THE leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has expressed regret for referring to President Muhammadu Buhari as a terrorist, evil and a paedophile in his radio broadcasts.
Nanmdi Kanu, Radio Biafra’s Director
Kanu, who has been charged along with two others by the Federal Government before a Federal High Court in Abuja on six counts of treason and other ancillary offences, said he intended to write a private letter to Buhari to express his apology to the President.
He also apologised to former President Goodluck Jonathan and Igbo elders for “some uncomplimentary things” he said about them.
The 48-year-old pro-Biafran agitation leader, who is, however, unapologetic about his demand for a Republic of Biafra, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since his arrest in Lagos on October 14, 2015.
He tendered the apology for his comment against Buhari and others in a statement which he made to the DSS on October 23.
The prosecution, in its summary of the case, alleged that in one of the radio broadcasts by Kanu on August 1, 2015, he expressed his resolve to actualise the Republic of Biafra and “cast aspersions on the person and the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The statement read in part, “Reference to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a terrorist, evil and a paedophile is regrettable and uncalled for and for that, I unreservedly apologise and will be doing so in a private letter to the President.
“Before PMB (President Muhammadu Buhari) there was the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. I also said uncomplimentary things about him and Igbo elders as well, which I now recognise should not have happened because it is un-African to be rude or insolent to elders.
“All I was trying to do is to draw attention to the problems afflicting society and something done about them.”
Kanu, who described himself as a Nigerian and a British citizen, justified his agitation for a Biafra Republic.
He said IPOB’s secessionist agenda was informed by the “incessant hardship, lack of holistic development in the socio-economic landscape of Nigeria, lack of youth employment, corruption in high offices and economic regression.”
He added that the agitation by IPOB, which, according to him, was founded in London in 2012 by a group of people from the South-South and South-East regions of the country, was in line with the United Nations Charter on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ratified by African countries, including Nigeria.
In contrast to the counts of managing and assisting in the management of an unlawful society preferred against Kanu and two others, the Radio Biafra founder stated that IPOB, which the prosecution described as unlawful, was registered with the UN to pursue the rights of the people of Biafra.
He stated, “I can confirm that I, Nnamdi Kanu, is the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra worldwide as a legitimately and duly registered body at the United Nations pursuing the rights of a specific indigenous people, in this case, Biafra, to seek self determination according to the said charter.
“The reason for the formation of the Indigenous People of Biafra is to avail those referring to themselves as Biafrans the opportunity made available as a result of the United Nations declaration to seek the peaceful rebirth of Biafra in line with international law.”
Kanu, who is a son of a traditional ruler in Abia State, Sir I.O. Kanu, said he operated Radio Biafra, whose programmes “are designed to wake up the public from its slumber and address the issues of the time” because of his belief in free speech and freedom of expression.
He explained that the intended Biafra Republic comprised Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states as well the Igbanke part of Edo State; Igala part of Kogi State and Idoma/Igede part of Edo State.
Apart from Kanu, one of the two other defendants in the six counts filed by the Federal Government is a Field Maintenance Engineer, David Nwawuisi, charged with the responsibility of maintaining MTN masts in Enugu State.
The other defendant, Benjamin Madubugwu, was said to be living in the Ubilisiuzo, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he allegedly received custody of a container, housing transmitters, from Kanu.
On December 23 during the accused persons’ appearance in court for their scheduled arraignment, Kanu refused to take his plea due to what he called his lack of confidence in the presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.
The judge promptly returned the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for reassignment to another judge and the three accused persons were returned to the custody of the Department of State Services.
The fresh charges were filed against the three men barely 24 hours after Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in a ruling on Kanu’s bail application on December 17, ordered his unconditional release from DSS custody having been detained for about two months without any valid charges filed against him.
The PUNCH had reported that the Federal Government had alleged that transmitters for Radio Biafra, spreading secessionist agenda for carving out Biafra region from Nigeria, were found to be installed on MTN masts in Enugu and Anambra states between April and May 2015.
No new date has been fixed for the arraignment of the accused persons.
Vehement in their resolve to get the detained Radio Biafra boss Nnamdi Kanu released and to actualze their agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra, no fewer than 40,000 members and sympathizers of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, shut down commercial and business activities in the South East states as they took to the streets to vent their spleen.
Biafran Protest over Kanu
This was even as hundreds of agitators thronged the court located at Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, yesterday, to show solidarity to Kanu who has been in detention for the past two months.
The detained pro-Biafra leader was supposed to be produced in court yesterday, in Abuja but the trial was stalled over the death of the Chief Magistrate’s father.
In Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State and its environs of Obosi and Nkpor, the protesters held sway in a non-violent procession.
Vehicular movements were grounded by the intimidating number of the IPOB members and their sympathizers, who marched from the Niger Bridge Head to the former Ogbunike Toll Gate to register their anger against the continued detention of Mr. Kanu.
The blocking of the Niger Bridge disrupted vehicular movements for over seven hours before normalcy was restored on the bridge.
The attempt by the military to disperse them failed because of their number and their resort to non-violence. The military however showed professionalism that had never been witnessed in Onitsha, under similar situation as they carefully implored the agitators to free the road for other users.
Onitsha-Owerri Road was also blocked by IPOB protesters, who made entry in and out of Onitsha difficult for all road users.
Intimidating
The crowd was so intimidating that some businesses and markets located along the road including Bridge Head Market, Onitsha Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers Market, Ochanja Market, all in Onitsha; New Auto Spare Parts Market and New Tyre Market Nkpor; Building Materials Market Ogidi and Bakery Market, also in Ogidi equally closed shops as a result of the protest.
When Vanguard sought to know why they closed their shops, some said they did it in solidarity, while others said they were afraid of being invaded by the protesters.
The protesting IPOB members were peaceful contrary to allegations that the traders were forced to close their shops or their shops invaded to loot their goods.
One of their leaders and spokesman of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful, who spoke to newsmen said: “We decided to avoid coming close to markets, especially Onitsha Main Market, because of the false allegation by some leaders of the traders, who have been paid to destroy our image with allegations of looting and destroying the traders’ goods.
Nanmdi Kanu, Radio Biafra’s Director
“We are not protesting against our brothers and sisters who are doing their genuine business of trading and other businesses. So, there is no reason to attack anybody or invade their shops, neither are we begging anybody to come and join in the protest.
“People whose lives and businesses have been destroyed by government policies join us without invitation, while others join in solidarity. Allegation of infiltration into our fold is also false, baseless and figments of the imagination of those making it. We are only protesting to secure the release of our leader,” he said
In his chat with newsmen, National Coordinator of IPOB, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe, who was flanked by Mr. Powerful, said that the protest was a result of the detention of Mr. Kanu and marginalization of the South East, adding that the protest will continue on Wednesday.
Aba also grounded
In Aba, Abia State, it was a carnival of sort as over 20,000 members of the group, yesterday, fulfilled their threat to shut down markets and other commercial centres in protest against the continued detention of its leader, and host of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
The protesters who adorned Biafra emblems and Kanu’s portraits with speakers mounted on motorcycles, marched from the dilapidated Port Harcourt Road through Asa Road from where they divided into smaller groups to other areas of the city, ensuring that all markets and shops along the areas were shut. There was heavy traffic when the protest started, but as at 10a.m., the roads were deserted as IPOB members marched, singing Biafra songs and Kanu’s praises.
Vanguard gathered that as early as 8a.m., members of the group had stormed Ariaria International, Ekeoha, Cemetery and Ngwa Road markets to ensure that traders did not defy the order to shut their businesses.
Along Azikiwe and St. Michael’s roads by Mosque Street junction, shop owners, who had already opened for business hurriedly shut down as IPOB members were sighted at the area.
However, the Ehere modern market on Ikot Ekpene Road was open as traders went about their businesses without molestation.
