• Seeks synergy among South East governors
From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Widow of the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Ambassador Bianca, has intensified call for the release of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, haven been declared free by a competent Nigerian court.
Delivering a keynote address at the Annual National Conference and Convention of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) in Dallas, Texas in USA, the former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, sh called for greater synergy among governors of the South East, and urged them to continue to intensify efforts towards the release of Kanu.
AVID is a congregation of American citizens, both men and women of Igbo extraction, who are serving military officers and veterans who have served honourably in various branches of the United States military at different times, different conflicts and different theatres of war.
Ojukwu, who was special guest, noted that the initial nonchalant attitude of Igbo leaders towards Kanu’s illegal rendition and continued unlawful incarceration contributed greatly towards inflaming the tensions within the South East region today.
“This nonchalant attitude also brought about the unforeseen consequences of opportunistic criminal elements not even remotely connected with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) coming into the picture.
“Today, they (opportunistic criminal elements) are masquerading as freedom fighters to perpetuate the most heinous crimes in South Eastern Nigeria.”
“It is only when the leaders in Igboland rise up, jettison their perceived conspiracy of silence and confront the truth will there be the slightest possibility of healing and recovery from the unfortunate condition which Igboland currently finds itself in.
“The onerous task of confronting the Leviathan can only start when we come to terms with the fact that it is the neglect of the leadership in Igboland to effectively highlight and address the blatant marginalization of Ndigbo through the years that created the vacuum which led to the emergence of Nnamdi Kanu, and then proceed to make the necessary amends.”
In his presentation at the event, Haiti’s former Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jean Pillard, went down memory lane, recalled with emotions the sojourn of the Igbo through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade to Haiti.
Pillard noted that in the midst of Haiti’s darkest times, the Igbo contributed their strength and courage to the struggle for freedom against an adversary, none other than Napoleon Bonaparte.
“Napoleon Bonaparte (who had defeated so many armies in Europe); but the Igbo in Haiti got united to impose an amazing defeat on Napoleon and the mighty French army.”
AVID President, Dr Sylvester Onyia, a US veteran, in his address restated the resolve and commitment of the organisation towards a safe, prosperous and peaceful Alaigbo (Igboland), their homeland of origin.
He disclosed that the continued detention of Kanu in spite of his ordered release by the courts was of grave concern to the organization, just as the fact that “Ndigbo are currently anxious about the inability of the Federal Government to secure their lives, properties and investments in their states of residence and business in other parts of the country.”
Also of concern to the organization according to Onyia is the current hardships being experienced by Nigerians as a whole, and the marginalisation and insecurity in Igboland that had been exacerbated by anti-people policies.
“These have caused nothing but suffering and a heightened sense of hopelessness among the people.”
Several speakers including diplomats and government officials made presentations at the conference which featured award presentations to deserving officers, music and cultural presentations.
There was also fundraising activities for the organization’s ongoing project for the provision of solar powered boreholes to provide potable clean water for schools and local clinics in South Eastern communities.