By Mary Nnah
The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor, has stated that Ndigbo were not at war with Nigeria but wanted a stable peaceful coexistence to prevail in the country while pursuing the emergence of an Igbo as the president of the country.
Obiozor, who spoke yesterday on ARISE NEWS Channel, a broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, clarified that the Igbo was not planning to have a separate existence from Nigeria.
He said: “Like I have stated in my very first statement, Igbo are not at war with Nigeria nor have any instrument of any kind anywhere seeking a separate existence from Nigeria.
“We support Igbo president with open arms. In fact it is the most important thing that would happen to the Igbos. It is our turn by the grace of God and we are going to work for it so hard. We would talk to other parts of Nigeria to give us a chance because it is our right, it is reasonable and deserving. In fact, it is wonderful to consider it done by this time. So, Igbo president is our agenda.”
Obiozor also expressed shock and disappointment over the recent waves of unrest in the Southeast and noted that the South-east has been the most peaceful section of Nigeria’s six political zones.
“So, one is completely shocked and surprised that all of a sudden some elements want to turn the Southeast into an unsecured environment for both the people and the country.
“I sincerely believe that under normal circumstances when a crime is committed, the first thing to do is to find out the nature of the crime, which will lead you to the kind of suspect you may have and you will begin to eliminate those suspects based on the strategic capacity to commit such crimes. I think that is the way we should go in tackling the present issue on ground in the Southeast,” he said.
He regretted that the over politicisation of every matter in Nigeria has confused the perception of who the criminal is.
Obiozor, however, advised that the time is ripe for the country to reflect and begin a national healing process because grievances are growing across the country.
“A nation does allow itself to be subjected to permanent crises. Today the crisis in Nigeria has been taken to a stage that it can be referred to as a national question and it is a very difficult problem to handle and we must be very careful” he added.
He stressed that whatever anybody could do for the good of the Igbos would be welcomed but it must meet the standard of good behaviours and nonviolence.
Obiozor noted that there is a Biafra in every Nigerian who is looking for justice, fairness and equity, adding that “whatever your interpretation may be you must ask yourself what is the meaning and the reality of Biafra? There is a Biafra in every neighbourhood where people are seeking for justice across the country.”
