North safest place for Igbos – Ohanaeze

The Igbo apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said northern Nigeria remains one of the safest places for Igbos to live in and do their business.

Chairman of the group in the 19 northern states, Augustine Amaechi, stated that the region had accommodated Igbos beyond measures, saying that accounted for their prosperity.

Amaechi, who spoke in Abuja, while acknowledging that there had been some skirmishes with their host communities, noted that they were unavoidable as “it is expected in a developing economy.”

On the call for secession in the South-East, he said the agitation was due to lack of jobs in the region, stressing that since Igbos are traders, they would need the North to maintain their financial strength.

“Our elders are saying that even if the youth are agitating and angry, we need a restructure of Nigeria and not a division of Nigeria because you can’t sell what you produce in your village to make big sales like in Alaba Market in Lagos.”

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, George Obiozor, stated that Igbo nation is not at war with anybody.

He said, “All we want is to be treated equally with other people. It is time for us to speak truth to power. We need peace and unity and they can’t be gotten through propaganda and transparency must be followed.”