The apex socio-cultural organisation of Igbo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, restated its readiness to defend Igbo land an against all perceived enemies. They also threw their weight behind calls for the restructuring of the country.
This was the resolution adopted after the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the youth wing of the group in Enugu.
In a communique by Uchenna Obiora, National President of the Ohanaeze youth wing; Kingsley Dozie, deputy president; Uchenna Madukibe, national secretary and Osmond Nkeoma, national publicity secretary, the group affirmed the support of Ndigbo for a united Nigeria “where peace, love, fairness, justice, equity and equality of opportunities are paramount regardless of creed, ethnicity, gender or political affiliation.”
They also said Igbo youths were more united than ever and were in full support of the emergence of a competent and detribalised Igbo as President of Nigeria in 2023 even as it demanded that the country be restructured.
“Igbo youth leaders lend their full support to the restructuring of Nigeria on the basis of fairness and equity. We, therefore, call on the Federal Government and all Nigerian leaders to commence a process of dialogue among Nigerians on the modalities of achieving this pressing question within a reasonable time frame.
“The leadership of Ohanaeze youths in consultation with the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by our able leader, Chief Nnia Nwodo and other Igbo political leaders will engage the Federal Government on all areas of concerns to Ndigbo and to Nigeria as a whole,” the group said.
Meanwhile, following the Federal Government’s earmark of N654 million to monitor Radio Biafra and other stations in the South East, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday, vowed to launch a station in Daura, the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina.
A statement by Emman Powerful, in Owerri, said the government’s action confirmed it was afraid of IPOB.
“That the Federal Government mapped out such a whopping amount of money for this unreasonable project, despite the precarious economic state only confirms its jittery over the name IPOB. We thought they said we are miscreants; how come they are now losing sleep over miscreants. The Nigerian government and its agents have spent more than this amount in the past and nothing came out of it. We are expecting them to approve more money for the fight because they must understand that they will try but cannot withstand IPOB and its Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Such attempts in the past amounted to efforts in futility, and this time, they will fail again,” Powerful said.
The group, which said its station was in over 100 countries, promised to establish one in Buhari’s hometown.
“In fact, to prove to them how formidable we are, within six weeks from now, IPOB will launch Radio Biafra in Daura, the home town of Buhari. Any time, Aisha (Buhari’s wife) visits Daura she will receive Radio Biafra frequency and listen to the gospel of freedom by our Leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Then he will know that the cabal, their sponsors and slaves are no match to indefatigable IPOB.
“In case they are unaware, Radio Biafra is not only received in Biafra land, but in various parts of Nigeria. It is also the choice radio station of millions of audience in over 100 countries of the world. We are well ahead of Nigeria, and it’s far too late to stop Biafra. We are a divine movement ordained by the Most High God in Heaven (Chukwu Okike Abiama) who created Heaven and Earth. IPOB cannot be decimated until Biafra freedom and independence are fully achieved. Biafra is a divine project.”
The group warned politicians in the region not to yield themselves as tools to resist the cause of Biafra.