Chief Chuks Muoma, the immediate past National Legal Adviser of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has charged the new National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze led by Professor George Obiozor to embrace democratic openness as modus operandi in the conduct of its deliberations.
Muoma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), also lamented that the apex Igbo body has been turned into a conduit pipe where finances of the group are being looted, as well as disgruntled elements using the body to extort.
The Ohanaeze chieftain who spoke in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Thursday, also accused former President General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, for alleged total lack of openness in the financial affairs of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“In the four (4) years of the life of the NEC 2016-2021, there was no statement of account published, whether audited or unaudited, debated, or undebated, in any of the meetings of the NEC 2016-2021,” the statement read in part.
“There was a complete lack of probity in the management and control of the finances of the NEC 2016-2021. An account was opened and operated secretly by the President-General; a domiciliary account without any resolution(s) of NEC 2016-2021.
“The said domiciliary account was never discussed, and the knowledge of it was never brought to the attention of the members of NEC 2016-2021. Its operation and signatories were deliberately hidden from the membership of the NEC 2016-2021, which didn’t officially and on record know the content and health of the said domiciliary account into which foreign currencies were lodged, which was only known to and by the very negligible few who opened and operated the said domiciliary account, secretly.
“Monies received from the Governors of the seven (7) states of OHANAEZE NDIGBO, donations from NDIGBO in the diaspora, gifts in cash and kind from the well-wishers and friends of OHANAEZE-NDIGBO were never disclosed.
“There is a Fifty Billion Naira (N50,000,000,000) Civil war compensatory damages awarded to the Igbo by the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in Abuja, in the case of VINCENT AGU & 19 OTHERS VS.THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. I was directed by the President -General of OHANAEZE NDIGBO to apply to the Attorney-General of the Federation for the payment of the said judgment sum due to the IGBO.
“After submitting the said claim by a letter dated 20/01/2020 and furnishing the A-G of the Federation with the telephone Number of The PG, I never heard about the matter till date; I was cut off from the transaction for the payment of the said sum of N50billion due to NDIGBO, as per the ECOWAS Court, Abuja.
“I had acted on instructions and didn’t have a personal interest in carrying out the professional duties of my office as Legal Adviser. I will make the documents in my possession in respect of this matter available to the in-coming NEC, for further action in the interest of NDIGBO.
“My advice to the incoming National Executive Committee (NEC) is that democratic openness should be the MODUS OPERANDI in the conduct of its deliberations. There is bound to be a lack of in-depth discussions of items in an agenda of twenty-plus (20+) items, for a sitting of the NEC.
“What we experienced in 2016-2021 was the distribution of an agenda, at each meeting, of more than 20 (twenty)items; during the session of the NEC meeting, an individual would run through the agenda as a lecturer, intermittently banging on the table and raising his voice in a Hitleric attempt to cow any dissenting voice. I observe the drama with stoic disposition. There was a palpable absence of democratic procedure in deliberations of NEC 2016-2021.
“I watched the conduct of the proceedings of NEC 2016-2021 with disgust and could only remember the conduct of political proceedings in the parliament of NAZI Germany, by the LEADER. To see a younger leader or any leader, be he/she, an elder, addressing his colleagues, temperamentally, banging on the table, with raised voice is an unpleasant spectacle in a democratic setting. These are clear signs of dictatorship. There must be civility in the conduct of proceedings. This is humble advice to NDIGBO, clamouring for IGBO PRESIDENCY, come 2023.
“There must be probity, accountability and openness in the conduct of the affairs of a democratic society. Dictatorial tendencies in an organization are unacceptable. Public affairs must not be a private enterprise, shrouded in secrecy. Persons, who serve the public, are subject to public criticism in their conduct of public affairs.
“The OHANAEZE I envisage is not a platform for providing financial/economic/political rescue boats, or a platform for persons who are at the verge of indecency, or in a desperate search for public and political awareness, having opportunities for political appointments/elevations. Those who seek such opportunities should join political parties, and there are so many political parties to choose from.”
