The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has said that it supports President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fight corruption, insurgency, banditry and other forms of insecurity in Nigeria.
Ohanaeze, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia on Friday, disassociated itself from the statement credited to the Acting National Youth Leader of the body, Mr. Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, calling for the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, to be given the benefit of the doubt until the series of investigations into her involvement in the alleged N583m financial wrongdoing proves her to be complicit.
Ohanaeze described the statement as reckless, regretting that the youth qualified the allegations against Edu as an “administrative infelicity and not a financial heist since the Accountant General had confirmed that she did not honour the payment.”
Ohanaeze stated that in the first place, the statement failed woefully by all standards of “logic, common sense, rhyme, reason, interests and all the known norms and traditions of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“In other words, the press release is extremely impetuous, imprudent, unreflective, despicable, harebrained, intolerable and at variance with the philosophy of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.”
The statement noted that the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, expressed his disgust over the statement by Okpalaezeukwu.
According to the statement, the Igbo leader explained that the Igbo “credo” is anchored on hard work, resourcefulness, transparency, equity, fairness and an enabling environment for the Igbo ingenuity and entrepreneurship to find full expression in Nigeria.
“He therefore wondered why Okpalaezeukwu would dabble into the activities of the anti-corruption agencies as it affects Edu.
“Once more, emphasis is made that Ohanaeze Ndigbo represents the history, emotions and consciousness of the Igbo; and that Ohanaeze serves as the Igbo sacred temple which should not, by any stretch of imagination, be desecrated upon by youthful rascality, imprudence and perversions.
“It is, therefore, highly inconceivable that a young man would wake up and issue a press release in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo with neither clearance nor consultations with the leadership.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide lends unalloyed support to President Bola Tinubu commitment to fight corruption, insurgency, banditry and other forms of insecurity in Nigeria; and vehemently dissociates itself from the Okpalaaezeukwu youthful exuberance.”