Roadblock
Some youths later mounted a roadblock at St.Michael’s Road by Mosque Street junction, making it impossible for motorists to pass through the area, but the roadblock was later dismantled.
While marching along Aba-Owerri Road, a group of IPOB members blocked the gate of Keystone Bank opposite the State Polytechnic, insisting that the Nigerian flag mounted at the bank premises must be removed.
It was a theatre of confusion as some IPOB members, who spoke to Vanguard, insisted that the bank must comply with the order to shut down before they left the area.
The situation created tension in the city as banks and schools opened with caution. Business centres along the ever busy Asa Road located at the city centre, were deserted and later opened at 3.30p.m. when the group had passed through the main park area.
A cross section of members of the group who spoke to newsmen insisted that the protest would continue until Kanu regained freedom and the actualization of an independent state of Biafra became a reality.
“This is just the first stage of the protest, if they don’t release our Director, they will be surprised by the next stage of our protest. We are going to shut Nigeria. We are not joking about it,” they chorused.
When contacted, Abia Police spokesman, DSP Ezekiel Onyeke, said they were monitoring the situation and assured that the Police would not fold their arms and watch the protesters breach the peace of the state.
Kanu’s trial stalled
The protest however became more grievous when the IPOB members received a message from their colleagues in Abuja that the court did not sit yesterday and neither was their leader, Kanu produced in court.
Hearing on his case was stalled following the death of the magistrate’s father.
Kanu was brought before an Abuja Magistrate’s Court by the Department of State Service, DSS, on allegations of criminal conspiracy, engaging in unlawful society and criminal intimidation, which violate Section 97, 97B and 397 of the penal code.
The magistrate, Usman Shuaibu, had on November 23 adjourned sitting till December 1 for ruling, but failed to appear, citing the death of his father.
According to the court registrar, Salisu Yinusa, the magistrate had to travel to prepare for the burial of his father.
The court was, however, considering December 16 for ruling on the matter, but the registrar said that date was still tentative.
One of Kanu’s lawyers, Marcel Dim-Udebuani, told journalists that his client had no problem with the recent development, but hoped for a favourable judgment when the magistrate returned.
Call to release Kanu
Meanwhile, the General Overseer of the God’s Covenant of Christ Sabbath Mission, High Priest Clifford Nmenabu has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria, to free the Radio Biafra Director, Mr. Kanu from detention.
Nmenabu made the call at Amanachi, Orsu Local Government Area, while addressing journalists on the recent pro-Biafra demonstrations in the country.
He said that Kanu had done nothing to deserve such a treatment for too long by the Federal Government, adding that Kanu was only seeking the freedom of his people.
He also called on the international community to come to the aid of the Biafrans, who, he said, had been marginalized in the country for too long.
On the issue of the existence of the Radio Biafra, he said that it was divinely created to save the oppressed in the society. He said, “ Kanu was not speaking against any person or group of people. His broadcast were truth-oriented and conscience awakening. It was a divine arrangement for a renaissance and liberation of a particular sect that is under bondage.”
A case for one Nigeria
Worried by the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra, the Nigerian-Jewish community has reiterated its support for Nigeria as one indivisible entity notwithstanding dissatisfaction raised by some ethnic groups.
The National President, Pan Africa Jewish Alliance, PAJA, Most Rev. Kohen Okorie who made the call at a press briefing in Onitsha, Anambra state, yesterday to usher in a week-long centenary celebration of Sabbaths in Nigeria, Nigerian-Jews disagreed with Biafra agitators who are calling for secession from the country..
According to him, “We so much believe in the unity of Nigeria. The Jewish community in Nigeria in conjunction with Pan Africa Jewish Alliance PAJA disagrees with the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, on the nation of Biafra to secede from Nigeria.”
Although we accept him as an Igbo Jew and support most of his views on Igbo nation but we totally disagrees with him on secession”.
Okorie, however, called on Nigerians to always think of how they would build and unite the country instead of how they would divide it.
An Edo State High Court has stopped the installation of Chief Luke Abbas as the Eze Ndigbo of Edo State.
The court ordered Police Commissioner Chris Ezike to stop Abbas’ installation.
Justice A. Edodo-Eruaga gave the order, following an ex parte motion by Chief Fecus Ezekwere and two others on behalf of the Igbo community’s union in the state.
In its ruling, the court granted an interim injunction restraining Abbas from presenting himself to Eze Nwosu Ibe for installation as the Eze Ndigbo.
Justice Edodo-Eruaga granted the injunction restraining Ibe and his agents from installing Abbas as the Eze Ndigbo, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The court also gave an order of interim injunction restraining the police commissioner from “permitting or allowing Ibe and Abbas to assemble at Abbas’s home for the purpose of installing him as the Eze Ndigbo of Edo State”.
The case was adjourned till December 22 for hearing of the motion on notice.
Onitsha—Leader of the Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has charged his Igbo kinsmen to always disregard counter views or opinions expressed by the Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha with regard to the current efforts by MASSOB to actualize an independent state of Biafra.
Biafran Protest over Kanu
He said that such counter-views or opinions always expressed by Okorocha against the actualization of Biafra “portends him as a common saboteur to the Igbo cause.”
In a statement to newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State made on his behalf by MASSOB’s National Deputy Director for Information, Mazi Chris Mocha, Uwazuruike stated that although Okorocha had the constitutional right to express his opinions or views on any matter including that of MASSOB and Biafra actualization, he has no capacity to decide or determine what happens in Igbo land.
According to the statement, “Okorocha is aiding and abetting the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government in the continued marginalization of Ndigbo. He is also financing the central mosque near the Government House, Owerri, Imo State to the detriment of our people.”
Meanwhile, Uwazurike had again reaffirmed his determination to actualize Biafra as a sovereign, independent nation without violence within his life time, stressing that if he failed to get Biafra, then he would have failed to achieve what is expected of him to do.
Uwazurike, who made the vow at a MASSOB meeting held in Ojukwu Memorial Library, new Owerri, Imo State, said he was proud that no member of MASSOB had been charged for armed robbery, kidnapping or stealing in the course of the Biafran struggle, adding that such a clean slate was a credit to their non-violent posture.
He boasted that despite the killing of his members by security agencies from 1999-2015, his men had never retaliated or been found guilty by any court of competent jurisdiction.
“I came into the world to do one thing and that is to achieve Biafra and liberate my oppressed people from bondage in Nigeria.”
The recently increasing but clearly unprovoked assault on the rights, freedoms and sensibilities of the Igbo people of South-Eastern Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari-led government does not only deserve condemnation in the strongest terms, but also, and more importantly, it has come to a point that members of the International Community and all other foreign elements (whom Major General Mahummadu Buhari is always willing to confide in them about what he does here or intends doing for Nigerians, whenever he travels out of the country) really need to advise this seemingly quasi-military government to swiftly nip in the bud this gloomy trend before it begets something untoward.
President Buhari
Of course, it is no longer news that the people of the South-East did unambiguously, and reasonably for that matter, show by their preference for the candidature of the erstwhile President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and, also, by their voting pattern – during the just concluded 2015 Presidential election – that Major General Muhammadu Buhari was not, and still is not, that detribalised Nigerian they would wish the most populous black country in the world to parade as their President. Rightly or wrongly, and willy-nilly, this is one of the ways of construing the enormous support and solidarity shown by the people of the South-East to former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential contest. Good enough, this position had been well articulated by Ohanaeze Ndigbo – the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization – when it reportedly declared in the aftermath of the 2015 Presidential election that the Igbo did not, and still do not, owe any apology to President Muhammadu Buhari, or even his Hausa-Fulani (Northern) enclave, for massively voting for Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. And for the benefit of those who care to know, this is simply the beauty of democracy: of a system which allows certain percentage of a population (call them the minority if you like) to bare their soul, while the remaining scores of others (call them the majority if you still wish) move on to have their way.
