From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The Archbishop of Okigwe Archdiocese, Methodist Church Nigeria and Bishop of Okigwe Diocese, His Grace, Most Rev Biereonwu Onuagha, has expressed anger over what he called premeditated injustice against the Igbo people in the country.
Archbishop Onuagha also said that the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the result of the recently concluded presidential election in Nigeria were ploys to push the Igbo nation into physical combat.
He, however, said that the Igbo would remain law-abiding and had taken their case and faith with Nigeria nation with the proverbial stance of “Onye ji ihe nwata welue aka elu aka fuo ya ufu, owetue aka ya” (he who takes a child’s belonging and raise up his hand, when the hand starts paining him, he will bring down his hand).
Archbishop Onuagha, also told the Nigerian Judiciary that what would come out as its judgement in the ongoing presidential election tribunal is a test case for them.
He warned that they should not accept that they were so corrupt and cheap, that people should commit atrocities to steal others’ mandate and have the effrontery to tell those they cheated or stole their mandate to go to court because they claimed to have the judiciary in their pockets.
Archbishop Onuagha, therefore, further warned that unless Nigeria and Nigerians stop their premeditated injustice against the Igbo race, Nigeria would never work and that there was nothing that could make the country work optimally.
He suggested that if Nigeria would continue its premeditated injustice on the Igbo race, they had better allow the Igbo race to have Biafra, to go and build themselves, saying that he had always supported the agitation for the self-determination and the Republic of Biafra because leaders of Nigeria did not want the Igbo to exist.
Archbishop Onuagha who disclosed these in the presidential address he presented at the 42nd annual Synod of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Okigwe, suggested that in future, any presidential election in contention would attract the suspension of swearing in of the President-elect until the case is determined. He noted that using State resources to pursue party matters was unacceptable.
“The Igbo man is the only nation-builder I know in this country. Why I get more worried is the fact that an Igbo man as selfless as he is, in his development of the nations, Nigeria society hates him, do I say it again?
“Yes, I think I should. The treatment against Ndigbo is the reason the marriage called Nigeria is simply not working and there is nothing that will make it work until they reverse the treatment meted on the Igbo race.
“What is happening in Nigeria today is the fulfilment of the biblical prophecy, as captured in Daniel Chapter 2. According to that prophesy, we are in the 4th empire made up of iron and clay, remember, we have passed the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age and now iron and clay and there is no way they can mix. For me, the marriage called Nigeria in biblical connotation simply can no longer stand.
“I will, therefore, suggest that if Nigeria will continue to meet its premeditated injustice on the Igbo race, the best thing is to allow Biafra to go to enable the Igbo race to go and build themselves.
“I have always supported the agitation for the self-determination and Republic of Biafra because Nigerian leaders do not want the Igbo to exist. Since we are not wanted, why not allow us to go?
“The 2023 election is a case in point, where the mandate of the people was stolen in a daylight robbery and yet people are finding ways and means to justify the injustice, this is an error.
“Worst still is the continued incarceration of Mazi Kanu, who never committed any offence and yet the federal government is still holding him in prison after he was dully discharged by the competent court in Nigeria.
“The continued detention of Mazi Kanu is only a ploy to anger the Igbo nation into physical combat but the Igbo man has listened to the wise counsel of our legend, Dr Michael Okpara of blessed memory who said the first fool is not a fool, but the second fool is a proper foolish.
“The recently concluded presidential election should be properly looked into by the tribunal and the Supreme Court. Nigerians turned out en mass to vote in that mandate that was stolen and rigged, and those who did that should be brought to book and jailed.
“The thought of mentioning the word Professor has become a nightmare to the ordinary Nigerian. I thought, that the word Professor is for one who has attained the highest academic, moral and psychological excellence, but here in Nigeria Professors are used in Nigeria to subvert the will of the people, it has become a recurring decimal that is unexplainable.
“Why should a highly educated Professor of academic repute who heads INEC chicken out and disgrace his family and the entire nation? This is embarrassing. Eight years ago, it was Prof. Attahiru Jega who sold us into the worst government I have ever seen, today it is Mahmood Yakubu. Unfortunately, these Professors are of Northern extraction.
“The only credible elections conducted in this nation after the return of democracy have been those of Prof Humphrey Nwosu and Prof Maurice Iwu and it seems the Igbo man has the answer to Nigeria’s problem’s as recently Professors again if Igbo extraction stood their grounds not to steal the mandate of the people in Abia and Enugu States.”