By Ugwuagbo Emmanuel Chizoba
According to Oxford Dictionary, an Ethnic bigot is person who is obstinately or unreasonably prejudiced against people of certain ethnic groups, or who believes one ethnic group is inherently SUPERIOR or MORE DESERVING than others.
So, if an Igbo person consistently favors Yoruba people while expressing hostility toward or discriminating against non-Yoruba people (including fellow Igbo), you could accurately describe that as ethnic bigotry and refer to the individual as an ethnic bigot.
Since coming into office, Gov. Peter Mbah has demonstrated a clear preference to work with Yorubas than with Enugu people or other ethnic groups for that matter.
You see, the first time is an accident
The second time is coincidence
But the third and fourth time?
That’s a pattern.
Recently, we learnt that the CEO of the ill fated Enugu Air is Captain Tolu Ita, a Yoruba woman.
However, captain Tolu is not the first incompetent Yoruba person to be given preference and top position in Enugu over and above other Enugu, Igbo and other Nigerians that are not Yoruba.
There is a long list of them.
Starting with security.
Enugu State Distress Response Squad and the Enugu State Command and Control Center.
It is headed by DCP Olamitisoji Akinbamilayo (Rtd.)
The same DCP Olamitisoji Akinbamilayo (Rtd.) is the Commander of Enugu State Forest Guards.
As Enugu battles Insecurity, this incompetent Yoruba man goes upto 4 months without paying the Salaries of Forest Guards.
Imagine how someone owed up to 4 months salary will fight Kidnappers and terrorist herdsmen.
Moving on to information and Communication, the sector that builds and manages our image and Identity as a people.
The Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) is being managed by another incompetent fellow Mr. Ladi Akeredolu-Ale.
When it comes to Media, you don’t need to go far to ascertain who’s doing well and who’s being terrible.
Just ask yourself the last time you heard about or watched a program by ESBS.
They don’t even have ordinary Facebook Page, YouTube channel or X handle. Just sitting there as a museum of what once was.
In spite of all the Media gurus in Enugu, including those actively working for the Mbah Administration, he settled for an Incompetent Yoruba man.
Creating an ugly pattern which suggests that if you want to hold top positions in Enugu, just be a Yoruba first. Then other things shall be added onto you.
We move from information to finances.
We all know how big Peter Mbah is on Taxes and Revenue Generation.
At Enugu State IRS, while Emmanuel Ekene Nnamani is the figure head, all critical areas are managed, supervised and directed by Yoruba people.
If they were competent, we wouldn’t bring their matter to the table.
But they don’t focus on taxation, it appears they are more interested in extortion.
This is evidenced by a circulating notice demanding for a house owner to pay Capital Gains Tax on a house he neither sold nor disposed and is still living inside it. The Enugu IRS has refused to disassociate itself from that notice.
There are other cases of alleged extortion of capital gains tax from buildings still under construction.
Talking about construction, we remember Suji moto.
Another highly incompetent Yoruba man that Peter Mbah chose over and above all competent Enugu and Igbo Contractors and gave him a contract worth over 5billion naira and paid upfront.
Of course the incompetent Sijibomi Ogundele ran away with our money and Peter Mbah started using EFCC to pursue him around.
He has only returned less than 2 billion. The rest might never be returned.
He must have used our money for oringo.
Talking about Oringo, the Presidential Hotel which was revived but is currently being run aground by Amber Hospitality, another company owned by Lola and Chris Oshiafi from which Tribe?
You already know.
Then when you enter Enugu State Government House, from Governor’s office to SSG’s office, Yoruba people throughout.
If you’re not careful, you would think that the Lingua Franca of Enugu State Government House is Yoruba Language.
No wonder why the Deputy Governor is treated like a Gentile, while the Yorubas are the Jews.
The Governor would rather send the SSG and his Yoruba girls to represent him than send the Deputy Governor.
If those Yoruba girls sneeze, all Commissioners, House of Assembly members and Appointees will catch cold because everything passes through them first.
Even Support Groups must have a Yoruba person inside.
Like I said earlier;
First time is an accident
Second time is coincidence
Third time is a pattern.
The pattern of repeatedly choosing incompetent Yorubas over and above everyone else smirks of nothing but ethnic bigotry.
If he was giving equal chances to people of other tribes and regions, we would call him Detribalised.
If he was appointing competent people only, then we would say that he is practicing Meritocracy.
However, nearly all Yorubas he appointed are INCOMPETENT.
They’ve disgraced this Administration with their poor performance severally, yet retained their positions.
The latest is that of Enugu Air.
Therefore, it’s not out of place to assume that Peter Mbah is an Ethnic Bigot who practices his bigotry against his own people. A rare stuff.
This raises lots of Questions;
WHY IS PETER MBAH DOING THIS?
IS IT TO PLEASE THE PRESIDENT?
IS IT FOR HIS FUTURE POLITICAL AMBITIONS TO BECOME VICE-PRESIDENT?
IS THERE A YORUBA FIRST POLICY IN ENUGU?
WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON?
Ugwuagbo Emmanuel Chizoba is a Journalist and Writer based in ENUGU.
