Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, and the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, have clashed over President Muhammadu Buhari’s intended visit to Imo State.

Although the Indigenous People of Biafra’s Directorate of States (DOS) has ordered a sit-in in protest of President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned visit to Imo State, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has stated that it is not opposed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit and will warmly welcome him.

The national youth leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Engr. Damian Okafor, said yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari’s scheduled visit would allow Ndigbo to express and resolve problems that affect them as a people, and thus accepted the President to Igboland.

This comes as MASSOB, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, has urged Igbo leaders to take advantage of the President’s visit to request the release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently incarcerated. MASSOB reminded Igbo leaders that for the sake of Ndigbo, Kanu is purportedly being tortured.

People of Onitsha, the commercial metropolis, and Nnewi, the industrial town of Anambra State, were spotted trooping into the marketplaces in the two towns yesterday to buy their necessary consumables and critical commodities, in response to IPOB’s intended sit-at-home.

The two largest food shops in Onitsha, Ose Okwodu Market and Grains and Food Stuffs Market, both located along the Onitsha Enugu Expressway, saw an unusually large number of individuals eager for consumables and other necessities in preparation for the sit-at-home.

In Nnewi, the two largest food markets, Eke Amaobi Market and Okpu Unoegbu Foodstuffs Market, both had a large number of people purchasing foodstuffs and other necessities.

People are ready to cooperate with the sit-at-home following the reported hardship that is not abating and the unexpected hike in the pump price of petrol from N165 per liter to N200 per liter.

Some businessmen and citizens in Nnewi and Onitsha who spoke with Vanguard expressed dissatisfaction with the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government of Nigeria, which they described as “visionless and anti-masses.”

Chief Johnson, an Onitsha-based small-scale manufacturer, reacted by saying that it is a show of sympathy with Nnamdi Kanu, notwithstanding the purported attempt to prevent the President’s visit to Imo State.

He added, “And it is telling the governors in the South East that they are not governors of the people, that the real governor has spoken and the people will always obey him. Even when he did not speak, people will still obey him.

“That means the people who are claiming to be governors are not governing well because if they are, this situation will not arise. In my family, nobody will say anything bad about me and they agree. If they do, I have lost my position as a father.”

Mr. Sylvester Onumah, a resident and businessman in Nnewi, speaking to Vanguard yesterday said, “The attention of the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been drawn to a statement-making the rounds in the media and purportedly issued by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

“The attention of the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been drawn to a statement-making the rounds in the media and purportedly issued by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,” said Chief Alex Ogbonnia, spokesman for the Igbo apex body.

“The press statement, issued by one Chidi Ibeh; a nondescript and unknown to Ohanaeze, gave the impression that Ohanaeze Ndigbo is at odds with the planned visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Imo State today, September 9, 2021. Nothing can be more dishonest than this.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo, under the leadership of Prof. George Obiozor, dissociates itself from the purported statement and urges Ndigbo to disregard same. We are appalled that some miscreants, masquerading as leaders of Ohanaeze could issue such a rheumy and dubious statement on behalf of Ndigbo.

“The statement is mischievous, ill-intended, and a deliberate attempt to put Ndigbo in harms’ way.

“May we reiterate here that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide welcomes His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Owerri in Igbo Land.

“We are, therefore, deeply delighted that President Muhammadu Buhari has chosen to visit Ndigbo in Igbo land at this critical juncture in Igbo history. By this visit, the President has proven, beyond doubts, that he is the father of the nation.

“It is, therefore, the height of wickedness, callousness, mischief, rabble-rousing, and miscreancy for Mr. Chidi Ibeh and his co-travelers to issue such a discordant statement in the name of Ndigbo.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo would no longer take such idiosyncrasy and urge our people to disregard the mischief of Mr. Chidi Ibeh and his recalcitrant, misguided impostors, impersonators, and pretenders.

“We urge Ndigbo to troop out en-masse to welcome our President and accord him the honor due to him. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide are persuaded that this land-mark visit to the South East of Nigeria by Mr. President is critical and a turning point in the Igbo political history”.

The Youth Leader further said that “Mr. President cannot come to the Igboland, hear all our problems and leave us without a solution, especially as it concerns the carnages being perpetrated by the Fulani mercenaries, the exclusion of the Igbo from the composition of Service Chiefs’ appointments; the underdevelopment of Igbo Nation; the high rate of unemployment among Igbo youths and the socio-economic war against the Igbo nation; among others.”

In a statement, Comrade Okafor said: “It is with euphoria and sense of responsibility that I wish to address Igbo youths on the occasion of the august visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Igboland in Imo State to be precise.

