*Wants to be recognized for restoring the country’s security and economy *Reiterates promise to finishing the Second Niger Bridge and other projects *Promises credible elections in 2023 *
Ohaneze advocates equity, justice, and fairness for all citizens, claiming that Ndigbo are Nigeria’s most federating people.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on his first working visit to Imo State since winning a second term, said it was ludicrous to him that any Igbo guy would consider leaving Nigeria because the area controls the country’s economy.
The president also stated that by the end of his eight-year term in May 2023, most of the country’s economic and security concerns would have been resolved.
The president made the remarks during a town hall meeting with South-east leaders in Owerri, which was the first time Imo has hosted a working visit by a president since 2009.
“It is inconceivable to me that any Igbo man does not consider himself a Nigerian. He stated, “The proof is there for everyone to see that Igbos are in charge of Nigeria’s economy.”
Buhari also stated that he wished to be remembered as the president who improved Nigeria’s security and economic conditions, as well as bringing prosperity and defeating corruption.
The president reaffirmed his commitment to holding legitimate and fair elections in 2023, as well as promising to finish the Second Niger Bridge and other ongoing government projects in the geopolitical zone’s south.
Professor George Obiozor, President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, assured Buhari of Ndigbo’s continuing support in his speech. Regardless, Obiozor requested that Nigerians be guided by the idea of equity.
“No matter how hard you try or how much initiative you have, there is nothing anyone can achieve if there is no security,” Buhari said. The first priority is security, followed by the economy. People will mind their own business if they feel safe.”
Despite the fact that battling corruption in the country had grown increasingly complicated and challenging, the president stated that he would continue to work to leave a legacy of honesty and accountability in government.
“No one can accuse me of owning firms or houses anywhere in the country, and I thank God that I try to keep myself as clean as possible so that I am not held hostage,” Buhari stated. I would do all in my power to ensure that Nigerians who work hard succeed.”
He asked regional leaders to educate their communities about the need of holding their elected officials responsible.
Buhari hailed the Igbo and expressed his respect for their resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit. “The essential thing about the Igbo people is that there is no location in Nigeria where you will not see Igbos in charge of either infrastructure or the pharmaceutical industry,” he remarked.
The president stated that without infrastructure development, no country can achieve significant progress. He expressed remorse for consecutive federal governments’ contributions to the deterioration of essential infrastructure in the country.
“When you get infrastructure properly, Nigerians would mind their own business,” he added, adding that Igbos as a group stand to benefit more from the country’s ongoing infrastructure development since “they are more enterprising.”
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State declared earlier during the town hall gathering that Ndigbo believed in a united Nigeria based on “justice, equity, and fairness.” Uzodinma praised Buhari for addressing the concerns of Igbos through intentional policy efforts aimed at instilling a feeling of belonging in the people, such as the ongoing construction of the Second Niger Bridge and other projects.
The governor said the people of the region would be grateful to the president for sanctioning the construction of a naval facility in Imo State’s Oguta Local Government Area, adding that the installation’s economic benefits would become apparent as time went on.
He also praised the president for strongly supporting the appointment of two prominent Igbos, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, as Director-General of the World Trade Organization and Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization, respectively, into key international organizations.
Ndigbo’s backing, Obiozor assured the president.
“Ndigbo are devoted to Nigerian unity, and there is news for those seeking to push us out of Nigeria,” the Ohaneze president-general added. The Ndigbo people of Nigeria are like fish in the ocean, and no storm can force them out.
“Mr. President, we see a new dawn in your distinguished presence in Igbo land in this context, and we think that when you return to Abuja, the importance and substance of this visit will establish a new basis for meaningful discourse on vital matters of concern to the Igbo nation.”
The president’s visit, according to Obiozor, was reassuring that there was still reason to be optimistic about Nigeria and Nigerian unity.
He expressed optimism that the visit will usher in a new age of discussion, collaboration, and understanding between Ndigbo and the Buhari administration.
“Mr. President, after all that Nigeria has been through in its nearly 60-year history of crises and continuity, and after the spectacular patriotic role of Ndigbo in ensuring its unity and survival, the persistent perception that the Igbos are separatists and secessionist agitators is a historical fallacy,” he said.
“In fact, if the truth be told, among all Nigerian citizens, Ndigbo are the most federating unit. Generally speaking, if you don’t see the Igbos anyplace in Nigeria, something is wrong. Igbos are traders and adventurers who love to travel. As a result, the Igbo character is defined by a proclivity for kindness, harmonic peaceful coexistence, and the spirit of humanity’s universalism. We are who we are. Our Igbo proverb goes, “Ojemba Enwe Iro,” which means, “A traveler creates no enemies.”
Another misunderstanding, according to the Ohaneze chief, is that Igbos cannot speak in unison.
“Mr. President, despite all the risks of secession or separatist that the country faces, there is little doubt that no secessionist element can triumph in Nigeria if effective government is built on equity, justice, and fairness to all citizens,” he stated.
The most pressing and critical need of Ndigbo today, Your Excellency, is security. Ndigbo security in Nigeria and beyond has become a compelling primary obligation that Ndigbo are deeply concerned about.
“Unfortunately, our South-east zone has recently become a hotbed of strife, undermining our people’s peace-loving mentality. Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in this backdrop, urges for the creation of a zonal and state police apparatus to support and complement the present federal security architecture.”
Buhari’s visit to the Igbo heartland, Obiozor said later on the Arise News Channel, offered the Igbo hope for Nigeria’s future.
The Naze/Ihiagwa/Nekede/Obinze link road, the Balloon Driven/Flood Control drainage at Dick Tiger Road, the Egbeada Bypass road, and the New Exco-Chambers, Government House, Owerri were among the projects Buhari commissioned during his visit.
The president told Imo citizens at the inauguration of the Egbeada bypass, which was named after Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, that he was impressed with the state government’s performance.
“I am extremely satisfied with what I have seen, and I assure you that Imo State will be supported within the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution,” Buhari stated.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) issued a sit-at-home order in response to the president’s visit, which was observed to be followed.
Residents of Owerri, the state capital, and, indeed, most of the states in the South-east, complied totally with the IPOB command. The streets were desolate, with banks, offices, shops, and marketplaces closed.
