The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Igbo’

  • APGA chieftain urges Igbo, Yoruba to unite for Nigeria’s liberation

    A former secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA ) Mr Okoli Akirika has called for unity among the Igbo and Yoruba to liberate Nigeria from its present predicament.

    He described the two tribes as progressives with the capacity of building an ideal marriage capable of liberating the country from what he called political captivity and bondage.

    Speaking to newsmen in Awka, on Sunday, Akirika asked both tribes to bury what he called the ancient grudges that existed between the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo and form the desired synergy to save the country from doldrums.

    He said, “In the Nigerian political system, the Igbo and Yoruba are progressives. Igbo and Yoruba think alike because of their level of education.

    ” The bane of their unity has always been the political rivalries between the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    He also urged the two tribes not to allow themselves to be deceived that an alliance between them would not work, saying “the first and only time a Nigerian leader intentionally paid the supreme prize was when a Yoruba man ( Fajuyi) died for an Igbo, Aguyi Ironsi.

    ” Fajuyi was a collateral damage. He refused that his boss, friend and brother, Aguyi Ironsi should be killed in his domain; so he staked his life and he was killed for no sin of his.

    “So what other proof do we need to affirm that the two tribes have consanguinity and affinity.

    ” If a Yoruba man at that point in time could pay that prize with his own blood, I don’t see why the present day southeast and southwest cannot face a common political destiny in making sure a good government is elected.

    Akirika added,” Rising beyond what happened between Zik and Awo, we should not allow ourselves to become captives in our own land”.
    On the recent comment by President Muhammadu Buhari to assist the Igbo to become president of Nigeria at the appropriate time, Akirika described it as an “infantile deceit”.

    He said the Igbo should not give such comment any atom of consideration.

    He said, “We need to elect an alternative president that will see Nigeria as his primary constituency; a president who will arise above clannish thinking; who will rise against the current order of predicating appointments on acquittance , religion and tribe.“

  • Back APC to return to national politics, Buhari tells Igbo

    •Southeast rally for President in Owerri

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged the Igbo to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s general elections so as to “navigate your way into the centre of national politics.”

    He spoke at the mega rally at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, the Imo State capital, to generate southeast support for the APC.

    Leaders of the party across states in the region attended the rally organised by Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    Represented by Secrertary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, Buhari said:  “What happens in 2019 will go a long way to determining the fate of the Igbo nation as it concerns the 2023 Presidency. So, it is important that they put away party sentiments in the overall interest of the Igbo nation and ensure that the APC gets a landslide victory in the Southeast”.

    The President emphasized that Nigeria needed focused leadership to overcome the plethora of problems created by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration. “Many people are running around to be the President of Nigeria but Nigeria is not a Banana Republic. What Nigeria needs now is a detribalised, honest, transparent and determined leadership and that is what President Buhari represents”.

    APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole led the dignitaries including Kano State Governor Abdulahi Ganduje, former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sherriff and former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Silva.

    South East APC leaders in attendance include Senators Uche Ekwunife and Andy Uba, APC National Auditor George Moghalu, APC National Organising Secretary, Emma Ibediro, former governorship candidate Tony Nwoye, among others.

    Okorocha said what President Buhari is doing in the Southeast had endeared his administration to the people.

    He said:  “What we are celebrating here is the leadership of President Buhari. It is true that the Igbo made a mistake in 2015 but the Igbo believe in Buhari for 2019 and the Igbo are ardent followers”.

    The Imo governor also dismissed insinuations that the APC is fragmented in the Southeast, stating that, “nobody should use the current misunderstanding in the party to judge the performance of the party in the Southeast. There are similar misunderstandings in other zones as well”.

    The Southeast leaders noted that the region had benefited immensely from President Buhari’s administration in the last three years, more than what they got for the 16 years of PDP administration.

    They added that supporting President Buhari’s second bid would brighten the chances of the zone to produce the  President in 2023.

    They took turns to highlight some of the landmark achievements of the Buhari administration in the Southeast, with special emphasis on the ongoing constructionof the Second Niger Bridge and the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

    Governor Ganduje acknowledged that the Southeast truly support the President’s reelection.

    He said “with what I have seen today, it is clear that the Igbo have made a u-turn in politics and they are now in the centre of politics in Nigeria. I am impressed with the massive support for the APC and Mr. President”.

