Anambra Ohaneze urges INEC to extend CVR, fix operational failures - ITREALMS

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The Anambra State chapter of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has raised an alarm over the shameful and inexcusable failures characterizing the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise across the state, reports ITREALMS.

State Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Anambra State Chapter, Comrade Uzo Ekemezie Esq, in a press statement available to ITREALMS, lamented that what should have been a seamless civic process has become, in many communities, a deliberate scheme to disenfranchise Ndi Anambra.

Senator John Azuta-Mbata emerges new Ohaneze President-General - ITREALMS

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Prominent Igbo socio-cultural organisation the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has elected Senator John Azuta-Mbata as uts 13th President-General, reports ITREALMS.

Information reaching ITREALMS news desk today, Friday, reliably informed that Azuta-Mbata emerged during the election of new executives in the coal city capital, Enugu, Enugu State, as the new leader, succeeding Fidelis Chukwu, whose tenure was interim.

Ohaneze lauds Lagos NUJ on commitment to Nigeria’s unity - ITREALMS

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The Lagos State chapter of Ohaneze Ndigbo, has lauded the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos state on its commitment to strengthen the social cultural relationship and mutual coexistence, peace and unity amongst various ethnic groups in Nigeria, using Lagos as a launching pad, reports ITREALMS.

The commendation was made at the recently held maiden NUJ Lagos cultural day event, as part of activities lined up for the 2023 Press week, with a call for sustenance of the laudable developmental and more unifying initiative.

Ohaneze endorses Atiku/Obi in 7-point communique - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The umbrella social cultural group of Ndigbo, the Ohaneze has endorsed the Atiku and Obi ticket in the forthcoming presidential election in a 7-point communique, reports ITREALMS.

Arising from its collective search for a polity that is just, egalitarian and inclusive, ITREALMS reports that the Ime Obi Ohaneze Ndi Igbo on Thursday 24 January, 2019 at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, to further deliberate on the future of Ndigbo in the chequered history of a beleaguered country. 

President-General Ohaneze Ndigbo World Wide, Dr. John Nnia Nwodo, confirmed this in a communique made available to ITREALMS, noting that the endorsement was arrived at after a critical and dispassionate appraisal of the issues and the visible fault lines in the nation's polity.

According to him, the issues included the analysis of the election manifestos of  the various contesting parties, especially with regards to the restructuring of the federation and continued relevance of the people in the Nigerian geopolitical space.

Equally, Ohaneze pointed out specifically that nomination of former Governor of Anambra State, Sir Peter Obi as vice presidential candidate of a major political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an opportunity for inclusivity which Ndigbo must seize the moment. 

ITREALMS reports that the 7-point resolutions comprised: 

"1.  That Ohaneze remains the apex socio-cultural organization that works  for the interest of the Igbo in and outside Nigeria. It attempts to aggregate the views of  all other  Igbo platforms;

"2. Ohaneze notes particularly that a major political party (PDP) by the nomination of  our son Peter Obi as the Vice presidential candidate has given Ndigbo an opportunity for inclusivity. Ndigbo must seize the moment; 

"3. That the presidential candidate of PDP Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has made an avowed commitment to restructuring of the federation and reconfirmed same during his recent visit to the United States in his meetings high-level US officials; 

"4.  In consideration of the above and other relevant existential factors pertaining to the treatment of the Igbo in our polity,  the Ime Obi Ohaneze, therefore, hereby ratify the decision reached at the Ohaneze National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Enugu on Tuesday 22 January, 2019, to adopt the Atiku Abubakar/ Peter Obi ticket in the 2019 presidential election. Ime Obi therefore endorses and embraces fully, this ticket without equivocation, especially  with regards to the position of Ndigbo  at the AWKA Declaration which insisted on a complete restructuring of the Nigerian polity.  

"5. Ohaneze urges Ndigbo to see  their PVCs as their most potent tool  to ensure a restructured polity and for a better  society.

"6. The meeting further called on the international community to help to ensure a free and credible 2019 elections in Nigeria; and

"7. Finally, Ohaneze urges all Igbo to come out and vote and to protect their votes." 

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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Handshake Across The Niger: Ohaneze, Afenifere to consolidate affiliation

Communique@ITREALMS:

A joint communique Ohaneze Ndigbo, and Afenifere after a meetind widely described as 'Handshake Across The Niger' in Enugu, capital of Enugu State recently, endorsed by the duo of Chief Nnia Nwodo, president general of Ohaneze and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere chieftain.

