2015: Don’t be selfish, insensitive, Igbo elders urgepoliticians, leaders

Igbo elders, under the aegis of Council of Alaigbo Development
Foundation (ADF), have urged the Igbo politicians and leaders
to desist from self-serving political and economic activities, as
well as insensitivity to the predicament of Ndigbo in the
country.
The council made the call in a 12-point communiqué issued
after its emergency meeting in Enugu at the weekend and
jointly signed by its President, Prof. Uzodinma Nwala;
Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Dr. Dozie Ikedife; Vice
Chairman, BoT, Elder Kalu Uke Kalu; Assistant Secretary, Dr.
Onyemuchechi Gbujie; and Publicity Secretary, Col. Justino
Ezeoke (retd).
The ADF council reminded Igbo politicians of “the immense
state of suffering and poverty, unemployment and
disorientation of the Igbo youths, infrastructure decay, and
high rate of male school drop-out in their zone,” and urged
them “to always bear in mind that politics is about service –
organizing the people to improve their welfare through their
collective endeavour under conditions of peace, stability and
unity.”
The group also advised Ndigbo to collect their permanent
voter cards (PVCs), and ensure they cast their votes during
the general elections while urging them to vote for only
candidates and parties that would guarantee the
implementation of the United Nations and African Union
Charters on Human Rights and provide basic infrastructure,
especially power and transport to promote the commercial
and industrial development of the Igbo.
The group noted that the religious and spiritual lives of the
Igbo were very important to them, advising all Igbo to,
therefore, vote for candidates who would not prevent them
from worshiping their God.
“Ndigbo warns that it takes seriously, the lopsided distribution
of PVCs to Ndigbo. This is a tactical removal of Ndigbo from
voting,” the group noted, urging the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow Ndigbo to use the
temporary voter’s cards if it could not distribute the PVCs.
The ADF also advised Ndigbo to stay away from areas that
were prone to post-election violence, saying experience had
shown that neither the federal nor state government would
render adequate security of persons and property in the event
of crisis. It reminded them that they remained the main target
of such post-election crisis.
The group, therefore, called on all Igbo leaders, religious,
social, political, intellectual, to help in the sensitization of
Ndigbo at various levels of their security, economic and
political interests.