Igbo will leave Nigeria only when they wish, Ohanaeze replies northern groups

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo has stated that Ndigbo will leave Nigeria only when it wants to do so.

The group stated this while reacting to the coalition of northern groups suit filed before the Federal High Court Abuja asking it to exit South-East from Nigeria “because of violence and destruction being allegedly occasioned by the agitation for secession championed by IPOB.”

Ohanaeze spokesman who spoke with one of Punch correspondents on the telephone, described the so-called coalition as mischief-makers, adding that Igbos have identity and originality more than them.

He noted that nobody is a superior or senior partner to the project Nigeria, and to that extent, no person or group had a right to act as senior or superior partner to project Nigeria.

“And because no group has right whatsoever to ask another to go or to ask another to leave Nigeria, Igbos have as much right in Nigeria as any other ethnic group. And to that extent, Igbos will leave Nigeria only when they wish to do so but not on the instrumentality of another group.

“On the other hand, Igbo has sacrificed much more than any other group for the corporate existence of Nigeria. I repeat, Igbos have sacrificed much more than any other group for the corporate existence of Nigeria and it is not in doubt.

So, if any group should talk about ownership of the country it is those who have sacrificed more.”

On the agitation for secession in the South East, Ohanaeze spokesman said “the source of all these problems are that Igbos are asking for equity, justice and fairness.”

“when you talk about indigeneity of Nigeria you talk about Igbo, Yoruba, Cross River and others but some of these coalitions you are talking about some of them came from distance places in West Africa, so they are indeterminate. They are not even known. So the indigeneity of this country belong to these people who are very much known, he said