Breaking: Ohanaeze calls on Igbo in the North to go about their normal activities

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex socio-political organisation of the Igbo, has said that the northern youths asking the Igbo to leave the north should be treated like Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) he also said that the ‘Ohanaeze has called on the Igbo in the North to go about their normal activities and to be law-abiding’ Chuks Ibegbu, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in an interview, went further to say that ‘Ohanaeze believes in the rule of law, Ohanaeze has advised the security agencies to do their job. ‘It is their duty to protect lives and property. ‘So, they should ensure that nothing happens to the Igbo living in the North. Ohanaeze has called on the Igbo in the North to go about their normal activities and to be law-abiding. Ohanaeze however advised that they should be vigilant. Ohanaeze has also called on northern leaders to caution their youths. Ohanaeze has equally asked the Federal Government to address the situation. Speaking on justice in Nigeria he said ‘that the only way the government can convince Nigerians that there is justice, equity and fair play in this country. ‘The authorities know that these northern youths are calling for secession. ‘The Federal Government should arrest them and also charge them with treason. That is what we expect the Federal Government to do.’ On whether the Igbo will give northerners ultimatum to leave the South-East Ibegbu said that the Igbo will not retaliate similar quit ultimatum to northerners in the South-East ‘No! The Igbo are too sophisticated to engage in such behaviour. We will never ask the northerners to leave. They are welcome and nobody will molest them in the South-East. The Igbo have never asked their visitors to leave. In fact, we are encouraging the northerners in the South-East to expand their businesses, build factories and prosper as much as possible. ‘Come to think of it, the Igbo have always been hospitable – the first Mayor of Enugu, Mallam Umoru Altine, was a northerner. Don’t forget that northerners have been doing business in the South-East for centuries; nobody molested them. The Igbo are very hospitable and we can’t change because of this provocation. If the northern youths should ask their elders questions, they will learn that Igbos contributed immensely to the development of the North. In the 1930s, the Igbo unions set up schools in the North. ‘Majority of the current crop of northern intelligentsia are beneficiaries of those schools set up by Igbo unions in the North. The North owes a debt of gratitude to the Igbo. Instead, they are repaying us with ingratitude and threats. But Igbos will not be provoked into taking similar steps against northerners that are living in the South-East. On secession he said that ‘Ohanaeze believes more in a restructured Nigeria; a Nigeria that has a level playing field for all sections of the country; a Nigeria that gives each part of the country a sense of belonging. ‘For example, in a country of 36 states, the South-East has five states and 95 local governments; while Kano State alone has 44 local governments. The other time, we saw the statistics of recruitment in the Department of State Services with Katsina State alone having 51 allocations. Yet, we have the Federal Character Commission. We want the FCC to investigate the recent recruitment in the DSS. Abia State got only six allocations; Enugu State, six; Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, got 51 slots. ‘These are the sort of issues that elicit agitations. When there is no level playing ground, do you think people will keep quiet? Abia State alone produces more graduates than 10 states in the North combined, yet you gave them only seven opportunities and gave Katsina 51. ‘We are not saying Nigeria should be divided, but the issues these young men are talking about should be addressed. Instead, it seems they want people like Nnamdi Kanu to shut up without addressing the issues, judging by the bail conditions (they gave him).’