Gubernatorial elections are coming up in a couple days. There’s been massive defection from the PDP in Imo State. The APC in Umuaka is gloating. Last night there was a big party hosted by this really rich local dude called Eze Muo. The natives call him a billionaire. They told me he recently bought over 100 plots in the village to build his ‘house’. I’m trying to imagine 100 plots and wonder whether Ugbelle his clan in the village even has that much land. The natives like to exaggerate.
And I didn’t attend the party. I’m not an APC supporter. The cousin who invited me recently crossed over. I don’t want to be associated with his politics so I’m not going to stand beside him. And my other cousin will be there too. He’s been trying to recruit me since I came back. I’m sure many of my cousins will be there. Its a family affair. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.
I think they shared money last night. Maybe I should of been there to collect my own. I sure could use some ‘free’ money right now. But it wouldn’t look good. As an entrepreneur I need to work with various elements in the community. APC. PDP. APGA and any other alphabet soup. My goal is economic growth and development, not the hunger games that is Nigerian politics.
Ever since the Oba of Lagos made those unfortunate remarks about the Lagos Igbo’s the Nigerian online community has been obsessed. The matter still dominates the media. I was numb from it all on the second day. Sometimes reading the news and its online commentary just gets me irrationally upset.
Tribal politics is getting meaner in Nigeria. And why not? There has never been any sanctions against its purveyors. And to think even though his ‘boys’ killed over 1000 after his 2011 election loss we still made Buhari the next President. Well. That sets all sort of dangerous precedents doesn’t it now? What was the impact of that subtle threat of tribal violence on the results?
What will be the impact over the next four years? Nigerians really enjoy gloating. And extracting vengeance. Despite the reassurances that there will not be retribution we can expect it. Looks like the SE/SS is already being set up as the PDP scape goat. Or rather the Igbo’s because the Ijaw, Ibibio, Efik, Ogoni and all the other tribes of the SS can be relied on to undermine the supposed ‘dominance’ of the Igbo’s in the region. Tribal politics. Its the Nigerian reality. Deal with it.
For an entrepreneur your own is to take advantage of any available opportunities to create value and fill a need. You can create value where ever you are resident – Lagos, Abuja, London, Moscow or Umuaka. Tribe or nationality is irrelevant when you are meeting a need. And as a social entrepreneur you should try to create more than economic value, create social value too.
No time for bitterness
Ciao
MzAgams 