TRADITIONAL Ruler of Ezimo Kingdom in Enugu State, Igwe Spencer Ugwuoke, has charged the new leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to reconcile the differences of various socio-cultural groups in Igbo land with a view to having a common front in advancing Igbo cause.
Igwe Ugwuoke told reporters in his palace at Ezimo at the weekend that disunity is retarding the march of Ndigbo toward greatness, stressing that he is optimistic that the current leadership of Ohanaeze under Chief John Nwodo, would rise up to the task of defending Igbo agenda in the country.
The royal father noted that the fear of Igbo dominance in national polity had brought about a kind of conspiracy by other ethnic nationalities against Ndigbo which is now being referred to as marginalisation.
“My own understanding of why there is marginalisation of Igbo is that they are afraid that if certain major portfolios are given to Ndigbo, they will pull out of Nigeria. Other groups in Nigeria are afraid of Ndigbo”, he added.
The paramount ruler also used the interactive session to commend Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s choice of the Enugu prison as venue for his 53rd birthday celebration, pointing out that it was an indication of his humility and preparedness to serve both the rich, the poor and the society’s downtrodden.
“I thank Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his choice of Enugu prison as venue for the celebration of his 53rd birthday and for approving N10 million to enable lawyers and other stakeholders facilitate their release from prison.
“Ugwuanyi has set a history, because he is the only governor that has humbled himself to celebrate with prisoners since the establishment of the prison. I came across an adage in a book which stated that, “it is the biography of a great man that forms the history. He started the crusade last year when he celebrated his 52nd birthday and urged everybody that had gift for him to send it to the less privileged people”, Igwe Ugwoke pointed out.
He said that Ugwuanyi had created record both in security and other development in the state that almost 95 per cent people of the state cherish his administration, because he never concentrated development in his zone unlike his predecessors, but rendered services to all the 17 Local Government Area in the State.
“Governor has done very well, unlike his predecessor. Ugwuanyi never concentrated development at Nsukka or Udenu where he comes from but spreads development projects everywhere in the state”, he said.
and then