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The Igbo socio-cultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to comments made by the Oluwo Of Iwo Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi over igbo presidency.
Ohaneze admonished Oba Abdulrosheed to keep quiet and stop meddling into politics and sowing seeds of discord among the igbos.
The organisation advised the monarch to subject himself to some tutelage under more experienced cosmopolitan urbane intelligent monarchs like the Oni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi on how to be a traditional ruler.
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 generalisation when he stated that ‘the style by south easterners is barbaric’; the Igbo cannot be trusted with power, etc.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, said this in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia on Tuesday, in reaction to Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi that the Igbo cannot be entrusted with the office of the Nigerian presidency.
Recall that oba Abdulrosheed had said that the style by the South easterners is barbaric, no Nigerian will feel secure in the hands of a leader whose ethnic attachment deprived other Nigerians of their rights.
Ogbonnia, however, said that the prejudice, innuendo and vitriolic group vilifications made against the entire Igbo nation by the monarch is “unreflective of a royal father whose primary duty is to sow seeds of unity in his kingdom and beyond.”
He added that Ohanaeze is civilized organization that respects culture and tradition and will not go into exchange of words with the Oluwo of Iwo.
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.”
Obiozor advised the Oluwo to use his throne to preach peace and unity rather than promoting disunity.
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.”
Ohanaeze posited that the Igbos are audacious and very hardworking, saying that nation building is their strength. It added that any claim saying otherwise about the igbos is incorrect.
“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.
“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.
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