The President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nwodo has explained the reason why the top Igbo organisation prefers restructuring of the country to total break up despite the relentless agitation of its youth.
According to a statement from his office on Friday, Mr. Nwodo told a cross section of Ndigbo leaders in Abuja on Thursday that no ethnic group has more stake in the Nigeria project than the Igbo and as such Igbos cannot consider a break up as a viable option.
The Ohanaeze boss said that there is no part of this country where Igbos have not invested their resources even without any corresponding investment from others in Igboland.
He said that while Ohanaeze understands and appreciates the circumstances that prompted the youth agitations under the MASSOB and IPOB platform, the elders do not believe that leaving the country is a reasonable option at this time.
Mr. Nwodo said that the various segments of Igbo leadership comprising the Ohanaeze leadership, governors, National Assembly members, traditional and religious leaders after deliberating on the situation in Enugu came to the conclusion that the restructuring option is the reasonable way to go.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the meeting of the Igbo leaders in Enugu, where they rejected the call for a Biafran country but called for restructuring of the country.
On Thursday, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said the government would soon come out with policies to address the clamour by Nigerians for the restructuring of the country.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo speaking
In his statement on Friday, Mr. Nwodo said restructuring will bring Nigeria to a level where every person of which ever tribe, religion or class would have a sense of belonging and in return give in their best for the development of the country.
The statement said the Igbo leader was in Abuja to meet with critical stakeholders in the Igbo project to have their understanding and be on the same page with them.
Mr. Nwodo also announced that steps are being taken by the apex body leadership to carry along the youth of the region and ensure that the Ndigbo have a common and unified position on the way forward for them.
He insisted that equal partnership, equal ownership and level playing ground for all is the right way to go to bring the best in our people and set the country on the path of growth and development.
Despite the call of the Igbo leaders after their Enugu meeting, IPOB and MASSOB have not relented on their call for a separate Biafran country.
Leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, recently urged Igbos to boycott all future elections until the federal government accedes to his group’s demand for a referendum on the Biafra call.