    Mordu Sherriff said with the huge crowd, “I have seen with my eyes and confirmed that the Igbo are for Buhari”.

    Comrade Oshiomole said: “I am left with no doubt that the APC has taken over the Southeast and our opponents will not sleep today in Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia over what is happening here today.

    “I want to salute the determination of the Imo State governor. Today, he has shown who truly owns the land. I am truly impressed and I will tell the President that what I saw today is not a social media stunt but physical demonstration of support for the APC”.

     

  • ‘Igbo better off with Buhari Presidency’

    A group, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, has urged the Igbo to support the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    It said the Southeast would fare better with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in power.

    The group said while the Igbo made a political “mistake” in the past, it must avoid a repeat in 2019.

    Yoruba Ronu, in a statement by its Secretary General Akin Malaolu, said President Buhari deserves the support of the Igbo because of his integrity.

    It said the President has ensured that development spreads across Nigeria, including Igboland.

    “The Igbo must hold the present leadership in high esteem because of his probity and requisite caliber.

    “The government today and with its present leadership has modernised the rudiments of administration and has departed completely from the attitude of ‘we’ as against ‘others’.

    “Developments are today springing up everywhere in the Igboland and that must not be discouraged. The nation needs the Igbo people just as the Igbo also need Nigeria completely,” it said.

    The group urged the Igbo not to repeat what it called the mistake of the past when it voted massively for Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

    “The Igbos made some bad moves during the Jonathan era of ugly opportunism that gave rise to division both from religion and tribe. All of these must be forgotten and we must make Igbos partners in all affairs of Government at the centre.

    “Igbo people must do well to accommodate our differences in diversity. They must play politics with obvious intention to contribute to the growth of first the Igboland and secondly Nigeria.

    “The prosperity enjoyed by the Igbos in their participation in previous administrations shows clearly to be individualistic in nature and not generally for Igboland as compared to today.

    “2019 is around the corner and we feel it necessary to plead to the Igbos that the APC has enough space and heart to give the Igbo people equality and respect which they rightfully deserve.

    “It is only in APC that the Igbo prosperity can be enriched with comfortable speed. Igbos should come on board the APC train and take their rightful positions in the affairs of our nation.”

  • Nwodo: Igbo need diplomatic warfare’

    President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo John Nwodo has urged Ndigbo to continue the agitation for a better country where equal rights are accorded all irrespective of region.

    According to him, this is the least Ndigbo can do to honour the Biafra and Civil War hero, Col. Joe “Hannibal” Achuzia.

    Nwodo spoke in Asaba during a Day of Tributes in honour of the late Achuzia, who was a former Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The event was part of activities marking Achuzia’s burial.

    He recalled how Asaba indigenes were gruesomely murdered during the civil war, but admonished Ndigbo to avoid any action that would cause another war, saying diplomacy should be adopted to achieve a better nation.

    He said: “What we need is diplomatic warfare. Each time I had the opportunity to speak with Achuzia, he had always told me that the strategy and tactic must change, but our will must remain undiluted. It will be a long and tortuous struggle but no obstacle should dilute our resolve to have a better treatment in this country.”

    Nwodo urged Achuzia’s children to emulate the footsteps of their father.

    The deceased’s son, Simeon, vowed to revere his father for providing direction to his siblings and other relatives. He said his father was harsh but compassionate, providing education and direction to him and his siblings.

    He said: “He was harsh, compassionate and an educator. He put me straight. For us his children, he was just a dad. For my cousins he was Uncle Joe, while for my auntie, he was Bros.

     

  • Okorocha: Achuzia was a pillar of the Igbo

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has described the late civil war veteran, Col. Joe Achuzie, as a “great pillar of the Igbo race”.

    The governor spoke yesterday when Achuzie’s children visited him at the Government House in Owerri to inform him of the funeral.

    Okorocha, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu, said: “The late Achuzie was a strong believer in the unity of Nigeria and the Igbo race. One cannot talk about the Igbo without mentioning Col. Achuzie.

    “I met the deceased and even in his old age, he looked strong like a military man who was ready to go to combat.

    “Col. Achuzie was very close to Governor Okorocha, and the governor has asked me to condole with the family. By the grace of God, he will be at the burial. He also asked me to present a token of N5 million from the government to the family to help with burial expenses.

    “We condole with the family and may his soul rest in peace.”

    The deceased’s second son, Simeon Achuzie, thanked the governor for the gesture.

