Ohanaeze blasts Northern elders over secession remark

The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, says secession rhetorics by Northern Elders Forum will not bode well for the country’s security.

Recall that spokesman for the Forum, Baba- Ahmed, had, in a broadcast, asked the Igbo to leave Nigeria if they so desire.

“We said if secession is what every Igbo wants, and this is what the Igbos want, the nation should not fight a war over it”. He said in a viral broadcast video clip in social media

He also implored Northerners resident in Southern Nigeria to consider returning to the North.

But reacting to the postulation of Baba-Ahmed on Wednesday, Ohanaeze spokesman, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said the statement was extremely nauseating, uncouth, provocative, incendiary, inflammatory, and above all, very arrogant and licentious.

Ogbonnia said that Ohanaeze would not have ordinarily responded to boorish and uncultured statements by those who have met civilization half-way, adding, “We are not distracted by lowly persons who by the circumstances of their birth and conditions in life do not weigh the implications of their public conduct, remarks and actions before going public.”

He said, “The urbane among us know that Nigeria is one of the countries of the world that unites several nations in one; a federation of various nations or a multinational state. Nigeria, like every other multinational state requires leaders who can formulate ideologies, policies and programmes aimed at galvanizing or harmonising the diverse component units at all times.

“This accounts for such federal government schemes as the National Youth Service, Federal Government (unity) Colleges and other unifying national bodies.

“On the other hand, remarks with centrifugal dynamics are deliberately avoided in order to engender a genuine unity for the multicultural and multinational units of the country.”

The group added, “We reiterate that the broadcast by Baba Ahmed is a threat to peace and unity of the country and the security agencies should act on time to serve as a deterrent to some others harbouring such mindsets against the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.”