Nevertheless, it is pertinent for Mr. Muhammadu Buhari – who is wont to confess to being a converted democrat – to realize that this seemingly unalloyed support and decision of the vast majority of the Igbo people to cast their votes en mass for Dr Goodluck Jonathan, instead of him Buhari, was and still is nothing but a quintessential instance of democracy in action. Hence it is immaterial quibbling about whether he (Jonathan) won or lost, after all.
Therefore, however embittered President Mahammadu Buhari might have become over this enormous show of support for Dr Goodluck Jonathan by Ndigbo, this does not imply that the Igbo must be singled out for persecution or be exposed to what currently seems to be an emerging brand of state sponsored terrorism being apparently unleashed upon them by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Security apparatchiks. In specific terms, the Igbo refusal to cast their votes for Muhammadu Buhari in the just concluded 2015 Presidential election MUST be a reason for the latter to single out the former for unwarranted persecution.
Now to the crux of the matter, it is no longer news that no fewer than seven members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – an interest group agitating for a complete autonomy of Ndigbo from their present “geographical expression” called Nigeria – were reportedly killed, leaving no less than 30 other members with various degrees of injuries arising from gunshots directed at them by a team of (Muhammadu Buhari’s) Naval personnel assigned to Onitsha naval base.
According to media reports, this murderous attack was maliciously carried out by officers of the Nigerian Navy in a bid to register their hate-driven aversion to a peaceful “evangelization” procession organised by the IPOB group with a view to merely sensitizing the public on the nature of their cause and demands.
Though the Nigeria Navy was later reported to have denied killing members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (sequel to a 14-day ultimatum reportedly issued to Muhammadu Buhari-led government by the youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo wherein it demanded that an investigation be carried out on the matter with a view to fishing out and prosecuting the officers responsible for the killing of these unarmed civilians), it is somewhat difficult to write off the reasonable thinking in some quarters that the shedding of the blood of these innocent and unarmed Igbo sons appear to pander to the morbid fascination of the power that be in Abuja. For one, true or false, the thinking of this school of thought seems to derive its validity from the conspicuous indifference shown thus far by President Muhammadu Buhari to this legitimate demand for a probe into the circumstances, the veracity or otherwise, surrounding this reported brutal murder of these hapless civilians of Igbo extraction, by men of the Nigerian Navy.
Meanwhile, this (indifference) is more so disturbing when juxtaposed with the recent and widely reported pronouncement credited to President Buhari on the issue of human rights violation by the Nigerian Military vis-a-vis the ongoing war against the Boko Haram terrorists. As a matter of fact, the media had quoted President Buhari as saying that he would not hesitate to deal with any member or members of the Nigerian Military found to have engaged in human rights abuse or extra-judicial killing in the guise of the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.
Weighed against this backdrop, it arouses deep curiosity that this same President Muhammadu Buhari, earlier credited with the statement indicating his wiliness to swiftly move into investigation and possible prosecution of any member or members of the Nigerian military against whom charges of human rights violation are levelled, now appears docile and apparently turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the grave allegation of murder reportedly perpetrated by the Nigerian Navy in Onitsha, Anambra state, against non-violent and unarmed citizens of Igbo descent. And here, meanwhile, is the President of Nigeria who purportedly belongs to everybody and, therefore, belongs to nobody (?).
Obviously in an attempt to add insult to injury, the Imo state command of the Nigerian Police Force recently invaded the house of (Chief Ralph Uwazurike) the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and, at the end of the raid, reportedly arrested for onward detention many members of the Movement, whose only perceived offences stem from (i) their membership of this pressure group and (ii) their presence in the premises of their leader at the time of this invasion.
Like the case of a man being treated for the disease of the scrotum and he begins to develop at same time a novel case of swelling stomach, this exactly is analogous to the prevailing problem of the Nigerian Police Force: fast returning to the days of its degenerative condition of human rights abuse. Most unfortunately, at a time many Nigerians are still striving to find a place their hearts to forgive the Nigerian Police over its notorious role in the murder of Muhammed Yusuf, the then leader of the Boko Haram sect, and the attendant provocation of the current crisis of terrorism in the country, it is not in the least expected – though in the estimation of rational minds – that the same Police Force could be scouting for avenues to further foment trouble for both rulers and the ruled alike, and/or the country in general.
Now come to think of it, what fate is Nigerian Police Force wishing this already crisis-ridden and traumatized country of ours should any ill befalls the leader of the Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra in the course of this unprovoked assault on Ndigbo by the Nigerian Police?
Certainly, employing such adjectival words like despicable, odious, abysmal and unconscionable may not just be enough to describe and qualify the extent of alleged desecration of churches and items meant for worship (and God) by the men of the Nigerian Police Force during the recent thanksgiving services organised for members of MASSOB in order to mark the celebration of sixteen years of the group’s existence. Bearing in mind the sensitive nature of religious issues in the country vis-a-vis this deplorable action of the Nigerian Police, will it now be a misplaced thinking if the people affected (Ndigbo) begin to view this desecration as a deliberate and flagrant infringement on their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion and worship or, in addition, as part of the seemingly renewed attack on Christianity in Nigeria – which the rumour making rounds about the alleged plan to relocate Aso Rock villa church has not in any way helped matters either?
But be that as it may, the point must be rammed home for the government of the day, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, that there is a wide gap of difference between a violent group (as could be aptly found in the Boko Haram sect) agitating for autonomy from the federation of Nigeria and non-violent groups (as epitomized by the MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra) equally agitating for the same autonomy. To this end, therefore, there is no justifiable reason(s) for the current state sponsored assault on the fundamental human rights of Igbo people legitimately demanding for self-determination.
By and large, much as President Muhammadu Buhari is still very much at liberty to carry on with his reward-and-punish appointment policy within the ambit of all relevant laws, it is imperative for him to know that this does not confer on him the unquestionable power to maliciously persecute Ndigbo for no just cause. A stitch in time saves nine.
Onyiorah Paschal Chiduluemije writes fromAbuja and can be reached via facebook or twitter @onyiorahpaschal.
In this interview with ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, human rights lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, speaks about President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments
You are from the South-South. Why have you come out to defend President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments which are largely in favour of the North?
I am not a tribalist. If I was, I wouldn’t have campaigned for Buhari. I just wanted the best for Nigeria. I agree that some of the best brains are from the South while some of the best are from the North. We have brains everywhere. However, why people are clamouring for these positions that have just been filled is that people see them as juicy positions and this is my problem. About 95 per cent of the positions are yet to be filled. Buhari has filled just about five per cent of positions. For me, no government position is different from the other and that is the ideal situation. We should not classify some positions as more beneficial than others because that is a euphemism for corruption. It is a euphemism to say that some positions are better than others. People were clamouring for the position of Secretary to the Government of Federation and Chief of Staff because in the past, the Peoples Democratic Party turned those positions into money-making machines. Nigerians have seen the ostentatious lifestyles that others who have occupied these positions have lived. And the nation allowed them to get away with those crimes. And yet we say we want a change. We must begin to change our orientation. So, we are saying that we cannot make a holistic assessment until the President fills all these positions. For those positions he has filled, they are supposed to be occupied by those who are personally loyal to the President. I do not expect him to leave those positions to be filled by his political party. For example, you cannot say the chief of staff should be someone that is loyal to a power bloc in his party. That kind of person would close everyday from work, pick his telephone, and report all the activities of the President to his political camp. That would not be fair because that kind of person would not be loyal to the President but by the person who nominated him for that office. There are many positions that the political party can fill that will not have direct access to the itinerary and activities of the President. That is why I said people should be calm. There are ministerial positions to be filled, heads of agencies and many others.
We must change our orientation such that any appointment given to anybody from any part of the country must be accepted with dignity and pride and patriotism. The argument is that certain ethnic groups have seen some positions as being exclusive to them. They argue that since the presidency has gone to the North and some positions have gone to some other geopolitical zones, the next one must come to them. The clamour is because they see these as hierarchies of juicy positions and I say no.
