Igbo Not Seeking Secession From Nigeria – Prof George Obiozor

We’re demanding President from S-East, not Igbo head of state — Ohanaeze

Professor George Obiozor is the President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States. In this interview monitored on Arise Television, he speaks on insecurity in the South-East, the formation of Ebubeagu, Igbo presidency, among others. ANAYO EZUGWU reports.

 

What is the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to what is happening in the South-East?

As you know Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the apex organization of Igbo culturally. And our objective is for stability and peaceful co-existence in the country. My first statement as a summary of everything we believe in concerning Nigeria is that Igbos is not at war with Nigeria or has any instrument of any kind anywhere seeking a separate existence from Nigeria. Under that condition, I would also like you to know the fact that until recently, actually about a few weeks again, the South-East has been the most peaceful section of Nigeria of all the six zones. So one is completely shocked and surprised at the same time as to all of a sudden some elements as you yourself suspected either fifth columns from anywhere or internal want to turn southeast into an insecure environment for both the people and the country.

What you said earlier about crime in the region is very touching in the sense that I sincerely believe that under normal circumstances, when a crime is committed the first thing to do is to find out the nature of the crime. The nature of the crime would lead you to the kind of suspect you may have and those suspects you begin to eliminate based on strategic capacity to commit such crime.

 

I think that is where we should go in search of what is happening in the South-East. And concerning your mention about political motives, indeed one of our great writers said Nigeria is overpoliticized but under-governed. That statement he made several years ago still holds.

 

 


The idea of politicization of everything in Nigeria including the issue of insecurity and security has been so politicized that sometimes it is very confusing to know who is the criminal in the country. But the truth is that it is time for the country to reflect and begin what I consider as national healing. A lot of grievances across the country and it is not good.

Igbo Not Seeking Secession From Nigeria – Prof George Obiozor
Igbo Not Seeking Secession From Nigeria – Prof George Obiozor

A nation does not subject itself or allow itself to be subjected to a permanent crisis. Today the crisis in Nigeria has been reduced to a situation that can be described as a national crisis and it is a very difficult problem to handle. We must be careful.

 

You were reported as having been on the table when the governors of the five southeast states took the decision to establish Ebubeagu, which has now been opposed by IPOB and members of the Eastern Security Network, how come your group is not considering carrying them along?

Let me cut you short there, definitely, I congratulated the southeast governors and many people in southeast support the governors on the establishment of Ebubeagu, southeast security apparatus. Believe they have no competitor and they have no rival. As a matter of fact, you cannot compare them to an establishment by one organization, which is part of the South-East. The IPOB young men are our sons. We cannot deny them.

 

If they are doing anything in the interest of Igbos, definitely they will have our support but is even no quarrel between them and many people in Igboland except there is a difference in method. You cannot in a situation that concerns all the Igbos, you unilaterally with a method that can be harmful to others and even may be harmful to the cause we are fighting for, justice, equity, fairness that is the issue. The issue is not organization, who forms what organization or who really wants what organization. For me as an individual, many are called few are chosen.

 

The South-East governors have the authority, the legitimacy and indeed the overall responsibility to protect the interest, security and wellbeing of all the people in the southeast including IPOB and the Eastern Security organization they have formed. The whole idea is a matter of hierarchy of responsibility and hierarchy of authority. You can’t compare a part with a whole. So it is mischievous to compare the two.

 

 


And yet IPOB is making comparison and issuing threats that anybody who joins Ebube Agu is betraying ESN and will join his ancestors. That is a threat to life but you have an accommodating stance for them?

You see what I want to tell you, I’m not a spokesman of any of the group. What I’m advising as a father, as a Nigerian, as an Igbo patriot, as an elderly statesman, Zik used to say forget what is written on a vehicle and enter the car. The whole issue is that southeast governors with legitimate authority have actually taken over the issue of handling the security situation in the South-East. I don’t want to discuss the threat. What I would advise is that IPOB and others should think twice and come down and listen to some of us and then agree to a level of the corporation to achieve our objective. We have a common objective. What is dividing us is the method and that can be negotiated internally among our people once the common denominator is given.

 

You said you have a common objective, IPOB wants secession, if you say you have a common objective and do you want to leave Nigeria?

Hold on, you are jumping too much to a conclusion, believe it or not, you haven’t offered IPOB self-determination and they rejected it, have you? So the whole idea sometimes, journalists make matters worse in a political situation like this. What IPOB has been talking about, creating a situation when it becomes political you go between irresistible minimum requirements to maximum demand. In the whole issue, I’m recommending and I’m sincerely believed that it is time for the country to begin healing to reduce the level of crisis, the level of anger among the youths. Some of these emphasize on extremism must be taking into consideration as part of the process of reconciliation.

 

You are speaking as a father, which is great, we want peace but the facts on the ground are different?

