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.
By Larry Martins
