Raphael Ede, Enugu
Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has enjoined the apex Igbo cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, to work towards 2023 for a president of Igbo extraction, than chase elusive theorems.
Okechukwu made the appeal while reacting to the communiqué of the Ohaneze Restructuring summit held at Awka on Monday 21 May in a statement he made available to Daily Sun yesterday.
While commending the organizers of the Summit, he called for pragmatism, if truly they are working for the collective interest of Ndigbo.
The VON DG observed that the summit neither addressed the issue of Igbo presidency in 2023 nor commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts at revamping dilapidated infrastructure in the South-East geo-political zone.
Okechukwu warned the Nnia Nwodo-led Ohaneze to stop squandering the golden opportunity of the South East to harvest the Zoning Convention between the North and South, by pontification and platitudes.
Dismissing the less than democratic 6 year tenure Ohaneze recommended, he said, “Methinks that pragmatism should be for Ohaneze to appeal to our people to work towards the low hanging fruit. One, the truism is that 4 year tenure renewable by peoples vote blends squarely into the fine tenets of democracy, which allows a referendum on the incumbent. In other words the 4 year incumbent is aware that he can be voted out and works hard to please the electorate; unlike the single 6 year tenure which entrenches corruption and do or die apocalypse.”
“Secondly, the President of Nigeria of Igbo extraction in 2023 will assuage the lamentation of marginalisation and return Ndigbo into the mainstream.”
“Am at a loss that in a summit of such magnitude spiced with brilliant personalities like President General of Ohaneze, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, Professor C.C. Soludo et al, no mention was made of the golden opportunity open to Ndigbo to harvest from the Zoning Convention between the North and South.
“The low hanging fruit is that equity and natural justice favours the South East more than any other geopolitical zone in the south to produce President of Nigeria in 2023. This is based on the fact that since our return to the 4th Republic in 1999 when the Zoning Convention commenced, the South West had 8 years (1999-2007) and South South 5 years plus(2010-2015). It’s our turn if we work hard and support President Buhari.”
“On the fine line in the Communiqué read by Professor Charles Soludo, which states that, “Ndigbo want a Nigeria that works”, I sincerely page with Ohaneze because we are all praying for Nigeria that works” Okechukwu said.