  • Igbo youths dismiss attack on Ohaneze national leader

    Igbo youths on Tuesday slammed critics, who verbally attacked the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo, and accused him of running the affairs of the socio-cultural group as a private estate.

    The South-South Coordinator of Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), Chief Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa, asked the critics to leave Nwodo alone and stop causing crisis within the group.

    He said the critics, who paraded themselves as National leaders of the youth wing of Ohanaeze, were misrepresenting the group and misleading the public.

    He said:  “We were surprised that some defunct members of Ohanaeze Youth Wing issued a statement accusing the President-General of meddling into 2019 Presidential elections.

    “To state the facts, the allegations are fabricated by expelled members of the youth group at the national level to attract public sympathy. There is no truth in the allegation.

    “The President-General has been working at uniting Igbos all over the world and recently was in Bayelsa as part of his efforts in restructuring and repositioning Ndigbo in a restructured federation..

    “Nwodo also waded into leadership crisis in Ohaneze Ndigbo Bayelsa chapter. Is this what they called politics?

    “The President-General categorically said that he was not interested in personal gains from the struggle for restructuring, so the allegation is a mere ploy by disgruntled persons parading themselves as Ohanaeze youth leaders.

    “The National Executives of Ohanaeze Youth Wing was dissolved by Ime-Obi  and National Executive Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in 2017 and we are getting set for elections later this month, so they are misleading the people.

    “The leadership at the state levels in the South East and South South condemn and dissociate ourselves from the statement and frown at the disrespect to our revered elders and leaders in Ohanaeze Ndigbo,our parent body.

    “We urge the errant youths to refrain from using the media to discredit the organisation and show commitment towards building of a united front for Ndigbo”.

     

  • Ohanaeze: Igbo are being disenfranchised

    The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately working to disfranchise the Igbo in 2019.

    President-General Chief John Nnia Nwodo spoke when the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Emeka Ononamadu visited him.

    According to him, there is shortage of registration materials in virtually all Southeast states in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    Nwodo said he had visited many of the registration centres and so concluded that the Southeast is being short-changed.

    He said: “I am of the conclusion that INEC has deliberately denied this area of registration materials to ensure that we are under-registered. I say this not because I am the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, but as a lawyer who respects evidence.

    “Take for instance my home, Ukehe, in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area. Last week, I went home to check happenings. It was confirmed my voters’ card is valid. But only about three polling units has INEC officials; they were present in only one polling unit in my village, and luckily it was my polling unit.

    “That booth has between 18 and 20 polling units, which are registration booths. There was only one machine in my ward, which was in my registration area.

    “And unlike the machines I saw in the North, which captures five fingers at once, the machine in my polling unit can only capture one finger at a time. And I belive that since there two polling booths on one side, there should be two registration centers.

    “Their laminating sheet finished and everyone got a temporary voters’ card. Those who got couldn’t laminate, and those who deal with palm oil and all sorts of charcoal and firewood would have tendencies to mutilate the temporary one before the election if they don’t get a permanent one.

    “This may make it difficult to recognise their face or their thumbprint or signatures.”

    Nwodo prosised that Ohanaeze will provide logistics to INEC to register people who turned out for the exercise.

  • Igbo must produce President in 2023, says Uzodinma

    Igbo must produce President in 2023, says Uzodinma

    •’S/East determined to support Buhari’s re-election’

    Chairman Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tarrifs, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has expressed determination of the Igbo to support the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari to pave way for an Igbo President in 2023.

    Uzodima, who spoke in an interview in Abuja, said it was imperative for the Igbo to produce the president to fully put the nation back on the track of unity.

    He said: “It is supremely important because that will assure that the ugly events of the civil war have been truly put behind.

    “By 2023, the presidency returns to the South, and if by acts of omission or commission it eludes Ndigbo, then that will only be a confirmation that the Igbo have not truly been accepted into the mainstream of Nigerian politics.”

    He recalled former Vice President Alex Ekwueme was coasting home to picking the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) but he was stopped because of alleged “high level conspiracy believe and because of the stigma of the civil war.”

    So, if in 2023, “Igbo are stopped again, the simple conclusion would be that the rest of Nigeria does not welcome them as equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project.”

    The Senate Committee Chairman however said such a presidential candidate from Ndigbo must possess a pan Nigeria world view.

