December 1, 2023 NewsOrient
News Desk

Being Excerpts From The Speech Made On Behalf Of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide By It’s President – General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, While Addressing A World Press Conference On Thursday, 30th November 2023, At Nicon Luxury Hotel Abuja

Long before the Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorate by Lord Lugard in 1914, Igbos had lived in Lagos. They had lived very peacefully and established a good relationship with the indigenes.

They established businesses and made investments in Lagos. These Igbos had been recalled by the Almighty God but their good works still remain.

Lagos at the time it became the Capital of Nigeria, needed Foreign and Local investments. Igbos took up that challenge and invested in Lagos. They built both commercial and residential homes.

They lived as law abiding citizens. Any Property they owned was properly bought from the owners according to the laws of Lagos State and Nigeria.

I must say that Igbo carried out the same investments to other parts of the Country North, East and West. And wherever they invested, they prospered and they reinvested their profit to the development of the area. I must say that Igbos have lived very peacefully in Lagos over the years.

In 1966, there was an unfortunate Coup de-tat against the Federal Government. Igbos as a people were completely ignorant of the Coup.

To the contrary, that government of 1960 and 1963 had been the best to Igbos since the Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria. This Coup and its after effect culminated into civil war which made Igboland a theater of war.

Thousands of Igbo lives were lost and properties worth billions of naira belonging to Igbos were destroyed.

After the war, Igbos suffered a very severe blow when the Rivers State Government made a law seizing all Igbo properties in Rivers State at the time claiming that they were abandoned properties.

This experience was very painful to Igbos because Igbos regarded Port Harcort as Ikwerre Land and Ikwerres are regarded as their Kit and Kin.

Igbos remembered with nostalgia when there was dispute over the ownership of Port Harcort. The Igbo Union at the time threw their weight behind our kit and kin, the Ikwerres. A judgement on the matter by the West African Court of Appeal (WACA) in Gold Coast now Ghana, declared that the Ikwerres are the legitimate owners of Port Harcort.

Igbo’s rejoiced that Port Harcout, which the Igbo’s called Igwe Ocha, belongs to their kit and kin, the Ikwerres.

In spite of many setbacks suffered by the Igbos, We have risen from the dust of hatred and frustration, to reinvest.

Today all these experiences are confined to the archives of history. But the ugly signs of hatred for Igbos have started rearing its head in some parts of the country. I as a leader of Igbo’s most humbly appeal to all Nigerians in the thirty-six States and Federal Capital Territory Abuja to rise to the support of Igbos against this ugly experience of wrong profiling and threat to Igbo lives and property.

We wish to state categorically clear that Igbo’s are not all Angels, among Igbo there are the good and the bad. There are also the good and the bad among the other tribes in Nigeria and indeed the world over. The law is there to appropriately address the issue of good and bad people.

I have kept a record of crimes such as drug peddling, corruption, ritual killing and murder, kidnapping etc. from my records, Igbos are not the highest perpetrators of these crimes. Many other tribes are more involved in these crimes than the Igbos.

There are many instances of people from other tribes writing very nasty articles against the Igbo. I will distribute a letter written by a Nigerian (Name withheld), the writer is a Lagosian. He has even recommended that the Lagos State Government should close down all the markets in Lagos where Igbo traders are in majority including the following markets, 1. Alaba International Market 2. Ladipo Market 3. Trade Fair Market 4. Kantagua Market 5. Every Other Market Where There Is A Preponderance Or Overwhelming Majority Of Igbos.

This writer wrote very unprintable things about Igbos. The good news to my dear Igbos is that this letter does not reflect the good relationship that existed between Igbos and Yorubas. Before 1914, Igbos and Yorubas have had a very good and excellent relationship.

Our great leader Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe GCFR, worked with Herbert Macaulay as his leader. Indeed Zik took over from Herbart Macaulay a Yoruba Man. Zik confessed to his very close associates that he found his Yoruba friends very faithful and loyal. His Yoruba friends are so many. I must mention Zik’s relationship with Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya. Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya was one of the closest friends to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Zik always held Yoruba leader Chief Awolowo in very high esteem. He appreciated Awolowo’s intellect, patriotism and love for Yorubas and Nigerians. Naturally, as politicians in different parties, they disagree from time to time and came together also when the need arose. Chief Awolowo had great love for Igbos and he is very highly respected by Igbos. The writer of the article said that Igbos hated Awolowo that is not true. It is worthy of note that there is difference between political relationship and personal relationship. Many Igbos loved and held Awolowo in high esteem. He also loved the Igbo.

