The Igbo socio-political organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has given a response to a divisive comment by Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi.
Akanbi had stated that Nigerians would not vote for an Igbo president in 2023. He added that he can’t trust any South easterner as his President.
Reacting, Ohanaeze said as a traditional ruler, the Oluwo should be a father to all and not be the one stoking the fires of ethnicity in Nigeria through partisan politics.
Ohanaeze in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia on Tuesday cautioned the monarch against sowing seeds of discord against the Igbo people in the race for the 2023 presidency and other general issues.
He added in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Alli Ibraheem that no Nigerian from other zones will vote a south easterner as their President because no easterner can be trusted to be fair as the President of Nigeria as such a person may likely put regional interests above national interest.
But Ohanaeze has now cautioned the first-class traditional ruler against sponsoring hatred against the Igbos.
It said, “One of the qualities of a well-adjusted traditional ruler is to be open minded towards all, especially people of other ethnic groups that may be found in his domain. One of the reasons the traditional rulers are insulated from partisan politics is to avoid an overdrive or the kind of overzealousness exhibited by Oba Akanbi in an effort to retire a gift from his candidate for the presidency in 2023.
“In promoting his preferred candidate, he has committed a fallacy of hasty generalization when he stated that ‘the style by south easterners is barbaric’; the Igbo cannot be trusted with power, etc.”
Ohanaeze submitted that while the group will not go into any form of public exchange of words with the monarch out of respect for tradition, he advised the Oluwo not to be hasty in his conclusions.
He said, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Professor George Obiozor is a civilized cultural organisation and by its prospectus, Ohanaeze has profound respect for culture and traditional rulers. We will therefore restrain from hoisting the monarch with his own petard, rather we advise that he should undergo some tutelage under some more experienced cosmopolitan urbane intelligent monarchs.”
He added, “It is self-evident that Nigeria is a beleaguered country that urgently needs nation building; inflammatory and incendiary remarks from monarchs and the highly placed are antithetical to peace and unity of Nigeria. One of the qualities of a well-adjusted traditional ruler is to be open minded towards all, especially people of other ethnic groups that may be found in his domain.”
The group went on to say Igbos are patriotic nation-builders who believe in Nigeria and ready to work with other ethnic groups to make the country better.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Igbo are adventurous nation builders; they are found in all parts of Nigeria and beyond. They make friends easily and also feel at home with their children in all parts of world. Records across the world indicate that the Igbo are branded in Midas touch. They quickly learn the language and culture of the host community with a view to contribute towards the socio-economic growth of the community.
“The people of other ethnic groups that had their National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) in Igbo land can always attest to the Igbo friendliness and hospitality during their service years; some ended up marrying Igbo.
It also described the claims by the monarch that Igbos don’t allow strangers to acquire property and build houses in the southeast as very untrue.
“The wild claims that the Igbo prevent people from the other parts of the country from acquiring properties in their domain or have an obnoxious policy of depriving other Nigerians of their rights cannot be substantiated.
“On the other hand, it is inconceivable that a group that builds modern houses in all parts of the country will prevent other ethnics from building in their homestead. One would think that the morbid fabrication of falsehood is a terrible mischief, only for the uninitiated”, Ohanaeze said.
