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While Nigeria has begun its journey through the path of restructuring, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has taken a proactive step to ensure the Igbo community’s concerns are heard loud and clear.
To achieve this, a high-powered 20-member committee, led by Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and Adolphus Wabara, have been established to champion the Igbo cause, promote their welfare, and safeguard their rights in the country.
The committee’s roster reads like a who’s who of Nigerian leaders, with former Imo State governor Ikedi Ohakim, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, and senators Ben Obi and Julius Ucha among its esteemed members. Rounding out the list are legal expert Dan Nwanyanwu, respected professors Epiphany Azinge, Charles Nwekeaku, and Onyebuchi Chukwu, as well as Chief Osita Chidoka and several other notable individuals.
At the committee’s inauguration in Abuja on Wednesday, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide’s President General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, charged members to approach their task with the gravity and dedication it warrants.
He said: “I’m therefore of very strong belief that restructuring of Nigeria is a social, economic and cultural imperative. Many other groups in Nigeria have continued to make demands for secession from the country.
Read also: Restructuring: Ndigbo Must Not Be Blown Away By Obi’s Dreams
“Such demands have come from the Northern, Western and of course, Eastern part of Nigeria.
“Once the structure of Nigeria is right, all these demands and agitations will stop and Nigeria by God’s grace will be one of the greatest countries in the world.
“Today, I have therefore, a great pleasure and honour to inaugurate a committee comprising a very distinguished and illustrious Igbo sons and daughters under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, the former Governor of Enugu State to review past discussions, make wide contacts with Igbos as Igbo position on a restructured Nigeria.
“The duty you are carrying out is a very sublime one and critical to the future of Igbo in Nigeria.
“I pray the Almighty God who had led our people through past perilous times guide you as you carry out this sublime duty of producing a structure that will make the Federal Republic of Nigeria a happy country for all of us.”
Chief Iwuanyanwu traversed the nation’s eventful past, recalling the unrelenting pursuit of justice and peace that defined generations, from the pre-war era to the post-conflict time.
Iwuanyanwu provided a much-needed clarification, dispelling entrenched misconceptions about the Eastern Region’s posture at the Aburi Conference, and offering a fresh perspective on a contentious period in history.
The veteran leader illuminated a often-misunderstood chapter in Nigeria’s history, revealing that Ojukwu’s Aburi conference objectives, in partnership with Gowon, centered on devolving power to the country’s constituent parts, rather than pursuing a separatist agenda.
