer, even though they view their actions as ‘ingredients of politics’; where they derive such interpretation still remaining a nightmare and to say the least, bizzare.
Anyways, there is an obvious upsurge in awareness, closing the gap of the obvious polarisation of Ndi Igbo in the political firmament, following the emergence of believers in national healing and cohesion, viz a viz making inroads in the rebuilding process, narrowing reasonably the negative notion of selfishness, bigotry, sabotage and betrayal, replacing the aforementioned with faith and confidence, positioning the Igbo Nation as a people who must not be pitied, not genuflecting to be carried along but as genuine partners in the business of Nation building, belling the cat and setting the agenda for national unity in words and actions.
Among such few individuals in Igbo land today is Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu , the Deputy Speaker of the freshly inaugurated 10th National Assembly, with special emphasis on the Federal House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria who has openly and willingly demonstrated that personal ambition must be sacrificed for the sake of national healing.
Political reminiscence, since his entry into national politics has shown an individual who has insistently canvassed that the South East in general must integrate into the mainstream of national affairs rather than allowing egotistic persons use them for private aggrandizement, showing no direction or crafting a roadmap for integration, politically speaking.
Though Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu has not poised self to be a flippant Messiah, he has constantly sought the collaboration of well meaning sons of Igbo land , with a view to seeing the need not to isolate themselves from need to align positively for the much needed development of much marginalized people of the South East.
Rt Hon Kalu has shown that national cohesion is no rocket science and further also that Ndi Igbo can be trusted in national dealings rather than be viewed as political lepers who add no value of positive politicking.
Bringing new zest, poise and energy, carrying the banner of the South East in the Order of National Precedence, Rt Hon Kalu is in the know of the level of enormous responsibility he bears as the major bastion of hope for the emerging Igbo resurgence and the obvious revolution of the Igbo Renaissance, seeking the support of all the matters to see to this much needed rebirth.
This vibrant individual has shown that his inroads into politics is beyond the notion of who gets what, when and how but as a collective responsibility, populist based bargaining and general service, offering himself sacrificially to make contributions to national healing and adhesion which is the only panacea to peace and the equity of all units.
May the renaissance succeed.
Henry Onyema Madubuike
henrymadubuike74@gmail.com.
