The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has been drawn to various articles, publications, and libelous comments credited to one Igboayaka O. Igboayaka who claims to be the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council. We once more inform the general public that neither the Ohanaeze Youth Council nor Igboayaka Igboayaka is known to Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo had weighed some options including ignoring the meddlesome interloper who uses the hallowed name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for narrow pecuniary mercantilist and perverse interests. This is because, we have at various times informed the unsuspecting public to ignore such mischief makers as impostors, charlatans, media navigators and imprudent social climbers who leech on the invaluable footprints of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to issue despicable, condemnable and most intolerable press releases. However, since silence may be misconstrued as giving validity to such a whimsical figment of a transactional imagination, this rebuttal becomes very imperative.
For more clarifications, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR; OFR; CFR. (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) has repeatedly admonished Igboayaka and his likes that Ohanaeze Ndigbo does not wax eloquent on partisan politics except when it becomes exceedingly necessary. Therefore, the reckless use of the brand, Ohanaeze, in waging political battles is surely at variance with the philosophy of the founding fathers of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. In other words, Igboayaka or his co-travelers is free to deploy any means and resources at his disposal to fight the South East Governors including His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State and the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum, the Igbo Elders, as his latest expletives and tirades indicate, but should in no circumstances drag the name of Ohanaeze to his impish, scornful, pitiful and pedestrian level.
They have been variously cautioned, sometimes, through their traditional leaders, to no avail, that Ohanaeze Ndigbo represents the history, emotions, consciousness and the social vein of the Igbo; and that Ohanaeze serves as the Igbo sacred temple which should not, by any stretch of imagination, be desecrated upon by youthful rascality, imprudence and perversions.
One does not need to go far to know that such mercenaries are heavily sponsored to destabilize the only umbrella body which the Igbo hold very dear to their hearts.
Recently, one of the Igboayaka intractable publications that made headlines in the various unscrupulous online media, that “Ohanaeze, accuses Imo government of insensitivity over killings and burning of houses in Oguta communities” attracted the attention of Ohanaeze leadership, which was rightly refuted.
It is based on the above backdrop that Igboayaka Igboayaka unleashed a tirade of abuse on one of the best Igbo; a highly revered Nigerian; a man who has paid his dues to humanity in all respects; a man who sacrificed the comfort of his youth in the war front that the weak, children, the elderly and the vulnerable among the Igbo would be protected; a man who at a time was one of the highest employers of labour in Nigeria; a man whose Foundation has sponsored thousands in the Nigerian and foreign universities; a man whose immense contribution was instrumental to the realization of the Imo Cargo Airport; and an accomplished and fulfilled living legend who was considered the most qualified in Imo State to render the required service to Ndigbo, the Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo; a moral edifice and an uncommon change agent whose One Hundred Days in Office as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has marked a new beginning for Ndigbo.
To some of us that are well cultured, it is both inconceivable and irreconcilable that some maladjusted social deviants and attention seekers who have not made any contribution to their families and communities, would in one swoop, impugn the image of the OhanaezeNdigbo with unwarranted character assaults on the Igbo Elders, the entire South East Governors, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, Chief Iwuanyanwu, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, etc, as portrayed by the recent Igboayaka press release. Any discernible adult would know that the more unruly, unrepentant and recalcitrant the youth, the deeper the abyss he pleads. In other words, the dog that the gods want to kill, they first make mad.
Regrettably, the unconscionable sponsors of Igboayaka Igboayaka will surely desert him at the appropriate time.
The Igboayaka insinuations on the influence of Governor Hope Uzodimma on Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is most unfounded. It is worth repeating that His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State and the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum has displayed a large heart and magnanimity towards the Igbo umbrella body without any conditions attached. He has restrained himself from influencing the policies and programs of Ohanaeze. He has shown consistence. When Chief NniaNwodo was the President General of OhanaezeNdigbo, it was only Sen. Uzodimma amongst all the Senators of his time that donated substations amount to Ohanaeze.For instance, recent records show that Uzodimma was as enthusiastic in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Southern and Middle Belt Forum led by Chief E K Clark were as enthusiastic in the Labour Party led by Mr. Peter Obi.
Finally, the President General of OhanaezeNdigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu has shown enough latitude, tolerance, kind-heartedness, forbearance and fatherliness to all the turncoats, dissidents and wary transgressors who use the name of OhanaezeNdigbo for most unwholesome, mercantile and pecuniary interests. They are therefore warned to desist from such obnoxious and shameful adventures, because it will surely attract most regrettable consequences to them.
Rt. Hon. Chiedozie Alex. Ogbonnia, PhD; the National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
