Pan-Igbo apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement the 2014 conference recommendations and resolutions sequel to the on-going hardship in the country.
This was even as it hailed South-East people for not joining the on-going protest in the country against the administration of President Tinubu.
Ohanaeze Secretary General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, commended South-Easterners for their calmness in abstaining from the series of protests against Mr. President over the economic hardship facing the citizenry.
He said that the South-East had always suffered government neglect since the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He therefore urged Tinubu to implement the recommendations of the 2014 constitutional conference amidst the hardship confronting the country.
Ohanaeze, in a statement made available to South-East PUNCH in Owerri on Tuesday, said, “In the wake of nationwide uproar and agitation sparked by escalating living costs, economic distress and famine, a resolute calmness emanates from the old Eastern Nigeria comprising the South-East and South-South regions.
“The striking serenity and resolute silence amidst the prevalent anger and upheaval in the North and South-West have left many, including the Presidency and the North, astounded.”
“The prominent Igbo socio-cultural organization and unwavering advocate for the Igbo people commend the citizens of the old Eastern region, particularly the South-East, for their exceptional acumen and sagacity in abstaining from spearheading protest against President Tinubu and the Federal Government amidst economic hardship.
“Since the inception of the Buhari regime in 2015 to the current Tinubu administration, the South-East has borne the brunt of government neglect and discrimination.
“Whether it be the centre’s exclusions, the wanton demolition of Igbo properties in Lagos without federal intervention, the systematic burning of Igbo markets in the South-West, minimal federal appointments, or the unjust incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu, juxtaposed with the favoured treatment of figures like Sowore and Igboho, the injustices meted out to the South-East are glaring.
“As protests surge in Niger, Kano, Lagos, Osun and Abuja, the absence of causalities or protester killing resulting from security intervention is stark contrast to the haunting memories of South-Westerner lives lost during past protests against Kanu’s detainment and the tragic Obigbo (Oyibo) massacre in Rivers State.
“Ohaneze stands in awe of the South-East populace for their undaunted bravery and rare upright in weathering the storm; we stand in solidarity with the suffering Igbos and Nigerians, urging the Federal Government to overhaul Tinubu’s floundering economic team with competent hands to salvage the crumbling economy before it collapses completely.”
Recall that recently, Nigerian youths and women in Niger State and some other states took to the streets to protest the rising cost of living in the country.
The economic situation in the country had become unbearable following the removal of fuel subsidy by Tinubu on swearing-in on May 29, 2023.
By Gibson Achonu-Punch
