On Tuesday, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, issued an order prohibiting any Igbo community or group in Nigeria or the diaspora from participating in any planned or ongoing protests or demonstrations against the economic hardships facing the Bola Tinubu administration.
Iwuanyanwu reminded the Igbo that they had chosen to back Tinubu because the 2023 presidential election issue had come to the attention of the Nigerian Supreme Court, which had pronounced Tinubu the victor.
“We expect him also to reciprocate this gesture by giving us what is our due in the federation. We are not asking for another person’s position,” he stated in a release personally signed and titled: ‘Message to All Igbo Worldwide’.
He declared: “As your leader, I am directing that no Igbo group or community in Nigeria or in Diaspora should join in this action. I am still studying the situation.”
He claimed that because of the unsettling events taking on in Nigeria, it was a crucial time there.
“The economy has turned very bad; a scepter of frustration is everywhere. I have received many entreaties from many parts of the country requesting me to call Igbo to join in demonstration and violent action in the country, against the government.
Iwuanyanwu addressed a number of concerns in the lengthy statement, citing the marginalization of the South-East geopolitical zone in all its implications.
He made the following claims, among others: “The South-East is the only geopolitical zone that has only five (5) states.” We have lost billions of dollars as a result of this circumstance. Additionally, it has cost us in terms of parliamentary representation and political appointments.
“In 2005 and 2014, we raised this issue at various conferences. All men of goodwill at the conference agreed that it was unfair for the South-East to have only five states and recommended that an additional state be created in the South-East but up till today, this has not been done.”
