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BDSUNDAY 33
Feature Iberiberism: Beyond Nigeria’s political theatrics VINCENT NWANMA
T
he word iberiberism may well be on its way to being adopted into the English language lexicon, courtesy of the current political melodrama taking place all over Nigeria, and in this particular case, Imo State. Beyond Imo where ‘iberiberism’ was diagnosed as someone’s ailment, Nigeria as a nation, I dare say, is also a victim of this malaise, a rather debilitating sickness that makes a giant live among minnows. Besides being an example of an ism word, one of the types that Nigerians love to hear speakers spew at public events, its onomatopoeic resonance makes it particularly interesting to the ears. This resurgence of ‘iberiberism’ as a factor in our national life has its roots in the political fight of the outgoing governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha. He was declared as a Senator-elect by the returning of officer in charge of the election on February 23. He cheered and his supporters joined in the song and dance. The cheer was short-lived, however, as the returning officer claimed that he made the declaration under duress. The only reason that the embattled candidate then could proffer as the reason for the returning officer’s recant was simple: ‘iberiberism’. If Okorocha had spoken in Igbo language, he would have said to the man: “b onye iberibe.” In describing what he thought was wrong with this INEC official on such an important assignment, Okorocha was indeed harping on a subtle malady that has insidiously afflicted
our collective psyche. After all, “iberiberism” or its equivalent in whatever language expressed, foolery, has to do with the state of the mind and how it’s applied by an individual or group. Words create our social reality. So what we portray things and individuals to be with our words is part of our social framing, diagnosis and, implicitly, prescription for Onye iberibe Iberibe in Igbo culture generally means foolery. But there are other variants of the word. An
Owerri person would have said to the returning officer, “Apari kuru gi” or “I wu onye apari” and it would mean the same thing, and in this case the man’s problem would be “aparism”. Come to think of it, how is it that governors of Imo State are becoming known for their highsounding words for describing our social malaise, our chronic inclination to the theatrical while the nation wallows in Some years ago, a former governor of Imo, was known
for his penchant for such highsounding words in describing our social conditions, to the delight of and applause from those who heard him. On June 30, 2009, governor Ikedi Ohakim led a team of government officials on a working visit to the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos. At that time, the market was prostrate, emasculated by the global financial meltdown. The visit was an occasion for stockbrokers, journalists and other members of the financial community to drink freely from his ever-flowing river of loquaciousness. I have captured the events of that visit in a forthcoming book, part of which is presented here. The governor with his team was at the exchange to present their plan for a bond offer of 18.5 billion naira. Money from the bond sale would be used to finance a number of projects in Imo, including funding the state government’s equity stake in the Oguta Wonderlake Resort and Conference Centre, said to be the first of its kind in West Africa, Ohakim said. The governor had the opportunity to ring the closing bell and sound the gong as well. But he did not leave the podium without making an impression on the audience. The market, some months earlier, had been in a state of “Hocus pocus,” he said, as the audience cheered. The market, he continued, had been in a state of something else that was not quite audible as a result of the uproar that greeted the first description. He concluded by saying that the market had been in a state of “oblivion.” Imo, the state of the late Sam Onunaka Mbakwe, has received perhaps more than a fair share of
iberiberism. Mbakwe, governor of the Old Imo State from 1979 to 1983 epitomised the concept of governance as service. That is virtually gone. But this malady is not peculiar to Imo. It is present everywhere and is in part responsible for our stunted progress as a nation. What is foolery or iberiberism? It is playing to the gallery while serious issues of state craft or governance are trampled upon. It is acting with the mind of a child and expecting adult reward. That is why governors in Nigeria over time have achieved more on the pages of newspapers than what is evident on ground in their states. Iberiberism is perhaps the only reason why a man elected to lead a state sees it as opportunity to privatise the government house and virtually the entire process of governance. When everything about a government revolves around those close to the leader, it is only so because of iberiberism because it only shows the state of that person’s mind. This national sickness explains the gale of abandoned projects that litter Nigeria’s landscape while the potential beneficiaries continue in their penury. Why, for instance, is Nigeria today the world capital of extreme or absolute poverty despite the multitude of economic empowerment programmes and projects that virtually all state governments have executed? Today, at least six Nigerians enter into the hall of shame every minute, according to World Poverty Clock. One thing is certain: with the end of the elections, some measure of iberiberism is on its way out – not just in Imo, but across the country.
Banned Okada riders in endless wait for Obiano’s shuttle buses ... Continued from on page 32
crashes, and it is not right for any government which cares for the welfare and future of its citizens not to do anything about this phenomenon, considering that the safety of every individual is the primary constitutional responsibility of the state’’. What is more, he continued, “many robberies and other violent crimes throughout Nigeria have been traced to people using commercial motorcycles. “We do not want anything which can compromise our hardearned reputation as Nigeria’s safest state’’. The Information Commissioner disclosed that Anambra did not follow other South Eastern states to restrict Okada operations when they did because Obiano was developing a scheme to “provide the people of the state with superior services
and make the Okada operators more productive agents of our economy. “The delay is worth it because Gov. Obiano did not want the Okada operators to be out of employment.” At that time, in response to the elaborate plans and promises by the state government, the chairman of the Okada Riders Association in the state, Jude Udegbe, described it “as another evidence of Obiano’s humane nature’’. The Chairman of the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Jerry Nnubia, also called it a welcome development, “which has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of Okada operators and reduce the crime rate in our state’’. The chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the
state, Comrade Ifeanyi Okechukwu, said it shows that “the governor’s second tenure will witness a radical improvement in all sectors’’. However,the dealers of motorcycle spare parts in Nnewi, saw a crash in their fortune; they lamented the setback their business would suffer as a result of the ban on the activities of commercial motorcycle operators in the state. President of Fairly Used Motorcycle Dealers Association in Nnewi, Eloka Ubajiekwu, who stated this at a press briefing, said: “There will be serious hunger, diseases and even death of many people over the ban of Okada at this time of harsh economy. “A lot of people are fending for themselves and their families with Okada. An Okada rider is taking care of a minimum of five
to seven persons daily, feeding them and paying children school fees. “Motorcycle traders are earning their living from the business; likewise, mechanics, vulcanizers and allied workers. By banning Okada transport, they are all in a big trouble because they have lost their jobs.” He added: “Onitsha and Awka and other places in Anambra are quite different from Owerri, Benin and Enugu where such bans had been effected because the people of those states are not major dealers in motorcycles. “We can comfortably say that there are no well known motorcycle dealers in those places, but here in Nnewi, we are too many to mention and even though the Okada ban was not extended to Nnewi, it will affect us badly because Onitsha and Awka are our major base.”
By the same token, the Secretary of New Auto Spare Parts Association, Uche Ezechukwu had warned that over 20,000 people would become jobless if the order was not rescinded. Th e An g l i c a n Bi s h o p o f Amichi Diocese, Most Reverend Ephraim Ikeakor, had spoken at a function recently urging the state government to help provide the commercial motorcyclists alternative means of livelihood. “Anambra is pure business area. Maybe, what he (the governor) should have done was to limit their scope of operations in those cities or, in some federal road axis or other similar roads. That will be understandable,” Ikeakor said. Today, the pang of the ban has started to be felt across the state. And many of those directly affected by the government policy are dying by installments.