My BBC Igbo Outing

MY BBC OUTING!
1. Contrary to expectation, there was far less hostility/antagonism between Joe Igbokwe, the Nnewi-born Lagos APC publicist and myself during the BBC Igbo panel discussion which took place yesterday at the BBC Lagos Bureau located in Lagos. For some strange reasons, we agreed on more issues than we disagreed on. For instance, he agreed that Igbo marginalization is alive and well. He even agreed it is institutionalized. Where we disagreed is on how to tackle this. For him, Ndigbo are partly responsible for their woes for playing what he calls “wrong politics” and can get it right by playing “smart politics” of supporting “others” so “others” can support us to rule Nigeria in 2023. My response to this was that Ndigbo do not need the Presidency of Nigeria to survive, after all, Obasanjo’s 8 years and GEJ’s 5 years did absolutely nothing to change the life of the average Yoruba and Ijaw man respectively. Ndigbo only need a merit-based system anchored on justice, fairness and equity and devoid of quota system. My last word on the show was that it has come to a point where the peopleS of Nigeria should be allowed to sit in a round-table to decide IF they still want to continue in this iniquitious union. And if they chose yes, we can now decide new terms under which we want to live together. And if No, we should peacefully go our separate ways and avoid all these fulani killings. Ironically, Joe Igbokwe agrees with this position but insisted we cannot leave our property behind.
Here is the link, in case you missed it.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1637903636288824&id=1385243528221504
2. From my finding backed by verifiable proof, THERE IS NO BBC HAUSA THAT IS LOCATED IN KADUNA NEITHER IS THERE ANY SEPARATE BBC YORUBA THAT IS LOCATED IN LAGOS OR ANY PART OF YORUBA LAND.
There is only one BBC bureau located in Lagos which houses both BBC Hausa, BBC Yoruba, BBC Igbo and BBC pidgin English. BBC Hausa we use to hear before now broadcasts direct from London. I met the man in charge of the Hausa channel yesterday.
BBC office in Abuja IS NOT a broadcast station.
Anyone who knows a BBC Hausa bureau in Kaduna or BBC Yoruba bureau in Lagos aside this Lagos BBC bureau which houses BBC Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and pidgin, should please come forward to take us to the building. The management of BBC will cover all his/her transport. I have this assurance from them.
I had refrained from joining this debate because I had wanted to go see things for myself.
During the live discussion, the moderator, Mazi Nwonwu, had asked me what I think was responsible for Ndigbo leaving Igbo-land in droves and in response, I asked him why they established BBC hausa in Kaduna state, BBC Yoruba in Lagos state and rather than take BBC Igbo to Igbo land, they left it in Lagos, Yoruba land as though we had no land to accommodate BBC building. This question of mine was what triggered the detailed explanation from the management after the show.
BBC has reporters in the North and West just as they have in Igbo land.
BBC Igbo desk is manned exclusively by Igbo sons and daughters all through.
Picture 3 is some of them. Picture 2 is the BBC Hausa and Yoruba crew and 3 members of the Igbo crew. Picture 1 is Joe Igbokwe, BBC senior broadcast journalist, Mazi Nwonwu and Charles Ogbu which would be me.


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nyone who is GENUINELY interested in fact and might wanna verity anything I wrote here, please come public or inbox and we will visit the building together.
Now here is what I think we should do:
While not dis-remembering our tortuous past deeply rooted in wars and woes and treachery and the atrocious role played by Britain in all of this, we must avoid shooting ourselves in the foot or being unnecessarily paranoid. We owe it to ourselves to actively participate in owning, shaping as well as telling our story.
I am aware that a certain confused governor in Ebonyi state ordered for my arrest. And make no mistake, I don’t want to be arrested. No one does, actually. BUT, I still cannot allow other people twist my story by missing an opportunity to tell it myself.
Every effort aimed at preserving our language should be encouraged by every well meaning Igbo.
Apart from the effort of few Igbo sons and daughter like Amarachi Atama, Maazi Ogbonnaya and Chijioke Ngobili and a very few others, what have we really done to preserve our language, culture and identity???? Even me wey dey talk, if you watch that video, you’d notice I use phrase like “ihe ndi Oyibo na akpo……” each time I forgot Igbo word for some English words I wanted using. That is proof that I am not as fluent in my own Igbo language as I am in the white man’s language. To my shame! Most of us are like that. To our shame!
If you have any suggestions on how you think the BBC Igbo can serve Ndigbo better, engage them constructively with your suggestion.