Don’t use IPOB as ploy to deny Nd’Igbo presidency — Ohaneze tells govt
By Abba – Eku Onyeka FCT
Ohaneze Nd’Igbo in the 19 Northern States FCT has explained why Nigerians shouldn’t use Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) or the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) as a ploy to deny Igbo people (Nd’Igbo) presidency, come 2021 presidential elections.
The president of the Igbo Socio Cultural Organisation in the 19 Northern States/FCT, Augustine C. Amaechi Esq addressed journalists to that effect in Kaduna recently.
Reacting to the statement of some Nigerians, especially from the north, that the existence of IPOB in Igbo extraction of the country will hinder emergence of a president from there, he said: “The existence of IPOB or MASSOB in Igbo land is not an excuse for a Nigerian president to not come from that area. Did the existence of Boko Haram and other similar groups in the north deny the north presidency? The way Nd’Igbo do their thing is that, when there is a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction, we call the agitators to order and that is what I expect Mr President to do.
“If there are disturbances from a particular stock; from the Fulani extraction, and the president of Nigeria is a Fulani and I haven’t heard him calling them to order; inviting them to a meeting to know why they have been disturbing, or will understand what to do better for them to stop being involved mainly in kidnapping. He is in a position to know their psychology, problem and he will be able to solve them. I am still saying that a president of Igbo extraction will be able to find out why boys are agitating and will say, ‘look! I want justice and why are you agitating.’”
“I still say it, Nd’Igbo are better in united Nigeria. The reason is this. We need a larger market. We travel a lot. That place alone can’t enter all of us, but that doesn’t mean that we shall remain in a country …”
Insisting that Nigerian president from Igbo extraction will address the country’s economy, the Igbo leader said: “Nd’Igbo have succeeded economically in Nigeria. After the war, some of them went to the north and other parts of the country without anything and succeeded. Look! God created man with certain talents. The Igbo man has naturally been gifted with economic prowess. He succeeded in his family, community, among others.
“I want to take you back to the building of the present Cargo Airport in the present day Imo state, which was built by communion efforts. So they are talented in terms of economic management and I am sincerely of the opinion that they will manage Nigeria’s economy effectively.”
On the waring factions in Ohaneze and Igbo paramount rulers (Ndieze Nd’Igbo) both in the north, other places and Abuja in particular, Augustine C. Amaechi said that they don’t need to come together to achieve the presidency. Adding that they need to come together for certain issues, he stated categorically that it isn’t necessary for Nd’Igbo to agree on every issue.
“Democratically, you know that they are in the APC in different parties. But I can assure you that at the point of selection of the presidency from Nd’Igbo, they will come together. It is their duties, not necessarily Nd’Igbo that should select the flag bearers of their parties.
“For example, if each of the PDP, APC, among others select an Igbo man as its flag bearer, you will see unity. Nd’Igbo are republican in nature and shouldn’t speak in one voice. Are Yorubas speaking in one voice; when Obasanjo came out to contest? Didn’t Olu Falae come out? The Hausa, are they speaking in one voice? Tell me any president that emanated from the north that was not challenged from the north? I can assure you that with the leadership of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo Worldwide under Prof George Obiozor, all these will be harmonised.”
On his belief that, Nd’Igbo are better economic managers, his attention was drawn to Ojukwu’s advice that Nd’Igbo invest at home, he said that Ojukwu’s advice was, while investing outside Igbo land, remember home. Translated in Igbo: “Oje mba chetakwa ulo.”
“His advice was very good and in summary, it means that while investing, establishing, remember to have either your head office at home, but you can have branches elsewhere; you remember your family, village, community, among others,” he stated.
Advising Mr President as an experienced man who fought for Nigeria’s unity to carry all along in his appointment, he said constitutionally, the ministerial appointment went round, but was quick to add that it is not where his power stopped. “He should spread other appointments to other Nigerians, because he is a president for all,” he said.
While advising Nd’Igbo to remain focused and united, adding that leader of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo in the north/FCT should be a rich man, as they don’t receive subvention from anybody, he informed that they have set up a committee to settle all the waring factions in Ohaneze in the north and FCT, and that of Ndieze there too. He however enjoined Nd’Igbo in the north to be security conscious due to the rising insecurity all over the country.
To address the insecurity, he advised the local government to organise the indigenes into vigilante groups, with the help of the state government and of course the regular security outfit, like the police. If the local and state governments play their roles, he went on, it will be easier for the president, adding that it will be unfair for him to send the army to defend your villages. Saying that the governors aren’t helpful with their security votes, he urged them to be helpful to the vigilante groups, the police, the villages, as well as put in place CCTV in strategic places so as to be able to catch those who burn police stations in the states and do other similar vices and show them to the whole world. Hailing Nd’Igbo in the north for having not been partaking in the insecurity, he urged Nigerians to be giving useful information to the police.
Hailing the recent ban of open grazing and the demand for true federalism by the southern governors, he advised the herders to go into ranching, which if done, according to him are safer and more profitable to them and the country in general. He however urged the government to encourage them through loans and land for ranching.
Enjoining the herders to shun the archaic system of rearing, by taking their herds from one place to the other, he wondered why they abandoned schools built for the Almajiri in the north. He also said that true federalism, as opposed to unitary governent that has been in practice in the country would go a long way to generally, strengthen each component unit and the country economically.
