THE President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo has called the Nigerian government to order while expressing sympathy with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
He stated his position on the ongoing agitation for the restoration of the Biafra describing the activities of both organizations as motivated by a sense of outrage and bitterness.
Backing the agitators, he declared 'our young men and women can no longer forgive the president for his outrageous remarks and utterances that led the senseless killings of the agitators when the Nigerian troops open fire resulting in the death of many.
Recall, President said before the 2015 federal elections that while late Yar'Adua treated Niger Delta militants meekly, President Jonathan harshly treated Boko Haram terrorists.
According to him, ''this brings me to the rise of MASSOB and IPOB. Both organizations no matter how divided they appear in public are basically motivated by the same sense of outrage and bitterness. Our young men and women can no longer tolerate a second-class status in their own country. They can no longer forgive the President for arguing before he came into office that Niger Delta militants were meekly treated and tolerated by President Yar Adua while Boko Haram was harshly treated by President Jonathan when his law enforcement agents literally open fire and maim and kill unarmed MASSOB and IPOB members.''
Below is an extract from his piece titled, Ndigbo: Our case a ticking time bomb':
''They see how returnee Boko Haram members are absolved and rehabilited while leaders of MASSOB and IPOB are incarcerated or mercilessly murdered. In their rage they are becoming uncontrollable as they pass a vote of no confidence on us, their parents, describing us as cowards and compromised. Because the older Ndigbo have seen civil war and its devastating consequences, they naturally hesitate to support any military action against the Nigerian State that might waste their children.
Because Ndigbo business class is heavily invested in Nigeria outside Igboland, they fervently believe in a united Nigeria even if marginalized politically. Consequently a polarization of Ndigbo between proponents of Biafra and proponents of restructuring of Nigeria exists. Both sides agonise in futility given the lukewarmness of the Nigerian leadership to either of their wishes. This is a ticking time bomb!!.
As President General of Ohaneze I intend to extend my warm hand of paternity to IPOB and MASSOB. They are my children. I shall never desert them. Their struggle is my struggle even if we do not completely agree with their methods. In warfare there are two types of approaches:- coercion and diplomacy. I completely favour diplomacy. The hand of fellowship which Mr. President has extended to Ohaneze gives me immense confidence that we can tame rising tempers. No one is listening to the other. Somehow we believe that our present situation can only be explained by marginalization and hatred.''
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