Disturbed by years of non infrastructural decay and poor economic development in his state, Ebonyi which over the years had denied the youths gainful employments and also turned them into street and highway hawkers in Nigeria, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, the youngest prolific artwork collector, culture and great traditionalist, in this interview with Saturday Vanguard Business, frowned at the inability of successive government in the state to develop Ebonyi.
Against this backdrop,he implored Ndigbo both home and diaspora to unite as on indivisible force before thinking of ruling Nigeria. Excerpts:
At the moment, Ebonyi people are seriously clamouring for infrastructural development as a means to end hawking among their youths, do you agree with them?
It’s quiet unfortunate and shameful that if you are driving along the streets in Lagos particularly on highways and you approach any of those hawkers’ they will tell you they are from Ebonyi state. Also, if you decide to communicate to them in their language, they will respond accordingly, an indication that confirms their honesty. I’m disappointed and angry with those who had governed the state, particularly, with their self-centredness.
They were only concerned with immediate members of their families, taking their children abroad for education and holidays with state allocations meant for infrastructural development, job creation, skill acquisition, youth empowerment among others. These are laudable projects that would take the state to advance level if government had actually invested in them.
There are a lot of job opportunities Ebonyi state government can explore in order to reduce unemployment and stop hawking which has become a culture among Ebonyi youths mainly because past leadership refused to create jobs for them. Government should be held responsible for this deprivation of gainful employment among youths. If you visit Ebonyi state now, you can’t find owned or established by government that can provide jobs, be it skilled or unskilled labour. Moreso, the state does not have any recreation centre that would enable youths develop their talents for competitions both nationally or internationally.
I’m an artwork collector not an artist. But atleast, I sketch for my artist before he goes on with his artistic work. Most of them follow my directives considering my experience on Igbo artwork, Yoruba, Benin and Hausa artworks. Before now, I have been clamouring for government assistance to build a museum centre and a workshop for artwork that would attract tourism in Ebonyi state as this would help to create jobs for youths.
This singular effort had been rebuffed by past governors. At the moment, the only place that looks as if human beings are living is government house. Other places are horrible sight. The worse place in Benin Republic could be compared to Ebonyi state.
Today, Ebonyi state record the highest number of teenage hawkers in major cities in Nigeria. There is no reasonable impact on economic development. Those who had governored the state had only succeeded in enriching themselves and their cronies. Go to Ebonyi hotel formerly Moritel hotel which was bought from former vice President, Alex Akwueme. Most people who have been working there for years, most of earn N25,000 to N30,000 monthly.
Some of them are married. What can that paltry sum of money achieve. I don’t know how people can be wicked to their citizens. Ironically most of these government officials had made several trips to abroad and see how government over there developed their countries, but some of our leaders are not ready to apply what they saw there.
From what you are seeing, do you see the chances of Igbos ruling Nigeria?
With God all things are possible. Our people are intelligent, educated, wise and exposed. But the self-centred attitude in them causes disunity among them. With disunity in their midst, it will be difficult for Ndigbo to rule Nigeria if they can’t unite themselves because unity is power and without it you can’t achieve a purpose. The issue is that, the Anambra indigene will be claiming superiority over Enugu indigene.
This superiority complex has rub-off-on virtually all the eastern states. So when you don’t unite, how do you form a good family to speak with one voice. Before you lead a people, you must put your house in order. One peculiar characteristics of Igbos is that they worship past heroes. For instance, Odimegwu Ojukwu, relation to Ojukwu, those past wealthy men who had made name 50 years ago still hold sway till date.
If you are not from those lineages, an Igboman in leadership will not want to listen to you or even come closer. The success of the Yoruba is because they respect their culture which is embedded in their language. Irrespective of your status when you approach Yoruba leaders in their language, they welcome you and listen your message but it’s not so with Igbos. It must be those wealthy ones. This should not be so.
We must listen to everybody before we draw conclusion. Somebody like me as an artwork collector, I stand to be corrected, there is no Igboman that has African artwork more than me presently, both ancient, modern, in bronze, bead and other artifice. Recently, I presented one of the most expensive masterpiece artwork to the President’s wife including Pius Anyim. But I’m not a proud man.
As an artwork collector, I have sponsored more than 500 Nigerians to international art exhibitions and empowerment programme in Nigeria to promote unity as one Nigeria and human race. But during this period I had difficulties in making contact to see the President. All the Igbos I approached before then will first want to know whether I’m from Azikiwe family or from Anambra before they could render any help. Whether anybody believe it not, President Goodluck Jonathan is God’s sent to Nigeria and he is God-fearing. I pray he wins again to continue the good work.
Today, I give kudos to persons like Ebutu Ukaiwe, being one among others who is unique and accommodating without discrimination in his dealing with fellow human being. Peter Obi has a listening hears and is humble even if he is not going to adhere to your advice, but he listens.
As a building developer, how do you see housing scheme in the country?
I’m a developer. But can any government that attempt what Jakende did in terms of housing scheme in Lagos. He built housing estates for the masses, and till date, the masses are still enjoying it. I want a government that can replicate that feat so that the increasing population of Nigerian citizens can have shelta at affordable rates. But the challenge is that some people in government who have stored money for themselves would want a plot of land in Parkview and Lekki to go for N1b so that they will be the class that would have assess to such areas.
And it doesn’t bother them whether the common people are living in Cotonou, spending all their salaries on transport to their work places in Lagos. They will push the masses to Ijebu Ode and other areas and at the end of it all, you will be left without savings at the end of every month. Majority of these people were pushed to remote areas with their children engaging in hawking in Lagos streets, prostituting in order to pay school fees. There is no effort to provide low housing scheme for the masses. Look at all the estates built by Jakende targeted at the masses...
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