To put it succinctly, ‘a Leopard will never change its spots’.
Thus, during the Biafra war (Ndigbo call it Biafra war; others call it Nigeria civil war), there were some people that let in the enemy through the backyard. We called them Sabo; shortened from Saboteur. Yes; I was young enough (not old) to know so.
Without mincing words, those Sabos were mostly from Ogoni, Ijaw and Ikwere ethnic group that comprised the old Rivers State. Like Fela Kuti sang; ‘colonial masters appointed one useless Chief through whom they oppressed the people’; so did the Hausa/Fulani.
They found a collaborative oppressor in Ken Saro Wiwa from Ogoni, whom they later killed when he woke up from his slumber to ask for the rights of his people.
And there was Edwin Clarke from Ijaw, regardless of what he says today. Not forgetting Elechi Amadi who went to Oputa panel asking for compensation for the unsubstantiated crimes Ndigbo committed against Ikwere people during the Biafra war.
The Sabos were told by their Hausa/Fulani masters to sabotage Biafra otherwise the establishment of a Biafran State would mark the beginning of their enslavement.
Unfortunately and perhaps out of timidity, they accepted the lies and propaganda fed to them by the born to rule Jihadists.
And so, the Sabos acted the part of the house-rat that informed the bush-rat where the fish was kept (a paraphrased Igbo proverb). But in truth, Ndigbo were only trying to save the former Eastern region from the Hausa/Fulani planned enslavement.
And insulate them from the catastrophe that the mismanagement of the Niger Delta resources would bring, as it’s the case in Nigeria today.
The Jihadists succeeded in creating enmity amongst the people of the same cultural heritage. As such, the Sabos sabotaged Biafra headed by an Igbo-man, DIM Emeka Ojukwu, and the war was lost.
Anyway, that happened in the 1960s but in 2011 presidential election, the table turned. An Ijaw-man, Goodluck Jonathan, participated in that election and relied on the block votes of the former Eastern region, especially Ndigbo, for success.
As usual, the Hausa/Fulani tried their old trick of divide and rule but failed. Their search for a potential Sabo amongst Ndigbo was unsuccessful. Besides, Ndigbo wouldn't have allied with those that retracted the Aburi, Ghana accord, which led to the Biafra war.
Having said that, Ndigbo were however, faced with two options; alliance with Jonathan or vengeance against Edwin Clarke who was drumming support for Jonathan but was also a Sabo against Ndigbo in the 1960s.
Ndigbo chose alliance not because Jonathan would construct a brand-new express road from Enugu to Port Harcourt but to show maturity to their neighbours. And thereby, unmask the real enemies of the people of Niger Delta.
Fast forward to 2015; another presidential election is looming. There’s tension in Nigeria; the Hausa/Fulani insist that power must return home; to the North or else “the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood’’, according to Buhari. The Ijaws have declared war in abeyance waiting to see if Jonathan will lose the election.
However, in order to puncture Jonathan’s political stronghold of South-East and South-South, Buhari and his Islamists conspirators have gone back to where Sabos are readily found – the old Rivers State. Yeah; because once a Sabo, always a Sabo.
Now, they have found Sabos in Gov. Amaechi, Magnus Abe, and former Gov. Sylva of Bayelsa State. Particularly surprising was that Abe joined the same Hausa people that killed Ken Saro Wiwa, for demanding the rights of Ogoni people.
Anyway, it appears that he’s recounting his steps after Amaechi denied him the gubernatorial ticket as promised.
All the same, these Sabos asked the people of the zone to vote for Buhari because and according to Amaechi; Jonathan didn’t develop Rivers and Bayelsa States. Gov. Amaechi should therefore, explain to the people, what are his duties as a State Governor if he was expecting the president to develop Rivers State for him.
Moreover, Buhari informed Rivers and Bayelsa people that he’ll develop their States since Jonathan has failed them. But when Buhari was the Head of State, what development did he bequeath to the old Rivers State?
What road did Buhari construct in Rivers/Bayelsa when he was the PTF Chairman under Gen. Abacha? Buhari should sincerely tell the people the role he played in favour or against the killing of Ken Saro Wiwa by Abacha.
These Sabos should know that the first thing Buhari would do in the Niger Delta will be to revoke the law that setup NDDC and Ministry of Niger Delta.
He will also cancel the amnesty program since he has accused Jonathan of favouring the ex-militants while bombing Boko Haram.
In fact, these Sabos should tell their people what they stand to gain from the APC government. The North has the Presidential slot; but Gov. Amaechi was not good as a vice Presidential candidate so they zoned it to the South/West.
As reported, Sen. Saraki is warming up to become the next Senate President. But Amaechi is only useful as the director general of Buhari Campaign where he will be spending Rivers State money. It’s pathetic.
As for Ndigbo, it’s very clear that the only stake they have in APC is Gov. Okorocha and Senator Ngige being members of APC. Otherwise, Okorocha and Ngige should say the position APC has zoned to Ndigbo.
Since Ndigbo have already started supporting Jonathan of which they formed the backbone of his Presidency; I can’t see them not continuing. And as Igbo proverb says; a sensible man will never leave his son to pamper his stepson.
Moreover, Buhari has never denied the following statement that he made on 27/08/2001; “I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country”.
Applying the total implementation of Sharia in Nigeria can only be achieved through Jihad. And for the Sabos of the South/South, beware of what you wish yourself and your people.
Finally, those factors that prevented Usman dan Fodio from reaching the South/East are still there and will forever prevent his descendants from Islamising Ndigbo.