The leadership of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned Igbo leaders to desist from making inflammatory remarks that are capable of damaging the unity of the organization.
Ohanaeze noted that at this point in time of Nigeria’s economic challenges, especially the obvious negative attitudes of outsiders towards Ndigbo, it would amount to double jeopardy for Igbo leaders to cast aspersions on the umbrella socio-cultural body.
In a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga, and made available to journalists; Ohanaeze said the reference to a certain caretaker committee by Chief Raph Obioha, after the successful conduct of a transparent election into the National Executive Committee of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, was deleterious to the unity being pursued by the President General, Chief Nnia Nwodo.
Obioha had earlier noted that a new leadership was yet to emerge for the apex Igbo organization, pointing out that the immediate past Chief Gary Enwo Igariwey’s executive, lacked the powers to nominate the committee that conducted the Ohanaeze election.
But the Ohanaeze publicity scribe faulted the remarks by Obioha, stressing that the new spirit of unity, brotherhood and commonality of approach to issues being championed by the new President General, who was elected by the massive votes of Ndigbo both at home and in the diaspora, should be appreciated and encouraged.
The statement added that with the open-door policy of the Nnia Nwodo leadership, “it is expected that whoever has any issues or ideas on how to move the socio-cultural body forward should bring them to the secretariat instead of going to the pages of national newspapers.”
“We believe that if service and group interest of Ndigbo is paramount, all prominent leaders in Igboland should identify with the new Ohanaeze leadership to fight for the rights of our people,” Achi-okpaga said.
While reminding Obioha that Ohanaeze remains a socio-cultural organization, the publicity scribe pleaded with Igbo leaders, especially those with bias for partisan politics, to desist from attempts to use the organization as a quasi-political platform.
“As the President General told Igbo intellectuals, bankers, business moguls and captains of industry in Lagos recently, time has come for all of us to join hands to redeem our people, in view of the grievous socio-economic challenges facing Ndigbo.
“Leaders like Chief Obioha should let bygones be bygones and contribute their time, talent and ideas for the new momentum in Ohanaeze to reshape the destiny of Ndigbo and better Igbo land,” the statement added.
