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UZik we-Africa
Kwakuthi lapho ekhuluma, bonke balalele kanti akulula ukuba abaseNigeria bakhohlwe yimpumelelo yakhe…
OMUNYE wezinzululwazi zomlando eMelika wathi: “Umuzwa omkhulu wokuzigqaja ngokuzithoba ngiba nawo noma nini uma ngibhala ngabesilisa nabesimame abangamaqhawe ase-Africa. Ngisho ngabe ngicabanga ukuthi ngibazi kangakanani labo bantu. Ngazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi impilo yabo iyaphoqeka ukuba semihlabeni emibili - owesimanje nowamasiko.
“Kimina lokhu kukhanya bha ngenxa yempilo kaDkt Nnamdi Azikiwe, ingqalabutho yakwelase-Africa eyaba ngumongameli wokuqala weFederal Republic Of Nigeria.”
UBenjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe wazalwa ngomhlaka 16 November ngo-1904 eZunguru, enyakatho yakwelaseNigeria ezalwa ngabazali abangama-Ibo.
Esemncane kakhulu, wayefunzwa izinto ezingekho nge-colonialism ngesikhathi ubaba wakhe wayebhekene nesimo sokuba ashiye umsebenzi ngenxa yokubandlululwa. Lokhu kwamenza wakhula enalowo mcabango owamfaka ugqozi kwezombusazwe - nokwamenza ukuba ashiye phansi igama lakhe lesiNgisi.
Njengamanye amaqhawe amaningi akwelase-Africa, u-Azikiwe wayazi kahle ngokubaluleka kwemfundo kanti futhi wayeqhuba kahle esikoleni.
Akazange kodwa akhohlwe yimvelaphi yakhe, namasiko abesizwe sama-Ibo ewagcina ngoba wayazi ukuthi ama-Africa afundisiwe aphila impilo embili - eyesimodeni neyamasiko. Wafunga wagomela ukuthi ngeke nakancane kube khona kulokho ayokubekezelela ngaphezu kokunye - nokuyisifungo abambelela kusona.
Ngo-1925 eseneminyaka engu-21, wahamba wayofunda eMelika nokuyilapho wafike wathola ukuteketiswa ngegama elithi “Zik”.
Ayemaningi kakhulu amathuba eMelika, kodwa futhi ngaleso sikhathi uZik wathola lelo lizwe linobubha wakhumbula ekhaya e-Africa. Waqashwa ezindaweni eziningi esebenzisa igama elithi “Ben Zik”, ngesimanga sokuzama ukuthola imali ukuze aqhubeke nemfundo yakhe.
Intatheli
Emva kokuthola iziqu kwi-political science ne-anthropology, uZik wabuyela e-Africa ngo-1934. Ngesikhathi eseseGold Coast (eyagcina isiyaziwa ngokuthi yiGhana), wahlangana nesishoshovu somzabalazo wabasebenzi esasiyintatheli u-IT Wallace-Johnson waseSierra Leone.
UWallace-Johnson wamnika umsebenzi wokuba nguMhleli wephepha i-African Morning Post e-Accra.
UZik wasebenza lapho iminyaka emithathu, kanti wasinda ngenhlanhla ekutheni aboshwe emva kokushicilela udaba olwalungaqumba phansi umbuso ebhala ehlasela ababusi bakwelaseBrithani.
Ngo-February 1937, uZik waphindela kwelaseNigeria ezimisele ngokuba asebenzele inkululeko.
Iphupho lakhe kwakungukuba asungule ibhizinisi labashicileli elalizophathwa ngama-Africa ligxile eqinisweni nasemfundweni.
Ekupheleni kuka-1937 leli phupho lakhe lafezeka.
Lo msebenzi akubanga yinto elula. Ngesikhathi iWest African Pilot iqala umsebenzi wokushicilela, abanye ababetshale imali kuyo abangama-Africa, baqala bafuna izikhundla eziphezulu zokuphatha, ukumakethelwa (advertising) mahhala nokunye okuningi okwakungelula ukuba kwenzeke, ngaleyo ndlela wenqaba uZik.
