Lagos is not Igboland; we are guests there, Iwuanyanwu

Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, President General of the foremost Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, is in Lagos for a three-day visit. During that time, he will meet with Igbo leaders and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss issues that affect Igbo in the nation’s financial center.

In an interview that followed one of his Wednesday meetings with Igbo leaders in Ikoyi, he discussed a variety of topics, including how he became the Ohanaeze leader, his plans for the Igbo, the growing insecurity in the South-East, and how the federal government might stop it.

Concerning the circumstances of his appointment as Ohanaeze leader

I was recently elected President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the organization that represents all Igbo, a few months ago. Even though I could see that my people were really excited about having me serve them, it was honestly a very tough thing for me to accept at the age of over 80. The support and confidence of all the leaders were shown to me. All five of the South-East’s governors came to me and said they agreed with me.

The seven Ohanaeze presidents from the different states of Rivers, Delta, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Anambra, and Ebonyi also attended. All of these helped me realize that I was powerless. I think that every gift that a person has comes from God. As a result, if your people ever want you to serve them and you don’t, you are being unjust to the creator God who gave you the gift.

His nuclear family is against him.

My wife and kids urged me not to accept it. I had to persuade them, though. Although some predicted my death, I responded by telling them that it would not be too soon if I passed away at 80.

South-West region’s initial official trip

Right now, where am I? South-West Nigeria is the destination of my first official tour. In the South-West, I’ve traveled to meet Igbo. I went to the Ime-obi, where we gather in Igbo culture to make important decisions, last night (Tuesday) to meet the elders. We gathered in Cmdr. Ebitu Ukiwe’s, a retired member of our group, home. The meeting was a huge success.

My people welcomed me warmly as I landed at the airport. There was a line of both town union presidents and Ezes. Because our system requires that we organize ourselves wherever we are, I just got done with a meeting with the Ezes. Every accomplishment the Igbo have had throughout the years has been a result of our ability to band together quickly. The town union is a component of our organizational structure. The individuals I have met here today play significant roles in Igbo culture. These are the folks I encounter everywhere, and they inform me in whispers of the state of affairs. I’ve been welcomed incredibly well while I’ve been here, which is effectively my first formal tour of the South-West. My people have placed a lot of trust and confidence in me, which makes me extremely happy. I’ve made up my mind to serve them, and I pray to God Almighty to give me the strength to do so and to be with me so that I don’t fall short of their expectations.

All these stories have recently come to our attention, and while I believe we have a solution, we are only appealing to them because asking people to leave is a very new practice. Since I spoke with influential Lagos natives, we are not concerned. This opinion is not shared by Lagosian leaders. I want you to know that Ohanaeze, under my direction, is collaborating with the five governors of the South-East on this matter. Hope Uzodimma informed me that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a comrade of the South-East governors, would attend the meeting. I was happy to hear that their meeting with the governor of Lagos State went well and that a communiqué was produced. The governor of Lagos State fared well. People are, in fact, content.

Because we felt that it was our turn based on the zoning arrangement, Ohanaeze Ndigbo endorsed Peter Obi during the election. We don’t have anything against Tinubu personally. We backed Peter Obi because we thought it was our time to shine and because we trusted his abilities. The All Progressives Congress, or APC, has numerous Igbo members who cannot be stopped, and Tinubu has just been inaugurated in as president.

Peter Obi is in court, and the court’s judgment will be made, not by us. Knowing that the governor is in Abuja, I would make an effort to meet with him, but even if I am unsuccessful, I will be happy to know that Governor Uzodimma has seen him. The destruction of Igbo-owned assets or increased taxation against them are things we oppose.

There are many rumors going about, but I don’t think they’re true since I don’t think any right-thinking government could do that. I can assure you that there is no issue at the present. I have disclosed to the Igbo that I had spoken with prominent Lagosians. I have also assured the Igbo that they are secure and unharmed in Lagos State; the Igbo are content and intend to remain.

What programs do you have in place for other tribes that reside in or plan to relocate to the South-East?

I’ve got a plan. In Igboland, I’m going to build new towns and commercial hubs. We desire investment in Igboland from other tribes. We have aided in the development of Lagos and other regions of Nigeria. In my capacity as President General and the head of the Igbo, I am requesting that others join me in returning the favor. They ought to visit and improve Igboland. They ought to contact Ohanaeze if they encounter any issues. We will step in and make sure that investors are provided land and prodded to invest by encouraging them.
Don’t you believe that the uncertainty and the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu situation will put off prospective investors?

In the Southeast, there are no security issues. Since the young people’s allegiance to Nnamdi Kanu is their justification, we have demanded “release Nnamdi.”

When we take a close look, we cannot find any offense that Kanu has committed. The court has actually ruled that he should be released. We, as the leaders of the Igbo people, do not understand why he is being held in custody. They are using it as justification for their stay-at-home day. Keeping Nnamdi Kanu behind bars, in our opinion, is an effort to work with individuals who wish to wreck the economies of states in the South-East. We are pleading with the Federal Government to free Kanu so that we can identify those who are really agitators and criminals.

We haven’t been informed that Nnamdi committed any crimes, so I think President Tinubu will be able to release him. Even though he wasn’t found with an AK-47, he is still being arrested. We would have a lot of issues if Nnamdi Kanu passed away while incarcerated because he is ill. The five South-East governors and every other Igbo leader have discussed his release.

I believe that if any Nigerian leader respects the Igbo, he or she will free Kanu since doing so will ease the country’s security concerns. I want to assure you that the South-East or Igboland are not inferior to other regions.