Tony Icheku in Owerri
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, yesterday said the organisation had set up two major committees, namely ‘Peace and Reconciliation Committee’ to tackle the challenge of increasing hostility and marginalisation of Ndigbo under the All Progressive Congress, (APC} government of President Bola Tinubu.
Iwuanyanwu who also reacted to stories about the visit of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to his Owerri residence, explained that Obasanjo was on a private visit to Imo State and paid him a courtesy visit in his capacity as the leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
He averred that Obasanjo has a significant role to play in the reconciliation efforts of the committee as he (Obasanjo) is not only a highly respected and detribalised Nigerian, but also a God-fearing man of peace, whose Presidency could aptly be referred to as the golden period of Nigeria.
Iwuanyanwu argued that the manifest anti-Igbo posture of the Tinubu-led federal government became very apparent with his appointment of 48 ministers.
“President Tinubu appointed 48 ministers and the South-east got only five, rather than eight, which made them an automatic minority in the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
He, however, traced the APC marginalisation of Ndigbo to the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari when the whole of the South-east and South-south geo-political region was excluded from the railway project.
He noted that the rail track ran from Lagos through Kano to the Niger Republic, while the Port Harcourt-Enugu-Maiduguri rail track was completely abandoned.
Iwuanyanwu argued that Igbos are being punished unjustly for supporting Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
“Igbos supported Obi and LP because they believe it is the turn of the South-east to produce the President for Nigeria. But the voting pattern which showed the LP winning massively in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory showed that Obi and LP also enjoyed the support of other Nigerians, including prominent Yoruba leaders who vigorously campaigned for him.
“The election has come and gone, and I have said earlier, Tinubu is our president. The Supreme Court has affirmed the outcome of the presidential election, and Ndigbo has a choice: to support President Bola Tinubu or not to support him, and we have decided to support him. APC must reconcile itself to the fact that two Igbo States are controlled by the APC, therefore there is no basis for the continued marginalisation of Ndigbo under the APC”
Iwuanyanwu who said the Peace and Reconciliation Committee would take the message of peace and oneness of Nigeria across the length and breadth of Nigeria proffered that it is painful that after the last presidential election, some sections of the country have mounted a campaign that the capacity of Ndigbo must be crippled in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.
According to him, in some states, properties belonging to Igbos are arbitrarily demolished, arbitrary taxes are imposed on Igbo businesses, Igbo-dominated markets are closed at will and they are denied certificates of occupancy.
He added that Igbos are unjustly profiled as aggressive, arrogant, and hostile to other Nigerians, noting that such misconceptions would be tackled by the committee when they embark on their mission.
Iwuanyanwu further added that Ohanaeze has set up a Youths Development and Skills Acquisition Committee under the chairmanship of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige to address the challenges of insecurity.