Lokhu kwaholela ekutheni kuqubuke ukungabambisani kahle. Ngaso leso sikhathi, amanye amaphepha akwelaseNigeria afaka ingcindezi yokuba abangama-advertisers badube iPilot.
Kodwa uZik wayezimisele ukuqhuba ngomgomo wePilot – othi “Show the light and the people will find the way” - okusho ukuthi: ‘Khombisa ukukhanya ukuze abantu bahlahle indlela.’
Ngo-1940 inkampani kaZik yaqala ukushicilela yasabalalisa amakhulu ngamakhulu ezincwadi ezibiza imali ephansi ezazimayelana nabantu abasha nezazakhelwe ukuzigqaja ngokuba ngabantu baseNigeria.
Umholi wezombusazwe
Ngo-1947 uNnamdi Azikiwe wangena kwezombusazwe okokuqala ngqa, wamela ukhetho wawina isihlalo kwi-Lagos Legislative Council.
Ngo-October, 1954, wafungiswa njengoNdunankulu wase-Eastern Nigeria. Ngokushesha waqala wenza ngcono izimpilo zabantu wenza nomhlaba wonke waqala wayibuka ngamanye amehlo iNigeria.
Inhloso yakhe enkulu kwabe kungukuqeda ukucwasana ngokobuhlanga nokuyinto eyayenzeka ezweni lonke.
Enkulumweni yakhe ayethula kubalandeli abangu-60 000 eLagos ngomhlaka 27 November, 1958 wamemezela ukuthi elaseBrithani selivumile ukunikeza elaseNigeria inkululeko nokuzibusa nokwakuzosukela ngomhlaka 1 October 1960.
Inkululeko nokuchitheka kwegazi
Umongameli wokuqala waseNigeria uNnamdi Azikiwe waphatha leli lizwe waze waketulwa umbutho wezempi ngoJanuary 1966, emva kweziteleka ezaba khona ngaphambi kokhetho.
UZik washiya eLagos wayohlala endaweni yakubo eNsukka, ebhala enza nokuningi okwakuzoba negalelo ezimpilweni zabantu baseNigeria nakuba wayeseneminyaka engu-62.
Ngo-May 30, 1967, ama-Ibo ase-Eastern Region aphuma ngaphansi kwe-republic azisungulela owawo umbuso i-Biafra.
Umsindo nempi kwalandela. Njengomunye wama-Ibo, uZik weseka iBiafra wanxusa ukuba kube khona ukuthula nokubuyisana.
Ngesikhathi kuqhubeka ukuchitheka kwegazi, wamemezela ukuthi ngeke esaqhubeka nokweseka lo mbuso wazinikela ekusebenzeleni iNigeria ehlangene yabantu bonke.
Izinkulumo zikaZik zenza amazwe omhlaba aluzwa usizi olubhekene nezigidi ngezigidi zabantu baseNigeria eBiafra. Ekugcineni, ngoJanuary 15, 1970, le ndawo yaphinde yajoyina iNigeria.
Iminyaka yokugcina
Ukulwa kwase sekuphelile, kodwa indlala nokuhlupheka kusekhona.
UZik wasebenza kanzima ukudambisa imimoya yabantu ehambela izindawo eziningi efuna usizo lwababaleki nokuba kuvuselelwe izwe labo.
Ngesikhathi lezi zinkinga zehla, uZik waphinde wahlehla ngenxa yezemidlalo. Waqala phansi waba nomdlandla ekuhleleni nasekuphatheni ibhola labasafufusa, waba ngusihlalo wabeNigerian Boxing Board Of Control wasungula iNigerian Table Tennis Association.
Wazihlalela ngokuthula eNsukka waze waficwa wukufa ngoMay 11, 1996. [z]
BONA ZULU – April 2006
indaba nguWALTON GOLIGHTLY
isithombe ngabeGREAT STOCK!
Nnamdi Azikiwe
BONA ZULU – April 2006
