Three Igbo socio-cultural associations on Friday rejected overtures by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that Ndigbo should remain in Nigeria, insisting that he caused problems for the country.
Obasanjo had appealed to those agitating for Biafra to stop the struggle, stressing that there is “enough cake to share.”
But the Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, and the Igbo Women Assembly, IWA, accused Obasanjo of insincerity and double-talk.
ECA Publicity Secretary, Rev. Fr. John Odey said, “Obasanjo’s statement is medicine after death. Courting Ndi Igbo like women without restructuring Nigeria will achieve nothing. Begging them to come back; that there is enough cake for everybody is unhelpful.
“The solution is immediate restructuring of Nigeria into six regions without further delay. Obasanjo knows that, but chooses to dance around the issues, deliberately avoiding the truth.
“A year and half ago, he advised Buhari to ignore the IPOB, calling them miscreants and fraudsters. He is responsible for all the avoidable crisis in the land today. Everybody knows, he frustrated the 2005 conference report, just because Nigerians rejected his third term bid. Obasanjo is a prominent part of Nigeria’s problem.He should go and sit down.”
Also, the Founder of IYM and Deputy Secretary, Igbo Leaders of Thought, ILT, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, lamented that Obasanjo called Igbo youth’s miscreants but asked Ndigbo to forgive the former President for allegedly repenting from his abuse of Ndigbo.
His words: “Obasanjo has clearly repented and is probably remorseful of his early position in calling the much abused, long suffering and oppressed youth of Eastern Nigeria miscreants and fraudsters.
“We should forgive him and plead with him to advise Buhari, his good friend to do the needful and return Nigeria to six regions without delay.
“The window to save Nigeria is fast closing, soon even restructuring will no longer be acceptable to the millions of angry youth of Eastern Nigeria. His plea for negotiations is late in the day. Only immediate restructuring can save Nigeria now.”
On its part, IWA through its leader, Chief (Mrs) Marie Okwor, called Obasanjo “a joker”, adding that “he knows the right thing, which is immediate restructuring, he does not want to say it. now except immediate return to six regions and a new constitution. Obasanjo is part of the problem. Massaging us like women or begging us not to leave Nigeria will not solve the problem. The delay to restructure the regions is dangerous.”
