Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has rejected the invitation of the United States or any foreign country to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Ohaneze Ndigbo End-of-Year Celebration in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, Sowore warned against external intervention.
According to him, “no one should invite America or any foreign country to fix Nigeria for us. We must fix Nigeria by ourselves and make it work for everyone.”
According to him, Nigeria cannot be united if one tribe considers itself superior to another and treats others as inferior.
Sowore said, “We cannot have unity in a country where somebody who has done business in a place has his business demolished because the government doesn’t like his ethnicity.”
Sowore stressed that “we cannot have unity in this country where some terrorists are treated better than freedom fighters.”
The publisher of Sahara Reporters said Nigeria is a creation of the British, and if the government wants Nigeria as a country, it must respect everybody who is a Nigerian.
He stated that the government cannot throw into prison freedom fighters using the technicalities of the judges, saying he has not defended himself.
“For five years, nobody has been able to define the crime that Nnamdi Kanu has committed in this country. And that’s why I have been at the forefront of the free Kanu movement.”
In the same vein, Onyeoma Chris Ezea, President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Ondo State and the Southwest, believes that freeing Kanu and electing an Igbo president is the best way to reconcile the country.
Ezea said, “Kanu, who is my leader and my brother, is fighting for the freedom of the Igbo people. Nigeria is one. And I keep saying that Nigeria is one.
” I am not interested in the division of Nigeria. The only thing I am saying is that what is the source for the goose should be the source for the gander.
“The Yorubas are taking their own slots. The Hausa/Fulani had their own slot. Goodluck Jonathan is not an Igbo; he is an Ijaw man.
“So don’t tell me that Jonathan took the Igbo slot; he is an Ijaw man. What the Igbos want is to participate in the policies of this country. We want to be the first citizens of this country.
“Because if you talk about development, it is the Igbos that are preaching one nation, one Nigeria.
“Because any place you go in this country, you will see that the most beautiful house you have there is owned by an Igbo man. Even in the most remote part of this country, you meet an Igbo man there.
“So we preach peace; we preach one nation, one Nigeria. But what is due for us should be given to us. And then let my brother and my leader, Nnamdi Kanu, be freed by the federal government of Nigeria.
In his keynote talk, Ezea emphasized that the Igbo community has contributed significantly to Ondo State’s economic development through enterprise, ingenuity, and perseverance.
According to him, “The economy of this state cannot stand without the contribution of the Igbos. From Akure to Okitipupa and Owo to Ondo town, our people are deeply involved in commerce, real estate, and industrial development. We are partners in progress.”
He urged ongoing cooperation between the Igbo community and the state government, praising Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa for adding three Igbo sons to his cabinet, which he termed as “a demonstration of inclusivity and fair representation.”
Ezea also urged the Bank of Industry (BoI) to make loans more accessible to Igbo businessmen in the state, emphasizing that such assistance would boost small and medium-sized businesses, which fuel the local economy.
He also urged them to help complete the ultra-modern Ohanaeze community hall, which he characterized as “a symbol of unity and legacy.”
In his remarks, Eze Ndigbo Sir Amb. Gregory Iloehika, who also chairs the hall project, stated that work began about two decades ago and has received contributions from various administrations in the state.
“This project represents our collective pride and must be completed to serve as a home for future generations,” he said.
