Is it true? Could this be true? Can it be right? Is it provable? That the naming of Naira and Kobo (Nigeria’s monetary currency—money in short) was gotten from a joke on Igbos; and an insult on Igbos too? That Naira’s name was a derogating assertion (joke) on Igbos? That kobo’s name was gotten from a stereotype-derogating-word on Igbos also? When we heard the story alluding to the above assertion, we were shocked and wondered whether it is true. We also wondered whether that is why the Nigerian money as named and denominated, has remained down and un-flourishing (even though the oil-boom of the past which was Dollar-related and rated—and which was exchanging comfortably too, could not have helped it to soar in all economic indices).
First: What is the story of the Naira and Kobo’s naming and what is the implication for the derogating-derivation of their name (remembering that all actions have implications: positive or negative, and either of them may be greater in varying degrees)? Secondly: What is the story of the remaining Igbo (or stolen: as the teller called it) Pounds and its implication on the economy of Nigeria since the time of the stealing?
Firstly then: It was during a time of friendly discussions and banter, when a common friend (who was not known to this writer indepthly) asked us all of us present, whether we know where the name of the Naira was derived from (as non of the indigenous Nigerian language connotes it: for example, the name for money in Hausa is Kudi; Yoruba is Owo; and in Igbo it is called Ego)? To say it all, all of us who were asked the question failed it woefully. He (our common story telling friend) went ahead to mock our ignorance and then told us the heart-bleeding story. He said that the name of the Naira was gotten from an acronym from: Never Allow Igbos Rule Again (please note the first letters in each word here and the spelling of the Naira!). Indeed, he further told us, that it was Chief Obafemi Awolowo, while serving as the Federal Commissioner (Minister) of Finance in Nigeria in the early 1970s, who derived and coined this unique name for the Nigerian money (while having a hateful discussions on Igbos after the civil war), and at the time Nigeria’s currency name was being changed from Pounds to a local name. Having heard the narration of our common friend on this, we were all filled with wonderment and indeed totally astonished: whether this story is true or not?
“To add insult into injury” (as one of our local adage/idiom/proverb asserts), he further said the name of Kobo (the lower and metal-currency of Nigeria) was gotten also from a Yoruba-stereotype-derogating word on Igbos: Omo-Kobo-Kobo (Yorubas before now, call Igbos stupid wonderers and itinerant people who left their homeland for other people’s homeland). Indeed, our common story-telling friend during the said friendly discussions and banter, also said it was Chief Awolowo (as Federal Minister of Finance), who smartly imposed this shenanigan-reasoning on the Nigerian nation as she was changing the name of her currency (from its former colonial name). Is this smartness? Is this an insult on the Nigerian nation-state? Is this an insult on Igbos? Your answers will be as good as mine!
Now on the remaining (or stolen: as our common story-telling friend actually tagged it) Igbo Pounds. Indeed, this said common friend of us in banter, continued to tell us that Chief Awolowo was full of hate for Igbos (especially for Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe) for stopping him from becoming the Prime Minister of Nigeria (thereby allowing Northerners to rule Nigeria at independence), and that was why he did all that he did to Igbos: during and after the civil war in Nigeria (from 1967-1970). He (our common story-telling friend) further told us that that was why Chief Awolowo, as the Federal Commissioner (Minister) of Finance after the war, also implemented the “20 Pound Only” Policy on Igbos. This ugly and inhumane Policy of the Federal Government made it mandatory for Igbos to be paid only 20 Pounds after the civil war, no matter the amount of money they had in their accounts or wants to exchange their “Biafran Pound (no matter the huge amount anyone have). To say the least, this policy impoverished Igbos further after the said gruesome and genocidal war against them—which led to the killing of over 3million of them (and many where children who died of kwashiorkor-malnutrition: as a result of “Food Blockage” during the war—which he told us was also brought about by Chief Awolowo’s well known and recorded advise to the Federal Government then to implement the infamous policy on how to win/end the war: “Starvation (of Igbos through food-supply blockage) as an instrument of (winning/ending the) war”.
In summating his story, our story-telling common-banter-friend affirmed that: “When another person (individual, corporate or nation) takes another person’s or persons’ money or property without his/her/their consent either by force (armed robbery), or by guile (trickery/419, pen robbery); or through any policy of any form by government; all of them amount to stealing!!! He strongly posited therefore that “The person or persons whose money or property was taken from him/her/them feels the pain and many a time, this kind of injustice are heart-breaking (and could lead to untimely death(s).
