Igbo People's Congress and Igbo Aborigines tell secessionists local leaders are to blame for Ndigbo's woes

TWO Igbo pressure groups the Igbo People's Congress (IPC) and Igbo Aborigines (IA)  have told secessionists campaigners to look for the real culprits behind the socio-economic problems in the southeast blaming the region's political leaders for its problems.

Over the last two years, there have been calls for the recreation of the defunct republic of Biafra, with secessionist groups calling for the dismemberment of Nigeria. Groups including the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob) have led these campaigns, arguing that Ndigbo will be better off leaving Nigeria.

However, IPC and IA have hit back at these campaigners asking secessionists to focus their searchlight on the political leadership in Igboland, which has been pauperising Ndigbo before blaming the north or other Nigerians for their woes. They noted that Ndigbo have occupied all known positions in Nigeria except the executive presidency and this did not translate to anything positive for the people.

According to IPC and IA, during the Jonathan regime, Ndigbo constituted more than 50% of his inner cabinet and yet nothing was achieved from it. They added that all Ndigbo got from these appointments were the appointees benefitting their families, girlfriends and bootlickers.

An IPC spokesman said: “Its these people that Ipob and Massob  should first query before querying Nigeria. What about Ralph Uwazuruike, who made Igbo to be the minority of the majorities courtesy of preventing Igbo from participating in the 2006 national census, is that not affecting Ndigbo today and do we blame Nigeria also for that?

“What Nigeria has done to Ndigbo is lamentable but what Igbo have done to themselves is even more lamentable. How many times do our Igbo governors and leaders make concrete cases to empower our suffering youths as Niger Delta governors and leaders do, who strenuously made case for the amnesty deal, which has now led to the empowerment of more than 200,000 youths and their placement on a stipend of N65,000 every month?"

He added that Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu and other pro-Biafran agitators should ask themselves these questions and not just  blame Nigeria and the north for all Igbo woes. Both groups also  lambasted past governors of Enugu, Abia and Imo states for the sacking of Igbos from other states working in their public service, pointing out that Enugu State did it in 1997 and 1998, while Abia and Imo states did it in 2012 and 2014.

“In the exercise, thousands of Igbo from other states working in the public service of the mentioned states were wickedly sacked with their entitlements not paid till date. Many of the affected workers have died and others in sorry state.

“This heinous act cannot happen in Yorubaland or Hausaland where indigenes of the various states work  in any other states in the area. We cannot be talking of Biafra or justice in Nigeria when in our own backyard, inequity and discrimination reign supreme,” the two groups added.

Meanwhile,  a coalition of Niger Delta and Middle Belt Youth groups met in Abuja and in a joint statement warned against hate speech and song circulating against Ndigbo in the north. They called on the federal government to apprehend the authors of the messages and song.

Made up of the Niger Delta Youth Organisations and the Congress of Middle Belt Youths, the coalition also condemned the quit notice against northerners and Yorubas in the Niger Delta by some Niger Delta youths.  They assured the Northerners and the Yorubas in the Niger Delta of their safety anytime and any day.

In addition, they condemned the quit notice given to Igbos in the north by some misguided Arewa youths . They called on leaders of the north to caution the Arewa youths as they should realise that 2017 is different from 1966 to 1970.