Is it coincidental that the South-East, where Buhari got low number of votes, has not received any political appointment?
Buhari got the lowest number of votes from the South-South. But as I said, the appointments are not yet complete. You say he has not appointed any Igbo but the biggest position so far has gone to an Igbo man: Emmanuel Kachikwu who is the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. It is just by modern political divide that the man falls within Delta State but he is a Delta Igbo. They speak Igbo. It is only by political delineation that he falls within Delta State but there are Igbo speaking Deltans. He is an Igbo man but only on the other side of the Niger. He is not an Urhobo man. What language does he speak? Is it not Igbo? So what are we talking about? That is the biggest position and they have it already. So, you can see that all this noise is being made by frustrated and jobless politicians who just want to use ethnicity to get juicy positions. It is orchestrated. We the elite should not be moved by this noise and selfish agenda. Imagine a whole ethnic group campaigning for a position! Initially, they said chief of staff, then SGF. Now, with all the noise they have been making since May 29, imagine if one person from that region is appointed to that position. That person will then see himself as a champion of his ethnic group and his kinsmen will descend on that office in the area of contracts and gifts. He will destroy the sanctity of that office and turn it into a political chessboard because that person will see himself as representing a region in that position. It removes professionalism from that position. So, we should not campaign for offices on the basis of representing an ethnic bloc. Yes, every region will get appointments but once he is appointed, he should not see himself as representing that ethnic group but the whole country.
But Section 13 of the constitution states that the composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity.
Yes, I agree but the government has not been fully composed. Is it the SGF and chief of staff that constitute the government? So what is the noise all about? Five per cent of all appointments have not even been made. All these noises would have been valid if positions had been filled and it is lopsided. What if the next 10 appointments made are all Igbo? Wouldn’t those people castigating the government look foolish?
Do you think these fears are misplaced in the light of Buhari’s statement that constituencies where he didn’t get many votes would not be treated equally with areas where he got many votes?
It is very simple. It doesn’t mean that they would be schemed out. But if he says that, it is his prerogative. If the President says he will leave certain sensitive positions to certain areas because those ones directly have to do with his security and if he leaves these other positions to a certain area, what is wrong with that? It is the President’s prerogative. Like I said, all appointments should be received with dignity and pride. That is why he is the President.
The constitution states that each of the 36 states must produce a minister. However, you have said that all the appointments could be made at different times in order to save costs. Do you think this would be wise in the light of the recent allegations of marginalisation?
I believe that our priority as a people should not be appointments but conservation of national resources. If I know that a minister is supposed to be appointed from my state but the President is making appointments in bits because we cannot afford 36 ministers at the same time, why shouldn’t I make the sacrifice because by the time it is the turn of my state to produce the minister, another state would not have. That is balancing and nothing is wrong with that. If for two years, a person from Delta is heading a ministry and within that same period, Edo State doesn’t have a minister and after sometime, the role is reversed such that Edo has a minister and Delta does not have, is that not equity? But the real issue is that people cannot wait to touch public funds and that is why they are complaining.
SUNDAY PUNCH – There were indications on Saturday that President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress had begun moves to compensate the South-East for not getting any appointments so far in the current administration.
Buhari
SUNDAY PUNCH reliably gathered that some states in the geopolitical zone might get more than one ministerial slot.
The Presidency and the APC sources, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on condition of anonymity, also justified the appointments made by Buhari on Thursday.
A top member of the party said the President was not unmindful of criticisms that greeted the alleged lopsided appointments.
He said, “The President has assured us that all zones that have not been represented in the appointments he has made so far will be compensated.
“For example, some states in the South-East may get more than one ministerial slots. The President is going to make board and ambassadorial appointments. All zones, including the South-East, will be represented in this government.”
Prominent Nigerians and socio-political groups, have criticised the appointments made by Buhari so far.
Out of 31 appointments made so far, 24 of the appointees are from the North and seven are from the South. The South-East has no representation in the Buhari-led government.
SUNDAY PUNCH however gathered that the emergence of the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pastor David Lawal, and the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, was the result of the politics among power blocks in the APC.
It was learnt that the two appointees belonged to the Congress for Progressive defunct Change, which Buhari led, before it merged with other parties to form the APC
A Presidency source told one of our correspondents that Lawal and Kyari were picked because of their closeness and loyalty to the President.
The source said, “Although the President is a loyal member of the party, the levels of trust he has in the members differ. There are various blocks in the APC.
“You don’t give appointments such as chief of staff and the SGF to your rival or his loyalists; you give them to those you can vouch for. Those posts are ears and eyes of the President and they are not subjected to the party’s ratification.”
It was also gathered that the latest appointments confirmed the existence of various power blocks in the APC.
It will be recalled that the CPC, led by Buhari, merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Nigerians Peoples Party and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, led by the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to form the APC.
They were later joined by five governors, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also defected from the PDP to the APC.
Meanwhile, the Presidency, on Saturday, assured Nigerians that by the end of the series of appointments being made by Buhari, no part of Nigeria would feel alienated.
The Special Assistant to the President on Media Affairs, Mr. Garba Shehu, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents.
When asked if the South- East and other parts of the country, who are complaining of being marginalised by Buhari would be compensated, Shehu said appointments so far made by the President were just a few out of so many that would be made by the President.
He said, “There will be ministers, heads of government departments, federal boards and ambassadors. At the end of the exercise, no part of the country will be left feeling left out.”
ABUJA- FORMER Director of Publicity, Peoples Democratic Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode Monday lampooned the Convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, describing his comments that President Muhammadu Buhari owes Igbos nothing as most most insensitive, cruel and Puerile.
Femi Fani-Kayode
Responding to comments credited to Junaid, Fani- Kayode in a message to Vanguard noted that his statements that If the igbo feel marginalised they should attempt to break away again, was most uncharitable and careless, warning that if there was any attempt to butcher the Ibos or a repeat of what happened in 1966, it would be resisted by not only the Ibos, but by all Nigerians, with attempt to secede, which according to him, would be successful.
According to him, the like of Junaid must learn from history, our mistakes, preach peace and peaceful coexistence, rather that boast and beat our chests for yet another round of war. Fani- Kayode reacting to a statement titled,
” If the igbo feel marginalised they should attempt to break away again”- Dr. Junaid Mohammed, The Punch Newspaper, 17th August 2015, said, “Given the immense suffering that the igbo were subjected to both before, during and after the civil war this is one of most insensitive, cruel and puerile comments that I have heard in recent times. “I daresay that if Junaid Mohammed’s Nigeria ever butchers over 100,000 innocent igbo civilians again, as they did in the north in 1966 just before the civil war, there will indeed be another attempt to secede, but this time it will not only be successful, but they will also take many others with them. “Rather than boast and beat our chests, we must learn from our history and we must never repeat its mistakes.
” Dr. Junaid Mohammed, had in an interview in one of the national dailies( not Vanguard) , dismissed the sentiments shared by a former Governor of Anambra State that the Igbo have not been treated fairly in the governance of Nigeria. Junaid who noted that people of the Igbo nation have enjoyed favourable treatment, said it was wrong to reward the Igbo simply on the basis of the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted between 1967 and 1970. Mohammed had said, “If it is about Buhari making the appointments based on merit, I have no problems with it. I don’t believe Buhari or Nigeria owes any Igbo anything. I don’t care what Ezeife says; if they had seceded, there would have been no Nigeria today. As people who acted outside the interest of Nigeria as a country, to expect compensation is a very odd logic.
“If the Igbo don’t like it, they can attempt secession again. If they do, they must be prepared to live with the consequences. Nobody owes them anything and nobody is out to compensate them for anything.”