Furthermore on the 20 Pounds only Policy, the question now is: Why did The Federal Government of Nigeria forcefully (through an infamous policy) take Igbo peoples’ money (savings) and gave them 20 Pounds out-of their life-savings? Is this stealing or not? As our common-banter-friend vehemently asserted: “Chief Obafemi Awolowo motivated this unholy policy against Igbo people who were still suffering from war-pains, because he wanted to keep Igbos down financially (during the then enacted “Indigenization Decree/Policy of the Federal Government) in order to easily make it possible for his tribesmen to acquire all the foreign companies/firms and commercial concerns (as Northerners were also financially handicapped then to acquire like the floored Igbos)”. Whether this is true or not, what bothers us greatly is: Why should Nigeria as a nation-state through a policy, take-away money that belonged to Igbos? What did The Federal Government do with the remaining-unpaid and accumulated forcefully taken-away money of Igbos? Was this act against Igbos an injustice or not? Why should the money (and property through the ‘Abandoned Property Policy” in some parts of the country) of a people who were forced to reintegrate as citizens after a heart-wrenching war be taken-away from them (making them to further suffer another gargantuan inhumane treatment? Is this wickedness of the highest order or official-stealing (which could have spurned a curse on the Nigerian nation and which all eyes can now see and all bodies can also feel of the negative consequences)? Questions ad more questions! Please help us to answer some of them because we are confused why this kind of thing(s) was ever done in our country.
Going forward, an African proverb (or do we say: idiom) posits that “when one is drenched by rain, he/she that was drenched should reflect-back to know when the rain started drizzling/bitting on him/her”. Nigeria as a nation-state, currently suffers from a lot of problems (albeit: economically), which are indeed very knotty and hydra-headed to unscramble and unknot. The question that follows after this understanding now is: Who knows whether the atrocities committed against Igbos before (e.g. many massacres of their innocent ones during the numerous riots targeted at them in the North); during (e.g. the undoubted genocide and imposed kwashiorkor during the war); and after the war (like the forceful take-away of their saved money and only 20 Pounds given to them no matter how much they had in their account and the officially-sanctioned misappropriation of their properties tagged: “abandoned Properties”); not the cause of some of her problems? For it is said philosophically/idiomatically/spiritually that “before anything happens in the physical, it must have first happened in the spiritual”—meaning retribution and Karma for the stealing of Igbo people’s money (which was officially sanctioned through an infamous policy). It is also disheartening to note that their properties were also forcefully taken-away from them (and which was also officially sanctioned through the inhumane “Abandoned Properties Policy” in some states of the federation); what did The Federal government do about it?. But in all, we ask: Is it too late for the Nigerian nation-state to make amends for these infamous and mind-boggling policies against a section of its citizens called Igbos?
According to a Dictionary definition: the Concise Oxford Dictionary, Stealing means: Take away (a thing from another person) secretly for one’s use without right or leave; un-expectedly outshine other performers; obtain surreptitiously or by surprise or by deceiving; win, get possession by insidious arts, attractions, etc; get an advantage over by surreptitious means. And with this definition in mind, the question thereafter is: Does it—that is the definition of Stealing, relate and concur to the manner Igbo people’s money (and properties) was taken-away from them (through the 20 Pounds only and the Abandoned Properties Policies) after the civil war in 1970?
It is said we should not Judge! But is the manner by which Igbo people’s life-savings were officially denied them at end of the civil war in Nigeria in 1970 good? Does it not equate to “Official-stealing”? What did the Federal Government do with the un-refunded money of Igbos (after the payment of only 20 Pounds) after the civil war in 1970? Also, the renaming of the Naira and Kobo from Nigeria’s Pound-Sterling was said to have been done to spite Igbos after the war (as our common-banter-friend narrated to us). Is this true? If it is, don’t we now think that that odious act has affected the overall performance and fortune of the nation’s currency as a key driver of our economy? God forbids the mocking and mockery of others (who are also created in His image) in any way or format (especially on those who are in pain as Igbos were after the civil war); and He (God) returns retribution for this kind of negative act (which amounts to man’s inhumanity to man). The earlier the nation reflects as to the many causes of its problems, and tries to solve them, the better for her. It will surely fasten her development and the clearing of weeds on her way forward. A word is enough for the wise! The Igbo question (past and present) needs to be positively answered if the nation must move forward. Methinks so! What of you? The earlier the better all of us and the nation attends to it the more suiting it will be the nation’s soul. At least, starting from a national form of atonement for the over 3million souls of her citizens that were wasted during that hot-brotherly disagreement that ended in a gruesome war. This could signal to the spiritual forces that the nation is now ready to move-forward; and that all spiritual entanglements which she put herself in, should be disentangled by them (spiritual forces). After all, U.S.A had to atone for the blood of her citizens (mainly for that of Southern USA people and other of her innocents killed), after her own civil war in the 1860s; by putting red-strips in her national flag (thereby also erecting Remembrance Monuments for them)—even though the South was defeated in her own war. Nigeria’s doing same could also be helpful and uplifting!!! What do you think? What do you say?
Written by Ejike Kingsley Osuji.
ekosuji@yahoo.com
