Nnia Nwodo Ohanaeze’s call for restructuring, belated - Bar. Kingsley Emeruwa

By Steve Oko

May 18, 2018

An Umuahia – based lawyer and civil rights activist, Mr. Kingsley Emeruwa, has viewed the current structure of Nigeria as carefully planned to perpetuate the marginalization of the race.

Emeruwa, who spoke exclusively with The AUTHORITY in Umuahia, said Igbo are the main target of the on- going ethnic cleansing in the Middle Belt by herdsmen. He said the ultimate objective of the killer herdsmen and their sponsors is to establish their military base in Benue State after decimating the Tivs , and then make a final incursion into Igbo land.

“For those who don’t know, the continued massacre in Benue is targeted at Ndigbo because when the killers finish wiping out the Tivs, they will then invade Igbo land from Benue, which will serve as the operational base of their murderous foot solders masquerading now as herdsmen.

“The bridge between the South East and the North is the Middle Belt. The moment Benue is overrun; the next battle ground will be Enugu State. We have been disarmed by the Police Inspector General, who ordered vigilante groups to submit their arms while Fulani herdsmen roam our communities with AK 47 guns unchallenged. Our lives are in danger. We are under threat of total annihilation in Nigeria. There is a tacit agenda to Islamise Nigeria.”

Emeruwa further said Nigeria was structured to perpetually enslave Ndigbo, a sad development he said must be vehemently resisted. He alleged that the policies and actions of the federal government particularly under the current administration were inimical to the advancement of Ndigbo. The rights activist accused the international community of been criminal silence and inaction over the plight of Ndigbo who he said, have become endangered species in Nigeria. He wondered why the federal government would be quick to proscribe IPOB but foot-dragging to pronounce the murderous herdsmen as terrorists..


“Look at the policies of the federal government and indeed all sectors of the Nigeria system, you will discover that the Igbo man has been structured to be a slave but it will be wrong for him to submit himself willingly to the slavery. Nigeria must address all the imbalances starting from federal appointments. Igbo must be given a sense of belonging. Look at the disparity against South East in admission into Federal Government colleges. Whereas a candidate from North is offered admission with 18 marks, his counterpart from any state in South East must score as high as 120 marks before getting the same admission. Is this justice?

On the alleged insensitivity of Igbo leaders towards the plight of their kinsmen, the human right activist regretted that they have failed to maximise “a golden opportunity” provided by Nnamdi Kanu to negotiate a fair deal for the race. Emeruwa alleged that instead of leveraging on IPOB’s agitation as a bargaining power for a better share of the national patrimony, South East leaders and the political elite connived with the Federal Government to get rid of Kanu, who they considered a threat to their political future.

“They erroneously believed that Kanu would take the shine off them, and that is why instead of leveraging on the opportunity provided by IPOB Leader and Nnamdi Kanu to advance the Igbo cause, they saw Kanu as a threat and sabotaged him. It took only a man they thought was mad to galvanise Ndigbo without firing any shot. But Ohanaeze and Igbo Governors at the peak of the agitation betrayed that cause. They were quick to proscribe IPOB after their meeting in Enugu.

“The Igbo man has seen the type of leaders we have, and by 2019 things won’t be the same again. People will vote wisely. By 2019 we will take a stock. We will look at those who have our interest at heart, and then take a decision. A shocker awaits our political leaders in 2019 because no right – thinking Igbo man will forget the blood that was spilled in the name of ” Operation Python Dance”. No Igbo man will betray the dead. The payback time is 2019 elections. No matter how they try to manipulate it, the will of the people will prevail. The people are now more than ever determined to defend their votes.” He said.