The decision by the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) to dialogue with the Federal Government over referendum has elicited reactions from some Igbo leaders.
The leaders, who insisted on political dialogue to end agitations by some Southeast groups, including IPOB, said no sensible Igbo would want the Southeast to exit Nigeria.
The leaders include a one-time Ebonyi State Information Commissioner Chief Abia Onyike; President -General of the Coalition of Southeast Youth Leaders (COSEYL), Goodluck Ibem, a political analyst, Williams Iheakolam an Ohanaeze Ndigbo official as well as an elder statesman, who asked not to be named. IPOB Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said in a statement on Saturday said the group remained ”open for negotiations and dialogue on peaceful exit of Biafra from Nigeria through a United Nations -supervised referendum.”
Chief Onyike, who is the acting secretary-general of Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), said it was imperative and urgent for the Federal Government to dialogue with all ethnic nationalities in the country so as to forge a way forward.
Expressing pessimism on government’s readiness to negotiate with IPOB, Onyike called for a return to regional autonomy as was in place in the First Republic.
He said: “That (referendum) has always been the view of IPOB but does the Nigerian Government believe in such (referendum)? The answer is no.
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”The problem now is that the right-wing coalition ruling Nigeria does not believe in negotiating with groups agitating for self-determination.
“Nigerian rulers should engage the Igbo and others seeking self-actualisation in dialogue since they have continued to show them that they are second class citizens in the Nigerian federation.
”There should be a reconstitution of the Nigerian state. We should go away from this monolithic federation for regional autonomy as was the case in 1960-1966. The present situation is too oppressive and suffocating.”
COSEYL President Ibem said that “it is the way Igbo are maltreated that gave rise to agitation.
”If the resources and political positions in the country are evenly spread, nobody sane person would wish to exit Nigeria.
”It is because of injustice and unfair treatment that is the bane of separatist struggle all over the world. If things are done well everybody will be happy and feel part of the nation.
Culled from TheNation
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