For example, when Chief Obafemi Awolowo contested the Presidency of Nigeria, he chose an Igbo man as his presidential running mate. From my personal experience, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was like a father to me when in 1990 and 1991, I planned to run for the Presidency of Nigeria, I visited him in his house in Apapa Lagos, he received me warmly and blessed me. I built a strong relationship with all his children, a relationship which still endures till today. Most of my closest friends are Yorubas.

For example, Chief MKO Abiola was very close to me. Perhaps, I am one of his few friends who can talk about his ordeal. His son Kola and their family appreciated my relationship with their family. I have very close friends like Femi Coker, The former head of State Dr. Shonekan was a very good friend of mine. He indeed was the Chairman of my daughter’s wedding at Owerri Imo state in 1993. Every prominent Igbo Man has got this kind of relationship with the Yorubas. The good news to Igbos is that our fellow Nigerians of Yoruba descent are loyally and faithfully committed to our brotherhood. Therefore, as your leader, I am assuring you that there is no cause for alarm; you don’t have any reason to panic, please continue to leave in Lagos and other Western States. Continue to go about your normal businesses, there is no fear.

The President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR as Governor of Lagos State was very good to Igbos. Throughout his tenure as the Governor of Lagos State in Eight Years, There was no complain or report of any maltreatment of Igbos in Lagos. During his tenure I visited his home a number of times and he was very kind and patriotic fortunately Sen. Tinubu is now the president of Nigeria. We did not support him during the presidential election but that did not in any way undermine our trust of his capacity to lead the Country.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled in his favour, His Excellency President Tinubu can be rest assured that Ohaneze Ndigbo will recognise, respect and be loyal to him as the president of Nigeria. What Igbo require is Peace, fairness, justice and equity.

We will demand what is our share, be given to us. We believe in one united Nigeria where people of different tribes, creed or ethnicity can move with pride and confidence and get what they rightly deserve without any hindrances.

At this point I want to congratulate Igbos as very patriotic, loyal and faithful citizen of Nigerian. Nigeria in other to survive socially and economically requires foreign and local investments. I am proud to say my people the Igbo have made investments in all the nooks and cranny of the country. Where ever they go, they buy properties, build educational facilities.

They transform barren lands to habitable lands. So in effect no ethnic group in Nigeria has made more investments in Nigeria than the Igbos. When a foreigner invests in Nigeria, He makes effort to repatriate his investment to his country, but the Igbo investor has his investment in Nigeria. The investment behaviour of Igbo is therefore a patriotic gesture which all leaders, Governors, Presidents should acknowledge. I encourage other ethnic group in Nigeria to do as Igbo are doing to invest in other regions outside their home of origin.

I have carried out investigation on what has happened in Lagos, and I appeal to the Government of Lagos State to intervene and ensure that justice is done. If any body fails to obey the laws of the Land, the Igbo leadership will never support misconduct from any Igboman anywhere they live. I DON’T HAVE ANY DOUBT THAT THERE MAY BE SOME INSTANCES WHERE Igbo and perhaps other people whose property was demolished in Lagos did not fully comply with the laws of Lagos State. If any developer with impunity and without proper approval proceeds to develop a property anywhere in the world, he is taking a risk and his property stands the risk of being demolished.

On the other hand if the properly is properly purchased, approvals from appropriate authority given before development, the individual deserves a happy and peaceful enjoyment of his assets. If any Government demolishes the property built with approval of appropriate government department, such government by law must pay appropriate compensation for all the damages incurred to the owner of the building.

I will make attempt to see the Governor of Lagos State in the next few days. I will therefore appeal that the Governor of Lagos State kindly suspends the demolition of buildings until all the facts are cleared.

I have also got reports of violation of building regulations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Because of the investment characteristics of Igbo, private properties and investments in Abuja are substantially owned by Igbos. I will advice my people the Igbo to ensure that they comply with all legislations and local regulations to avoid demolition of their properties in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.

It has been brought to my notice that many families have been thrown into serious difficulty due to the demolition in Lagos State. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo will establish an Ohanaeze Relief Agency to be controlled by top Igbo Leaders. Ohanaeze Ndigbo will through this Agency support Igbo citizens in distress; we will also support other Nigerians when the need arises in the spirit of brotherhood.”

~ NewsOrient Nigeria