The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Obiozor

  • Ohanaeze: Obiozor’s burial rescheduled to February 10

    Burial for the demised President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Prof. George Obiozor has been rescheduled to take place on February 10 2023 at his home town, Awo-Omamma, Oru-East local government area of Imo state.

    However, the burial for the Deputy President General of the apex Igbo organization, High Chief Joel Kroham, remains February 4 at Ahoda, Rivers state.

    Rising from a second emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Enugu, on Friday, Secretary General of the group, Amb. Okey Emuchay disclosed the activities prior to the burial of the late President General.

     

    “We are going to have a valedictory at the National secretariat in the building which was renovated during his tenure as PG, at the building where we held our Ime-Obi with him, on Thursday 5th of May 2022.

     

    “There will be activities in Lagos Ohanaeze state chapter and other groups are planning to honour him at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs Victoria Island Lagos. Other groups in Abuja are also planning to honour him and we as NEC of Ohanaeze will have a valedictory session for him in our national secretariat Enugu,” Emuchay disclosed.

     

    He further revealed that the burial committee would be chaired by a former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Garry Igariwey, while the secretary of the committee is the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Imo state, Barr. CB Ihenedu, with all members of Ohanaeze NEC as members of the committee together with other stakeholders and Ohanaeze members from the seven states of Ohanaeze.

     

    “As you can notice, these two seats (pointing at two unoccupied seats) are vacant. That used to be the seat of the deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the other, that of the President General of Ohanaeze. They are all in the mortuary.

     

    “This is the first time in the history of Ohanaeze that Ohanaeze will have its President General and the deputy President General dead about the same time, but Ohanaeze NEC wants to assure that the ship of Ohanaeze is in safe hands. We shall pass through this difficult period and everything will be done to ensure that the PG of Ohanaeze, the deputy PG of Ohanaeze and that of Mbazulike Amaechi, the first republic minister of Aviation, who is also going to be buried on the 16th of February, Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide will ensure that these three patriots, these three sons of Igbo nation are accorded the dignity and honour that they deserve,” Emuchay said emotionally.

     

    He appealed to all Ohanaeze members, chapters, all structures of Ohanaeze both in Nigeria and in diaspora to open condolence books, such as has been done in the national secretariat in Enugu, so that people could go and have opportunity to say bye-bye to the late President General.

     

    “Formal letters will go to the Governors of the seven Ohanaeze states, to the leaders of our partners in Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt Forum, together with the leadership of Northern Elders’ Forum. We’ve been in touch with them and they are shocked at what has happened. So we will write to them formally as we have done with the seven Ohanaeze governors and other stakeholders including the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and others, to convey the new date of 10th of February 2023 for the burial of our departed PG,” Emuchay said.

    (Vanguard)

  • Igbo : Ohanaeze threatens to arrest Obiozor

    The Ohanaeze Ndigbo general assembly has threatened to arrest Prof. George Obiozor , a frontline presidential contender in the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

    Others being threatened with arrest are those contesting elections into chapters of the organisation at various levels.

    The President-General of the Ohaneze General Assembly, Basil Onyeacholam, disclosed this to our correspondents in Awka, Anambra State, on Thursday.

    Saying any attempt to conduct election for the leadership of Ohanaeze was illegal, Onyeacholam pointed out that his organisation was the authentic representative of the Igbo.

     

    He added that law enforcement agencies had been informed to act accordingly.

    He said,” The law of our land does not prohibit anybody from wasting his money. But any attempt by anybody to hold election in the name of Ohanaeze is going to be an effort in futility.

    “We have made our position clear; Ohanaeze is one. We have also reached out to some people that are involved, especially the elderly ones to come and man the elders’ council of our organisation, while the national executive leadership should be left to younger persons, that is the restructuring that is going on in Ohanaeze.

     

    “Anybody that is calling for any election anywhere is trying to organise what that is not proper in the eyes of the law. We have written to the security agencies.

    “Prof. Obiozor is 80 years. If Prof. Obiozor is to be anybody’s father or grandfather, would they allow him to be struggling at that age?”

     

    The Source had reported that the counsel for the Ohanaeze Ndigbo general assembly, recently registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission, Amobi Nzelu, had in November last year asked the police and the Department of State Services to stop the Ohanaeze Ndigbo election slated for January.

     

    Nzelu also urged security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to arrest the outgoing President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, and other principal officers of the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, past and present, for allegedly running the organisation illegally.

    Reacting, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Anambra, Chief Okeke Ogene, described the threat as an empty one.

    He said, “If they feel they have the capacity they should come and arrest us. We are not afraid any threat.

    They should remember that a factional Ohanaeze like them had gone to court and court said they had no right to stop our elections.

    “The election going on is not the decision of one; it’s the decision of Imeobi (parliament) in the South-East that involves all traditional rulers, town unions and governors of the seven Igbo-speaking states.

    “Elections are continuing. Nobody has the powers to discuss the existence of Igbo nation than the Ohanaeze led by Nnia Nwodo is Ohanaeze of the Igbo nation that has history from the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. We have a lineage; we have a founder; ask them who their founder is? Why are we wasting our energy to merchants and agents of destruction?

    ‘PG requires someone who has served’

    Meanwhile, one of the leading contestants for the office of President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Joe Nworgu, has said that the position required someone who has had apprenticeship in the organisation.

    Nworgu, who spoke to our correspondent on Thursday, said he was in the race to champion Igbo interest since he had served in the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation in various capacities.

    Nworgu, who is a former deputy secretary-general and secretary-general of the body, said “I am in the race because Igbo are in a crossroad’s and the race required someone who has had an apprenticeship in Ohanaeze. Someone who knows the older men who have rendered service and the younger people who are coming in; therefore you have to stand on this two varies.

    “I have helped formulate policies for Ohanaeze under some president generals. I took part in formulating the present constitution of Ohanaeze that was approved in 2003. I have watched the older men take decisions because I have been a statutory member of Imeobi from 2002. That has exposed me to all the dealings, and who is who among the I gbo top echelon.”

     

    Source : www.punchng.com