Muodum Nick Obi, the Igwe of Nnobi in Anambra state, says he agrees with Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, that Nigerians of his generation who witnessed the First Republic are “a wasted generation”.
The renowned author and playwright made the remark in a 2019
interview on BBC’s ‘Hard Talk’.
Obi revisited the comment during an interview with Rudolf
Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica while reflecting on the state of the nation.
He said that while individuals in his generation made
progress, collectively, they failed to deliver.
“I agree with Professor Wole Soyinka that my generation was
a wasted generation,” the monarch said.
“I remember as a student in London, we protested when Tafawa
Balewa was passing through London to the United Nations.
“But Nigeria still retains the same type of foreign policy
that Prime Minister Balewa had in the ’60s, and I don’t think we would go
anywhere with that, really.”
The traditional ruler criticised Nigerian politicians for
embracing sycophancy and bootlicking. He said many of them have no profession
outside politics and are unwilling to build a society governed by the rule of
law and transparency.
Obi, a devout Catholic, also addressed concerns about his
faith and his role as a traditional ruler. He said he does not see a conflict
between the two.
“I went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and I discovered that
some of the things they are doing and the things that our forefathers were
doing in their traditions,” he said.
“As the traditional ruler of the community, I am the
traditional ruler of both the Christians and non-Christians. I don’t think
being a traditional ruler is against Christianity. Perhaps you can draw a line
on what you can accept as a traditional ruler who is a Christian.”
Obi called on sons and daughters of Nnobi, both at home and
abroad, to invest in productive ventures in the community to boost the economy
and create jobs for young people.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com