By Sunday Ani
An Igbo cultural group, Oganiru Ndigbo Gburugburu, has commended the prompt intervention of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, in the withdrawal from circulation a book written by Sola Akinyemi, which cast aspersion of the entire Igbo race.
Titled, “Fundamentals of Civic Education, for Basic 8 (JSS2),” and published in 2018 by Fatsoholy Ventures, the group alleged that Aknyemi, in the book, portrayed Igbo people as aggressors, invaders and captors, but failed give any history of war or contest between Ndigbo and the Yoruba, not to mention the feigned one in the heart of Yoruba land.
In a letter jointly signed by the National Coordinator and Secretary of the Igbogroup, Dr. Chika Dike and Martins Chiedozie Ugwu, to the Minister, the group thanked the minister for his wisdom and timely intervention in reacting to the concerns of Oganiru Ndigbo Gburugburu, which was brought to his attention.
Part of the letter read: “We, in Oganiru Ndigbo Gburugburu, a non-partisan socio-cultural organisation focused on monitoring and safeguarding the interest and welfare of Igbo people (Ndigbo) in Nigeria, and across the globe, write to express our deep appreciation and commendation for your timely intervention on our protest letter regarding the defamation of character of Igbo people in Nigeria by Sola Akinyemi’s book.”
Dr. Dike noted that the group expects a prompt and thorough implementation of the Minister’s directives because justice delayed is justice denied. He also commended the timely response from the Minister, saying, “With the Minister’s quick response, we can affirm that his action has reignited our belief that there is hope for our beloved country.”
He expressed confidence in the Minister, and noted that it was their expectations that the implementation would be thorough so that the group could join forces to ensure peace, and harmony as well as imbibe actions that bond Nigerians and not those that divide them.
Mr. Ugwu also thanked the Minister and promised a continuous partnership with the ministry. He called on relevant authorities, especially governors of the South East states to follow up and ensure thorough implementation of the withdrawal of the said book from circulation in schools as doing so would not only set the history in the right direction, but also discourage anyone who would want to take similar step next time, not just against Ndigbo but against any section of the country. “And there should also be consequences for such divisive actions whenever and wherever it is seen,” he added.