Magnus Eze, Enugu

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, warned that history would be unfair to President Muhammadu Buhari if he failed to rescue Nigeria from its current precarious state by addressing the existential challenges faced by some ethnic nationalities particularly the Igbo and the middle belt where herdsmen had reduced life to nothing.

It also said the age-long marginalisation of Igbo which was elevated by the current administration since 2015 needed urgent redress.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation described the independence broadcast as mere window dressing aimed at covering up the country’s serious ailment.

According to group, Buhari only used the opportunity to wish Nigerians happy independence anniversary as he did to address the major issues confronting the nation in his speech.  

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Acting Secretary General/National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga in a statement regretted that the President mentioned the post-civil war programme of “3Rs”-Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, that would he given the people of the defunct Eastern region life; which was criminally abandoned by the Federal Government.

Ohanaeze said that Nigeria was indebted to the Igbo and had expected the president to start the process of real reconciliation by including the Igbo in Governance and other critical aspects of national life in his administration.

The Igbo body insisted that the only solution to the nation’s problems was restructuring as it would afford everybody the opportunity to operate evenly in a competitive setting devoid of the influence of creed and religion.

It also advised Buhari to allow criticisms because it is what depicts the abilities and expose the deficiencies of a man from where he makes amends where necessary. Of course, the President himself was known to be a heavy critic of select-past administrations. Turning around to distaste the same mechanism on which he rode to power is antithetic as it is ironical.”