Self determination inevitable –Nwodo

From Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja

President General of Igbo apex socio-political body,  Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has hinged growing agitation of youths from the region across the country on what he called persistent injustice and ill-treatment of the South East and its people.

He said such poor and bias treatment arose from the current warp structure and deliberate policy of neglect of the zone.

Nwodo, a former minister of Information, spoke on a Channels Television talkshow where he contended that the various  restiveness across the country was indication of an unworkable political system that should be revisited.

The Ohanaeze boss decried what he described as  the rising spread of falsehood and hate against Ndigbo in the country. An evidence of this claim, he said could be seen in the quantum killing of many Igbo and looting of their property across the country.

Nwodo lamented that even when these killings were done in the full glare of the government, reasonable response never came from the latter.

Insisting that the current structure of the country was not sustainable, the Ohanaeze boss contended that the structure was not tuned for development. He wondered why the Conference of 2014 has yet to be revisited.

Asked why his leadership did not oppose the sit- at -home order called by the Biafra agitators, Nwodo said Ohanaeze could not since othe order did not  violate  any known Nigeria law in “mourning their over three million kith and kin who died during the war, with half of them dying of hunger and starvation.” On the position of Ohanaeze on Biafra agitation, Nwodo said the Igbo apex body has not endorsed the secession struggle, but cannot stop agitators, moreso, when issues that compelled them remain unattended to. He explained  that what Ndigbo wanted  was a Nigeria of  equal ownership, not where some see the country as their empire and the rest as a conquered territory.

Nwodo described as unfortunate the conspicuous absence of the President at this time that calls for astute leadership for the country, and advised Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, to rise to the challenge and make consultations on how to move Nigeria forward.

The Ohanaeze boss also remarked that nothing could be more evident of bad leadership in the country than that after the lawless statement from Arewa youths, no arrest has, so far, been made, rather, the people are daring the authorities.

Chief Nwodo described as worrisome the fact that after such grave utterance from the northern youths, that touched on national security, the Federal government is yet to act, the Inspector General who called his Commissioners across the county to read a riot act, is yet to make any arrest.

On the conflicting statements from Ohanaeze Ndigbo on the issue, Chief Nwodo wondered why the media continued  to publish utterances from other voices when he as President General with his cabinet has spoken on an issue.