THE DOCK – ABEL DAMINA: BEFORE I AM SERVED A QUIT NOTICE.

My friend and Editor of Global Pilot Newspaper in apt relay of the State of the Nation wrote : ”

-Northern Youths give three months quit notice to Igbos.-Militants give Northerners October 1st to quit Niger Delta.-South Africans give Nigerians June 16 to quit South Africa.” Gloss over these ultimatums as we may,  fact is,  there is something fundamentally flawed with our society.

Albeit,  behind this worrisome dark cloud of claustrophobia and budding seed of genocide, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State lit a flicker of light in the darkness.

In sharp contradistinction with the careless issue of ‘Quit’ , around the nation,  Governor Emmanuel  directed that a certificate of origin from Itu Local Government Area be issued to Dr Abel Damina and his family, this conferring on him, the full status of citizenship.

By that great proclamation, Governor Emmanuel gave a deserving present to mark the Silver Jubilee of the  marriage of Drs Abel and Rachel Damina which took place at the Power city Intl church, 98 Nwaniba road, Uyo where,  as General Overseer,  he has worked tirelessly to build a major ministry that has been a blessing to countless lives and raised the religious tourism quotient of the State. Damina actually elected Itu when asked to make his choice.

Just a few weeks back precisely on June 6, 2017, a Coalition of Northern Youth Groups, purporting to be reacting to the provocation of Biafran agitators, gathered at the symbolic Arewa House in Kaduna State and issued an order demanding that Ibo’s (South Easterners) living in all parts of the North leave before October 1.

Among other vices that Nigeria is engrossed in as a nation, which the Arewa youths, in their wisdom, attributed to the Igbo race, and for which they say, they are fed up, one caught my fancy.

Hear them, “…The Igbos are also responsible for Nigeria’s cultural and moral degeneracy with their notorious involvement in all kinds of crimes, including international networking for drug and human trafficking, violent robberies and kidnappings, high-profile prostitution and advanced financial fraud.”

As if to authenticate their wholesome tarnishing of the reputation and image of a race, the Lagos State Police Command, five days after, announced a big haul, and paraded one of the most wanted kidnap suspects in Nigeria, Chukwudi Onuamadike, a. k. a Evans.  Mr. Onuamadike, 36, was reportedly  arrested at his home in Magodo, Lagos, after a gun battle that lasted several hours.

The kidnap kingpin,  who collects ransom in Dollars from his victim’s, most of who, from the list I have surfed, are mostly Igbo, hails from Nnewi in Anambra State. His confession video which has gone viral on social media has done a yeoman job for the anti Igbo group, and that’s is far more reason, this crime burst is given the unprecedented publicity around the nation.

Fact is,  I commend the Nigeria Police led by the Inspector General,   Ibrahim Kpotun Idris for cracking down on this notorious criminal gang,  as they did , Vampire,( do you remember him? ), but  Folks’, never use these miscreants to condemn a whole race.  If nothing else,  it is great injury to the countless families that suffered his heartless rage of kidnapping, while it lasted, who are also of Igbo extraction like him. For crying out loud, crime has no tribe, religion or gender.

Let me go to South Africa before I return,.

The Nigeria Union in South Africa, on WednesdayJuly 14, have again cried out that, two communities in the country, have asked Nigerians to leave their territories by June 16.

President of the union, Ikechukwu Anyene, said the Kuruman community in Northern Cape Province gave Nigerians till Thursday to leave. He also said the Klaafontein community, Extension 5, Johannesburg, directed landlords not to renew the rent of Nigerians in the area, blaming them for the rise of illicit drug trade and prostitution.But others who are more frank simply complain, that, Nigerians have taken over all available jobs and businesses leaving natives with nothing.

The World has watched helplessly in the past,  as South Africans lynched Nigerians on the streets of Johannesburg, Cape Town and others on the same allegations. This should not be taken lightly.

Many have wondered why these Nigerians, who are predominantly Igbo, are not returning , given threats they continue to face. Truth is,  the igbos are a migratory tribe and are very industrious. They have big investments and property wherever they chose to settle and make any such place home.

Another truth is,  those South African brethren after attacking Nigerians carry out their real objective,  which is – Loot the property of their victims and take them over. Sadly,  that is the underlying script in the Northern quit notice to the igbos.

They couldn’t even hide it.  Hear them : “…As a first step, since the Igbo have clearly abused the unreciprocated hospitality that gave them unrestricted access to, and ownership of landed properties all over the North, our first major move shall be to reclaim, assume and assert sole ownership and control of these landed resources currently owned, rented or in any way enjoyed by the ingrate Igbos in any part of Northern Nigeria.

Consequently, officials of the signatory groups to this declaration, are already mandated to commence immediate inventory of all properties, spaces or activity in the north currently occupied by the Igbos for forfeiture at the expiration of the ultimatum contained in this declaration.” Hahahahahaha!  That’s all these posturing is about. They want to dispossess the Southerners and appropriate their property.

Recall in the Bible that the Israelites suffered this same case while in Egypt (see Exodus 1:7-10).

See why Dr Damina is lucky and why Governor Udom Emmanuel has done well for him?  The quit notice by the militants can’t worry him anymore. I won’t even mention his State of real origin anymore. Now, all I want is my own. I also pray all these Northern governors can borrow a leaf from Governor Udom Emmanuel and grant the threatened igbos full citizenship rights.

Let me sum up this piece by referencing Chinua Achebe’s brilliant argument on why the people of Umuaro and Okperi should not go to war against each other in his prose,  Arrow of God.  He wrote, “… we marry the daughters of Okperi and their men marry our daughters, and that where there is this mingling men often lose the heart to fight “. Methinks there is still so much that binds us as a nation and people, beyond the skirmishes of politics. We are stronger together. But come on, where am I from?