The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has asserted the directive by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo to all Igbo people not to join the hunger protests taking place across the country was not unilateral but a collective decision of major socio-cultural organisations in the country.
This came at a time the Northern Elders Forum argued that the pervasive hunger in the land requires a concerted effort from all citizens to hold our leaders accountable and demand a better future for our country. Reacting to the directive by the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation asking all Igbo people not to hold any protest in Igboland or anywhere in the country, the National President of the MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu told Saturday Vanguard that the resolve of major regional groups in the country was for all to rally round President Bola Tinubu to enable him succeed.
Dr. Pogu said “Ohanaeze Ndigbo is a partner in our struggle for a better Nigeria. The crisis in the economy now was created by the Buhari administration which looted the economy to the extent that we now regret ever electing him into office. So, we resolved that we need to encourage President Tinubu and work with him for a better Nigeria. We have put sentiments aside and we are giving him the support that he needs so that we can come out of our economic problem and Nigeria will be a better place. So, Ohanaeze did not act unilaterally, we are all together in supporting this government and telling our people that they must not be driven by the sentiments of the protesters which could destabilise this country. So, Ohanaeze did the right thing, we all agreed, the man who is now the President should be supported, we need a better Nigeria and we have to support him.”
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In his own submission, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande said, “You cannot say the Igbos are right or wrong. They are right because whatever happens in this country, particularly if it entails demonstration, they are the people in the cities with shops. Protesters will get to their shops and destroy or loot and that’s very unfair because it couldn’t have been only the Igbos demonstrating. So, they are the major shopkeepers on the main streets of any city in Nigeria, and the cheapest way to provoke the government is destroying property, particularly hungry people who will start stealing. “If they say they would not demonstrate so that they will preserve their property, then I wouldn’t say that is wrong for them to say that. But with the question of this hunger, they are wrong if they cannot help in demonstrating to force the government of the day to look after the ordinary man in Nigeria. We are all Nigerians, Nigerian people should be one. If they fail to participate to save their property, they are right but if they fail to help in solving the problem of Nigeria, they are wrong.”
Former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Anthony Sani, on his part, argued that the directive by Ohanaeze to Igbos not to join the hunger protests was right but for the wrong reasons.
He said “they were right in the sense that the removal of subsidies on fuel and the floating of the naira which have brought about the hardship through inflation were not matters of choice for the government because the subsidies were no more sustainable.
“More so, all the major presidential candidates had removal of subsidies on the ballot and had campaigned to remove it. It is therefore against the democratic tenets and morally preposterous to now go on strike against hardship which are natural concomitant of removal of subsidies that was on the ballot.”
The reasons given by some of their people that it serves Nigerians right for voting a wrong political party and candidate is wrong in the sense that Peter Obi and Labor party have claimed Bola Tinubu’s victory was sired by the court and not by majority of Nigerians who are now victims of the hardship. It does not add up.
That is why I said Ohanaeze is right against the strike but for the wrong reasons as some of their people say the hardship serves Nigerians right for casting their votes for wrong party and candidate.