The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Thursday attacked the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, for criticising the leadership of the organisation.
Ohanaeze advised Okechukwu to direct his attention to the difficult task of laundering Nigeria’s image to the outside world or keep quiet if he has nothing better to do.
Okechukwu had in an interview accused the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo, of criticising the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
But the Special Adviser on Media to Nwodo, Chief Emeka Attamah in a statement on Thursday regretted the “unfortunate vituperations of Okechukwu against Nwodo,” adding that he (Nwodo) had in the last four years, given Ndigbo reason to be proud of themselves again in Nigeria, including Okechukwu.
The statement read partly: “I want to remind Mr Okechukwu that on his inauguration, Chief Nwodo acknowledged the hand of friendship extended to him by Mr President and was ready to reciprocate and was only pushed to condemn the gross neglect and marginalisation of the Igbo by the current government even after a lot of remonstrations for an amelioration of the situation.”
Attamah said Okechukwu had been a true disciple of the great Zik and knew what Zikist Movement was all about; he would have known that Chief Nwodo was brought up by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Okechukwu in swift reaction said, “I don’t have anything personal against my elder brother, Chief Nnia Nwodo; but I still maintain my humble position that the next Ohanaeze President-General should be a disciple of the great Zik of Africa and Owelle of Onitsha, the Dr Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe of blessed memory who was pan-Nigeria and believed in the collective prosperity of Nigerians.”
