Factional Ohanaeze leaders spits fire – S/East govs are Igbo’s problem
Uche Okwukwu, a renowned activist, was returned as factional President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo during a parallel convention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. In this interview, the former Secretary General of the Igbo socio-cultural group speaks on why he is the leader of Ohanaeze as against Senator John Azuta-Mbata who emerged as President General of the organization at a convention held in Enugu days later.
Okwukwu also speaks on other issues affecting Igbo in Nigeria including the clamour for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; bringing into the organization the Igbo communities in Edo, Benue, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states and giving them the right to vote and holding offices in Ohanaeze; the 2027 election and Nigeria’s president of Igbo extraction. Excerpts:
There seems to be a leadership crisis within Ohanaeze Ndigbo, with the main group recognizing your brother, Sen. John Azuta-Mbata, as the president. Nobody expected that Ohanaeze would get to this point where we would be talking about one group, two presidents. What happened?
There’s nothing that happened. There was a claim that there was a purported election in Government House, Enugu but elections are not held in government houses. Secondly, the state that is producing the next president will naturally host the convention election. That’s what happened in 2017 in Enugu where Nnia Nwodo emerged and that’s what happened in Owerri when Prof George Obiozor emerged because Obiozor was from Imo State and that’s what happened in Rivers State on January 9 and 10 where I emerged, the election was held in Port Harcourt.
But congratulatory messages have been going to Mbata from high-profile people, including President Tinubu, governors, and…
Of course, the governors are part of the problem in Igboland. I have asked you a question, are elections held in government houses? They went to the Enugu State Government House to hold election. Did you see accreditation, did you see voting? Did you see ballot papers and ballot boxes? The governors don’t own Ohanaeze. Ohanaeze is the property of the people. Ohanaeze is the patrimony of the people and not the governors. The governors are tenured. Now, the question I want them to answer is when we were under the military era when governors were not from Igboland, what role did the governors play? Because under the military, governors were posted outside their states to rule. So what role did they play? The governors should leave the Ohanaeze alone because they are just members. The biggest problem of Ohanaeze is the governors who contribute money, so they must control it. But I can tell you that under my watch, Ohanaeze will be financially self-sufficient. We will raise the money to run the organization. If 10 million Igbo agree to pay N400 annually, that’s N4 billion to run Ohanaeze. If one million Igbo agree to contribute N400 every year, that’s N100 quarterly, that’s enough money to run Ohanaeze. So the people must own their Ohanaeze and work out modalities to fund their own organization and collectively direct its affairs for their benefit. That is the most important thing.
You wouldn’t want to lead a divided organisation. In view of this, what’s your plan to resolve the crisis? Have you reached out to Sen. Mbata?
We must stop celebrating, worshipping unexplained, mysterious wealth — Igbo leaders
There’s no faction in Ohanaeze, so why will I reach out to a non-existent group? You don’t waste your time with non-issues, I’m focused. I have committed 30 years of my life to the Igbo course. You don’t just wake up and come into an organization to run for an election. You must show commitment, you must have defended the interest of the group in the past. So the point I’m making is that the organization is intact. I hope you know the position of IPOB? IPOB is the biggest mass organization in Igboland, the governors are just individuals. What’s the critical mass that’s following them? In months and years to come, you will see what the situation will be. The most important thing is that a formidable leadership has emerged led by me, a man who has put up his time in the service of the Igbo. I was the first director of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB. I have put in a lot of time on the Igbo course. The first question you should ask anybody coming to occupy the position is to show one newspaper publication, magazine, newsletter, radio, television or anything they have done in the past in the interest of Ndigbo. If you Google me, you will see my own in hundreds. So ask the other person what he has done in the defense of Ndigbo.
Can you tell us more about your vision for the organization and how you plan to unite the Igbo people?
