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Tag: Igbo’

  • Polls: Community leader cautions Igbo in Lagos

    Ahead of the March 9 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election on March 9 2019, a community leader, Chief Desmond Duru, has cautioned Igbo community resident in Lagos State to be civil in their conduct.
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    There was misunderstanding between some Igbo and Yoruba cmmunities during the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections, leading to some people injured.

    Duru expressed regret over the violence, saying that the crisis was uncalled for and at most could have been avoided.

    He asked the Igbo in the state not to boycott the election, but come out and vote candidates of their choice in manner that would not depict violence.

    “It is important we drum it into our ears now for us to remain civil in the way we behave in order not to incur the wrath of others.

    “The lessons of what happened in some parts of the state at last election ought to guide us to know the way others feel and then accord them their respect.

    “We cannot afford to engage others to fight, that is uncalled for because of election that will come and go after which we remain in enmity with others.

    “There is every need for us to maintain peace in our various domain during and after the election,” he said.

    He added that as critical stakeholder in the state, it would not speak well for the Igbo to be part of those that would rock the boat.

    Duru also reminded them to follow due process in seeking redress of perceived wrong doing, saying that people should not take the law into their hands.

  • Igbo digging its political grave, says Oye

    •Aggrieved APGA members seek chairman’s removal

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Victor Ike Oye has said Igbo was digging its political grave following the outcome of Saturday’s elections

    Oye, who spoke with reporters yesterday at Amawbia, said the people of the Southeast play politics of emotions other than politics of pragmatism.

    According to him, what happened during the presidential election has made him lose hopes of Igbo presidency in 2023. He said the Igbo were easily swayed by emotion, adding that the greatest problem the zone had was disunity, which would be difficult to heal.

    He maintained that Igbo needed a new leadership in its apex body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to take them to that elusive Promised Land.

    Oye said: “The more you play regional politics, the more you ostracise yourself. You have to align yourself with the centre and other regions. The type of politics Igbo play will never help them out.”

    Meanwhile, some aggrieved party members have threatened to work against APGA during the March 9 elections if Oye is not removed.

    The group, led by Onyeka Mbaso, gave Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano nine days to address the situation or face their wrath during the election. It said they were short-changed by the party leadership during the primaries.

    Mbaso said Saturday’s election was a preamble of what would happen to APGA on March 9 if necessary action was delayed.

    He said: “We, the aggrieved members of this party, are calling on the Board of Trustees Chairman, who is also the governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, and other concerned stakeholders, to sack Chief Victor Oye, who is a foreigner in the party, to enable the party maintain the existing relationship it has with Obiano”

  • Ohanaeze: no crisis between Igbo, Yoruba in Lagos

    The Igbo community has no issue with its Yoruba hosts in Lagos State, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze has said.

    The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos, Chief Solomon Aguene, dismissed reports of tension between the two ethnic groups, describing them as the handiwork of mischief-makers.

    He said insinuation of a deep-seated acrimony and suspicion between the Igbo and the Yoruba on account of political affinities was untrue.

    Aguene told reporters yesterday in Lagos that the Igbo community remains grateful to its Yoruba hosts and will do nothing to alter the mutually beneficial relationship between the two.

    He said: “The Igbo in Lagos are active contributors to the thriving Lagos economy through their individual and collective enterprise and industry, helping to open up new economic and investment corridors in Lagos State.

    “The Yoruba on the other hand have warmly welcomed and received the Igbo, offering access to choice political and economic opportunities.

    “To cement this very cordial relationship between the Igbo and the Yoruba, sons and daughters of Igboland over the years have been appointed or elected to enviable positions of leadership in Lagos.”

    Aguene said although there were pockets of skirmishes during last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in some parts of the state, especially at Okota, they had nothing to do with the cordial relationship the Igbo had enjoyed over the years from their Yoruba host communities.

    Describing the Yoruba as the best friend of the Ndigbo in Lagos and beyond, he advised Ndigbo residents in Lagos and their host communities not to allow some mischievous elements to destroy the long standing friendship between them.

    Another chieftain of the group, Chief Ogbonna, said the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, being the umbrella body of Ndigbo, has met constituted authorities in the state, and has received assurance that no such crisis exists.

    “We, therefore, call on citizens to remain law-abiding and respect constituted authorities. We urge them to go about their activities while we iron out the grey areas, including the immediate and remote causes of the alleged breach of public peace and possible solutions to prevent reoccurrence,” he said.

    Ogbonna implored politicians and government authorities to address noticeable gaps and trust deficits leading to ethnic disharmony in Lagos.

    “We call on the Lagos State Government, National Orientation Agency, politicians and other stakeholders to do more in terms of orientation, to help douse inter-ethnic rivalry, jealousy and mistrust,” he said.

    National leader of the People of South East Region (POSER) Obuesi Phillips said most often the people creating the crisis were not from the Southeast.

    He added that Ohanaeze and POSER have been advocating a peaceful co-existence between Igbo residents in Lagos and their Yoruba host communities.

