IGBO youths on the banner of Igbo Youths Movement, IYM and South East
Democratic Coalition, SEDC, have flayed legal icon, Professor Itse
Sagay, SAN over his comments that those clamouring for Biafra are doing
so in order to intimidate President Muhammadu Buhari into giving the
Igbo positions they don’t deserve having rigged themselves out of
contention in the present administration.
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| Sagay, SAN |
According to media reports, Sagay said the Igbo occupied 50 per cent of Federal positions under former President Goodluck Jonathan, and did everything to get him re-elected to no avail including rigging and as such were not deserving of the positions they are seeking from President Buhari.
Describing the comments as ”Blanket Abuse of the Igbo Nation”, the
Igbo youths said they were shocked by ”the unprovoked vituperations from
Itse Sagay. The horrible vitriolic based on lies and ethnic prejudice
is probably designed to endear Sagay to Aso Villa, and also deepen
ethnic hatred in the land.”
In a statement by Evangelist Elliot Uko, IYM founder, they said it
was not true Igbo leaders were sponsoring the Biafra agitation rather,
”the Biafra agitators are more angry with Igbo leaders than with any one
else. The younger generation of the oppressed people of Eastern Nigeria
are merely reacting to decades of oppression. The Biafra agitation came
about as a result of the continued refusal of a powerful group in
Nigeria to enthrone true federalism which has been agreed by Nigerians
at all the national conferences ever held in Nigeria.
“That Sagay claims ignorance about the choking and suffocating
effects of the current unworkable unitary structure is shocking. That he
manufactures a reason (accommodation into Buhari’s dinner table) for
the Biafra agitation without bothering to hear from IPOB, MASSOB and
other youth groups behind the agitation is idiotic.”
Uko, also dismissed as false Sagay’s claim that Igbo occupied 50 per
cent of Federal positions under Jonathan, arguing, ”the Igbo have never
occupied up to 20 per cent of Federal position of any government in
Nigeria.”
Uko continued: ”He is giving the public the impression he belongs to
the group of Nigerians who believe they will shine only when Ndigbo are
shoved out of the way (i.e. 1966-1970). He accused Ndigbo of ‘rigging
and opportunism and lack of principles’. Such blanket abuse and the
unguided generalization is not a character trait the highly respected
Itsekiri Nation are known for, that leaves everybody wondering what
could really be the motive behind the general insults on the Igbo race
by Sagay.
”Everybody is at pains, to really comprehend why it is so important
to Sagay that Ndigbo are placed in his own words “out of contention in
the present administration”. Is he intimidated, mushroomed and
out-classed by Igbo intellectuals to the extent he believes, he will
only get noticed when Ndigbo are sidelined completely?
“His blanket insult on the mighty Igbo race, laced with outright
falsehood and insinuation is unwarranted and unfortunate. He probably
believes that the government he adores have struck so much fear and
terror into the hearts of Nigerians, that nobody would point out his
folly to him, in that case he only succeeded in disappointing Nigerians
and diminishing himself.
“We would like to use this opportunity to remind General Buhari that
Nigerians and the international community are closely monitoring the
goings on in the indefinite detention culture that has made a comeback
to our polity after three decades. Of special interest is the Nnamdi
Kanu and Sheik Zakzaky imbroglio.
”As the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Sultan led JIN and other Muslim
groups put pressure for the release of Sheik Zakzaky, Nigerians are
closely watching between Kanu, whose unconditional release has been
ordered by two courts in the land and the Sheik, and who will be first
released by General Buhari.
”His decision on the two cases will go a long way in confirming
whether he is the unbiased messiah his supporters claim he is or the
sectional warrior, his opponents claim he is. The weeks and months ahead
will confirm his place in history.”
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