Now, I want to look at Obi Cubana, the Eagles, and the City Boys Movement.
There is a recent video of Obi Cubana saying that the City Boys Movement was a movement of young successful Igbo businessmen and professionals who are in pursuit of the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Among other things he said, one was that they wanted to educate and enlighten the Igbo people, so that they would not put all their eggs in one basket, for the betterment of Ala Igbo, to build a bridge to the centre—Aso Rock, to avoid divisive politics, and to link up with the oil and gas industry and the railway sector.
This has drawn a lot of backlash from Igbo brethren. Some have even issued threats that they are waiting for him when he comes home. He and his City Boys were also seen distributing rice and other materials to poor people.
Now listen carefully before you react.
Obi Cubana has a fundamental right to join any political party and support anybody in the Nigerian political space. I heard them singing “On your mandate we shall stand.” Whether they were saying “Bola we shall stand” or something else, I do not know, but I suspect they meant Bola.
There are three types of people in the political arena.
First, there are those who make their personal interests look like public interest.
Second, there are those with messianic agendas. For example, slogans like “Make America Great Again” sound messianic. They present themselves as coming to save the people and restore the nation.
Third, there are political bandits. These ones come simply to take, destroy, and contribute nothing.
Some people have said Obi Cubana is doing this because of his personal interests and to safeguard his businesses. There is nothing really wrong with that. If you understand politics, you will know that politics is not a church fellowship.
According to David Easton, politics is the authoritative allocation of resources. According to Harold Lasswell, politics is about who gets what, when, and how. So politics is essentially a game of interests.
When you find somebody who places the interest of the people above personal interest, then you have a good politician.
Now those of you saying he is protecting his personal interests, let me ask a simple question.
When Landmark Beach Resort in Lagos was destroyed, nobody from Igboland came out to protest or form a human wall to prevent the destruction. When an Igbo woman who was developing properties in that axis had her properties destroyed and cried publicly, I did not see any response from Igbo organisations or lawyers defending her.
When Innoson Motors had issues with GTBank, there were no major protests to support him. That man was even imprisoned at a point by his fellow Igbo man.
When other businesses owned by Igbo entrepreneurs were stifled, who came out in their defence?
So you cannot blame a man if he tries to protect his business and legacy.
However, Obi Cubana was not wise in using the words that he used—saying he wanted to educate and enlighten the Igbo people. The Igbo are among the most enlightened and widely travelled people in Africa. For someone who calls himself a young man to say he wants to educate them is derogatory and insulting.
If he had said he wanted to solicit their support, or introduce the idea of engaging with the central government, that would have been different.
But let me ask him a simple question.
Is Dave Umahi not an Igbo man? Is he not in the central government? What has he brought to Igboland?
Is the governor of Imo State not an Igbo man? What has he brought that another governor could not have done?
Rochas Okorocha was once in the mainstream political structure. When the EFCC came after him, he shouted and cried, yet he did not get the protection he expected.
So being in the centre does not necessarily mean anything. What matters is whether you have a formidable political and tribal base that can support you.
I have spoken against tribalism before, but we must face reality. African politics, and Nigerian politics in particular, is largely tribal-based, money-based, and influence-based.
Now look at the Fulani political structure in Nigeria. They are not up to thirty million people, yet they wield enormous political power. One of the reasons is that they largely stay united. Even when they disagree, they rarely publicly denigrate their tribe.
On the other hand, many people from other groups constantly attack and insult their own people.
Now let us return to the issue of development in the East.
If you want to hold anyone responsible for the underdevelopment of Igboland, hold your politicians accountable—the senators, members of the House of Representatives, governors, ministers, and political appointees from the region.
There was once a minister who said that about 75% of the supervisory engineers in the Federal Ministry of Works were Igbo. If roads in the East were bad, then the people in charge of supervising those projects should also be questioned.
Recently there was an attempt to use “Allah” as a password for an examination in Delta State, and people were asking me to comment on it. I refused. I told them to go to their politicians and officials in the Ministry of Education and complain. Eventually it was changed.
People sometimes run to activists instead of holding their leaders accountable.
During the time when some Igbo youths were being humiliated and forced to roll in water during certain security operations, many Igbo politicians kept quiet. I personally called some of my friends in politics and law to raise concerns about it.
So some of you who come here abusing me should remember that I sometimes speak up for you when your own leaders remain silent.
You must also learn to disagree without being toxic. When you hear a contrary opinion, it does not mean you should insult people.
Look at Alex Otti in Abia State. He is not in the ruling party, yet he is performing well and people are happy.
Then Obi Cubana also talked about linking Igboland to the oil and gas industry. That argument is weak.
You do not enter the oil and gas industry by joining APC. If someone gets a licence to build a modular refinery, they can start small and expand gradually. That is why it is called modular.
Young Igbo businessmen who have resources could come together and build industries that employ people, instead of merely distributing rice and vehicles during political campaigns.
Even Innoson Motors could receive more support if Igbo states decided to buy their official vehicles locally.
Now let me say something important.
The politics of sharing rice, wrappers, and vegetable oil is outdated. That is simply the weaponisation of poverty. If Obi Cubana and the City Boys claim to be successful young men, they should engage in ideological politics.
They should explain to the people what President Tinubu has done for Nigeria and for the Igbo people, what his plans are, and why he deserves support.
On the other hand, Igbo people should also criticise him without insults or threats. Do not accuse people of crimes you cannot prove.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from responsibility.
And finally, remember this: no part of Nigeria is populated by angels. Any human being can behave foolishly.
But we must learn to argue based on ideas, not insults.
My name is Dr. Charles Apoki.
God bless you.
