The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Afenifere

  • Ohanaeze Ndigbo President dies, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, MBF, others mourn

    Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma has confirmed the death of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Prof. George Obiozor.

    The Igbo leader’s exit had been widely speculated since Monday, December 26, but was later dispelled by officials of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

    But after about 48hours of uncertainty over the issue, the Imo State Government has officially announced that Obiozor succumbed to the cold hands of death as was being rumoured.

    Uzodimma said the stated was saddened by the death of the great son of the state and Nigeria.

    The governor who described Obiozor as a renowned academic, an exceptional diplomat and statesman as well as tenacious patriot, said that he passed on recently after a brief illness.

    According to the governor, “The death of this foremost Igbo leader and former Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States and the State of Israel, is a big loss to Imo state, the South East and the entire Nigeria. I have no doubt that both Nigeria and the international community will miss his profound intellectual contributions and wise counsel on national and global issues.”

    Uzodimma added that his burial arrangements will be announced in due course by the family.

    Frontline ethnic nationality organisations including the Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) and Aka Ikenga, in separate reactions noted that the demise of the former Nigerian ambassador to the United States and Israel, as well as High Commissioner to Cyprus, was a great loss to not only Ohanaeze but to Nigeria as a whole and the world in general.

    They described Obiozor as a patriot and intellectual, adding that he died at a time his intelligence and patriotism were most needed.

    The groups prayed God to grant the immediate family, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the South East and Nigeria the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    Expressing shock, national leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said: “What a pity, it is not time for him to go because he is the kind of man that Nigeria needs at this time. Prof Obiozor is a great patriot, someone who genuinely believes in Nigeria, he was a great ambassador of Nigeria and one of the intellectuals that Nigeria is very proud of, may his soul rest in peace.”

    For President of the MBF, Dr Pogu Bitrus, Obiozor’s death is a great loss to the country, even as it is sudden.

    “All of us will have to go one day but Prof Obiozor’s passing is too soon. I would have wished for him to still be around to see the realisation of the Peter Obi phenomenon. May his soul rest in peace.”

    President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima described Obiozor as a peace maker, who believes in the unity of Nigeria.

    “We first condole his family and the entire Igbo race worldwide. Prof Obiozor was a great man, from the little time I have known him, he has demonstrated that he is a peace-loving man that believes in the unity of the country and an intellectual per excellence. His death is a great loss to Nigeria as a whole, not just to the Igbo. We pray for his soul to rest in peace and for God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

    Elder statesman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in his condolence message said Nigerians and Igbo would miss the Ohanaeze President General.

    According to him, Obiozor died when the South East needed him most.

    “He served Nigeria diligently and has written his name in the sands of time,” he said.

    Similarly, Youth Wing Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) said Nigeria would definitely miss his intellectual prowess.

    A statement by the national chairman of the association, Belusohukwu Ewerem read: “There can be no understanding the sting of death, the vacuum it will create in Igboland. South East, Nigerians and indeed the world at large will no doubt miss his intellectual prowess and wisdom.”

    Ohanaeze said he was an erudite scholar, seasoned diplomat, resourceful bureaucrat, author, cultural leviathan, political submarine, pathfinder, an Igbo titan of incredible global reckoning, and silent achiever.

    The renowned scholar had served Nigeria meritoriously as the director-general, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos; High Commissioner to Cyprus; Nigerian Ambassador to the State of Israel and the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America. He was elected as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on Sunday January 10, 2021.

    On April 9, this year, shortly after he returned from a brief medical vacation abroad, an array of Igbo dignitaries gathered at the Imo State Government House, Owerri, to celebrate him.

    (Sun)

  • The only way to avoid civil war is by restructuring

    Pan Yoruba group, Afenifere, has, again, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately send a bill on restructuring to the National Assembly to prevent ongoing agitations that could result in civil war and break up of the country.

     

    It also demanded the restructuring should be completed before the conduct of the 2023 general election.

     

    The group stated this in a communique signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, at the end of its meeting, yesterday, in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

     

    “In view of the challenging situations we face, Afenifere calls for meetings of stakeholders where issues of restructuring, devolution of power and true federalism would be firmed up. The outcome of such deliberations is to be passed into law and made operational immediately,” the group said.

     

    It said terrorism and related vices in the country have left Nigeria bleeding in many parts and asked every community to be at alert and defend themselves from bandits who have declared war on Nigeria.

