Human beings have this tendency to scapegoat or blame others when things do not go as planned or expected. Evolutionary biologists believe this natural tendency to shift blames exists among higher animals but is particularly acute in man because of his high rationality in comparison to other animals.
However, while scapegoating is a common trait in humans, the acuteness is higher in some cultures. Consequently, among the major ethnic groups in Nigeria, the group with the highest tendency for scapegoating seems to be the Igbo. This could be because of their peculiar experience in Nigeria. I suspect this is the origin: Ndi Igbo love success, in fact; they worship success and therefore don’t want to be associated with failure. Therefore, each time there is failure in Igbo land, whether collective or personal, everybody looks for whom to blame for it. There is nowhere this blame game or refusal to take responsibility for failure has played out in modern Igbo history as in the Nigerian civil war and the current insecurity in Anambra State. Let us see!
Igbo History of Shifting Responsibility
Nigerian Civil War
Biafra was a unanimous project of Ndi Igbo or perhaps, the old Eastern Region if you like. The leaders of the old Eastern region unanimously supported it and gave Ojukwu their mandate to declare Biafra. There might not have been enough time to consult especially the other ethnic groups in what is known today as South-South, but from all indications, the declaration of Biafra was the people’s decision. However, when it becomes obvious that the war is being lost, the blame game sets in. Ojukwu was blamed for starting the war and for refusing to negotiate when there was still time. Zik of Africa was blamed too. They said he betrayed his people. For many, the Ore debacle would have succeeded if it were led by an Igbo commander like Nzogwu. Ojukwu’s inaptitude in choosing Victor Banjo was severely criticized. Many lost their lives in the issuing blames including fine officers such as Victor Banjo, Ifeajuna among many others.
Many years later, following the uproar generated by Achebe’s There was a country: a personal history of Biafra, one Mazi wrote a very popular essay: “All is fair in war and love” where he blamed Ojukwu’s refusal to form alliance with former USSR and the Yoruba nation through Chief Awolowo as responsible for the defeat of Biafra.
The basis of all this is that the Igbo man is infatuated with success and does not want to be associated with failure. Many in today’s Delta and Rivers States who once associated with the Igbo nation before the war but who could afford the luxury of denying that Igbo identity rushed for it. There is no doubt that many in the Southeast today would have liked to do the same if they could afford it but it appears that geography is not on their side. If for instance, one claims that Anambra, Enugu, or Imo state is not Igbo land, it will be obvious even to the person making the claim that something is basically wrong not just with the claim but most importantly with the person making it. Even at this, we still see some people make such crazy claims. The current governor of Ebonyi state, Dave Umahi has on many occasions averred that Ebonyi state is not Igbo. Dave and his co-travellers are not to blame because in denying being Igbo they are showing how truly Igbo they are. It takes being Igbo to deny being an Igbo.
Current Insecurity in Anambra
Another event that has demonstrated the extent the Igbo man can go to dissociate self from failure is the current insecurity in Anambra State. The security agents started it all by blaming IPOB for every breach in security in the state. Then IPOB in turn have blamed politicians, Fulani herders and the security agent themselves, especially the DSS as being responsible for the insecurity. Nobody wants to take responsibility. The game seems to be, throw the blame around once that you do that you are in the clear. For the security agents, there is need to bother investigating any crime; just blame it on IPOB: case closed!
The Soludo Factor
It will be callous and even irresponsible to say that Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo is responsible for the current upsurge in insecurity in Anambra State. Soludo’s good intention to make Anambra the envy of Nigeria is not debatable. If there is anything to question it is whether Soludo has the ability to keep Anambra State safe. Being a prof of Economics is not the same thing as being a good security officer and I think this is where many people are getting it wrong.
For instance, in the current blame and counter blames on who exactly is responsible for the insecurity in Anambra State, one would have expected the governor of the state to inspire confidence and impose some kind of order but our dear governor did exactly the opposite. After the initial sentimental prayer to stop the so-called sit at home, comes what the governor called consultations with stakeholders. When the insecurity continues, Soludo turned around to tell the whole world that those behind the insecurity in Anambra State are not Indigenes but people from other Southeastern states, especially Ebonyi and Abia States.
Does the fact that foreigners from Ebonyi and Anambra States are behind the insecurity in Anambra State exonerate Prof Soludo from his duty as the number one law enforcer in Anambra State? Look at it this way: what do you think the governors of states like Lagos State would say about the many crimes committed in the states by people from the Southeast. Did governor Soludo think of the diplomatic implications of accusing sister states of criminalities in his state? There is no doubt the Igbos would have gone to war if this accusation by Prof. Soludo were to come from a governor from the north or a Yoruba State.
Nevertheless, come to think of it; what exactly does Governor Soludo intend to achieve with distancing Anambra indigenes from the violence in the state? The answer is simple: Soludo like an average Igbo man is running away from responsibility and failure. If he admits that the violence is homegrown, then he is indicting himself. Now the blame should go to other Southeast governors who left their borders open and allow rebels from their states to enter and attack Anambra communities. How has pointing accusing fingers on sister states cleared Soludo of responsibility for the insecurity in his state? Perhaps someone should remind our learned prof that he is no longer campaigning. He is now the chief security officer of Anambra State.