Let me be frank with you before you go into this litany. To be honest with you, I have tried to use some level of proverb to give you a sense of direction. Leave everything that bites you in the night let it be a mosquito. All these litanies of things you are doing, they are one source. The source is that there is violence across the country. And it is spreading and for those who believe in national peace and unity, our focus should be on solutions.

 

Whatever anybody is saying would be taken into consideration that is their position. The position you are mentioning is not the position of the Igbos or do you think the statement the former Inspector General of Police made concerning IPOB is the conclusion of the matter, an investigation of how many hours.

 

A matter happens within 24 hours, the Inspector General announces who did it. Didn’t you hear from the IPOB that they didn’t do the Owerri incident? So when you move from one scene to the other, that is what is causing emotional escalation of the conflict in the country. We have to sit down and reflect and then look for the solution.

 

Does Ohanaeze have the same belief as IPOB and whether you Prof Obiozor believe in Biafra?

There is Biafra in every Nigerian who is looking for justice, fairness and equity. So whatever your interpretation may be, you ask yourself what is the meaning. Even if the reality of Biafra or haven’t you seen the reality yourself. Across the country, there is mayhem of a kind. I don’t know where you come from but there is Biafra in your neighbourhood, people seeking justice across the country. In fact, it is not only in the southeast that you have secessionist movement. The joy of what is happening in Yorubaland is that their own youths listen to their leaders and corporate with their leaders as you can see.

 

 


In the South-East, people are trying to put the conflict between southeast youths and the elders. And then making it look as if the authority of the youths supersede that of their father. That they shouldn’t listen to their fathers and this your emphasis about this kind of question is actually questioning the authority of parents over their children. And so that is part of what is escalating the crisis of indiscipline. What I’m trying to let you know is that whatever anybody is doing for the good of Igbos is welcome provided the method means the standard of civil behaviours.

 

The standard of non-violence but all these questions on which one is better to choose, you don’t choose between life and death. The truth of the matter is that I congratulated the southeast governors for Ebube Agu and they should go ahead and see how best to secure the SouthEast and make it what it used to be, the most peaceful zone in Nigeria. That is what we want.

 

Prof, I see you continue to evade the question of whether you believe in secession or not and whether you sympathize with IPOB?

I definitely do not believe in secession and I have never told you I believe in secession. If you were listening, the first thing I told you was that Igbos is not at war or have any instrument anywhere seeking a separate existence. How far can I go in defining myself and my people over secession because those who tag this secession have political motive to relegate Igbos and deny us our civil rights and our fair share of opportunities within Nigeria? Who are more secessionists in Nigeria than other regions in the country? If you have studied the history of Nigeria, every section of Nigeria has been secessionist but they are not tagged like that.

 

But in Igboland, you can ask me about secession and ask me to approve on whether I believe in secession. Listen some of you are part of the national problem because you sectionalize Nigerian problem and Nigerian politics as if it is a target to injure a group.

 

Who told you that if you take a census in Igboland today everybody would be interested in secession? I have written several times that the majority of Igbos actually prefer one in Nigeria. How far can one go and you are asking me whether I’m for secession with such bluntness and boldness. When you people want to emphasise the negative, who told you that all the people in IPOB want secession. They want justice just like the rest of Igbos. We want the country’s attention to the relative deprivation Igbos is facing that prevents Igbos from reaching certain goals within their own country.

 

That is what IPOB and Biafra’s people are talking about. But the whole issue is that if you don’t understand the political implication you go into a rampage of secession. Igbos is basically business-oriented and they are everywhere. In fact, it is clear that the most federating people in Nigeria are the Igbos. So you trying to fix Igbos as secessionists and asking me such bold question about whether I believe in secession, what kind of statement is that. I would advise you not to ask any Igbo leader such a question again about secession. When you see the young men talking about secession you talk to them.

 

What is the agenda of the Igbo presidency under your watch?

That is a fantastic question and we will accept the Igbo president with open arms. In fact, it is the most important thing that would happen to Igbos. Finally, it is our turn by the grace of God and we are going to work for it so hard. We will talk to other parts of Nigeria to give us a chance because it is right, reasonable, deserving and timely. In fact, it is wonderful to consider it done by this time. So Igbo presidency is our agenda.

 

As you talk to other parts of the country, are there any names you are fielding at this time as a possible presidential candidate?

I must confess to you, I don’t say such a thing on the television. You want me to sit here and guess names for political power; I think you don’t understand the issue. Nobody should name anybody even if you have any in mind. It is so premature to do so. In politics, tomorrow is eternity So you have to handle it with care.

 

 


You said Ohanaeze wants Igbo presidency and IPOB wants attention ….?

I didn’t say that. Don’t put words into my mouth. They are not seeking attention. They are seeking to achieve concert results in terms of fairness, equity and peaceful co-existence based on justice. You see don’t misinterpret other people’s goal with your own goal.

 

In the spirit of naming, would Rotimi Amaechi qualify to be an Igbo man for you to seek presidential office?

No comment. Go and ask him not me.

__________________________ Join us on WhatsApp ______________________________

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *