Former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe has urged Ndigbo to desist from whining and complaining about marginalisation but to sit up and embrace the entrepreneurial skills they are known for.

Abaribe, who however acknowledged that Ndigbo are not getting their fair share in Nigeria but said they should do away with recrimination, self-pity and embrace entrepreneurship skills to confront socio-economic challenges which Igbos are known for before Nigeria-Biafra war.

He said that a rejected people do not reject themselves.

The lawmaker gave the admonition in Enugu Wednesday at the 60th birthday ceremony of a veteran broadcaster, VinMartin Obiora Ilo, who equally used the occasion to launch the birthing of a private television station, Signature TV in Enugu.

Abaribe noted that Ndigbo were progressives, development conscious who never depended on others to drive growth, but a people that always look up to better days and as such should put the past behind them and forge ahead in industry, enterpreneurship and skills acquisition.

“Ndigbo are progressives. We are development conscious. More than that, we have always been a people who do not depend on others to drive growth. All we have always needed is to come together as a people and drive growth,” he said.

To come out of a negative past for a greater future, Abaribe said “whining, complaining and self-pity should give way to commitment for a better tomorrow”.

“While we acknowledge that we have been given the short end of the stick in the Nigerian project, we must pull ourselves up, stop moaning about how badly we have been treated by Nigeria and embrace the Igbo adage: ”onye ajuru aju, anaghi aju onwe ya,” whoever is rejected does not reject himself. We have done it before and we can do it again if we commit to it.

“It is saddening to see us let go of this great virtue of ours and become embroiled in self-pity and incessant complaints. That is the Igbo spirit. The Igbo spirit is about making the most of whatever situation we find ourselves in and coming out better than those who were favoured,” he said.

He regretted that rather than move on some Igbos still embark on looking backwards instead of forwards.

“Recently, it does seem that all we do in Igboland is to dwell only on the negatives when what we must do is to chart a new course. To begin afresh like we did in 1970, commit everything we have towards towering over every other group through the spirit of ”onye ahala nwanne ya,”_ one should abandon or neglect his brother.

“For me, it is not too late for our rediscovery, reorientation, cultural retooling and of course a total rebirth. All that made us strong as a people, all the indices that earned us respect in the comity of states, must be revived and all our low sides given a total overhaul.

“As a people, we have dwelt so much on our past. But in doing this, we have also discovered our fault lines and the reasons for our failings and why we did not consolidate on our previous successes.

“Enough of this self-indictment. This is the time to re-evaluate our situation and terms of engagement with social and political forces for the good of Ndigbo. We must not allow outsiders to set agenda for us because most times, such agenda are meant to weigh our people down,” Abaribe stated.

Abaribe advised governments of the South East to regij their education curriculum to include skills acquisition so that at graduation from schools, the youths would be square pegs in square holes, capable of being self-reliant in the absence of paid employed.

“My other advice is that South East governments and educational administrators should as a matter of urgency incorporate skills acquisition as compulsory in the education curriculum.”

Corroborating Abaribe on need for skills acquisition in Igboland which will help to checkmate unemployment and insecurity and crimes in the South East geo-political zone, immediate past minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, said the need for skills acquisition cannot be over-emphasised.

The ceremony was attended by prominent Nigerians including for governor Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Atta, Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai. (Vanguard)

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