Politics

Group knocks Buhari over remarks on Ndigbo

Published

6 years ago

June 6, 2018

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The Igbo Canadian Community Association (ICCA/Umunna) have described as insensitive and callous the insinuations made by President Muhammadu Buhari that the Nigeria Army showed a lot of restraints on Biafrans during the civil war.

In a statement issued from Toronto, Canada, the President of ICCA/Umunna, Chief Ugochukwu Okoro, said Buhari making such comments at a time when Igbos all over the world were observing a remembrance of their loved ones who died during the war is unfortunate and does not reflect the qualities of a democratic leader that should be liberal and inclusive.

President Buhari had during his investiture as Grand Patron of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) at the presidential villa in Abuja, said that the Nigeria Army were issued strict instructions by the then head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, that Biafrans were not enemies, but “brothers and sisters of the rest of Nigerians.”

Okoro said “It is appalling that President Buhari, being the Commander-in-Chief and an active participant during the civil war meant to exterminate people of Igbo origin across the country could make such statements credited to him. We find his remarks misguided and calculated to assault the emotions of Ndigbo in a manner designed to re-open the wounds of pogrom, holocaust and attempted annihilation meted against the Igbo people in the 30 months civil war waged on the people of the South East region leading to the deaths of over three million Igbo sons, daughters and children.”

The ICCA/Umunna urged President Buhari to, rather than open fresh wounds of what Ndigbo went through the war, restrain himself and his loathing for Ndigbo by telling the world where the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his aged father are being kept.

He said President Buhari should show some restraints towards Ndigbo by stopping the deployment of soldiers to South East region in whatever disguise to kill young Igbo youths indiscriminately.

Okoro went on to say that in the spirit of unity among Ndigbo, ICCA/Umunna will host a special event in remembrance of Igbo sons and daughters who lost their lives during the war.

“On June 16, the ICCA will host the 2018 Biafra Memorial Event where we will be showing what Ndigbo went through and have been able to achieve despite the setback of the war. This will also afford us an opportunity to remember our loved and lost ones. And we will use the event to educate President Buhari if that the ingenuity and brilliance of Ndigbo was what sustained the civil was to last the length it did and that same ingenuity will drive Ndigbo towards emancipation from the marginalization and cruelty they Buhari administration has shown to the people of the South-East.”