    Obuesi thanked the Afenifere leadership for their fatherly role in nipping the challenge in the bud and praised the police for their swift response to prevent crisis in Lagos.

    He said the Igbo have pledged to work for the development of Lagos State.

  • ‘Buhari won’t abandon Igbo’

    The “I stand with Muhammadu Buhari support group” has said the president will not forget or abandon Ndigbo despite the low votes recorded in the zone.

    The group, led by Dr Chukwube Ijomah, said the opposition was trying to destabilise the country with its propaganda.

    They thanked the people of the Southeast for supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Buhari during the elections.

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    According to Ijomah, the victory was not for Buhari or APC, but for Nigerians. He said the President had done enough in the last four years.

    He described Buhari as a man of integrity and honour, saying his anti-corruption fight was unrivalled and would be sustained.

  • Igbo insist on Atiku/Obi ticket, restructuring

    The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) have insisted on their endorsement of the Atiku/Obi ticket and restructuring.

    The groups, at an emergency meeting yesterday, reviewed recent events in the Nigerian polity as it relates to Ndigbo, especially in the aftermath of the postponed elections.

    The meeting expressed the solidarity and commitment of all Pan-Igbo groups and stakeholders to work together. “All pan-Igbo organisations and stakeholders, including IPoB and MASSOB, have promised to work together in the spirit of “onye-aghana-nwanneya”, even in the face of existential threat confronting us as a people.

    “We urge all Ndigbo to continue to live in orderly and peaceful co-existence with their neighbours, but refuse to be intimidated by anybody. We agree that the irreducible minimum for Ndigbo, which will be acceptable for their continued participation in the Nigerian enterprise, will be a renegotiated and restructured Nigeria based on equality, equity and justice and for the component regions and individuals who will live under its authority. “It must be one that ensures self-determination for the various nationalities, regional autonomy and freedom of the component regions to manage and control their political environment and resources.

    “Therefore, Ndigbo reiterates its unequivocal support and endorsement for the Atiku/Obi presidential ticket as already announced by the national leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Alaigbo Development Foundation, (ADF) and other Igbo interest groups.

    “We call on all Igbo registered voters, both at home and outside the Igbo homeland, to join all patriotic Nigerians of other ethnic nationalities and vote for the Atiku/Obi ticket. This election is our collective struggle for freedom and we must count it all joy to be part of history…”

    The meeting was attended by President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chief Nnia Nwodo; President of ADF Prof. Uzodinma Nwala; Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Prof. A. B Nwosu; leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Uchenna Madu, among others.

  • Ignore sit-at-home, forum urges Igbo

    A socio-cultural group, the Ndigbo Lagos Foundation, has urged their Southeast brothers and sisters to turn tomorrow to exercise their franchise.

    It urged the Igbo to ignore the “sit-at-home” directive by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to boycott the election.

    The Foundation’s President-General, Gen. Obi Abel Umahi (rtd), said the election is “very critical in the life and history of this nation.”

    He called for a level playing field for all contestants, warning that any attempt to rig the election “could ground Nigeria completely.” The forum called on the Federal Government, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and relevant institutions to ensure credible elections.

    “We call on our people not to be involved in electoral malpractice, indiscipline and actions against the law. However, ensure you protect your rights and votes, but do so within the laws of the land,” the group said.

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    The Foundation was established over 20 years ago by Lagos-based Igbo associations, pioneered by Aka Ikenga, and very prominent Igbo as a not-for-profit, non-partisan socio-cultural group.

    Umahi said the general election will shape Nigeria’s future, and that it must not be held “without an indelible signature of Ndigbo as participants who should not be ignored in the political calculus of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general”

    “This is why we are using this opportunity to sensitise and call out all Igbos in Lagos and beyond to turn out en-mass to cast their votes on 16th February and 2nd March 2019.

    “Ndigbo, you are encouraged to vote wisely. The road to freedom and good life is in the power of your vote,” the group added.

  • ‘Igbo will not engage in electoral violence’

    The Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Southwest has urged all Igbo to approach the general elections with caution by voting and not engaging in electoral violence.

    The decision was reached at an all inclusive town hall meeting in Akure, Ondo State, at the weekend.

    A statement by the Publicity Secretary, Prince Erondu Uche, said the meeting was to ensure that the Igbo, “irrespective of party affiliations, will not mortgage the future of our children under any guise”.

    The meeting was attended by leaders of the 91 Igbo groups and clubs in the Southwest.

    The statement reads: “The rancor between Igbo political gladiators calls for caution. 2019 election will come and go, but the Igbo Nation will remain. Our problems, if not properly addressed now, will increase after this election. It is germane that we hold onto those things that bind us together other than those that divide us.

    “The essence of the meeting was to ensure that Igbo, irrespective of party affiliations, will not mortgage the future of our children under any guise. The following decisions were taken at the meeting – all Igbo are to collect their PVCs, and as a measure to enforce collection, members without their cards will be suspended; any Igbo resident in the Southwest found to be involved in electoral violence, buying or selling of votes, or other electoral offences, will be expelled from his group; the 91 groups will on February 10 make a public endorsement of candidates, both at the federal and state levels.

