The apex Igbo cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has , in the interest of the security of Nigeria, called on the Federal Government to rescind its decision to throw open the borders of the country to immigrants without visas.
In a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday (17/12/2019) in Enugu, Ohanaeze Ndigbo decried what it called an unprecedented national decision that would occasion massive entry of foreigners, some with questionable characters into the country
The body noted that such unchecked and unregulated influx into the country will further aggravate the security challenges facing the country.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo stated that the action tends to give credence to the suspicion that the Federal Government is still bent on implementing the RUGA programme and also to give a particular ethnic group undue advantage in subsequent elections in the country.
The apex Igbo body wondered why the Federal Government would take such an inimical decision without any corresponding offer to Nigerians into the benefitting countries.
Ohanaeze said that the security and economic fallouts from the said free entry of foreigners would further aggravate the security threat to the country beyond what is being experienced at the moment and called for a rethink.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo also condemned the selective and parochial siting of military universities as well as other universities and higher institutions entirely in the North to the total neglect of the Southern part of the country.
She holds that the warped decision is synonymous with the blatant and insensitive decision of the present administration to have people from a particular ethnic group and religion as the heads of all security forces and agencies in the country notwithstanding their ages and the fact that they should have been retired to give way to younger officers.p
Ohanaeze observed that this action of the Federal Government negates the constitutional provisions of the country that provides equitable representation and siting of amenities throughout the country in accordance with the federal character of the country.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo recalled that there has been a deliberate Federal Government policy to concentrate all military armaments and strategic units in the North with the South completely barren of such military presence except checkpoints that have metamorphosed into toll gates for the exploitation of Ndigbo and their Southern neighbours.
The communique further urged the military authorities to dismantle all the checkpoints along the roads in Igbo land, especially during this period of yuletide with the attendant mass movement of Ndigbo.
The communique also condemned the recent 30 billion dollars loan being taken by the Federal Government which will certainly add to the woes of Nigerians, especially in a situation where no sincere and transparent efforts have been made to arrest the scourge of corruption to guarantee its effective utilization in the interest of the masses.
Ohanaeze condemned the recent call by the Chief Justice of the Federation for an amendment of the constitution to include Sharia law at the apex court, adding that in the first instance, Nigeria being a federation is a secular state and cannot have any religion imposed on the country.
Ohanaeze, however, said that if there is need for any such amendment, it should be extended to other religions including Christianity and traditionalists to ensure equity.
Finally, Ohanaeze Ndigbo condemned in its entirely the attempted attack on a prominent Igbo son, Chief Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the Minister of Transport, who was allegedly harassed by members of IPOB in Spain recently.
Ohanaeze said that the belligerent approach by IPOB torwards the struggle for the actualization of a sovereign state of Biafra is giving it a bad image and coloration.
Nigerians should be free and safe wherever they are in the world.
Although the visa on arrival policy is very promising for the tourism of the country, not all Nigerians are responsive with the new policy. They see it in a negative way and it could pose thereat to the culture of the country. Aside from that they think that the visa policy will only get abuse by many foreign nationals once they are able to enter the country.