The Odinala Cultural Heritage Foundation (OCHIE Igbo), a socio-cultural organization of young Igbo professionals, has called on the Federal Government to come clean on the issue of insecurity ravaging social and commercial activities in Southeast.
The group specifically tasked President Bola Tinubu to make a categorical statement on the matter, stressing that allegations of covert false flag military operations in the geopolitical zone compounds the situation.
It regretted that governors of Southeast zone have allowed political differences and selfish primitive acquisition to divert their attention from the crucial need for collective action against the menace of insecurity.
In a statement, Tuesday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Caleb Ekene Onwe, Esq, OCHIE Igbo recalled that a few years ago, the Southeast was the quintessential bride and cynosure of the entire country, noting that the zone played host to many Nigerians in search of leisure and business due the prevailing peace.
“However, since 2019, our zone has been locked in a vortex of intractable and unexplainable security issues that seem to have defied solution. Painfully, the Southeast Governors have capitalized on the ugly situation to increase their security votes, without any commensurate improvement in security.
“But, no matter how aloof and pretentious we may seem about the crippling insecurity in Alaigbo, the reality remains that the two states governed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Imo and Ebonyi and parts of Anambra State, which is governed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have remained as major flash points.
“We make bold to say that the factors militating against security of life and property in the Southeast are not entirely unknown. Rather, what is unknown is why the governors of the zone have elected to profit from the malaise, whilst the Federal Government on its part sees it as an opportunity to show force or demonstrate military might. The resultant effect and impact of the military operations in the South-east leaves much to be desired”, the group stated.
OCHIE Igbo also remarked that the emergence of Senator Hope Uzodimma as governor fueled the perception of the Imo State government as a plague that has besieged the people.
The group noted that given the curious circumstances that brought Uzodimma to Douglas House, “it was expected that the governor should be as humble as Naaman, the leper, who despite being a Captain in the army of King Aram opted to wash himself seven times in the River Jordan to be integrated with the people. Likewise, Uzodimma should have settled for the pursuit of populist programmes and seeking ways to align himself with the people.”
It added: “Regrettably, Uzodimma, with the help of the past administration of former President Muhammdu Buhari, operated more like a hireling than a Chief Servant by living at Abuja, whilst visiting Imo like a Professor on Sabbatical.
Instead of seeking genuine ways to end the insecurity, Uzodimma sees Imo as his conquered estate and as an abode to test of his might and network of contacts at the federal level. This is why bombing the identified flash points at Orlu was done with utmost recklessness. And, rather than solve the insecurity problem, Orlu has become a ghost town; where people live in servile fearfulness and trepidation.
“Uzodimma’s disconnect with the people he claims to lead has therefore provided the fireworks for the unending violence and conflagration that Imo has become; thereby turning the once beautiful state into a killing field.”
While stressing that Igbo people are more inclined towards entrepreneurship than violence, OCHIE Igbo maintained that the current violence, criminality and wanton killings and destruction of lives and properties in the Southeast recently are strange and alien to Igbo culture of Igbambo (pursuit of self-attainment).
“In the light of the foregoing, Mr. President, we urge you to explore the following steps as a way of showing honest commitment towards ending the security crises in the Southeast:
An unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu. This will douse the tension being generated by his incarceration. There is the suspicion that he is being held so as to provide alibi for Simon Ekpa to continue to wreak havoc in Igboland under the pretext that he is working for his release.
Strong caution to Simon Ekpa through the Embassy of Finland in Nigeria.
An executive bill to the National Assembly for an amendment of the Constitution for the removal of the immunity clause for state governors as well as an investigation into how the monthly security votes were expended by governors.”
The group assured Ndigbo of its continued pursuit for the preservation of peace, social harmony in Southeast as it moves to ensure the protection and projection of Alaigbo at all times.
