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New Page 11
2007: Give Igbo a chance, Egwu pleads
ANOLU VINCENT, Owerri
TO those who
insist that Ndigbo should wait till after 2007 to accede to the nation’s
presidency, Gov. Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State has asked them to do a rethink and
examine the people’s track record in Nigeria.
Speaking at the South-East zonal caucus
meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State
capital, weekend, Gov. Egwu reminded such people that Ndigbo have an
unrivalled track record of dynamism, performance and clear vision in all areas
of human endeavour they were involved in.
The issue of the Presidency also re-echoed
in Florida, United States of America (USA) where Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor
Kalu, urged Ndigbo to purge themselves of the psychology of the civil war
(1967-70) and unite to produce the country’s President in 2007.
Gov. Egwu noted that Igbo’s
accomplishments in various sectors had become beacons of inspiration for any
dispassionate auditor, adding that they had contributed enormously towards the
creation of the Nigerian Commonwealth.
"It is therefore, regrettable that some
Igbo leaders have tended to play into the hands of opponents of Igbo Presidency
project through unguarded comments about zoning, over alleged lack of
preparedness or non-availability of presidential materials among the Igbos," he
said.
Egwu also lamented that many Igbo
professionals and public servants had been made sacrificial lambs, even in
establishments headed by their kith and kin, in a bid by such heads to cut a
detribalised and principled image.
He urged Igbo holding public positions,
especially at the national levels, to protect their kinsmen in their
establishments.
Kalu, in a paper titled: Charting a
Sustainable Course for Igbo Unity", delivered to the Igbo Cultural
Association, Florida, US, said that the future generations of Igbos yet unborn
will be in jeopardy unless the Igbos unite and chart a common cause.
"I believe in the Nigerian President of
Igbo extraction project. It is a genuine, realisable project, but we must first
of all re-examine ourselves to know if we are genuinely interested this time
around. I think we have a chance if we can work together and speak with one
voice," he noted.
Gov. Kalu advised Ndigbo not to see
the project as that of some few personalities but rather, as a collective
project for the entire Igbo race in particular and Nigeria in general.
To realise this project, Gov Kalu also
advised the Igbos to consult other ethnic groups in pursuit of the objective,
adding that no one race can go it alone if it is serious about producing the
President of a country as multicultural and multi-ethnic as Nigeria.
According to him, the Igbo should not shy
away from laying claim to the presidency since it is the right of every Nigerian
to aspire to it, stressing that his visit to America was to encourage the Igbos
in diaspora to forget the past and chart a new course for the realisation of
their collective enterprise.
Kalu noted that there is no way other
ethnic groups can allow Igbos to be free unless they first rid themselves of
petty jealousy, greed, character assassination and hate, pointing out that these
vices are responsible for the disunity in Igboland.
"I am sure the Igbos must have realised
that we are the missing link of the Jews. There is only a thin line separating
us from the Jews in terms of ideology and tolerance. The only difference is that
the Jews have been able to turn their problems into a source of strength to
fight for their common interest. I wonder why we cannot not do exactly the same
to liberate our people form the shackles of internal oppression," he noted.
While enumerating the emotional and
psychological torture he has been subjected to for charting a new course for
Ndigbo, Gov. Kalu urged the Igbos to henceforth envision together, think
together and work together.
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