The Coordinator, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide in the 19 Northern Nigeria and Abuja, Augustine Chimezie Amaechi Esq has appealed to Ndigbo in the Northern Nigeria to promote unity and love like their forefathers who contributed to the development of Northern Nigeria, by telling them to finance projects in the East and North.
Amaechi, the Principal Partner, Talent Chambers, Kaduna at a telephone interview with Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, over the weekend said due to their population, a lot of slots should be given to Ohaneze Ndigbo in the North, in electing leadership of Ohaneze in January, 2025, for them to play prominent role. Excerpts.
What is your advice to Ndigbo in the North?
Let them emulate their forefathers, who came to the North about a century ago and formed an association called, Igbo Nation, which was banned during the war and Ohaneze was formed in 1972, after the civil war ended in 1970. Because of university, the banned Igbo Nation built comprehensive secondary schools in Kafanchan and other parts of North. Due to divisions among Ndigbo in the North, we couldn’t achieve anything. Let them go back to study the concepts of their forefathers in the North, emulate them, finance projects in the North and the East.
Can you tell us the latest in Ohanaeze Ndigbo under your supervision?
The latest is one of us came second at a recent Ohanaeze election in Owerri, which produced Prof Obiozor and now, he died; his deputy died. The person who came second, thought he would hold the PG position, but unfortunately and fortunately, the election is coming in January for the new PG of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide. He then felt surcharged. Obiozor died, his deputy died, they brought Iwuanyanwu, who later died. They should allow him to finish the tenure, but other leaders are contesting the position, before a new leader emerges.
Apart from that, the Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide in the North wants to be given a lot of slots in the election that is coming up in January. There might be other groups in the North who want to participate in the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide. You don’t prefer the cover of a pot and leave the pot. The pot in the North is Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide and not any affiliate. So we want to be given enough slots in the leadership of Ohaneze. Mind you, we are in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, and we are about the largest part of Ohaneze in Nigeria.
So in electing the leadership of Ohaneze, the North should be allowed to play a prominent role. For what is currently happening now; the governors select who they want to be the PG of Ohaneze, and a particular state that is to produce the PG, select the PG and call on other state governors to assist him and give them enough slot, so that their votes will eventually produce the PG, sidelining the North marginally. If the vote is shared equally, the North will play a physical role in selecting who becomes the PG.
Which state should produce the next Ohaneze PG?
Ordinarily, it is supposed to be the Rivers, but some of them say they are Igbo, while some say they aren’t. To my own understanding, they are the ones to produce the next PG.
Are you of the opinion that a person from Rivers, resident in the North is made the next PG?
Yes a person from Rivers, resident in the North can be the PG, provided he has a residential house, a footprint either in the South East or Rivers, where he can equally be operating from. Residing in the North isn’t a disadvantage at all.
Is that what the constitution says?
The constitution didn’t say so. It says that it must be zoned to the state whose turn it is to produce the next PG, as it is zoned to the Rivers now. The constitutional requirement isn’t that the person must have a house. I am only saying that, because the person should be at home with the Rivers State, not just born and brought up in the North; he does neither know anybody, nor have any bearing on the South South or the South East. I doubt if such a person can connect. That is why I suggested that; if it is someone who is routed in his state, he can be the PG. As a resident in the North, he can always operate from his house in his state of origin,when there is a need.
Whether you believe it or not, Ohanaeze is divided into two factions in the North, what efforts are you making to unite them?
No! Ohaneze isn’t divided in the North. We have our brothers who are in Igbo Community Welfare Association (ICWA), it isn’t a division. They are affiliating to Ohaneze in Enugu, feeling that they are the one in the North, while there is Ohaneze in the North, and that is giving you the impression that there is division.
Our late PG came and told us to come together, and that has been the division from the time of Nwodo, till Obiozor, till Iwuanyanwu, that we should unite and answer Ohanaeze and that, they are finding difficult to do and they are still operating under the ICWA, by giving people the impression that Ohaneze is divided.
Egenti in Abuja is driving the ECWA King (Eze) in Abuja. He isn’t a member of Ohanaeze. He is a member of ECWA. He is contesting with Ohaneze people when we get to national work and giving the impression that there is a division. I am the leader and I can tell you that nobody is challenging me and I have no opposition. But when you come to the ICWA, they have their own leadership. In the day, they claim Ohaneze, but in the night, they claim ICWA.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has never recognized Igbo Kings (Eze Ndigbo) outside Igbo land. Now the PG has died recently, is it still like that?
No, I had several meetings with him in Abuja, where he appointed me the coordinator. Instead of going to Enugu, the National Headquarters of the organization, he made Abuja the Headquarters of the North; Lagos, that of West, among other areas. He shared all these things before he died.
In the King (Eze) you mentioned, he recognized Igbo1st as the Igbo King (Eze Igbo) in Abuja and that showed you that he recognized Kings (Ndieze) outside Igboland and he recognized Igbo 1st as Eze Ndigbo in Abuja. He told Egenti to maintain his type. Egenti was a subject of Igbo 1st and he grew in influence and money and wanted to be the Igbo 1st in Abuja and our late PG Iwuanyanwu told him to hold on, that his time will come and that is what we are telling him. We recognize him as one of Ndieze in Abuja, but not Igbo 1st.
What of Egenti and others?
In his office in Abuja, our late PG Iwuanyanwu told me that he recognized Egenti as an Eze, but not as Igbo1st. He told me that he was from the same area as Egenti, and he (Egenti) is like a son to him. He told me that he has told Egenti to be his type and; that you can’t bring another Eze that is higher than the existing one in a kingdom, when he is alive, it is undone. That was what he told me that was why he supported Igbo 1st.
But have you forgotten that Egenti has never claimed Igbo 1st, but the Chairman of Ndieze in Abuja?
Ans: Now, that again is interesting, because they haven’t joined Ohaneze. He is the chairman of Ndieze that are loyal to ICWA, while Ndieze under Ohanaeze don’t recognize him as their chairman. There is Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in the North whose Ezes don’t recognize Egenti as their chairman. If the ICWA joins Ohanaeze and we all agree that Egenti or whoever is the chairman, that one will be generally accepted.
What are you doing to ensure that late Ohanaeze’s PG’s instruction of ensuring that the two groups come together under one umbrella of Ohanaeze and elect a new leadership?
I, the Ohaneze president in Abuja, Barr Aeua, Prof Nwekeaku, and the president of ECWA had a meeting with the late PG, who told us to come together. However, we agreed that when Arua finishes his tenure, we shall all come together. But the problem of the ECWA president is that since he and Arua are from Ebonyi, he won’t contest at the moment, as Ebonyi has taken their slot in Arua. The late PG told him clearly that the recognized group is the Arua as the President of Ohanaeze in Abuja. He equally told him to bring his group to Ohaneaeze and anybody from his group who is from the state whose turn it is to produce the next Ohanaeze president wins, he will be sworn – in. And if this unity is achieved, it will reduce to the barest minimum the disunity among Ndigbo in the North, because others will emulate Abuja.