For decades, the Igbo and the Yoruba have lived in peace but have bickered ceaselessly like cat and dog. On April 22, 2014, I wrote an article entitled, “‘Tom and Jerry’ relationship between Igbo and Yoruba to highlight the inherent strengths of these two ethnic groups and how they can positively direct these strengths for the good of the two ethnic groups and Nigeria in general. I added another article on April 21, 2015, entitled, “Lagos is not a ‘No man’s land’ but to underpin how the two ethnic groups can work together.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
However, one complaint some Yoruba have against the Igbo is that the latter are limiting the opportunities available to the Yoruba by being in control of their homeland in the South-East and also sharing the opportunities in the South-West with the Yoruba. If the Igbo were all resident in the South-East, and only come into the South-West to transact business and go back, some maintain, there would not be much problem. But the idea of the Igbo settling en masse in Yorubaland, especially Lagos, buying property massively, controlling some markets and products, and having a say in the politics of the South-West seem threatening to some Yoruba. It creates the impression that the Igbo usually hold an annual general assembly in a 30-million-man capacity stadium at which a directive is issued to every Igbo person to go to the South-West and take it over. But as has been shown, the Igbo are investment-driven, and land seems to be the best investment in Nigeria, because of its ever appreciating value and the protection it gives to the owner from landlords who talk down on tenants, increase rent at will and eject tenants at the flimsiest reason. The Igbo are proud people who don’t like living at the mercy of any “master”.
One weird alternative is to send all Igbo out of Yorubaland. But that option is not an option because the Igbo are Nigerians and have a right to reside in any part of Nigeria without any passport or residential permit. Secondly, even if the Igbo and the Yoruba don’t belong to the same country, the global standard is that people are free to reside in any country once they have valid papers, and they have a right to own property once they can afford it. Currently, Nigerians reside in all parts of the world and own property there without being citizens of those countries.
However, there is an option that will balance the skewed equation between the Igbo and the Yoruba and reduce the tension between the two ethnic groups. That option is to have a strategic migration of the Yoruba in droves into Igboland, residing there with their families, transacting business, buying property and participating in the local politics and social activities in Igboland. Currently, many Yoruba seem to be averse to living in other parts of Nigeria outside the Yoruba enclave. Interestingly, they love to live in large numbers in the UK and the US.
Even in the choice of university, it is the same story. The PUNCH edition of August 10, 2015 published a news story on page 6 on the result of the post-UTME examination released by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The person with the highest score was Igbo (Onyenachi Nze). Two people tied at third position, and one of them was Igbo (Jude Epunam). If you check the results released by universities which are based in the South-East, Yoruba names will be few and far between, not because they don’t want to admit Yoruba students, but because they rarely apply to South-East universities or even those in the South-South. In my class of about 70 students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we had only one Yoruba student.
Once the Yoruba take a decision to “invade” the South-East in large numbers, the relationship between them and the Igbo will improve greatly. They will stop feeling short-changed by the Igbo. While an Emeka is buying a house in Okota, an Ayodele should be buying a house beside Emeka’s ancestral home in Amawbia. While a Dozie is calling himself Eze-Igbo of Ojo, a Dayo is calling himself Oba Yoruba of Ngwaland.
That was why I was very happy when Ekiti State mooted the idea of sending some Ekiti youths to Onitsha and Aba to acquire trading skills and craftsmanship. We Nigerians love to see the bad sides of each ethnic group rather than the good sides. Each ethnic group has some great qualities that anybody who is not enslaved by tribal supremacy and hate can copy and put to good use. My 21-year sojourn in Yorubaland has added some value to me.
In all parts of the world, settlers always have an edge to succeed more than the indigenes. Why? Settlers come with different perspectives. They naturally think outside the box. They see things differently and therefore spot opportunities that indigenes can’t spot. They have more drive to succeed. While sons of the soil live in their own houses and pay no rent, and have access to farmlands where they can get food for free, etc, which make them complacent and conceited, settlers know they have to succeed or die of hunger or get booted out by their landlords. They are also not bogged down by their culture or positions. A prince in a foreign land will pocket his title and do even menial jobs to succeed, but he can’t do the same in his own land.
While growing up in Nnewi in the South-East in the late 70s and early 80s, I saw hired farm workers from Enugu and Ebonyi send their Nnewi counterparts out of business. They came in with hoes whose blades were three times the size of the hoes used by Nnewi farmers. So, they worked faster. And unlike the Nnewi hired workers for whom you must provide one meal plus wine per day until they finished working for you, the Enugu/Ebonyi workers demanded no such thing. They got the job done fast, get paid, and move on to another job. Soon, nobody was hiring the Nnewi workers, and they fizzled out.
Ghanaian tailors, barbers, cobblers, etc, did the same thing to their Nnewi counterparts when they came into the town in the late 70s and early 80s.
The bottom line is that people who want to pay for goods and services want new, better, faster and more cost-effective ways of offering them. They don’t care about your race or religion or nationality. That is why settlers have an edge over indigenes.
So for the Yoruba involved in house construction, architecture, roofing, tiling, wiring, plumbing, auto mechanics, panel-beating/car-painting, house-painting, fashion designing, herbal medicine, hairdressing, nail-fixing, upholstery, restaurants/bars, etc, it may be time to seek a new territory. Igboland needs your fresh perspectives and artistry.
In China, Chinese food would seem ordinary, but in Africa, Europe or America, it is exotic. The same thing goes for something as ordinary as roast plantain (boli) or specially prepared goat meat called asun. Because these are Yoruba meals, if prepared in the South-East by a Yoruba person, they are seen as exotic delicacies.
When there is an influx of Yoruba into Igboland, it will create more competition there. Variety will be added to the lifestyle in Igbo land. A win-win situation will be created. The Igbo will no longer feel that they are being foolish by investing in Yoruba land without the Yoruba reciprocating.
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe with Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Chief Obafemi Awolowo could not unite the Igbo and Yoruba. On the contrary, they created a deeper gulf between the two ethnic groups. The absence of regional governments has created an absence of central figures in Yorubaland and Igboland that can champion an honest and enduring Igbo-Yoruba relationship. A real handshake across the Niger is therefore essential now more than ever before.
A former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, says the Igbo did not vote for the Peoples Democratic Party in the last general election in the South-East, maintaining that the PDP massively rigged the election in the region.
Kalu, who was an ardent supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan before the elections, said this during a programme on Channels TV titled, “View from the Top,” on Monday.
The former governor said out of the five states in the South-East, the PDP only won elections in Ebonyi and Enugu states.
He said it would, therefore, be unfair to accuse the Igbo of voting en masse for the PDP.
Kalu said the people of Abia State voted against the PDP because of their feelings towards Governor Theodore Orji and the overbearing nature of the President’s wife, Patience Jonathan.
The former governor, who lost the Abia-North senatorial election on the platform of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, maintained that he did not lose but that the PDP rigged the election.
He said, “The issue is that what happened in my constituency was a rigged election. Apart from Enugu and Ebonyi states, where the PDP had very good outings, every other state they won in the South-East was rigged.
“So, the Igbo did not make any mistakes, I feel bad when I see people blaming the Igbo. In the presidential election, the result brought out from Abia where I was, did not reflect the voting pattern of the people.
“In Aba, I can tell you and I will tell Jonathan, that he did not win election in Aba. The APC won the election there but when I saw the result, it was a different thing because the people were angry because of the attitude of T. A Orji and the occasional interference of the wife of the President. People were angry.”
Kalu said it would be unfair to criticise a geopolitical zone for voting en masse for a party, adding that in 1999, the South-West voted massively for the then Alliance for Democracy even though Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP is from the zone.
The former governor said the PDP lost the general election because of its greed and superiority complex.
He said he and a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had planned to form a merger around 2007 but his political associates in the South-East thwarted the plans.
He said he was not surprised that Tinubu went on to form Nigeria’s biggest opposition party which finally defeated the PDP.
He said, “The PDP was bound to lose the elections because many people were very greedy. There was impunity; people in the party felt they were mini gods. And when you feel that God Almighty is no longer God and that you are the new God, you are bound to fail and that was what happened.