    “The summary of it is that such a candidate must possess a pan Nigeria world view because it is the collaboration of other zones in the country with the South East that could make it possible”

    On whether the 2023 agitation would push the Igbo to support Buhari for a second term, Uzodinma said it was the only opportunity left if it is to be a reality.

    “If we (Igbo) don’t support Buhari who has only four years left, then how can 2023 be a reality?

    “Any fresh northerner on the seat would be there till 2027.

    “President Buhari is the only northern candidate who, if elected, must relinquish power in 2023, thereby paving way for the South East.

    “So, yes, for the Igbo, like me, I will most definitely support Buhari for second term, and I think other right thinking South Easterners should do the same.”

     

  • Ohanaeze decries decline in spoken Igbo

    Ohanaeze decries decline in spoken Igbo

    The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has decried the growing decline in the use of Igbo language in carrying out both official and unofficial engagements.

    Media Adviser to the President-General, Chief Emeka Attamah, who spoke yesterday during the International Day of Language, regretted that even at most social, cultural and economic gatherings made up of only Ndigbo, they unfortunately still resort to English Language, which largely is not the case with other major ethnic groups in the country.

    The organisation said it was ready to, in conjunction with interested parties, undertake activities that would promote and propagate Igbo language, such as debates, music competitions, fashion parades, films, cultural festivals, among others.

    It enjoined governments of Igbo-speaking states to build cultural or arts centres that would help preserve Igbo cultural artefacts  and encourage their Councils of Arts and Culture to perform optimally.

    Ohanaeze also urged the Igbo states to ensure that special days are set aside for the wearing of purely Igbo attire for those in government, and the use of Igbo language in carrying out legislative proceedings in their state assemblies on such days.

    It further called on state governments in Igboland to make Igbo language a compulsory subject in their schools.

    The group also advocated the harmonisation of Iriji ceremony in Igboland to be held on a unanimously agreed single day to help unite Ndigbo more and make them speak with one voice on all national issues.

  • Igbo president as APC’s survival strategy

    Igbo president as APC’s survival strategy

    SIR: From 1960 till date, the Igbo have been marginalised by the other major ethnic groups from having its own become the president of Nigeria. This marginalisation has been extended to the present civilian regime since 1999. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) divided the country into six geo-political regions with six states in each. It is only the Southeast that has five states. Unfortunately, Igbo politicians and elites are not interested in reversing this disadvantage so long as it does not diminish their access to state funds for personal use. Indeed, it is this group of politicians and elites that have effectively frustrated the Igbo from having access to the position of the President of Nigeria. Yet, other Nigerians cannot remove the fact that ordinary Igbos feel saddened and frustrated with this fact which from time to time, leads ordinary Igbos to demand for their own country called Biafra.

    So, where is the solution? Which political party is in a better position to concede its presidential slot to the Igbo in 2019 or 2023? Although in politics, no one is given a political office without a fight, but at times, it could be given or allowed to assuage and arrest future negative political feelings and actions. That was why the idea of rotation or zoning of key political offices was created. Also, in some cases, some political parties may allow some group of people to have access to key political positions in order to harvest acceptance and votes from that group for the political survival of the party.

    Looking at the key political parties in Nigeria today, the Igbo do not have any chance in the PDP to produce the president come 2019 or 2023. This is because that position has been zoned to the North by the party for 2019 and it affects 2023. For the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), it is likely to present President Muhammadu Buhari for election in 2019. Consequently, come 2023, the North under the APC, may not present a presidential candidate. Will it go to the West, the likely answer is no because they had been vice president under PMB. Again giving it to the Yoruba in 2023 would add salt into the marginalization injury suffered by the Igbo since independence. To give it to the Igbo will at least heal this long inflicted injury and favour the APC. Therefore, come 2023, the slot should be made available to the East (Igbo).

    The most qualified Igbo politician should be Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, current Minister of Science and Technology. He has been the key Igbo politician in the APC, which was the amalgam of three major political parties: the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He was until then, the national chairman of the ANPP. He was the first civilian governor of Abia State in 1992. He is a simple and sincere politician with lots of integrity. He is a very marketable candidate in all parts of Nigeria.

    If 80% of Igbos in Nigeria vote for Onu as the presidential candidate of the APC in 2023, and with some added sympathy votes from the rest of Nigeria, the long dream of the Igbo to rule Nigeria especially after the civil war, will be achieved and APC as a political party will survive the political earthquake called Nigerian politics.

     

    • Okachikwu Dibia,

    Abuja.