THE Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has formed a 20-member committee to come up with a position for Ndigbo in the planned restructuring of Nigeria.
While inaugurating the committee in Abuja today, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide President-General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu advised members to treat the committee with the utmost seriousness.
He said: “I’m therefore of very strong belief that restructuring of Nigeria is a social, economic and cultural imperative. Many groups in Nigeria have continued to make demands for secession from the country. Such demands have come from the Northern, Western and of course Eastern parts of Nigeria.
“Once the structure of Nigeria is right, all these demands and agitations will stop and Nigeria by God’s grace will be one of the greatest countries in the world.”
Former governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, was named chairman of the committee, which also includes Onyema Ugochukwu, Senators Adolphus Wagbara, Ben Obi, Julius Ucha, Dan Nwanyanwu, and Amb. Humphrey Orjiako.
While speaking, Iwuanyanwu recalled past agitations before and after the Civil War.
During the Aburi Conference, he clarified long-held misconceptions regarding the position of the defunct Eastern Region.
According to him, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, who headed the delegation to the Aburi conference with General Yakubu Gowon, never advocated for secession from Nigeria, but rather for restructuring to allow regions of the federation more autonomy.