“The PDP felt that they could afford anything money could buy. My brothers, the Igbo didn’t understand the local politics. What you see in the country today was planned by Bola Tinubu and me.
“He is alive, you can ask him. He planned to go with the Action Congress and I planned to go with the PPA. We said at the same time, we could come back to the stage but the two governors we had from the South-East were not as forthright as Governor Babatunde Fashola. Fashola was the only AC governor at the time.”
The Harvard University Hutchins Centre for African and American Research in the United States has said that it will release the video of the lecture delivered by Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, within a week.
Watch And Pray, Watch And Prey By Wole Soyinka
This was contained in an email reply to one of our correspondents on Soyinka’s alleged comments that he labelled Igbo as people who voted in the last general elections based on their “stomach.”
Some online media had quoted Soyinka as saying Igbo were politically naive while delivering a lecture titled, “‘Predicting Nigeria, Electoral Ironies,” at the institution.
He was quoted as saying “The Igbo are probably the only group of Nigerians that you can predict with great accuracy whom they will vote for in an election, because they tend to put their votes where their stomachs take them; suffering as it were, from incurable money-mindedness, as they would stop at nothing in their quest for personal financial gain.”
However, Soyinka said in a statement on Tuesday that it was unfortunate that people could tell lies against him.
The playwright described those who believe the report as morons.
He said the entire lecture was recorded on video and anyone who was interested could access it on the Internet.
He said, “I have just read a statement attributed to me on a news outlet, evidently one of the Internet infestations. My lecture at the Hutchins Centre, Harvard University, was video recorded. Anyone who believes what I am alleged to have said must be a moron – repeat, a moron.
“It is demeaning, sickening and boring to have to deal with these cowards who cannot fight their own battles but must fasten their imbecilic pronouncements on others. Only the mentally retarded will credit this comment attributed to me regarding the Ndigbo voting pattern in the last elections.
“I strongly suspect the author of this despicable concoction, and may make a further statement, once the source is verified.”
The Harvard centre, has however, stated that it will post the video online. The institution, however, said it would not release transcripts of Soyinka’s lecture.
The email read, “We expect the recent Wole Soyinka talk to be posted via video on the Hutchins Centre website within a week. However, transcripts of the talk will not be provided. Thank you for contacting the Hutchins Centre.”
The President-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has urged the Ndigbo and other non-indigenes in Lagos State to forgive all that has been said against them and move on for the sake of peace.
Buhari said this during a rally in Lagos to address the comments made by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu.
Akiolu has been under fire since Monday when he reportedly threatened the Ndigbo in Lagos to either vote for the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, or perish in the lagoon.
The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday asked Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola to suspend Akiolu forthwith.
However, the President-elect described Lagos as home for all, adding that the time had come for Nigerians to look past ethnicity in the general interest of peace and unity.
He said, “I admire what your governor has done in terms of mobilising revenue to sustain Lagos development. I have a lot of respect for Governor Fashola for his hard work, commitment to the state and the country. There is no doubt that Lagos is a mini-Nigeria. We are all here and it has been mentioned by previous speakers that everybody (tribe) is adequately represented in Lagos.
“So, I assure you. If you vote for the continuity of APC in Lagos, you stand to gain more. It is in your interest that you vote for the APC.
“Please when you go home tell your neighbours, relatives and even the opposition to please bury the hatchet. Let them fall in line and vote the APC.
“When we were coming in our bus, Fashola told me how Lagos State had been spending to maintain the federal infrastructure here such as buildings, roads and other institutions. I had promised before that if I won the election and became the President, I would make Lagos my priority. Governor Fashola is already holding to me to that promise so I would like the incoming governor to listen carefully and make sure he makes me honour my undertaking.”
The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said Lagos was responsible for building the opposition and ensuring that it finally took control of the centre.
He said it would be a great injustice for Lagos to become an opposition state after working so hard to build a bright future.
Akinolu can’t speak for APC –Tinubu
Also speaking, a former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, said Akiolu was not a member of the APC and could not speak on behalf of the party.
Tinubu, who noted that he was the first Yoruba governor to ever appoint an Igbo commissioner, said the Peoples Democratic Party, having failed to win last week’s presidential elections, had been desperately trying to pull the APC into the Akiolu controversy.
He said the coordinator of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, Ifeanyi Ubah, and the PDP leader, Bode George, were only making baseless accusations against the APC.
Tinubu said, “The Oba is not a politician. His job is to accommodate all political parties whether PDP, APC or SDP. So, what did he (Ubah) go and do at the palace? Is the Oba a politician?
“To you Igbo, don’t we pay your children’s school fees like others? Or is it the palace that pays for it? When we conducted an exam and a spelling competition, an Igbo boy, Ebuka, from Anambra, came first and he became the governor for one day.
“Those that won the competition three times in a row were Igbo. Ebuka was sent to Switzerland computer school and then Obafemi Awolowo University. We did not say he was an Igbo boy and he would not enjoy. He became an executive in Oando and he is now in Canada.
“Another boy, Felix, won and went to Switzerland and OAU. We paid his scholarship; we did not deny him because he is Igbo.”
‘Suspend him now’
But the PDP said the Lagos monarch should be on suspension till after Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections in order to guarantee free, fair and credible elections in the state.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Lagos PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, the party said it had also alerted the security agencies to hold the monarch responsible for any attack on non-indigenes or PDP members in Lagos.
The statement read in part, “The governor is thus a conspirator in this threat to life and must also be held accountable for any violence in these elections. We have at this point been vindicated about the desperation of the APC to retain Lagos State at all cost, including the All Progressives Congress’ plan not to concede the imminent defeat on April 11.
“The positions of the PDP are coming on the heels of the now viral threat issued by the Oba of Lagos to Ndigbo that they must vote for the APC governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, or be drowned in Lagos water.”
Despite the alleged threat to their lives, PDP urged Lagos non-indigenes and others to be part of Saturday’s voting exercise.
Monarch spoke out of anger –APC
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, said in a separate statement on Tuesday that the monarch spoke out of anger.
Igbokwe urged his kinsmen not to take out their anger on the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who knew nothing about the incident.
The statement read, “Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos is not a card-carrying member of APC. He is not a leader in the APC. He does not speak for the APC. He did not speak for Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State.
“He did not speak for our national leader, Bola Tinubu. He did not speak for the incoming governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode. His Royal Highness is at liberty to speak for him and he spoke for himself only.
“Lagos APC appeals to Ndigbo not to take the statement as the position of the party in Lagos. We passionately appeal to Ndigbo not to carry the statement credited to Oba Akiolu too far so as not to put a knife on things that have held us together for more than 50 years now. If out of annoyance you throw your cap away, a mad man will take it and use it forever.”
The presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has promised to create one million jobs for Igbo youths by revamping huge coal deposits in Enugu State for generation of electricity and export.
Buhari and Osinbajo
A statement made available to our correspondent said Buhari spoke at the Enugu West APC zonal rally on Saturday, where he was represented by the spokesman of the party in the South East, Osita Okechukwu.
Speaking thrpugh Okechukwu, the presidential candidate explained that the coal industry would be revamped with the objective of generating electricity to serve the entire South East.
He assured them that he would award the contract immediately he comes into office, to avoid the mistakes of the Peoples Democratic Party, which he said squandered over N2b voted for a coal project between 2012 and 2014.
“We are banking on huge coal deposits located at Amasiodo, Inyi and Leje axis of Enugu Coal belt.
“We are going to award contract for mining and construction of coal-fired-power-plant unlike PDP that since 1999 promised to revamp the coal fields and 16 years after, nothing has been done.
“We believe that coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in Enugu State and Enugu Coal is one of the most qualitative Coal brand in the world, which means that while some are used to generate electricity, some will be exported,” he said.
