The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu, says the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, is a moral burden on the federal government.
Kanu is being detained in the custody of the DSS over alleged tourism.
According to Nze Chukwu, “there is no sufficient reason for the prolonged detention of Kanu by the security agency of the state.
Nze Chukwu said he would collaborate with some Igbo leaders in government for a collective effort towards the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Nze Chukwu made the remarks in his inaugural meeting with the NEC held in Enugu.
On the forthcoming election of Ohanaeze executives, Nze Chukwu called for the election of credible leaders into the executive of pan-Igbo executive. He expressed delight that the Imeobi Ohanaeze has resolved that there should be a screening committee to ensure that the incoming NEC comprised men and women with integrity.
He regretted the disunity among the Igbo, recalling the enviable Igbo unity during the Dr M. I. Okpara regime that propelled the Igbo to become one of the most educated ethnic groups in Africa.
According to him, “During the Okpara regime, almost all the schools, churches, markets, hospitals, and other social facilities were through the organized town unions. There were farm settlements that provided the required agricultural techniques for improved farming activities. There was food sufficiency in Igbo land, but most regrettably, the subsequent Igbo leaders appeared to have abandoned their responsibilities.”
He said it was the combination of Igbo internal peace, unity and food security that registered Eastern Nigeria as one of the fastest growing economies in the world under Okpara.
Nze Chukwu lamented that, at present, all forms of agricultural produce ranging from yam, beans, tomatoes, cows, goats, ram, carrot and garden egg come from the North.
He condemned the extortions on various road networks in Igboland, stating that a trip from Enugu to Onitsha, “a distance of 100km, would take about four hours because of numerous money extorting checkpoints mounted by the army, police,Road Safety, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), and community vigilantes.”
He decried the lack of vision of the contemporary Igbo leaders, explaining that, “While Harvard in the USA is curious about the Igbo successes through the Igba Apprenticeship Scheme, the present crop of Igbo are losing grip of that fascinating Igbo heritage.”
He attributed the restiveness among Igbo youths to “the dereliction of Igbo vital values”, and made a case for the prioritisation of the empowerment of Igbo youths.
Nnamdi Kanu’s Detention Moral Burden On FG – Ohanaeze is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
