Ohanaeze to FG: Don’t embark on unwinnable war

THE apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on Thursday said those encroaching on land in Alaigbo were provoking their people and Igbo deities.

Ohanaeze President General, Prof. George Obiozor, who stated this during a press conference in Enugu, declared that “there is no ‘No Man’s Land’ in Igbo land”.

Obiozor warned the Federal Government to rethink, reflect and act fast before the prophecy of the “late Chinua Achebe’s book, ‘Nigeria: There was a country’ becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of a national reality and a national tragedy foretold.”

Obiozor stated, “We all are aware that we are passing through one of the worse times in virtually all aspects of our national life. General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, over four decades ago, succinctly captured the mood of our nation today in his message to the National Episcopal Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops held at Onitsha on September 9th to 14th, 1975.

“Sub-national consciousness or ethnocentric nationalism, which is a dangerous form of nationalism to national unity and empires, has taken over Nigeria; the dream of Nigeria unity is receding and fading fast with violence, crises and conflicts.

“The result of all these is the rise of ethnic militias, agitation for secession, self-determination, insurgency, banditry among others. These are historical protracted and unwinnable wars by nations and empires and there will be no exception.

“Among every other issue in contest in Nigeria today, this situation has produced the state of insecurity throughout the country. Today, Nigerians have no place to hide and also since there is nothing new in history, history has solution to these national problems.

“The Federal Government must therefore learn a lesson from history by not fighting an unwinnable war against nationalism but seek possible peaceful options that are the only solution that guarantees national unity and peaceful co-existence.” Punch