     

    It called on the Federal Government to urgently put a halt to various acts of terrorism, kidnapping, herders/farmers clashes and the likes.

     

    The group asked the Federal Government to allow states to have their own police structure and also immediately halt the various acts of terrorism, kidnapping, herders/farmers clashes in the country.

     

    “This government can do, by immediately allowing states to have their own police. In fact, security apparatuses should be democratised to the local level. In the meantime, every community must be at alert to realise that they must defend themselves from bandits who seem to have declared war on  Nigeria,” it said.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Afenifere @ 70: A pressure group with legitimate force

     

    Afenifere, described by many as a pressure group with legitimate force, serving interests and maintaining the waning influence of Yoruba people in the Nigerian Federation, today clocks 70years of its existence.

     

     

    Afenifere. founded 70 years ago as a socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people of Nigeria, with Chief Abraham Adesanya as its leader and Chief Bola Ige as deputy leader. Other founding members included Pa Onasanya, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Adegbonmire, Okurounmu Femi, Ganiyu Dawodu, Olanihun Ajayi, Olu Falae, Adebayo Adefarati, Alhaji Adeyemo

     

    During the 70years of its existence, Afenirefe, a movement of the defunct Action Group, precedes Nigeria’s political independence and has gone through circumstantial, existential, external threats, assaults and self-inflicted injury of fractionalizations,(Papa Fasoranti/Adebanjo; Late Senator Fasanmi; Senator Durojaiye; Afenifere Renewal) and still counting in spite of its current limitations over time.

     

     

    The demise of its Spokesperson, Mr Yinka Odumakin, revealed that The Pan-Yoruba group does not only serve the interest of the Yoruba people of southwest Nigeria alone but serves the interest of every Nigerian as shown with the tributes poured in from all corners of Nigeria and indeed the world.

     

    Pertinent to note as the group hits Platinum, is the fact that the Action Group as a National Political Party was the brainchild of the late sage, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, SAN, GCFR and his untiring efforts, grim determination to prepare and get Western Nigeria ready for productive responses to the then on-coming constitutional exigencies which the Richard Constitution provisions would demand on Nigerians.

     

     

    But as AFENIFERE hits Platinum, it is worthy of note that from its inception remained to date, a movement of people who are committed to the greatest welfare of the people as enunciated by Chief Obafemi Awolowo SAN, under the philosophical caption of EGALITARIANISM, LIFE MORE ABUNDANT. Afenifere was never a registered political party but it was the propelling Movement of people behind the Action Group that was registered.

     

    During its 70years of existence, there had been no time when Afenifere was a cultural organization. Egbe Omo Oduduwa which was a cultural organization decided not to transform into a political party after exhaustive discussion because they believed that such a transformation into partisan politics could compromise the organization and divide the Yoruba nation, which was the very people it set itself up to protect and defend. Interested readers can Google the internet to be familiar with the names of the Yoruba distinguished leaders who collaborated with Chief Awolowo to establish the Egbe first in London and later in Nigeria in order to provide a credible voice for the Yoruba people in the immediate nationalist struggle for self-determination.

     

     

    Afenifere as a Movement of ideas, the burden of standing in the gap for Nigeria against the successive military dictatorship and their military in civilian dress tyrannies have been a lot of Yoruba Nationalists and Activists principally along with other compatriots since pre-independence till the present time.

     

    At any critical time of strong opposition against the tyrannical rule of the successive Nigerian state, the greatest majority of the Leading Activists that are usually oppressed, dehumanized, incarcerated and sometimes declared missing are mostly from the South West along with Kwara and Kogi activists. There are statistical records to prove this assertion.

     

     

    Since we have historically and factually established that Action Group was the registered political party but Afenifere had always been a Movement in Yorubaland of those who subscribe to Chief Awolowo’s Political Philosophy of Life more Abundant and that it was the Registers of Afenifere membership in the Yoruba States including Kogi and Kwara that were used to register AD in 1998, it stands to reason that those who may still desire to pursue their political ambition outside whatever the “progressive” political camp adopted as close to the Action Group tendency should be bold and honest enough to leave Afenifere. The platform should no more be used for political expediency.

     

     

    As Afenifere hits Platinum, a majority of the Yoruba people of southwest Nigeria see the pressure group as a legitimate force that is both serving their interests and maintaining the waning influence of Yorubaland in the Federation. They consider it to be a necessary body to preserve the ethnic identity of the Yorubas.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com