Chief Emeka Diwe is a chieftain and President General, Association of South-East Town Unions. He spoke to LEADERSHIP recently in Abuja on his Union and some burning national issues. Excerpt.
Your group had just concluded a meeting with Chief Ogbenna Onuh, an Igbo Leader and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). What is this visit all about?
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My group is the Association of South-East Town Unions which I head and I am here as a representative of the group in a delegation of the National Reformation Movement (NRM) which is the main group that just had the meeting with the former National Chairman of the APC. The leader of the delegation is Chief A.C Echukwu of the NADECO fame, you remember him? So, we are consulting and meeting with leaders and stakeholders in the Nigeria Project to proffer suggestions on how to move the country forward. Like I said earlier, I am the leader of the South-East Town Unions. We discussed issues of national unity and reformations.
Kindly throw more light on this your Town Union.
The Town Union is the only development driven identity of the Igbo man that has stood the taste of time. It predates the colonial era. The Town Union structure is an exclusive product of the Igbo man’s genetic configuration of unrepentant republicanism. It is the only genuine democratic structure in Igbo Land with undisputable credible leadership. It is the only structure that has total coverage in the whole of Igbo land. In fact democracy started from Igbo land in Nigeria via the Town Union leadership. In my community, Akpulu in Imo state for instance, the first documented meeting proceedings (minutes) of the Town Union was in 1936, when they produced the first person who could read and write. The modern version of the Igbo man’s ancient republican system of governance is what we are celebrating world over today as democracy. Americans who are the father of modern democracy has just embraced the Town Hall meeting as a democratic mobilization process under Bush regime but Town Hall buildings and Town Hall gatherings (meetings) originated with the Igbo Man long time ago. Every living Igbo man today cannot say when the Town Union meeting of his town/community started, he grew up to see it. The age grade (Ebiri), nnoko Umunna/Otu Umunna, Nze na Ozo, Umuada, etc, were all forms of Town Unionism that existed in the past which metamorphosed and developed into the present modernized town unionism. The two most important things about the Town Union are that it drives development to the grassroots mainly through self help effort. 80% of rural development in any part of Igbo land is through the Town Union leadership – the schools, hospitals, roads, churches, market squares, scholarship programs, etc. Secondly, the leadership is the willing choice of the people by all democratic and credible standards. The Presidents-general occupying the Apex Leadership are men of integrity with credible mandate of majority of the people. It is a reflection of true democracy. It is the real government of the people for the people and by the people.
Selection/Election process is very credible – No rigging, No bribery, No killing, no fighting, no snatching of ballot boxes, no buying of ballot papers, no bribery of INEC etc. In fact you cannot compare Town Union election/selection process with Nigerian political party election process, like the one we just had, in terms of credibility and every Igbo man can attest to that. Therefore this leadership is very relevant in the configuration of suitable democratic policies, programmes and benefits that will be generally acceptance to the people.
How are the Leadership (The P.Gs and Exco) Remunerated for doing all these jobs?
That is what I am telling you. The real Town Union leadership is not paid a dime. It is a thankless job. Their reward is “in heaven”. That is why it is not popular and attractive to bad characters.
But what remuneration can equal a unanimous mandate and certificate of credibility by a whole community to one man? Let me tell you, to be hungry and willfully refuse food takes more than a man. It depends on our value system. President Generalship is not easy my brother. It is like the Biblical Carmel and eye of a needle. It is easier to find a corrupt political officer holder at all levels than to find a corrupt P.G. This is my stamp. I stand to be corrected.
This your Town Union System sounds too good. Why has it not received National attention yet?
You see it takes the owners (Igbos) who practice the system to expose it to other regions. Unfortunately most of the prominent Igbo politicians who reach the power corridors are self centered. The Town Union phenomenon addresses the grassroot and people interest essentially. It doesn’t make sense if you go personal. It takes a genuine person to appreciate and apply a genuine system. How can one who believes in rigging election want to use a system that frustrates rigging? Every animal begets its type. A pig cannot give birth to a cow. Nigerian democracy strives in suppressing of truthful majority opinion. Only money and brunt force can achieve this which only the rich and executive prerogative can access. These are all cancerous viruses of corruption. That is why, in our earlier interview we were excited at Buhari’s declaration of war against corruption and we specifically urged him to exclusively concentrate on this war. Corruption is the root of all evil. “Integrity” is the sole solution. This is my stamp No. 2. Town Unionism does not convey immediate pecuniary benefits to the operators so how can the greedy one promote, support and scarlet it? However some Igbo political leaders understand the efficacy of Town Union therapy in driving development to the people. They apply it and it is working out perfectly. A good example is found in the man we have come to see today. He appreciates the role of Town Unionism and so recognized it. Another is what we are seeing in Anambra State today.