The former head of state said his objective is to create one million jobs directly and indirectly from the coal sector, as ancillary projects will follow.
“My idea is to emulate the Taichung Coal-Fired-Power-Plant in Taiwan, the largest coal power station in the world.
“Coal supplies 46 per cent electricity in the United States and over 60 per cent electricity in China – it is callous to abandon such golden treasury.
“For 16 years, every election Igbos voted for PDP and yet, the coal belt remains untapped, hence there is no commensurate reward.
“In 2014 budget for instance, over N600bn capital projects were executed in South South, while less than N200bn was executed in the South East, is that equity and justice?”
Also speaking at the rally, APC vice chairman in Enugu East, Anike Nwoga, expressed confidence that Buhari would win the presidential election.
Nwoga said, “Many of you are catholics, did you hear what Father Mbaka said? Every patriot must vote for APC.”
The statement disclosed that three senatorial candidates from other political parties – Chukwu Ijeoma of All Progressives Grand Alliance, Mabel Onwukwe of Labour Party, and Nwabuike Oliver of Advanced Congress of Democrats – endorsed Buhari as their candidate for the February 14 presidential election at the rally.
Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has called on Ndi Igbo to work with team spirit and unity of purpose as to reposition the zone at the main stream in Nigeria polity and that the Igbos are better off in APC.
Okorocha
The governor who made this call while receiving Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Imo State Chapter, who paid him courtesy call at the Government House Owerri, regretted the level of marginalization of the Igbos in the affairs of the nation, irrespective of the fact that they are part of the tripod of Nigeria.
Governor Okorocha stated that all the key positions in the country eluded Ndi Igbo including the citing of developmental projects by the Federal government in the name of marginalization, he stressed that he contested the Action Peoples Congress (APC) Presidential Primaries to ensure that Igbos are given their pride of place in Nigeria, pointing out that “for me time has come for Igbos to reason together, Ndi Igbo should no longer be relegated to the background, we should take our rightful position in Nigeria polity and say no to second fidel. With my action it is critical clear to APC and entire Nigeria that Igbos are alive to take their position. I will not stop the struggle till there is liberation for Ndi Igbo and until ordinary man is liberated”.
“What we need is a national party that will carry Ndi Igbo along, Igbos are better off in APC”, as he took the group down memory lane.
Governor Okorocha enumerated some of the achievements of Rescue Mission Government in the State in the areas of massive infrastructural development, free education including the up spring of four new Universities in Imo State under three(3) years and 7 months, among others, maintaining that the difference between APC and PDP’s years of maladministration in the State bear eloquent testimonies for 2015’s general election as he assured of his preparedness backed with vision to take the State to greater height.
Owelle Okorocha challenged Ohaneze Ndi Igbo to reconcile their differences and speak with one voice, as an apex “umbrella that covers the entire Igbo nation. You must speak for Ndi Igbo, raise good leaders,” he continued as he called on the group to partner with the Rescue Government.
Speaking on behalf of the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, the President Imo State Chapter, Dr Ezechi Chukwu commended governor Okorocha on his tremendous achievements in the State based on his administrative acumen which has transformed the image of the State within and beyond the State as the envy of many.
Dr. Ezechi Chukwu described Ohanaeze as a mass movement organization which stands to support every government that is people oriented. He stated that governor Okorocha’s inability to secure the APC Presidential ticket is an answered prayer for him not to leave Imo State at this point in time. He expressed the group’s unalloyed support to Okorocha even in his second term bid and urged him to consolidate on his landmark achievements which are second
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
At the
The World Igbo Congress Day, Houston – USA
Saturday, 31st August, 2014
PROTOCOLS
1. Great, progressive pillars of Igboland, I am indeed very happy to join you today in this unique initiative set aside to celebrate excellence and reaffirm the joint vision for the continuing development of Ndi-Igbo and Nigeria as a whole.
President Jonathan
2. As you gather in Houston to re-dream a better Igbo society with a united and greater Nigeria in mind, it is befitting and positively symbolic that the World Igbo Congress of this year is taking place at a time we have just concluded a successful National Conference where your sons and daughters together with other Nigerians gathered to dialogue on ways of moving our country forward.
3. We convened the 2014 Conference to engender unity and to advance our collective development as a people in Nigeria, Africa, and the world.
4. Let me therefore use this opportunity to reiterate my commitment to work in concert with all arms of government and all stakeholders to implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference Report.
5. All through our history, the Igbo have cut a distinguishing niche in all aspects of our national life in the areas of Education, Sports, Politics, Science and Technology, Literary Excellence, Enterprise, Diplomacy, among others.
6. Ndigbo, wherever you have deployed your energy and skills, you have excelled. Many in Nigeria and elsewhere see mainly your talents in Enterprise which clearly stand out, but the Igbo, from our point of view, are much more than that.
7. For observers and admirers who see the enterprising nature of the Igbos, cite great Igbo names like Chief Louis Ojukwu, who, legend has it, was the first Nigerian to own a Rolls Royce in Lagos, and of course his equally unforgettable son, our own Ikemba Chief (Dim) Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu!
8. Let me very quickly say that Chief Louis Ojukwu’s amazing life story will need a special telling on another occasion. We must also celebrate the first Nigerian to own an ocean going crude oil conveying tanker and engage in the crude oil export trade, Sir Onyechere Anyiam Osigwe.
9. My brothers and sisters, there is much more out of Igbo land! In entertainment, the Oriental brothers, the golden Chief Dr. Oliver De Coque, the stallion Lady Onyeka Onwenu, and many others who all donated their amazing voices and talents to an appreciative Nation as we dance in happiness.
10. In literary excellence, Chinua Achebe stands tall, supported by Cyprian Ekwensi, Chris Okigbo, Flora Nwakpa, Chinwezu and in recent times Chimamanda Adichie and many others. The Igbo donated Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, scholar, journalist, nationalist, foremost politician and first President of Nigeria, who in concert with Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Dappa Biriye and others, fought for our independence from Great Britain.
11. The great Zik of Africa’s power of leadership example was so captivating it overwhelmed my paternal grandmother to name me after him. So, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I became at birth Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan.
12. We must not also forget that in the train of politics were great giants like Sam Mbakwe, Akanu Ibiam, Michael Okpara, Jaja Nwachukwu, the first Speaker of the Federal House of Representative, and others who played diligent politics in service to our nation.
13. In sports, one of the most decorated in Nigeria’s football history is Nwankwo Kanu and he is a Nigerian from Igbo land. My brothers and sisters, I could go on and on throughout the remaining days of this convention recounting great Igbo sons and daughters who have shown the way, in various fields and trades and we will not be done.
14. Very distinguished guests and participants, there is no time more apt than now to reflect on the factors that have put the Igbo on the pathway of achievements. Personally, I believe hard work, excellence, persistence and resilience are at the heart of Igbo success story.
15. I also believe that the time is now to build on the foundations laid by the elders and leaders in Igboland by adopting technology and planning, so as to deliver better planned functional modern cities that would attract the growing population of the Igbo in the diaspora, so that they can come back and settle to a lifestyle commensurate with what they have helped to develop elsewhere.
16. Such planning must integrate and harmonise the industrial and trading activities of entrepreneurs in a way that they become more mutually beneficial and also take advantage of economies of scale and engender a more modern, friendly and comfortable business environment. Such an effort will ease tension and encourage domiciliation of affordable technology and wealth creation. The integration will also attract investors, small and big and from far and near.
17. Distinguished World Igbo Congress attendees, such more modern endeavour will help support the many young men and women who are based in the hinterlands, so that they are not tempted into crime and other anti-social behaviour. For us as a Government, we are responding to hinterland challenges by building several Skill Development Centers across the country, and the South-East is not left out. The young men and women who wish to learn alternative means of livelihood will have an alternative.
18. I believe our advancement in the 21st century will be dependent on how we can mobilize human and material resources most efficiently and in furtherance of our objective. It is in this regard that I want to reaffirm that the Federal Government will support you even as we support other nationalities, so as to meet this great goal, for the benefit of all Nigerians.
19. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in pursuit of productivity and excellence, we have appointed competent and capable men and women to positions of high authority and strategic responsibility in all fields of national endeavour. In our dogged determination to develop our country, the Igbo are well represented and in some of these appointments, the Igbo are having them for the first time.
20. Some have said that this government has done more in appointments than any other in our history for the Igbo, but that is a matter for the pundits and historians. Let me state that appointments by this administration, across the country, will continue to be based on equity, fairness and competence.
21. Even when some utilise politics to undermine our commitment to fairness and justice, we will deploy the Principle of Federal Character to progressively correct it. No part of Nigeria under my leadership will be short changed.
22. Similarly in projects and policies, we have continued to do our best. Throughout the South-East, we inherited federal roads in very poor conditions. In spite of the highly competitive demand and constraints on funding, we have taken on most of the major roads, realising the impact that their improvement will have on business and life in our country.
23. The Owerri-Onitsha Road, which was under construction at the outset of my administration, has been virtually completed. Three other very important roads, the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, the Enugu–Port Harcourt road and the Nguju-Edda-Nporo-Ohafia road which cuts across Ebonyi and Abia States, are steadily progressing. Our hope is that improved budget and Sure-P funding will see quicker action in the months ahead.
24. The Obiziora-Iziagu road and Enugu-Abakaliki road are some of those that have progressed to good standard. Further attention will be focused on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road which is already being addressed remedially by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
25. The Igbo, being a very mobile people, have also benefitted from works in other leading roads nationwide. TheOre-Benin road long known as a death trap has been totally transformed and now provides a safer and more reliable ride. The Lagos-Ibadan road is similarly being reconstructed and the Benin-Lokoja-Abuja road is now being dualised as we are doing in other roads in the far North.
26. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, after many decades of planning, history was made in March this year as the Second Niger Bridge project commenced. It is expected that the contractor will hasten, according to the funding plan, for early completion of a project that will do so much to ease business and movement.
27. The revival and rehabilitation of the Eastern Corridor of the Nigerian Railway, which runs from Port Harcourt via Aba to Enugu and Maiduguri, is almost ready. Very soon, children of Ndi-Igbo will not learn about trains through cartoons and pictures. They will see and hear the “Chaka-chaka, Gbim-gbim” sound, as trains travel through the country side of our Nation.
28. The Onitsha River Port has been completed and we are progressing on the concession agreement for its efficient operation. Other River Ports like the Oguta River Port project is also under focus.
29. In the aviation sector, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport has started living up to its name, taking travellers from all over the world and vice versa, direct into the Igbo hinterland. Efforts are now on to expand the airline flight traffic in order to address the high demand, and a new befitting International Airport Terminal, under construction.
30. My belief is that the sons and daughters of Ndi-Igbo must arrive safely in Igboland without connecting flights, if they so wish. The Sam Mbakwe Airport, like others across our country, is receiving repositioning.
31. In agriculture, we have, in association with the Ebonyi State Government and private farmers in the area, begun a renewed revolution in rice production. Today, we have 10,000 farmers registered under the Growth Enhancement Scheme, and an integrated chain wide system of improvement, involving enhanced inputs, adaptable technology, milling and marketing strategies. These initiatives are beginning to yield good returns.
32. We are also paying attention to the revival of palm production, for which the South East has always been known. Intense rehabilitation programmes are underway in almost all the South Eastern States, in partnership with oil palm cooperative societies and farmer groups.
33. The scourge of erosion which destroys livelihood, farmland and property is being vigorously addressed by my government. We have had to set up a Presidential Erosion and Flooding Committee to look into this dangerous trend and the report has been accepted.
34. Erosion sites in Umuoza-Ugiri in Isiala-Mbano, Oko, Nkisi, Alo, Nekede, and the Onitsha Main Market Saka Mori/Nwangene floodplain and several other sites across the entire South-East States are being attended to.
35. We have also done our part in encouraging enterprise and industry in Igboland. One of the flagships of our new National Automotive Policy and best examples of local industry is the Innosons Auto Company in Nnewi. We support Innosons and will continue to support him. By supporting Innosons and all others who are dedicated to creating jobs and wealth, through the practical and profitable development of local technology, we are advancing our overall development as a people.
36. We have established and delivered a New Federal University in Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, bringing the state at par with others in the country in the number of Federal Universities. We have also upgraded, in categorisation and certification, as well as in infrastructure, various other educational institutions across the South East.
37. We have taken a number of steps to put in place an effective security infrastructure across the South-East and in other zones around our country. The rehabilitation and commissioning of the Ohafia Army Barracks is one of such examples. Not too long ago, the insecurity in Abia led to many people leaving the state. I can confidently report toNdi-Igbo that we have reversed the situation.
38. This is just a brief overview of what we are doing in the South East and we will continue to do the best we can within available resources, without denying other parts of the country their due.
39. As President, I will ensure justice to all Nigerians in my daily exercise of powers allotted to me by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
40. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are approaching election season, and it is a time for honest reassessment and reappraisal. I urge you all to take great interest, wherever you live, in the quality and pedigree of people you give your mandate.
41. By all accounts and as attested by compatriots and the international community, we have recorded emphatic success in the consolidation of the democratic culture in Nigeria. We were hopeful that this good augury will serve as impetus for greater political stability and development regardless of the evil visitation and arrival of a full blown terrorist insurgency into the shores of our beautiful country.
42. In this wise, we have done a lot to improve the electoral process and imbue confidence in the people and in the system. We hope that the peaceful expression of the will of the people which has been laid down in recent elections will continue to prevail in all others to come.
43. So what should be the position of the Igbo in today’s fast moving world? What is most desired for progress and for rapid development? I would say, on my own part, that the greatest asset required of the Igbo today to move this great community to its rightful place in the country and in the scheme of things is Unity. Unity above partisan politics, Unity against internal division, Unity against external hostility, but more fundamentally, Unity in planning and in development as well as in the reawakening of the positive Igbo cultural resources. You have so much to offer our country and our government will encourage you to do so.
44. I am delighted to note that this programme is also being used to honour distinguished Igbo sons and daughters as well as friends of the Igbo and Africa. This type of honour engenders partnership and fraternity and is also a catalyst to further development. The Igbo must continue building bridges across our country and our continent because it is in the interest of Nigeria and Africa to do so.
45. I congratulate those being honoured today, as well as those who, though not receiving honours, are effectively playing their part in the upliftment of Igboland, Nigeria and West Africa by their untiring efforts.
46. At the last Presidential elections in 2011, Nigerians, in large numbers, reposed their confidence in me by the emphatic and overwhelming victory they bestowed on us. I appreciate the utmost goodwill and affection of all Nigerians towards me and my administration and I hope this goodwill will continue to wax stronger in the months ahead.
47. It has been proposed several times in the recent past (and I believe it is among the recommendations of the national conference) that Nigerians in diaspora be constitutionally enabled to vote in their countries of residence. This is a cause I am committed to support and champion with all the wherewithal of my office; and I am fairly certain that working together we can bring this to reality. Your vote for whoever you want must not be denied.
48. I urge you all to keep up your support for our administration, I assure you that at all times, I will remain a brother to all, and a partner in progress, for the advancement of the community and our great country, Nigeria.
49. I cannot end this address without saying a word or two about this conference. I am impressed by the organisation and participation at this event, and I commend and congratulate the organisers, who have contributed worthwhile time and resources to its success.
50. Societies are founded on strong institutions of competence and integrity, and it is my earnest hope that theWorld Igbo Congress will guard jealously its strong position as a rallying point and trusted bastion of the community.
51. On behalf of my family, the Government and the good people of Nigeria, I wish you a most rewarding and fruitful congress, dedicated to the peace and progress of the Igbo and our great country, Nigeria.
