Saturday, September 1, 2012

Edwin Clarke, who made you a judge over us?

 

Statesmanship is not a birthright, a ceremonial title, or a mere status symbol without responsibility. Age and experience are parts of the defining qualities, but most importantly, honesty, integrity, transparency, independence of opinion, responsible character and an unbiased judgment of issues. When an elder speaks like a child on issues of importance to a group of people, their children will reply him in like manner.
On the other hand, wisdom preserves his position among the council of elders. Chief Edwin Clarke misfired this time as he was very unfit to be the first to cast stones, he lacks capacity to pass judgment on who is or not a saint. Who made you a judge over us? Corruption is a grievous sin against the Nigerian nation, but Chief Clarke is yet to qualify with the competence to sit in judgment over anyone in Nigeria.
The issue here is
not about Orji Uzor Kalu and corruption (a man who has returned to the expansion of his businesses after leaving political office, with traces of evidence to show for it, with little or no time for political meetings, talks, associations of any sort, even major public functions. One begins to wonder when Dr. Orji Kalu had time to declare for presidency or join issues with the elder statesman to deserve this very unwarranted attack.
Was it while attending AFRINEXIM meetings in China, while in France Singapore, Norway, the US or the UK signing for his new vessels or while in the African west coast countries, attending to the expansion of his banks, insurance companies or trading operations?
It is not about him, not about Orji Uzor Kalu, T.A Orji, Rochas Okorocha, Emeka Anyaoku, Ebitu Ukiwe, Nnamani, Ani Okonkwo, any Igbo big name at all or even the late Odumegwu Ojukwu, who was branded with the label he did not represent, a punishment for seeing our today’s Nigeria yesterday, and wanting to avoid this bloodshed going on now.
Yet, we are currently confronted with the realities of either his predictions or intelligence as well as either pretending we did not see it coming or regretting we did not oblige him in his wisdom. It is about the Igbo as a race, yet history has recorded us more as global solution providers rather than mischief makers.
Duty calls again, an opportunity to provide solution, when basically almost all other race and people have given their quota. Is the secret with us? If the solution is with Igbos, why is Chief Edwin Clarke threatened by his own son without any form of provocation? After all, our votes are there to show that we massively voted for his kinsman.
I’m sure they know that our bravery, intelligence, network, self-reliance, wisdom, entrepreneurial skills, among others, will play a role in our effort towards nation building. Little wonder they are looking for one of the foremost Igbo sons, loved by both the South and the North, to attack and subdue the resilient Igbo spirit in all of us and who else but Dr Orji Uzor Kalu will always be the sacrificial lamb.
Those who don’t care about how things are run are not disturbed, but those like Kalu who are ready to be sacrificed are made targets. The target of almost every democratic administration except that of the late Umaru Yar’Adua (bless his soul). Unfortunately, there is no Slok Air in Nigeria to shut down or Hallmark Bank, etc, to close down like in the past.
The elder statesman should focus on how to help us come out from the most pressing security need of all time currently shaking and questioning the unity of this nation, rather than discuss 2015 election. Well, again, the Ijaws are not being killed in the North but the Igbos, so why would it be of any importance to our elder statesman? That was a very insensitive outing, even if he used it to draw words out of Dr Kalu who has been quiet on political issues recently.
It should be noted that in a time when all kinds of agitations are going on and different flags are being hoisted in different parts of the nation, including Chief Clarke’s backyard, we as a people of the Igbo race will not stand to see any of our leaders irrespective of party affiliation insulted or unnecessarily disgraced.
We are standing up to protect our own. If Chief Edwin Clarke earned his current status in the eyes of his people through hard work, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has a lot to his name to stand tall as a statesman not just among the Igbos but for the entire nation, and should be respected as such.
It is high time the Igbos started looking beyond their noses to recognize a common sociological principle – that race internal integration and harmony attracts race identification, respect and recognition from people of diverse cultures and race. We should embrace integration in place of isolation, onye na nke ya Onye na nke ya abughi ezigbo ejirimara.
Girigiri bu ugwu Eze ya na anyukota mamiri ya gba ufufu bu ejiri mara Ndi igbo. Ka anyi hapu ajor ejiri mara, ma horo ezigbo ejirimara maka ogani iru ndi igbo. Igbos go to the Yorubas and the Hausas and learn from them the spirit of UBUNTU as the Zulus will put it, which our generations past taught us in the great “ONYE AHALA NWANNEYA” philosophy.
They fight, they make up and present a common front. Same with the Hausas even after overthrowing each other, they will always bury their individual interest while resurrecting their collective interest as a people.
It is worse among our people. Don’t get me wrong, OUK is not a saint, who is after all? Let us leave that for God to decide. Let us stop this name-calling, love and respect our own, build our communities that would build the nation or alternatively, destroy all our areas of strength leaving us with nothing valuable to present on a negotiation table with other tribes. We cannot afford to be spectators in our own country.
There could be a better individual for us as a people, we could discover such a fellow without necessarily destroying any of our giants. I look beyond party affiliations, political appointments and elective offices to the dream of my people as an Igbo nation. Let this be your dream as well even as we celebrate all of our sons working hard in the other sectors. Remember, ONYE BU ONYE OMA? ODIGHI ONYE BU ONYE OMA MA OTU.

-Barrister Benjamin Kalu writes from Sydney New South Wales, Australia.
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