June 20, 2006

Message to Igbo Youths

by Chris Chike Nsoedo (Canada) --- Chris Chike Nsoedo, the Sec-General for the Igbo Canadian Community Association and one of the coordinators of the First World Igbo Youth Conference points the way forward.

Preambles:

Historically, the youths have always been the catalyst that propels every society. They shape the leaning of structures that hold all humanity. The interest of an organized youth in any social setting determines the inclination of its leadership. Therefore, Igbo youth must coordinate in order to protect Igbo land and her institutions.

INTRODUCTION:
From the time the sovereign state of Biafra was declared in 1967 to the present day, Igbo land has never been the same. Since the cessation of the Nigeria/Biafra conflict in 1970, the economic obstruction and isolation of Ndi-Igbo by the Nigerian government which started during the war has continued unchecked. The consequences that emanate from the blockade have led to the devastation of our economic and social development.
Though one can not attribute the entire problem besieging Igbo land today to the trauma of the civil war, one thing is certain, Ala-Igbo is wailing for redemption since that war ended.

RECONCILIATION: Pre-civil war Igbo.

As a segmented society, individualism and democratic principles are the foundation of our social relations. In Igbo land, absence of absolute leadership has never constituted a problem to our nation, as our society thrives on the consensus reached by the various segments that make up the social order. However, in the recent times the reverse has been the case, our society is on the verge of anarchy because THE FORCES THAT REGULATE OUR SOCIAL STRUCTURES COME FROM THE OUTSIDE AS OPPOSED TO WITHIN. Those forces as we all know are not interested in protecting our society rather it benefits by fomenting crisis that derails our focus.

For Ndi-Igbo to reclaim their position in the triangular equilibrium that holds the Nigerian state, we must revive our home base. To have a strong home base, we need to develop an effective strategy that will help us build a new foundation upon which the entire Igbo nation will stand irrespective of differences.

This platform will serve as an avenue through which different opinions converge and finally melt into a consensus for the common benefit of the entire people. The consensus reached will then replace the motley of discordant voices currently speaking for Ndi-Igbo with one strong voice that resonates from coast to the hinterland. That voice must be protected by organized Igbo youth. That protection from the youth is an important part of the structure that has been missing in our society since the end of the civil war.
Igbo land should draw strength from her vast and dynamic youthful population. However, we need an appropriate avenue to harness those latent potentials in our youths.

Unfortunately, lack of collaboration among our diverse youth groups hinder the contribution their unity should bring to the development of our home land. THIS IS WHY WE MUST HELP TO INITIATE THE FIRST EVER CONFERENCE OF IGBO YOUTHS ACROSS THE WORLD TO HOLD IN NNEWI ANAMBRA STATE AUGUST 24TH-26TH 2006.

The idea of having a summit stems from consultations with some respected Igbo individuals and youth groups. It is believed that during such a summit, devoid of influence from politicians, the youths will have opportunity to meet for the first time and debate among themselves on the best way forward. If a clear goal is identified in that meeting, it is of a general opinion that the search for the solution or ways of attaining such goal may bond our youth together.

Ndi Igbo have strong tendencies to unite for a common aspiration and from our investigations; it can be said without any doubt that achieving “UNITY” is the most important desire of most Igbo youths today.

If a clear direction is presented to our youths especially on how to rebuild our society through participating in Nigeria affairs, the Igbo youths will start understanding that we are still in Nigeria and until then we should struggle for our own within the ambit of the system.

To achieve unity, we need reconciliation among those seeking to unite and in order for people to reconcile their differences; there must be a meeting between the parties concerned.

Once again, it is worth mentioning that the major difficulty with the above statement is that our diverse youth groups do not see eye to eye. They desire unity but lack the resources or organizational capacity to arrange for an effective process or road map to resolving their differences. This is why they resort to seeking help from politicians and in so doing pollute their honorable objectives. We should step in and use our vantage position to re-direct our youths. The optimistic view among most Igbo youths is that their kit and kin in Diaspora will come to their aid when the right time comes. This is the right time to fill that vacuum.

It is important to note that there is this general agreement among our youths that 1967 to 2007 will make it forty years since Ndi-Igbo were locked out of the Nigeria equation and they seriously believe it is time to emerged from the wilderness and reclaim our position. But let me caution that how formidable we are during our exit out of that wilderness will determine our future or survival among nations.

THE ONLY WAY IGBO LAND WILL REBOUND FOR GOOD IS THROUGH THE PARTICIPATION AND PROTECTION OF AN INFORMED YOUTH ALLIANCE.

HEALING:

We all know that scarcity of resources breed competition and conflicts sometimes arise from unhealthy rivalry. This is human nature; however, such conflict may pose a problem to the society in general if there are no SPECIFIC MODALITIES FOR SOCIAL RELATIONS. In Igbo land today we lack that acceptable body that moderates between various competing interests. This is why we need a youth conference to develop and protect such an entity upon which we will stand to reconcile.

Reconciliation cannot be complete without healing. If we can be magnanimous and humble during that summit, we may heal the wounds we inflicted upon ourselves from selling-out, betrayals, sabotages, etc. Healing replaces hard-heartedness with open and librated mind. We need librated individuals to work together and develop a strategy that will debunk the entire inglorious allegation designed by our competitors against Ndi Igbo.

REBUILDING:

There has been so much damage to the ethical and social fabric of our people that it is going to take a united effort to rebuild. Ndi-Igbo must desist from working to the time table set by other nations in Nigeria; we must have our own time table and priorities.
Once we achieve the two points of reconciliation and healing mentioned above, we will start the process of rebuilding our society (Igbo Nation). This will entail Igbo youths from different backgrounds coming together to study, probe and reach conclusions, without rancor, on every aspect or branch that constitutes the fabrics of our society. Bearing the following in mind will help us in steering our fortunes to a greater height.

• We must understand that there are bound to be differences in opinion and approach in any problem solving scenario.
• When we encounter such a situation, we must not see it as an impediment to realizing our goal but an advantage in the sense that we are a dynamic society and that we have more than one opinion to explore.
• We must also be proud that Igbos are naturally democratic and independent, therefore, every group that will participate retains their right to self determination within the set rules and principles that shall guides the conference.

Therefore, all groups will have equal opportunity to contribute in all deliberations.

Conclusion:

Let’s make it clear to our youths that they cannot have a permanent commitment to a failed strategy; that failed approaches include having an aversion to political affairs of Nigeria. Ndigbo in diaspora must also change their strategy, because they develop good ideas without actually implementing them. Ndigbo deserve a different kind of leadership from what they are getting now. To effect changes, we should invest in our youth groups through education. We should also contribute to the socio-economic development of Igbo land by transmitting good ideas to organized Igbo youth groups for implementation. If we can help the youths to come up with a way of developing interest in the polity, their influence will definitely force our leaders to adjust.

Igbo youths should be trained on ways of recapturing power or influencing the leadership of Nigeria at all levels. LET’S START WITH OUR YOUTH AND WORK OUR WAY UP.

Visit: www.igboyouths.com

Chris Chike Nsoedo, the Sec-General for the Igbo Canadian Community Association and one of the coordinators of the First World Igbo Youth Conference points the way forward.

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