Igbos didn’t want Tinubu to be president but will cooperate with him; they trust his capacity: Ohaneze

PEOPLES GZAETTE

Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide says Igbos did not want former Governor Bola Tinubu to become Nigeria’s president. However, it says Igbos have confidence in Mr Tinubu’s capacity to lead the country following his victory in the February 25 presidential election.

During the last presidential and governorship polls in Lagos, Igbos were a particular target of violence and ethnic slurs.

The Igbo sociocultural group also called on Mr Tinubu, leaders across the country and other Nigerians to support Igbos against ethnic profiling and threats to their lives and property.

Ohaneze president Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu made the call at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja against the background of attacks on Igbo and a trending letter asking Igbo people to leave Lagos.

Mr Iwuanyanwu said although Igbos are not all angels, as there are good and bad ones, just like other tribes, the law was there to address the issue of good and bad people appropriately. He said when Mr Tinubu was Lagos governor, he was good to Igbos, and there were no complaints or reports of maltreatment of Igbos in Lagos.

“Tinubu is now the president of Nigeria. We did not support him during the presidential election, but that did not in any way undermine our trust in his capacity to lead the country,” said the Igbo leader. “Now that the Supreme Court has ruled in his favour, His Excellency President Tinubu can rest assured that Ohaneze Ndigbo will recognise, respect and be loyal to him as the president of Nigeria.”

Mr Iwuanyanwu added, “What Igbo require is peace, fairness, justice and equity. We will demand what is our share be given to us. We believe in one united Nigeria where people of different tribes, creeds or ethnicities can move with pride and confidence and get what they rightly deserve without any hindrances.”

Mr Iwuanyanwu called on Igbo people to be law-abiding citizens and not build illegal structures or build in the wrong places that would be demolished. 

The Ohaneze president-general advised Igbos to comply with all legislations and local regulations to avoid demolition of their property in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.

“It has been brought to my notice that many families have been thrown into serious difficulty due to the demolition in Lagos. The Ohaneze Ndigbo will establish an Ohaneze Relief Agency to be controlled by top Igbo Leaders,” Mr Iwuanyanwu promised. “Ohaneze Ndigbo will, through this agency, support Igbo citizens in distress; we will also support other Nigerians when the need arises in the spirit of brotherhood.” 

Mr Iwuanyanwu said long before the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorate by Lord Lugard in 1914, the Igbos lived in Lagos peacefully and established a good relationship with the Yorubas.

“However, a Lagosian wrote a letter recommending that the Lagos state government should close down all the markets in Lagos where Igbo traders are in the majority. This writer wrote very unprintable things about Igbos,” Mr Iwuanyanwu. “The good news to my dear Igbos is that this letter does not reflect the good relationship that existed between Igbos and Yorubas…