•Says Nigeria must be owned equally

By Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja

President General of Ndigbo apex organisation, the Ohanaeze, Chief John Nnia Nwodo has explained why the South East  is against break up of the country being canvassed by some youths in the zone .

He declared that what the Igbo want remains the  restructuring of the country in a way that everybody would be equally treated in line with the constitution .

Nwodo in a statement released shortly after meeting with a cross section of Igbo  leaders in Abuja on Friday stated  that no ethnic group has more stake in Nigeria project than the Igbo and as such cannot consider a break up as a viable option.

The Ohanaeze boss maintained  that there is no part of the country where Ndigbo have not invested their resources even without any corresponding investment from others in Igbo land. He said that while Ohanaeze understands and appreciates the circumstances that prompted the youth agitations under the MASSOB and IPOB platforms, the elders do not believe that leaving the country is a reasonable option at this time.

Nwodo said that the various segments of Igbo leadership comprising the Ohanaeze leadership, Governors, National Assembly members, traditional and religious leaders after deliberating on the situation in Enugu came to the conclusion that the restructuring option is the reasonable way to go.

He said that restructuring will bring Nigeria to a level where every person of whichever tribe, religion or class would have a sense of belonging and in return give in their best for the development of the country.

The release said the President General was in Abuja to meet critical stakeholders in the Igbo project to have their understanding and be on the same page with them.

Nwodo also announced that steps are being taken by the apex body leadership to carry along the youths of the region and ensure that the Ndigbo have a common and unified position on the way forward for them.

The Ohanaeze President insisted “that equal partnership, equal ownership and level playing ground for all is the right way to go to bring the best in our people and set the country on the path of growth and development.”

 


We will deliver South East to APC in 2019 –Kalu

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

Former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor-Kalu, has assured the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that with the caliber of personalities joining the ruling party in the South East, he has no iota of doubt that they will deliver the geo-political zone to the party in the 2019 general elections.

Speaking when he led former chairman and Chief Executive of Hallmark bank, Marc Wabara, to the party headquarters in Abuja, to formally join the party, Kalu boasted that APC is becoming a household name in the South East.

Introducing Wabara to the national leadership of the party, Kalu said: “When I joined the party, I promised to fish out men that can work for this party in Nigeria not only in the South East. Today, we are here with a great Abian, a Nigerian and an asset to this great party. We have assured you what we will do in that zone in 2019 and I am sure you have started seeing the handwork and hand writing on the wall. We are consulting widely in our zone and beyond,” he declared.

“There is no doubt that APC is becoming a household name in the South East now. Both our religious and traditional leaders and market people have started understanding why they need to join this big family. They realized when we joined that people who were there before did not make mistake.

“We are joining to also show that Nigeria should continue to play the role in this corporate existence as one indivisible entity. The coexistence of this country is not negotiable and we strongly believe that APC will continue to smoothen this coexistence. We will continue to believe and trust in APC. This is why we are presenting to you today the son of the soil, Chief Marc Wabara, the chairman chief Executive of Hallmark Plc,” he said.

Welcoming the delegation, the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, expressed happiness over the caliber of South Easterners joining the party, commending specifically the former governor of Abia State.

“Let me thank Orji Uzor Kalu for keeping his promise, for being a good disciples a believer in the future of Nigeria; and a believer in the mission of APC which you too have eloquently enunciated.

“We thank you for the good job you are doing nationally and internationally and for your motivational principles. We believe you will continue to do that which you are doing. I feel a sense of fulfillment today; l feel a sense of intense happiness. Yesterday l received former governor Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State.

“Today, you are aware that people of quality, people of passion and people who appreciate the challenges facing our nation are coming together for the good of the nation. We have people who know that there are difficulties coming at time when there is hues and cries tended to make a less courages, less visionary, motivated person stand back to say let me watch, but you decided to take the lead; you have decided to help us in rebuilding the economic foundation of our nation.

“Both of you today have unequivocally spoken of National unity. You are a man of quality. Now my spirit can now be at peace as far as the south east is concerned. The true leaders of South East know that it is important to be a major player in the Nigeria nation; the true leaders of South East knows that they are part of the building blocks of Nigeria. You have decided to join and help us to rebuild this economy,” he said.