Why do you use Anambra State as example instead of your own Imo State?
One of the major factors of integrity is saying things the way they are, even if it seems against you. The last three successive political leaderships in Anambra state have effectively partnered with Town Union and go to Anambra state today, the difference is clear; an even and aggregate rural development everywhere. We have all the records. It is too big to be discussed now. Lets keep it for next time.
What is the organization of this town union like, beyond the local community?
Besides the communities, there is a coordinating body at the local government level where the Presidents-General come together to meet and discuss the affairs of the town unions. In Imo state it is headed by a President of Presidents, (P.O.P). There is also the zonal structure where the Local Government’s P.O.P’s meet from time to time to discuss the affairs of the zone. Then there is the state structure where the 27 P.O.P’s representing each local government plus the zonal heads come together to form the state executives of the town unions which I am privileged to be the leader by God’s grace. And recently, we have an amalgamated structure comprising the Town Union leaderships of all the Igbo speaking states under the umbrella of the Association of South East Town Unions.
What is the difference or relationship between the Town Union and Ohanaeze Ndigbo?
Ohaneze is an elitist Igbo pressure group. I am a member too and all state leadership of Town Unions in Igbo speaking states are statutory members. But the Town Union, in addition to being an Igbo pressure group has a statutory function of driving self held development and maintenance of peace and order. There is only one Town Union) involved in the day to day administration of the communities to maintain peace and order via various vigilante groups etc. They are the closest to the grassroots and as such, the structure is the most effective agent of mobilization in Igbo land. Every genuine Igbo man including members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is a member of his Town Union. Any Igbo man who is not a member or is expelled from the Town Union has a questionable character. In fact, the phenomena of Town Unionism are deeply rooted in the psyche and culture of the Igbo man both at home and in Diaspora. Beside the mother Unions that are based at home, all the major cities in Nigeria- Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Onitsha, Aba etc, all have branches of their various Town Union. In US, UK, Germany etc there are Igbo Town Unions too. It is a racial phenomenon.
Is this Town Union political, does it actively participate in partisan politics?
The Town Unions are political but not partisan. The Town Union is father to and welcomes all political parties. That is to say that Town Union as a structure does not belong to any political party even if it has Igbo tribal coloration. Individual members and groups could belong to various political parties of their interest. However, the Union can come out and take a definite position when the collective interest of the Igbos or the community is at stake. It can also be described as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
Buhari’s recent appointments have not favoured the South-East. There are fears that the zone is just being marginalized because it did not vote for him, I mean president Buhari.
It is wrong to say that the Igbos did not vote for Buhari. You see there are two types of voting and political support; one is active, the other is passive. If one deliberately refuses to vote for his brother who is your opponent, it’s a form of passive or latent support for you. If you compare the voting pattern in 2011 with that of 2015, especially in the South East you will realize what I am talking about. Even at that, the Igbos voted for Buhari both “actively” and “passively”. However, we have passed the stage of election politics; we are now in the politics of governance. Buhari has won the election, he needs to also succeed and win in governance. The two stages and scenarios are quite different. A set of people relevant for a successful election might not necessarily be the set relevant for successful governance. Buhari like himself must bluntly appreciate this obvious fact. On issue of appointments; yes one may gradually believe that a deliberate attempt is being hatched against a major tribe in the country but I as an individual is believing that other appointments are yet to be made. The Presidential spokesman said the appointments of the Service Chiefs and others after were purely based on merit. Let’s watch. Luckily the Igbos are known for merit and achieve a lot by merit. There are many appointment areas where the Igbos will excel on merit. Let’s see whether merit will turn to de-merit. Like already established, the Igbos are true democrats. If democracy is what we seek; if it is actually what we practice, then it would be ironical to punish the South-East for practicing and promoting democracy.
What is your sign-off statement for this interview?
In Igbo land, it is the Town Union structure that can complementarily achieve the desired credibility in governance. That is the Buhari model. It does not mean outright conversion to government arms. The blue print is however beyond the scope of this brief interview.
Diwe can be reached via 08037000341
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