An Igbo Leader and the Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial Zone, Senator Augustine Akobundu, has lauded Ndigbo for their show of resilience, sagacity and diligence in distancing their selves from the ongoing nationwide hunger protest.
The Senator commended his constituents and Ndigbo at large, for heeding his call by avoiding playing into the hands of their enemies in the name of a street protest,
In a statement issued Sunday, by the media Aide to the federal Lawmaker, Sir Uzomba Ekwuribe, said Senator Akobundu, made the commendation while addressing some Igbo leaders and youths, during a thank you tour of the six Local Government Areas that make up the Abia Central Senatorial Zone and revealed that Ndigbo are even more devastated by the consequences of bad government like hunger, militarization, marginalization , high inflation, unemployment and insecurity than other ethnic groups but decided to sit at home during the protests to avoid playing into the hands of their detractors.
He said that Ndigbo are opposed to the on-going Street Protest against bad governance and hunger, an exercise he described as not only myopic, and deceptive but also self seeking.
Senator Akobundu contended that Ndigbo are the most politically conscious, of all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria,adding that they understand the times and season enough to stay home and lament the negative effects of continued rudderless government on Nigerians and Ndigbo in particular.
In his words, "To demonstrate the resilience, intelligence and political sagacity of Ndigbo is the fact that four political parties,Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP),All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA )and All Progressives Party (APC), hold sway in the five South East states unlike in other zones, which means that elections are won in the South East zone based on which party is friend or foe.Ndigbo know their political friends like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and voted for him twice even when his South West brothers rejected him. Ndigbo also know their foes and rejected former President Mohammedu Buhari and President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and their party, the APC, because of their palpable hatred for Ndigbo and their administrative incompetence. Ndigbo have a never say die spirit and resilience which have enabled them to be the only ethnic nationality that has fought a civil war and survived genocidal attacks, marginalization and ethnic profiling and so, avoided joining the fray, in order, to safeguard their burgeoning businesses,lives and properties,which are the envy and target of other less endowed ethnic nationalities".
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Continuing, Senator Akobundu pointed that for about ten years, other ethnic nationalities refused to join Ndigbo to protest against militarization, herdsmen invasion, kidnapping,decayed infrastructure, dictatorship, mediocrity, among other impunities and so decided to continue to sit at home to watch those who claim to be born to rule, to protest.
"I appreciate my constituents in Abia Central Senatorial Zone and the whole Igbo nation for resolving to stay at home to deny our detractors another opportunity to kill, maim, arrest,detain and imprison us as the case was during Endsars and other protests. We are as hungry and depressed as others and are more affected by the repercussions of bad governance under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the APC. The hatred for Ndigbo is responsible for the continued incarceration of one of my prominent constituents, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu ,years after the Court had granted him bail, regardless of calls by international bodies for his freedom from incarceration, among several other acts of injustice meted against Ndigbo since the end of the civil war, fifty four (54)years ago.
"Ndigbo have never shied away from resisting bad governance, marginalization and ethnic profiling since amalgamation in 1914. I urge other ethnic nationalities to call on Mr President to focus attention on a genuine Rehabilitation, Reconciliation and Reconstruction of the South East zone, which has been neglected for 54 years by successive federal administrations, headed by people from the protesting ethnic groups".
The Lawmaker informed that Ndigbo are wiser now and would no longer be tricked into taking to the streets to be killed and their properties looted by their detractors and blackmailers.
Similarly, the Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti has expressed gratitude to Abians for not joining the ongoing nationwide wide protest over hardship, hunger and bad governance.
Speaking during a Sabbath worship at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church,Aba, the Governor, thanked Abians for heeding to his plea,not to join the hardship protests going on in some parts of the country, which has already resulted to the loss of lives and destruction of properties.
It could be recalled that Governor Alex Otti, on two occasions within the week, had appealed to Abians not to join the nationwide hunger protest. First was when he received the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 General Elections, Mr Peter Obi, where they spoke to Newsmen after a private breakfast meeting. The second was through a State Broadcast he made a day before the protest. On both occasions, the Governor had acknowledged the people’s right to peaceful protest to air their grievances and at the same time, expressed worry that the protest might be hijacked by hoodlums and enemies of the State.
Addressing the congregation who were so excited of having him worship with them, appreciated Abians for listening to him and shunning the demonstration.
“The reason is not because things are not difficult in Abia State, far from it. I recognize how difficult things are today, but at the same time, there is a saying that two wrongs cannot make a right. I also do know that a lot of our people live by the day, some are traders, some are keke riders, some are barbers, while some taxi drivers. These people put food on the table on the bases of what they earn that particular day”.
Governor Otti noted that disrupting the activities of those whose delay bread depends on going out daily in the name of protest would end up worsening the problem the protesters are trying to solve.
“My Plea was that we can always sit down to discuss. And, I want to thank Abia people for heeding that call. "It does not mean that we don’t have rights to protest but there are different ways of protesting. And, I think that the authorities had even listened to you and heard what you did not say. You know, it is easy to hear what you are saying, but I can assure you that our Government has heard what you did not say”, Governor Otti assured.
