The Abokis in Igbo Land versus Ndi Igbos in Arewa - By Isa Mohammed

It is a very beautiful thing that in almost every cities, towns and villages in Northern Nigeria you have Igbos owning shops, houses, apartments, plazas, hotels, private schools, farmslands and other landed properties and so on.

 In fact you have a whole street dominated by Igbos like Bakin Kura and Igbo Quarters in Bauchi, Sabon Gari in Kano and so on. And this of course is the result of the tolerant and accommodating posture of Northerners.

But my worries is that the same cannot be said of Northerners in Igbo land. For instance in Onitsha Main Market, which houses thousands of shops, investigation has shown that no Northerner owns a single shop in that market. This goes the same with other markets like Ochanja, Shoesite, Ogbaru/Relief Market, Mbudi Spare Parts market etc.

It is still the same story in terms of property ownership such as housing, farmlands, landed property etc. The highest an Aboki can own in those areas (South East) is a bar chart, kiosk, make-shift shop or zinc house. You may argue that it is because no Aboki man or woman has the financial muscle to own such properties in those places. Yet, go to Portharcourt, Calabar, Uyo, Warri, Benin City, Bayelsa, Lagos etc you will see the same Abokis having apartments, shops, lands, houses even factories.

And if you argue that the Abokis even though have the financial capacity but are not just willing to do that, then the fundamental question is WHY? If they are willing to invest in Rivers, Calabar, Bayelsa, Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ife, Ogbomosho etc but are not willing to do so in Onitsha, Enugu, Nnewi, Imo, Abia or anywhere else in the South East then you know that there is a fundamental problem. It simply means that the environment is neither made conducive nor friendly nor accommodating. 

The atmosphere is simply made harsh for them. In fact, the truth is, it is regarded as a taboo for Ndi Igbo to sell or even rent a house, a land or any property to the Aboki. The only city in the South East where Northerners have appreciable ownership of properties is Abakalaki, Ebonyi State.

It is equally same story in terms of job opportunities (both Government and Private). In my dear State, Bauchi, we have pockets of Igbos as State civil servants and which is the same in many Northern states (and this is a very good one). But as a Northerner (Onye Aboki) who are you to to even go for any recruitment exercise in Igbo land? When I was in my 300 level, I wanted to do my Industrial Attachment (I.T) with the Anambra Broadcasting Station (ABS), Onitsha Sub-Station. When I took the I.T request letter to the station, me and my request letter suffered instant and total rejection and mockery on arrival right from the reception area. Who even gave me the guts? The rest of the story can be better imagined. So that was just IT oo! What if I were there for a recruitment exercise?

However, there are some exceptional Easterners who are sincerely not happy with the status quo. But much as they wish to change the status quo, they remain as helpless as the Abokis. The same way you have some Northerners who are bitter simply because the Igbos are making fortunes and excelling and are accommodated and allowed to own properties, lands houses and so on in the North. Alas their bitterness is simply suicidal and insignificant as they are not even up to one percent of the Northerners and so can't change anything.

Generally, the South East seems to be less accommodating than the other regions of the country. I stand to be corrected, though.

The bottom line is, let the Abokis (the Northerners) be accepted, accommodated and be given the same right to ownership of properties in Igbo land as the Igbos are enjoying in the North and other parts of the country.

 But for this to be achieved there is a need for our enlightened and exposed Igbo brothers and sisters who have become part of us in the North to sensitise and educate their brothers and sisters over there who are having stereotype, misconception and wrong perception of the North and Northerners.

All we are calling for is let there be balanced and equitable opportunities, equitable treatments and equitable rights for all and sundry between the different sections of the country.

Isa Mohammed writes from Bauchi..