    “I, therefore, call on Ndigbo at home and abroad to always remember that we are one family. A time comes in your life when friends will run away and you will become the concern of your family.

    I also thank God for rescuing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his entourage from Saturday’s crash. Proper investigation should be done to uncover the cause of the crash.”

     

  • Igbo not against Buhari presidency – Umeh

    The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial district, Chief Victor Umeh, yesterday described as untrue the impression that the Igbo were against President Muhammaudu Buhari’s presidency.

    He said the people of the region were rather pushing for equity and sense of belonging in the political space and commonwealth of the country.

    Speaking in Awka the Anambra State capital, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) federal legislator commended Buhari for completing the mausoleum of a former president of Nigeria, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe located in Onitsha.

    Umeh recalled that the project which begun in 1997 had been abandoned by successive administrations, saying that when something good was done, credit must be given to the brain behind it irrespective of his geographical or political affiliation.

    He said, “I’m particularly impressed by the speed at which the mausoleum, otherwise known as Zik Place was completed within three years of Buhari’s administration. What the PDP could not do in 16 years is what President Muhammadu Buhari did and commissioned in just three years. He should be commended for that.” The Senator also called on President Buhari to complete ongoing road projects in the South-East region as well as embark on new ones.

    Describing the Igbo as very progressive-minded and amiable people, Umeh maintained that the Igbo was after equality and fairness to guide the affairs of the country. “What we are saying is that the composition of government and agencies of such government shall be carried out in such a manner as to recognise the diversity of the people and promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the federation,” he said.

  • Celebrating ‘king of the farm’

    The Igbo in Isolo, Lagos has held its New Yam Festival at Okota. The event attracted both Igbo and non-Igbo, and many members of the All Peoples Congress (APC) .

    The New Year festival held by Igbo of Isolo, Lagos was unique in many ways. It had the touch of modernity, Christianity and politics.

    The event, which held penultimate Saturday, drew guests from within and outside Isolo to Okota, the venue. Many of them strolled in. But not so the Eze Igbo of Isolo, Dr Ajagu Nworgu, who he came with an entourage. He was heralded by a male dancer accompanied by drummers. His stylistic steps, which responded to the rhythm of the music without a song, were a beautiful sight to behold, especially as he danced his heart out. There was a reason for this

    Chairman of the occasion, High Chief Cletus Okeke, who described the day as great, explained that the event had three objectives: to thank God for the Eze, who recovered from a long illness, for the Igbo in Isolo for 2018 and for the good yields in the new year.

    Okeke said the event was organised by the Eze Igbo and his council of chiefs, in conjunction with the Igbo Speaking Community, Isolo branch.

    Eze Nworgu explained that the new yam festival was an old tradition among the Ibo, adding that they cherished it. When reminded that many Igbo in Lagos had no farm and so there was no need for the event, he said it did not matter as the event afforded them the opportunity to give thanks to God.

    Specifically, he said he should thank God for healing him. He was hospitalised, he said, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for over a year, adding that many people had given up on him.

    Chief Okeke, however, claimed to have a farm with a large barn of yam.

    The Igbo Speaking Community, Isolo Branch Chairman, Chief Joshua U. M. Kalu, said they used the opportunity provided by the feast “to keep our wives and children abreast of our cultures and tradition as it is practised in our various communities’’. He added: ‘’We also use the Iri-ji festival to foster unity among the Igbo.’’ He noted that ‘’yam as king of the farm is the mainstay of the family’’.

    The highlight of the event was the cutting of the yam. Three big tubers of roast yam were placed on a table with some ugba to garnish them. Eze Nworgu, surrounded by his counterparts from parts of Lagos and some members of his cabinet, offered Christian prayers, raised a knife and cut the yam. Others also cut. Later the yams were cut into pieces, passed round for all to eat.

    Wife of the state House of Assembly member Mrs Roseline Idimogu and the Divisional Police Officer Isolo CPS Francis were among personalities who attended the event. Mrs Idimogu urged all to vote for her husband who is returning to the House while the DPO asked them to attend the stakeholders meeting regularly to proffer solution to the security problems in the area.

     

  • Presidency: Igbo should be given chance – Obasanjo

    FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to give the Igbo a chance in the executive arm of government at the centre.

    The former president spoke at a stakeholders meeting at Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State residence of the First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazuluke Amechi.

    Obasanjo asked the Igbo to support Mr. Peter Obi, the PDP presidential running mate with a view to giving the Southeast their much desired foothold in government.

    He described Obi as a “bundle of integrity” who has what it takes to help in rebuilding the economy.

    In his address of welcome, Mbazuluke Amechi described Obi as good man and his principal Atiku Abibakar as what  the country needed at a time like this.

    The meeting was attended by Obi, former Minister of Power, Chief Barth Nnaji; former Minister of Health, ABC Nwosu;  former Imo governor,  Ikedi Ohakim;  member of National Assembly, Chris Azubogu and Chief Innocent Chukwuma,  Chairman/CEO Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company.