Achebe
UMBRELLA body of Igbo living in Lagos, the Ndigbo Lagos, has
described as unnecessary the flickering controversies trailing Professor Chinua
Achebe’s comments in his new book, “There was a country,” that late Chief
Obafemi Awolowo was part of General Yakubu Gowon’s cabinet that initiated
pogrom and genocide as a policy that killed millions of Igbos especially
children during the civil war.
At a time Igbo and Yoruba leaders of the South-East and
South-West as well as their counterparts in the South-South were forging an
alliance and hammering out solutions to the country’s protracted
socio-economic, political and developmental problems, the Professor Anya O.
Anya-led group said what was needed now was sustaining the unfolding harmonious
relations between the Igbo and Yoruba nations.
“Ndigbo Lagos deems the ongoing heated reactions to Elder
statesman and world renowned writer, Prof Chinua Achebe’s personal chronicle of
his experience during the civil war as being very unnecessary. The issue of
what roles all actors on both sides played during the events leading to the
unfortunate civil war and the prosecution of the war itself have for a long
time been in the public space,” Ndigbo Lagos said in a statement by Chief Chuma
Igwe, publicity secretary.
Noting that Chief Awolowo had spoken for himself in response
to similar issue in 1983, Ndigbo Lagos said Awolowo’s response was enough to
close the matter.
It said: “At this point in time the South-East, SouthSouth
and South-West are in consultations working together for a better Nigeria to
ensure that such a situation does not arise again. Ndigbo Lagos believes that
the commendable quality of interpersonal relationship between Ndigbo and the
Yoruba Nation should be sustained and translated into mutually beneficial
political, social and cultural relationship for the progress of our country.
“The ongoing demand of the South-East for the creation of additional one state, the
serious infrastructure deficit subsisting in our geopolitical zone and the Igbo
Presidency project are areas Ndìgbo Lagos believes the South-West should come
out with unequivocal support for the Ndigbo position.
“We should focus on how the two nations and indeed the
entire South can cooperate to enthrone fairness, equity and justice in the
Nigerian polity. That is the legacy we should aim at, moving forward.”
No comments:
Post a Comment