By Our Reporter
Mazi Obi Okoli, (Vice President, Imo State) has resigned from the Executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, UK. He said he intends also to resign his position as the Coordinator of Congress of Igbo Leaders UK, at their next AGM meeting.
When The AMBASSADOR Magazine asked him why he resigned from the Apex Igbo organization he said ‘I could not continue to be part of an organisation that does not represent the collective feeling, pain and suffering of Ndigbo’. He said Ohanaeze Ndigbo, all the Eastern states governors and Igbo leaders are not living up to the expectations of our people. He condemned in strong terms the recent killings of unarmed peaceful protesters in the South East and called on the military and the police to act responsibly and in accordance with the rule of law in dealing with the protesters
Mazi Obi Okoli called on the Federal Government to release Mr Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally. He said that the greatest problem of Ndigbo as a people is their penchant to play national politics when other people relentlessly play regional politics and regional development and our erroneous believe that other Nigerians love us. He said also that selfishness, greed, lack of leadership, vision, direction and arrogance are the bane of the so-called Igbo leaders. For Igbo people to progress, a new set of Igbo leaders must emerge to take our people to the next level of sustainable development.
He said we must rise as a people and begin to rebuild our nation and the hopes of our people. We have for long borne the pain of denial and the genocide committed against our people in Nigeria. But no matter how much they deny or refuse to acknowledge the evil perpetrated against us, we shall continue to pay homage to the valour and splendour of courage of our people.
Mazi Obi Okoli called for a full investigation into the unprovoked shooting and murder of peaceful protesters in Onitsha. He said that the perpetrators of that heinous crime against unarmed and peaceful protesters must be arrested without delay to face the full force of the law.
Mazi Okoli also condemned the attitude of the federal government of Nigeria in dealing with Igbo people and the criminal lack of federal presence in Igbo land. He called on the federal government of Nigeria and all the Northern state governors to make sure that the lives, property and dignity of all Easterners living in their territories are respected, stating that we will not continue to tolerate the situation where our people are murdered like animals anytime we ask for equitable distribution of national resources.
On the issue of the current agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra, Mazi Okoli quoted Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, “As a people we have endured as only giants would endure. We have fought as heroes fight. We have dared as only gods dare. We are disillusioned by the continued world’s insensitivity and denial to the plight of our people. Yet because our cause is just, we believe that the world would listen to the voices of our people and ask Nigeria for a referendum to decide that faith of our nation.”
He further said that it is time for true sons and daughter of the East to speak up against evil and marginalisation of our people and urged the protesters to remain peaceful but resolute in their agitation for the right of self-determination and to continue to respect the lives, property and dignity of other nationalities living in the Eastern States.