Excerpts.                  

A] Notations.

After today’s meeting of all strata of persons of Igbo and Yoruba origins in Enugu, the erstwhile capital of Eastern Nigeria, the conferees comprising leaders of the South West (SW), South East (SE), the South South (SS) the Middle Belt (MB) made several observations and resolved as follows:

1. Noted the immense strength of Igbo-Yoruba close affinities of kinship and brotherhood, shared origins and cultural/ethical values, a common world view and inherent love of freedom and justice;

2. Noted that the Hand Shake Across the Niger (HSAN), anchored on the heroism of Major General J.T.U. Aguiyi Ironsi and Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, though long overdue, has finally burst the myth of Igbo-Yoruba irreconcilable differences and spiteful rivalry, thus, providing new impetus for resurgence of the same bold, patriotic and nationalist solidarity of the two ethnic groups from the 1930s to the 1950s that earned independence for Nigeria in 1960;

3. Noted that in a long history of close relations and association, the Igbo and Yoruba have no recorded instances of violence against each other’s ethnic group, such as inter-ethnic mass killings and destruction and/or seizure of property; that instead, they have lived, worked and prospered together, accommodating and respecting their differences;

4. Expressed awareness that grievances generated by past errors on both sides can no longer justify or sustain dissention between the two groups whose solidarity and mutual collaboration have the capacity to dramatically change the fortunes of Nigeria, thereby also, changing the fates of the African continent and the black race;

5. Noted that the HS has brought about a new dawn of irreversible amity in the horizon of Igbo-Yoruba relations, that they have today declared time-up for, and permanently buried, the hatchet of distrust and spiteful rivalry, leading to a credible tipping-point of optimism and opportunity in realizing the destiny of Nigeria as a start-up nation-state that can achieve great things;

B] Decisions and Commitments.
In consequence of the fore-going, the conferees of the HS arrived at the following decisions and commitments:

1. Decided to collaborate closely to create mutually beneficial opportunities, build a strong alliance to advance their ever growing mutual interests, while striving together to meet the common responsibilities of building a united, coherent and prosperous nation - state of free peoples, freely relating to one another across the dividing lines of tribe, religion, region and politics;

2. Declared unflinching support for a truly federal union of Nigeria that is democratic, stable, secure, peaceful, just and fair to all its citizens.

3. Committed to work in close partnership and through peaceful means to restructure Nigeria, reducing and restricting the duties of the federal government to only matters of national import on the exclusive list, while granting the federating units the right to take full responsibility for local, developmental and residual matters, as this will lead to healthy competition and cooperation among the federating units, in place of the present dysfunctional arrangement that merely superintends over the sharing and consuming of rents, and holds some States and Zones down for others to play the elusive game of catch-up;

4. Committed to insistence therefore, on peaceful devolution of powers, fiscal federalism, land/resource ownership/control, reforming component structural and systemic institutions to radically reduce the escalating cost of governance;

5. Committed to working tirelessly towards joining the economically-performing nations  – China, India, Brazil, Israel, Singapore , South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand etc. – not as a dependent State, but a competitive producer and exporter of knowledge-based goods and services;

6. Committed to immediate implementation of pro federalism recommendations of the 2014 National Conference, in particular those affecting the efficiency of governance.

C] The way forward.
We believe that the fore-going measures will reposition Nigeria to reach credible nationhood, attain its full potential and respect in the community of nations thereby enabling us to effectively lead the campaign for the political and economic renaissance of Africa and the black race – the very goals for which the Zik of Africa and the sage Chief Awolowo and a host of other founding nationalists lived and sacrificed so much.  The conferees of the HS have therefore:

i] Decided that today’s Hand Shake (HS) is not a one off event, but only the first of a progressive and continuous re-socialization project that will, in short order, reach out to embrace other compatriots in the South South (SS) , Middle Belt [MB], North Central (NC) North East (NE) and North West (NW) zones of the country;

ii] Decided therefore, to establish a standing Joint Action Committee to drive this process, and to continually articulate fresh ideas and strategies to sustain the current zeal and momentum of mutual understanding and collaborative actions aimed at resuscitating Nigeria politically and economically in order to position her to earn her rightful place among the contending nations in the world.

The composition and mandate of the Joint Committee and its sub-committees, along with the full report of today’s Hand Shake, will be posted in due course.

@ITRealmJanuary 11, 2018

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