By Larry Martins
The Biafra Zionists Federation, BZF, has criticized the Apex socio
cultural organization Ohaneze Ndigbo, over what it described as
being cowardly
silence of the group in the face of injustice against its people.
The BZF in a press
statement made available to journalists in Enugu, signed
by its national publicity secretary, Mr. Chiemeria Chibundu said the
present Ohaneze leadership should be seen as a gathering of selfish,
visionless and weak
individuals who do have interest of their people at heart.
The Zionists said it was alarming that two
months after the police clamped down on Igbo sons who were
championing the common course of the people, the Ohaneze leadership
had not deemed it fit to make a single comment.
According to the group, rather than chart a
course for Ndigbo, the Ohaneze leadership had remained a political
tool, whose only job is “to campaign for President Jonathan’s
re-election, even when he has not declared any interest to seek a
second term”.
“From our checks, the present Ohaneze
leadership as constituted is the worst in the history of the group,
as they lack in vision, they lack in zeal, capacity and will to
promote the overall interest of Ndigbo.
“The Ohaneze leadership has since sold
Ndigbo for a plate of porridge, and reduced the South-East to a
cheap zone, where other zones have their way so easily, even
without any form of negotiation.
“We believe that since the Ohaneze
leadership is not prepared to make sacrifices, the members should
resign and hand-over to selfless individuals who are ready to
promote the collective interest of Ndigbo”.
The BZF while urging the Ohaneze leadership
to take a cue from the Arewa Consultative Forum, as well as the
Northern Elders’ Forum, said “it is quite regrettable that they are
so afraid to speak out in the face of oppression against Ndigbo.
For this singular fact, many things are going wrong in the
South-East, Ndigbo are being taken for granted because nobody has
the guts to talk.
“In the ACF, we see what it means to be
leaders of the people; even though the Boko Haram are ravaging the
North, the ACF and the Northern Elders Forum had continued to
insist that the law should not be breached in fighting the
insurgency.
“But here in the South-East, the Ohaneze
leadership has not seen anything wrong in the prolonged detention
of Igbo sons without trial. These are men, whose only crime is that
they are demanding for Biafra, even when they are doing so without
arms”.
“We, are however, not so much surprised
because the Ohaneze leadership and indeed some other Igbo leaders
have chosen to keep silence in order to protect their pockets and
properties in the Northern part of the country”, the statement
added.
