Move to unite Ohaneze Nd’Igbo in FCT begins
By Abba – Eku Onyeka, Abuja
The newly elected president of a faction of Ohaneze Nd’Igbo in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Arua Onwu Oko says he has amicably begun to unite the two factions of the Igbo socio – cultural organisation in the nation’s capital into one. He also spoke on the need to have president of Nigeria from the south eastern part of the country.
For some years now, the organisation has been splited into two, with a faction under the Igbo paramount ruler (Eze Igbo) in Abuja, HRH Eze Nwosu Ibe, while the other faction is under Eze Igbo in Airport Road District and chairman of Ndi – Eze Igbo in Abuja, HRH Uche Egenti.
The faction under HRH Uche Egenti was said to have served the other faction with an injunction, restraining them from conducting the election which saw Arua and his executive as the leaders of their faction. Failure to adhere to the order, our man gathered, the Uche Egenti faction took them to court, to challenge the election.
The factional president addressed journalists recently in his office in Abuja.
Making his stand known, he informed that he planned to set up a committee, that will broker peace and unite the two factions. Barr Arua also added that to ensure that peace and unity are returned in the Apex Igbo association in the nation’s capital, he had to appoint people across the two factions into committees, even as he added that each appointee accepted the appointment with happiness.
Arua however informed that the essence of approaching people from the other faction and those who were not in any of the factions for peace, according to him was to achieve unity, love and progress among Nd’Igbo in FCT. He said that he had noted with dismay that it would be difficult for Nd’Igbo in FCT to achieve unity of purpose without coming together under one umbrella.
On the possibility of producing a president from the south east, he said: “We need to reach out and extend handshakes across the Niger, because we can’t win it alone. We must get the middle belt, the south south and even the core north to come together and we need a personality.This is the time for Nd’Igbo to shun this their ego of I am number one. If you see someone who is better than you, you should better step down for such person.”
On the role expected the newly elected Ohaneze national president, Orof George Obiozor to play for the president to be produced from the south east, he advised him to play the fatherly role when the time comes, by urging other aspirants to step down for a better one.
“The country is like this, because there is no Igbo person in government. Is there any Igbo person in the government of Federal Republic of Nigeria? Can you mention any person? That is why we are like this. Once Igbo person climbs that ladder, the economy will be turned around, Barr Arua stated.”
