In this interview with CHUKS NWEZE, Chief (Mrs.) Celina Ugwuoke Adibua, the immediate past Vice President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, makes the case that Rivers State’s Igbo-speaking population shouldn’t be coerced into joining the supreme Igbo sociocultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo. This resulted from the contentious election of the body that elected Senator John Azuta Mbata as the general president.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Senator John Mbata of Rivers State was recently elected President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. What were the election-related issues?
Since it has been trending worldwide, I appreciate you asking this question. This is wonderful for Ohanaeze, I must say, because we were coming off of a very worrying period when our first president general from Imo State, the deputy PG, was killed in one session, and then another president general, who was chosen or appointed, also died within four years. In the history of Ohanaeze or even of any elective office in Nigeria, such as the government, this has never occurred.
We succeeded in burying all of these individuals, but they left us in a difficult position where we had to quickly find a replacement for Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the previous president general. For the final 27 days following Iwuanyanwu’s passing and burial, we had to choose a new president general. I can thus confidently state that we performed admirably during this transitional period, for which we have just spent the previous 27 days preparing.
What are your thoughts on Senator Mbata’s election as Rivers State’s Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General?What are your thoughts on Senator Mbata’s election as Rivers State’s Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General?
We are all happy that we were able to locate someone from Rivers State like Senator Mbata. I mention this because we had planned to approach those interested in Ohanaeze who had left Rivers State, but we didn’t appear to know anyone who would be interested. Eventually, however, Senator Mbata, a candidate of his caliber, entered the race.
Furthermore, based on my experience on the screening committee, he seemed to be the most qualified candidate among the five applicants, making it easy to identify him as the ideal candidate.
Some claimed that the new Ohanaeze leadership was forced by the South East governors. What are your thoughts?
To put it simply, as a woman and parent, if I have six or four kids and someone snatches my handbag from me, my kids will want to come out and chase him. I will say, however, that you return and take a seat. I know what everyone in that place is capable of, so you go. Therefore, based on the members of the screening committee, Mbata is the best candidate this time around, and we are pleased that he was selected, regardless of the methodology employed.
Some South East residents opposed Rivers State’s selection to produce Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s president general prior to the election. Is Rivers State an Igbo state?
What’s the point? The people of Rivers State are Igbo, and they are an integral component of Ohanaeze wherever they are. We assume, however, that they have two or three Igbo-appointed local governments, and that they are as dynamic as Mbata. If we witnessed one individual, he would be able to unite others and silence those who are afraid to declare their Igboness due to the events of the civil war. Therefore, we are glad that someone like Mbata emerged to fill the role, and this is a positive circumstance. We are ecstatic.
Do you know that some indigenous Ikwere people are upset that Mbata agreed to lead Ohanaeze? Subtle threats have purportedly been directed at him since his rise. How do you feel about this?
We at Ohanaeze believe he will do that role admirably and be able to appease his people who claim they are not Igbo. Their claim that they are not Igbo is supported by evidence. Although they are Igbo, they do not wish to identify as such because being Igbo makes it impossible to hold the job of Inspector General of Police. Being Igbo prevents you from obtaining any government position you deserve, which is why many young people, including IPOB, become agitated and many Igbo people change their names from Ugwu or Eze to Daniel or anything else in order to better fit into the Nigerian system and obtain better employment.
If you want to get a fancy job, you must change your name. People are finding it difficult to fit in this way.
Do you know that there were other individuals vying for the presidency general position and other positions in Ohanaeze leadership? Can they just be dismissed as unimportant imposters?
I know that. I even know that there were some people claiming to be president general, secretary general, etc. when Iwuanyanwu was the PG. Their need to fit in is the reason for their actions. When the election was held on January 10th, they weren’t present. They set out to create their own. Allow them to create their own, but allow them to give it a different name. Since Ohanaeze is not their name, let them refrain from using it.
For example, they are welcome to use Ohanaeze Ndigbo, but who elected the Igbo Association of Port Harcourt or Igbo this? Since the Ohanaeze president general must be chosen by the entire Igbo population, both within Igboland and in the Diaspora (whether in Delta or Rivers), how many people attended their election? In actuality, we had a larger delegation: 10 from the other states and 30 from the five South East states. That’s what we established.
You have consistently supported Ohanaeze. In your opinion, how has the organization benefited or continues to benefit Ndigbo?
How have we benefited? Since you are asking me questions and I am answering them honestly for the first time, I would have naturally introduced myself as Celina David rather than Celina Ugwuoke Adibua to keep you from learning that I am Igbo.
I admire Mbata’s bravery in stating that I am Igbo, as is my father, great-grandfather, and even my brother, Wike. That was what he said in front of us. He dared to reveal his Igbo heritage to Nigerians. that the inhabitants of Ikwerre are Igbo. You are Igbo, but you can stay anywhere. We cannot force everyone to be Igbo at gunpoint if you say that you are not Igbo due to the injustice that plagues Nigeria.
No. The only way for Igbo people to be acknowledged in Rivers when they are doing anything well is if someone tall like Mbata comes and declares, “I am Igbo.” They will be proud if we have a vice president or a minister of Igbo descent, but when Nigerians disgrace Igbo, they don’t want to put up with it and respond with other terms.
How do you deal with the factions that are being shown in Ohanaeze? I apologize, but what?
Ohanaeze’s factions? How do you think they can be resolved?
Are there any factions among you? Yes, we do desire unity. Everyone outside is welcome to come. We cannot simply fall asleep and allow them to rule our lives. They have no idea what Ohanaeze is about. They won’t go and start factions if they know. Perhaps they have a constitution of their own. I’m not sure, but they have gone awry if they are adhering to the same Constitution that I am. And how do you handle individuals who have gone awry? We will search for them, but we cannot compel them to join if they choose not to. It is similar to a church in that you don’t have to force anyone to join; instead, you merely start up and invite others if they want to.
Do you believe that Ndigbo have been treated fairly by President Tinubu’s administration?
He is aware that he hasn’t been fair, of course. Why do I have to say that? He is unjust, of course, and he is aware of it. I also know that it is a deliberate attempt to destroy the Igbo in order to prevent them from rising up and fighting a civil war again, since we won the last one. We pushed them away. We weren’t defeated by them. I hope you are aware of that. Thus, we are attempting to be authentic. That’s it, then.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
