Ohanaeze: Focus on bettering Nigeria’s image or keep shut, Nwodo tells VON DG

By CHRIS OJI, Enugu

Apex Igbo sociocultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu to direct his attention to the difficult task of laundering Nigeria’s image to the outside world or keep quiet if he has nothing better to do.

Reacting to a press interview he granted journalists on Ohanaeze Ndigbo, its leadership and the forthcoming Ohanaeze elections during which Okechukwu had accused the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, of criticizing the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Special Adviser to the President General, Chief Emeka Attamah, regretted the “unfortunate vituperations of Osita Okechukwu against Chief Nwodo who, in the last four years, has given Ndigbo reason to be proud of themselves again in Nigeria, including Mr Okechukwu himself.”

Attamah lamented that rather than give Nwodo his due respect and accolade for leading the Igbo during these turbulent years and telling truth to the government, “Okechukwu went seeking for cheap popularity and further exposing his crass ignorance, since only a convoluted or jealous Igbo son can fail to stand up and applaud Chief Nwodo’s four years unparalleled leadership of the Igbo apex socio – cultural body.”

Attamah observed that while other Igbo sons and daughters were planning a huge send forth for Nwodo in recognition of his meritorious service, Okechukwu was engaging in a pull him down exercise.

He reminded Okechukwu that on his inauguration, Nwodo acknowledged the hand of friendship extended to him by Mr President and was ready to reciprocate and was only pushed to condemn the gross neglect and marginalisation of the Igbo by the current government even after a lot of remonstrations for an amelioration of the situation.

Attamah corrected the erroneous impression being created by Osita Okechukwu by reminding him that while Chief Nwodo criticized some of the policies of the Federal Government, he remained best of friends with Mr President as he has never condemned his person.

On the issue of being a Zikist or not, Chief Attamah said that if Okechukwu had been a true disciple of the great Zik and knew what Zikist Movement was all about, he would have known that Chief Nwodo was brought up by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe himself and imbibed all the tenets and mannerisms of Zik and exemplified them in his reaching out to all parts of the country, irrespective of tribe or religion, “culminating in the almost total acceptance by most parts of the country of restructuring as the only panacea to Nigeria’s multiferous problems.”

“It is instructive that even the die – hard Professor Ango Abdullahi has become a great proponent of restructuring as the only means of salvation for the country.

With due reverence to the towering stature of great Zik, Chief Nwodo is as accommodating as Chief Azikiwe, Chief Nwodo is as articulate as the great Zik, Chief Nwodo has been as outspoken as the great Zik and Chief Nwodo learnt a lot from and has exhibited the courage and oratorial skills of great Zik. Osita Okechukwu cannot lay claims to most of these attributes.

“Again, it is great fallacy for Okechukwu to say that he voted for Chief Nwodo to emerge as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, when he was neither a delegate to nor was he present at the Ohanaeze General Assembly that elected Chief Nwodo. It therefore, must be pure hallucination for him to say that he voted for Chief Nwodo.

“Perhaps, the same ignorance made Okechukwu think that a president of Igbo extraction operating under the current constitution and without restructuring can operate well.

“It is instructive that former President Jonathan could not implement the outcome of his 2014 constitutional conference, all his enthusiasm not withstanding, because of the inclement political equation he found himself in,” Attamah stressed.

Attamah also stated that for avoidance of doubt, Nwodo believes in the emergence and the inviolate imperative of a president of Igbo extraction in a restructured Nigeria.

He said that an Igbo president without restructuring is like a Bishop without a cathedral.

He enjoined Okechukwu to tender unreserved apology to Chief Nwodo who by Igbo tradition is his elder brother and whose only crime was rejecting his party, the APC, for reneging on its campaign promise of restructuring the country and drew the ire of Ndigbo and Ohanaeze Ndigbo. (The Nation)