Ekweremadu, IPOB, Germany and the right to protest

Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu was rough-handled recently in Nuremburg Germany where he was billed to give a keynote address at the Second Annual Cultural Festival and Convention organized by Ndigbo Germany. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) accepted responsibility for the assault.

Their spokesman said they consider Ekweremadu to be a “traitor” who was part of the conspiracy to proscribe their movement and tag it a terror organization. IPOB further stated that South-East Governors and various Ndigbo leaders have been marked as enemies to be “disgraced” wherever they are seen overseas. This change in tactics is an error, and it’s difficult to see how it will work in their favor.

One of the redeeming factors of IPOB which has been to their credit is that despite provocation and government’s quite obvious prejudice against them, they have remained a non-violent organization engaging in peaceful protests. If they change their non-violent philosophy and become militant, it may work against their ultimate interests by giving their enemies more reasons to further clamp down on them. Alternatively some of their supporters claim it’s a good move because government habitually “settles” organizations that unleash violence while brutalizing those that believe in peaceful protest!

However, as South-east Governors point out, this isn’t the time for Igbos to show disunity because as long as zoning is followed in 2023, the next President should come from their geo-political zone having previously been to the South-West and South-South. It’s difficult to comprehend how anyone could believe that assaulting Ndigbo leaders’ overseas can be assist legitimate agitations within Nigeria. Apart from a wrong approach, it was also the wrong time and place. Ekweremadu was attending a cultural convention not a political meeting.

Part of the event was the annual celebration of the New Yam Festival marking the end of the rainy season, conclusion of harvest and beginning of a new planting season. It really doesn’t make sense for politics to be brought into such an occasion. The action of the IPOB members in Germany should be condemned, but not because as government spokespersons claim; “it dents the image of the country”. Nigeria’s image has long since been dented by the actions of various Nigerian governments and political leaders.

They have embarrassed the nation far more than its citizens who are regarded as victims of poor governance. Western leaders make no attempt to hide their scorn for African leaders and the failure of governance in their countries. Instead of tackling Nigeria’s poor overseas image through time honored recognized diplomatic channels, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic Corps have been relegated to the background.

Instead the Diaspora Commission comments on all foreign matters even to the extent of “warning” foreign governments while demanding “patriotism” from citizens overseas. Quite apart from the contradiction of asking those who fled the nation for greener pastures to be patriotic, there is an adage that patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. Whenever things are going awry government officials revert to pleading for “patriotism” which as far as they as concerned means keeping quiet and not complaining!

What makes the IPOB action ill-considered isn’t a lack of patriotism, but the fact that their hosts really don’t give a hoot about what happens in Nigeria and their political activism is simply seen a criminal disturbance of the peace! With Germany’s history of racism, the last thing required is to prove their assertion that Africans are incapable of solving their problems by themselves! As far as most host nations are concerned if it were possible for all Nigerians living there to leave together with their Embassies and political leaders in tow, it would be cause for celebration! Having been granted some sort of citizenship, asylum or visa, the job of Nigerians in Diaspora isn’t to disturb the peace on account of the problems of the country they left, but rather to quietly enjoy the benefits of a properly run, well organized society.

IPOB should be aware that over the last eleven weeks there have been serious protests in Hong Kong. News reports have shown police battling with protestors on the streets every weekend, yet nowhere has it been reported that Hong Kong people have constituted themselves into a nuisance in any other country. Although the “attack” on Ekweremadu was categorized as an Igbo affair, the fact remains that all manner of Nigerians in diaspora habitually disturb the peace with political protests against their government. British police were called out to handle disturbances by diaspora Nigerians in London during President Buhari’s several visits for medical treatment, and virtually all Nigerian Embassies worldwide have witnessed protests and public disorder by Nigerians.

The real reason Nigerians protest overseas and not at home is because they are not at risk of being gunned down by soldiers or policemen, and in developed nations there is a far better understanding of democracy and the role of protests in demonstrating the will of the people. Democracy in Nigeria has been reduced to its barest minimum of conducting defective elections, and political leaders seem blissfully oblivious of utter contempt which citizens have for them. The Federal Government must understand that failure to uphold the right to peaceful protest is one of the main reasons why Nigerians agitate and vent their anger in foreign countries.