First and foremost, I will work towards bringing into the Ohanaeze family, the Igbo communities in Edo, Benue, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states and give them the right to vote and hold offices in Ohanaeze just like the Igbo communities in Rivers and Delta states are members of the Ohanaeze family. Two, I will work with the stakeholders to ensure a constitutional amendment. That constitutional amendment will create a strong board of trustees and a financial management team. We will try to separate the holding and management of Ohanaeze funds from the National Executive Council, NEC, so that the funds will not be abused by the members of NEC. A system like what is obtained in government like when the president or governor needs money, he will apply to the legislature, will happen. You will explain what you want to do with it just like a budget, before you get funds. Again, a statutory electoral committee or commission will be created so that it does not fall under the will and caprices of the executive council to announce an ad-hoc electoral committee that will midwife electoral processes to ensure that elections are free, transparent, and credible. Furthermore, the constitution will be translated into the Igbo language so that those who cannot read it in English can read it in the Igbo language. We will encourage the council of elders and the council of traditional rulers to vigorously campaign in Igboland for peace bearing in mind that the absence of peace has destabilized the region and led to capital flight, what I call investment flight. Igbo are very rich but because of insecurity at home, they are taking their money and investments outside Igboland which is not good for us. I will pursue with vigour and rigorously campaign for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. I strongly believe that his release will help to bring about lasting peace. A lot of people who have no business even with IPOB are exploiting the hostile political environment to unleash terror and violence claiming they are the members of IPOB. If Nnamdi Kanu is released, he will assert his leadership with vigour. He will be at the vanguard for the campaign for peace, restoration, disarmament, rehabilitation and integration of people who today have resorted to some form of violence. I will also work hard to ensure that the Igbo as a people and a nation live in harmony with other people and other nations and other ethnicities in Nigeria. So we will work towards a form of order that will bring about a peaceful and cordial relationship between the Igbo and non-Igbo wherever we find ourselves. We will encourage our people to put their energy in education, in science and technology, therefore, we will campaign vigorously and work with the government both at the local, national and federal levels for investment in education, science and technology in Igbo land. This will strengthen our human capital development and also expand the scope of the economy and increase employment and bring about a better security of lives and properties. We will encourage our people to go into agriculture, a situation where almost 90% of all the food we eat comes from the north is not encouraging. Food security is the basic ingredient or element of security at all levels, if you are not well fed, you are not well secured. The people who are not fed well are deeply angry, antagonistic to each other and to outsiders. So we will encourage our government, state and local governments and the people to invest in agriculture. These are some of the things that I am going to pursue.
How do you address perceived marginalization of Igbo people in Nigeria and what specific demand will you be making from the Federal Government?
Are you aware that in 2018 there was a recommendation for the creation of Aba State in Ohanaeze Ndigbo? Now that report was suppressed because it was not what Nnia Nwodo wanted. Nwodo wanted Adada State to be recommended. So most of the things that are happening to Ndigbo is what they caused for themselves. You cannot be against an improvement in your own place and blame others. Every group in Nigeria is complaining of marginalization even the Yoruba that are ruling are complaining of marginalization. The Niger Delta and the Middle Belt are talking about it. The North-West and North-East are talking about marginalization particularly in education and other infrastructural development. But what is important is that the Igbo man must be responsive and proactive. We will present immediately to the president, the recommendation for the creation of Aba State and also demand for the creation of Anioma State from the South-South. If that happens, the Igbo will have comfortably across the divides, seven states, intact that are Igbo and that is good for NdIgbo. We will demand for the modern rail line to be built for Port Harcourt through Aba to Orlu, Nnewi and Onitsha that will address the movement of goods and services across the major cities of Port Harcourt and Aba through Owerri, Orlu, Nnewi and Onitsha. If that is done, it will reduce the number of accidents on the road loss of life and property.
How do you intend to engage the various stakeholders in Ohanaeze?
The stakeholders are the people and no organ or stakeholder is superior to the people. The general assembly or Congress of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the strongest institution in Igboland. What is important is to engage traditional rulers, the clergy, leaders of the various town unions, the youth particularly students leaders and women leaders and then, we will try to educate the political class and appeal to them to know that they are servants leaders to the people so that they can live in harmony with the people and do what is right at all times.
How do you ensure transparency and accountability within the Ohanaeze?
Like I have said earlier, the general assembly or Congress of Ohanaeze Ndigbo will create a board of trustees and finance management team that will be in possession of the funds of Ohanaeze and the national executive council will apply to them through the Congress or general assembly for the release of funds and the funds will not be with the NEC. That’s the viable option so that nobody will abuse the funds because you can’t abuse the fund that is not with you. If the funds were not with you, you will not abuse it.
What has been the biggest bane is that the funds are with you so you can just deep your hand and abuse it. But if the fund is with an independent body that you need to explain what you want to use the money for, you will not abuse it.
The January 15, 1966 coup has been regarded as Igbo coup in some quarters. 59 years after, does he believe that claim?
First and foremost, there is no evidence to show that those who carry out the coup had the mandate and approval of the Igbo as a community. Coup is the private endeavours of the military men. It is like any other political action or criminal action. There is no extended liability in crime. The man who commits a crime must be held responsible for it. Therefore, those who carried out that coup were solely responsible for their actions and of course, you will agree that that coup set Ndigbo backward. Till today, the outcome of that coup led to the civil war and Ndigbo are paying dearly for it.
As the leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, what are your thoughts on the Igbo presidency in 2027? Do you think it’s achievable, and what’s your strategy to make it happen?
I am of the opinion that Igbo should engage political leaders in other regions, particularly in the northwest and southwest. Whether we agree today or not, Asiwaju is the top personality in the South-West. He’s a political leader in his own right and, in the North-West, Mohammadu Buhari is a top political leader. Therefore we must engage them and discuss and know what viable options are available to us. If that option available to us is tenable, that is, a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction, we will pursue it but if it is not tenable and realizable in the circumstances, we shall support other regions so we can get support from them when we want it.
