Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Some Igbo leaders, under the guise of the South East Association of Town Union President Generals, on Monday, came hard on a former President and Secretary of Ohanaeze Youth Wing, Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Okwu Nnabuike, respectively, over their recent attack on the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo describing their action as a taboo in Igbo culture.
National Coordinator of Association of South East President General of Town Unions, (ASEP) past and present, Mazi Omife I. Omife, in a statement, issued in Awka, on Monday, said the former leaders of Ohanaeze Youth Wing erred in their utterances against Nwodo because ‘a son cannot disown his father’ in Igbo culture.
Omife, who was the former President General of Mbaukwu Community, said the group would soon hold a meeting, in Enugu, where it would come up with resolutions which would be passed to Ohanaeze in a proper form because the Igbo have a way of channeling their grievances.
In the words of Omife, “Ohanaeze youths are supposed to be the children of Ohanaeze parent body. Can a son disown his father in Igbo land? It is a father that can disown his son according to our culture.
“Besides, what locus do they have to say they are setting up a disciplinary committee against Nwodo? It is on record that the Youth wing of Ohanaeze have been dissolved before now because of their improper conducts while the Women Wing have also served out their tenure.”
Omife said that the former leaders of the youth wing should have consulted the conflict resolution committee of Ohanaeze if they have any issues they wanted to be addressed so that the Ime Obi can look into it instead of taking the infamous route they have threaded.
He said the Association have handed a strong warning to their member President Generals from the various communities in Igboland to monitor their youths properly and hold them into proper conduct.
He said the association reposes its confidence in the Nwodo leadership of Ohanaeze and called on the Igbo people to give their support to him noting that the Nwodo leadership assumed office at a critical time in the history of Ndigbo hence the major reason they should be supported and not be distracted.