Nigerian columnist, Donu Kogbara, has said It is unfair to speak ill of the Igbos and deny them the opportunity of being president of the Nigeria because of their entrepreneurial mindset.
While appearing on the City Talks With Reuben Abati on Saturday, Kogbara said she always got negative remarks whenever she discussed with non-Igbos about the possibility of an Igbo presidency in 2023.
Speaking on the topic “2023 elections and other matters arising”, the former BBC employee opined that Igbos are engaged in productive economic activity that Nigerians should embrace.
She said, “I think that its good that there are drivers of the economy , they are good at making and importing stuffs and that is productive economic activities.
“The comments I hear during conversations with people of other ethnic groups makes me disturbed about the injustice being inflected on the south east.”
According to her the fact that Igbos are good at making money and are willing to go to any part of the country with such objective should not be a reason to dislike them.
“Igbos are traders , business people and more likely to be interested in the bottom line than people from other groups, that doesn’t mean you won’t find business people from other groups but Igbos are more on the whole oriented that way.
“So why will you hate Igbos who are more financially independent than the northerners who are solely dependent on the government except for Dangote and one or two others.
“I don’t want to be rude about northerners but they are not productive as a whole and people never say, you are very unproductive you can never be the president of Nigeria. But Igbos ae chastised for generating wealth,” she stated.
Laying emphasis on how the Igbos have been marginalized, the Niger Delta born questioned why people have never raised same hatred towards the Fulanis, even after the issues arising from herdsmen attacks in the country.
“Despite the ill-feelings over the issue of herdsmen , you never hear people say no Fulani should be president of Nigeria again.
“What I find extraordinary about this whole Igbo issue is that people seize on any excuse just to make them not entitled for presidency.
“I’m not saying Igbos must be president in 2023 but I’m saying everyone should be politically viable like others.
[thewhistler]