“Firstly, I would like to appreciate the Almighty God for keeping us alive in the face of daunting security challenges that have affected our dear nation. It is not by our making that we are alive but by the agenda of the Almighty God who has the final say over every living being.

“Our region has survived one of the goriest civil wars in the history of mankind. Based on the realities of unfolding events, the war was suspended but not ended. The marginalization of Ndigbo has proven to us that we are enjoying a virtual relationship with the people that have promised to put the past behind us.

“A situation where an Igbo man is not considered worthy to be appointed into key security structures (Service Chiefs) of this country even when the region has fallen under constant attack is indeed another Hercules heels that need to be addressed urgently so that we can move forward as a nation.

“Basic infrastructural development of the region has been neglected by the central government at the peril of our governors even as the Federal Character Commission, FCC, that is supposed to ensure the equitable distribution of job opportunities to all nooks and crannies of the country appears to be working against the Igbo nation.

‘Furthermore, we are constantly accused of such crimes that we don’t have the capacities to commit; the worst of it all is when it has been established that the Igbo nation is living in existential threat.

“Let me emphasize that we did not only put our only hope in God but we also believe that this golden opportunity with the President will help us address some of these issues.

“As the number one citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria visits Igboland, I call for total calm in the length and breadth of the land as the Igbo leaders ably led by the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Ambassador (Professor) George A. Obiozor; the Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, Engr Chief David Nweze Umahi and not excluding the host governor, Sen Hope Odidika Uzodimma are ready to expose the facts about the challenges affecting the Igbo nation to Mr. President. Hence, I encourage Igbo youths to come out en masse to give Mr. President a resounding welcome.

“We have been patient and expectant with maximum hope placed on God Almighty to help us again as Jehovah did for the people of Israel, while they were in Egypt as Ndigbo still believes in the 11th-hour miracle.

“It is believed that Mr. President cannot come to the Igbo land, hear all our problems and leave us without a solution, especially as it concerns the carnages being perpetrated by the Fulani mercenaries, the exclusion of the Igbo from the composition of Service Chiefs’ appointment, the underdevelopment of Igbo Nation, the high rate of unemployment among Igbo youths, the socio-economic war against the Igbo nation; among others.

“Let us once again reactivate our spirit of hope and believe in the Word of God which says that to the living, there is hope. Ndigbo should have a better bargain than secession.

“A situation where our brothers and sisters in the Northern communities, especially in the city of Jos that recently fell under ruthless attack have refused to return home even when the delegations from southeast have approached them to come back should be a thing of concern to all of us. Continuing the violent agitation is endangering millions of Ndigbo living outside the Igbo land. Every Igbo life matters in this critical time that the enemies of Ndigbo have sworn to invest heavily to ensure that the ever-growing population of Ndigbo is commuted and abated.

“As for our brothers that are in detention facilities, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo under the watch of Ambassador Professor George A. Obiozor is not sleeping over them. He has lined up a team of lawyers to ensure that they get speedy justice. He is also doing everything within his reach not excluding negotiations, consultations, lobbying, and what have you, to ensure that their fundamental human rights are respected and protected while their trial lasts. Ndigbo has to move forward and eschew violent approaches to national issues as violence has never favored us.

“To Mr. President, I say welcome to the Igbo nation. While we believe that your coming will leave us better than your absence. I wish you a successful trip to the Eastern Heartland.”

MASSOB said that Nnamdi Kanu represents the aspirations of Ndigbo.

The group urged Igbo leaders to exploit President Buhari’s visit to rekindle Ndigbo’s lost faith and trust in them by telling Buhari the truth to his face about how Ndigbo are not regarded as co-citizens.

MASSOB said in a statement issued by Comrade Edeson Samuel, it’s National Director of Information, “The leadership of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, hereby advises the political, traditional, religious and opinion leaders of Igbo land to demand the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from President Muhamadu Buhari during his state visit to Imo and the Ebonyi States.

“It is imperative that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being subjected to inhuman torture at the DSS detention cage because of Ndigbo. He represents the aspirations of Ndigbo in Nigeria.”

“MASSOB advises Igbo political leaders to use the occasion of President Muhamadu Buhari’s visit to revive the lost confidence and hope Ndigbo bestowed on them by telling Buhari that Ndigbo is not being treated as co-citizens. They must demand the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention.

“MASSOB reiterates that what Ndigbo wants is Biafra from Nigeria. We can never deviate from this clamor for the independence of Biafra Republic.”