Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Despite the nationwide protest that started on Thursday, Igbo traders and youths in Anambra state have ignored the call, focusing instead on their businesses and daily activities.
In towns like Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha, markets, stores, and artisan shops were open for business as usual, with commercial buses and tricycles seen as early as 6:30 am ferrying traders to their respective locations.
Ndigbo had on several occasions made clear their opposition to the planned protests that started today.
Speaking on behalf of the Igbo community, the United Igbo Elders Council, UNIEC, Worldwide, emphasised their opposition to the protest.
“The Igbo population understands the Nigerian situation very well and knows what can be done to address it, starting with ending the unparalleled oppression of Easterners,” said Professor Obasi Igwe, Director of Media and Publicity for UNIEC.
They stressed the need for equal justice for all ethnic nationalities and urged the Federal Government to focus on nation-building efforts.
UNIEC statement entitled, Rage or Protest in Nigeria: Position of the United Igbo Elders Council, UNIEC, Worldwide, rather made ten-point demand on Mr President to stabilise Nigeria instead of supporting the protest.
Some of the demands include immediately lifting of the economic and ports blockade against the Igbo/East, imposed since 1967 and subsisting till today, by which Port Harcourt, Bonny, Opobo, and other Eastern ports were rendered infertile, except for oil purposes, compelling the Igbo to divert en masse to Lagos to conduct their maritime businesses.
“The continued closure or neglect of these precious Igbo and other Eastern Ports is the main source of the de-industrialisation, depopulation, desolation, poverty and bitterness in the East, with spillover effects to the Middle Belt and beyond.
“The so-called South East Development Commission, SEDC, would at best be an exercise to humour everybody without the Ports resuming their functionality for the Igbo and others.
“Insecurity in the East in particular, provocative military exercises in dense civilian built-up areas, unknown gunmen, phoney “wars against insurgency;” importation and condoning of Fulani and allied terrorists into farms, highways and footpaths of the East, wreaking havoc; illegal taxations and official robberies by armed personnel along the Eastern roads, were all orchestrated by your predecessor.
“The Igbo are not at war with the Federal Government, and we demand that the orchestrated state of war organised by Buhari and his co-travellers be ended, together with the policies supporting it, to return the East to peace and security.
“Pending their total and comprehensive reorganisation, the under-representation of the Igbo in the army and other military-security services should be addressed immediately, with concessionary recruitment and promotion of the Igbo into the various echelons of command.
“Demolition of Igbo homes and businesses in Lagos and Abuja should end forthwith and appropriate compensations paid to victims. The lands were lawfully acquired and the accruing taxes and other payments already in state government and federal coffers, and nobody ought suddenly be inventing a “right of way” policy, so to just be destroying the right to life, property and justice. These organised demolitions have never happened anywhere in history apart from Nazi Germany, in which all manner of “laws” and pretexts were invented to deprive the Jews of their property.
“As a matter of urgency the Federal Government should purge the farms and forests of the East and Middle Belt, of the Fulani and allied terrorists masquerading as herders, and pursue a policy of return to their ancestral homes of those unlawfully expelled from them into IDPs camps, together with compliance with states’ anti-open grazing laws.
“People at no time demanded a removal of subsidy, because it never existed in the first place. What was demanded was removal of the scam in subsidy and return to a N100.0 price per litre of petrol and corresponding prices for gas and electricity to promote trade, ease of doing business, industrialisation and jobs in Nigeria. The Igbo completely align with this demand. The high fuel costs, together with farm invasions and kidnappings are the major cause of escalating foods prices in Nigeria.
“The Igbo totally reject the so-called students’ loan scheme, and demand the restoration of government bursaries and scholarships, a drastic reduction of school fees to the barest affordable minimum, a return to effective free education at all levels, and an end to the exploitation of Nigerians by sundry communications and other service providers.
“Let the Federal Government focus more on nation-building for equal benefit to all, and ignore the individuals and circles attempting to drive it into the tight corner of ethnic glorification and triumphalism.
“The Igbo would continue to demand the unconditional release and rehabilitation of Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, and his colleagues, for long detained and tortured, with many others extra judicially executed outside of accepted civilised norms. Nnamdi Kanu and his men are political prisoners, and there is no reason why Nigeria should continue to hold them captive.
“Finally, the Igbo demand the immediate restructuring of the country to liberate her ethnic nationalities, including the Hausa, reduce costs of governance, establish new and viable poles of development other than the Lagos/Western axis, and trigger healthy competitive mutual emulation between viable Regions. Justice for all, not differential, selective or ad hoc justice for some is what Nigerians should be demanding.”
