A former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekwermadu, has said that one of the worst things that could happen to the Igbo people at this time was to allow their homeland to be turned into a theatre of war.
He expressed concern that violent agitations and the sit-at-home order by the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has wasted many lives and battered the South East economy.
Ekweremadu blamed the agitations by various parts of the country on a flawed federal system, injustice, and poor management of the nation’s diversity.
He, however, insisted that violent agitation was not the answer.
The lawmaker spoke in a lecture, entitled “The Igbo in Diaspora: A Perspective”, that he delivered virtually at the Igbo Heritage Lectures and Ugwumba Excellence Award event, which held in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday evening, according to a statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu.
“What has happened in Alaigbo in the past few months is odd, ‘un-Igbo’, and sacrilegious. Destruction, waste of human lives, and economic losses have been the lot of our region.
“In particular, the sit-at-home has haemorrhaged Igbo lives and economy and it is good the IPOB has said they are no longer interested in the sit-at-home.
“No wise man brings war into his home. Our people prosper in industry, commerce, and the informal sector. Most of them survive on a daily income.
“Therefore, while we are at liberty to employ every legitimate and democratic means to press for justice and equity, we must all work together to condemn and end the violence, irrespective of whatever quarters it is coming from,” he said.
Ekweremadu, however, said the South-East Caucus of the National Assembly was working towards defusing tension in the region as well as finding a political solution that would result in the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
“We are working quietly and surely to address these issues, including finding a political solution to the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu matter,” he added.
