CANDID TALK: My Worries For Ndigbo

By ROMMY IGBOANUGO-IMAH 

Ndigbo must today -not tomorrow - regain themselves and re-assert their corporate personality in our multi-ethnic Federation or diffuse into isolated individual entities in the anonymity of Nigeria's multitude.

- Uche Chukwumerije

If incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, loses the March 28 presidential election, then, the Yoruba-controlled media would have succeeded in its agenda at foisting Muhammadu Buhari on Nigeria. They would have succeeded in their agenda-setting mission of using the instrument of media to decide the fate of the over 160 million Nigerians. Even as majority of Igbos do not see anything good in Muhammadu Buhari, the Yoruba-dominated media want us to believe

that he is a saint.

Every keen follower of the build-up to the 2015 general elections would have

observed that the campaigns have been awash with propaganda especially the one promoted through the social media. But head or tail, the media has helped in no small way in carrying this propaganda, moulding the electorates' opinions. If you want to know how much the media influences public perception and understanding of national issues then, visit any of the newsstands, stay there a little and see the kind of arguments that go on especially among Okada riders. And this is the singular purpose.

Going by the mood in the South East, it is obvious Ndigbo (not all of them anyway) have decided to support President Jonathan. For whatever reason this is so, history has shown that for any person to win election into the office of the president in Nigeria, no one ethnic nationality can ensure victory for such a contestant. There must be inter-ethnic handshakes. And the media has maximally been used for this purpose.

Unfortunately, Ndigbo cannot be said to belong to the league of media owners in Nigeria. It is in the print media that one can feel the presence of Igbos a little. You can easily count national media concerns owned by Igbos. They include Champion Newspaper owned by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Daily Sun and New Telegraph Newspapers owned by former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu; Business Hallmark Newspaper owned by Prince Emeka Obasi and the Source Magazine owned by Dame Comfort Obi. Only recently, The Union Newspaper touted to be promoted by Dr. A.B.C. Orjiakor, joined the list.

Sadly, some of these media outfits are headed and edited by non-Igbos who do not even understand what our agenda as a people are. Or even where they understand, they do not see the need in giving the agenda prominence. And that is why the Igbo nation massively lack in infrastructure such as good roads, industries, health institutions, etc. That is why in Nigeria's political environment, Ndigbo are like a flock without a Shepherd. It is a sad case of Oke n'ohia, ngwere n'uzo. Onye g'ekwuru anyi?

Our people's attitude to media ownership has cost the Igbo a lot. Those who have enough to invest in the media do not understand its importance to economic and political development of a people or race like ours. The implication of this is not far-fetched as the political relevance of Ndigbo in the project called Nigeria has continued to precipitously decline. It is a shame that Ndigbo have found themselves in this mess. Who would believe that this is a race that bore the Great Zik of Africa, who through his media conglomerate, singlehandedly brought independence to Nigeria?

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the driving force behind the struggle to win independence for Nigeria, deploying his West African Pilot Newspaper, with all his zeal and courage, and gave voice to the struggle for independence and correct the bare-faced falsehoods the foreign media were dishing out to distort the facts. It was Zik's media empire that marketed and celebrated such great Igbo sons like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Akanu Ibiam, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, Dr. Nwafor Orizu, Professor Kenneth Dike, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara and a whole lot of others. It was a pride being Igbo in those good old days.

The few Igbos that have media organisations find it tough getting patronage in the form of adverts from Igbo industrialists, businessmen and governments. And that is why some of them emerge today and disappear the next day because they lack the financial muscle to sustain such enterprise. Yet, the same governments and business moguls find delight in patronising media outfits owned by non-Igbos. Not even State-owned media outfits have enjoyed patronage by the State governments in Igboland. What a tragedy!