Former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, has marked his 79th birthday with a call for an Igbo President.
Nwobodo, who said that the presidency of Igbo extraction was at hand, declared that the Igbo people would get it without fighting.
He made the declaration during his 79th birthday celebration, organised by the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo on Sunday at the Base Event Centre, Enugu
The former governor said that unless Nigeria allows Ndi Igbo produce a president, Nigeria would never be different. He explained that when an Igbo man eventually becomes the president of Nigeria, there would be a difference as Nigeria would witness true development.
“If an Igbo man becomes the president, there will be a difference. Ndi Igbo will get it without fighting,” he said.
Nwobodo, however, said that for Ndi Igbo to get their fair share of the presidency, they must come together and be united.
He charged National Assembly members from the South-East to represent Ndi Igbo well in Abuja so that they will take their proper place the country
Nwobodo, former Minister of Sports, also made case for an independent judiciary, condemning the shabby way former Justice Walter Onnoghen was treated.
According to him, by treating the Chief Justice of Nigeria that way,, the judiciary has been desecrated. “The judiciary has been disgraced. If you destroy the judiciary, the country is gone,” he lamented.
In his goodwill message, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State thanked God for the life of Nwobodo.
He said that the occasion was to celebrate his past and present contributions to the development of old Anambra State, the South East region and the country, especially in his “capacities as the Minister of sports and distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a political icon, and Elder Statesman.”
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, described Nwobodo as “a blessing to Ndi Igbo, a nationalist, who also served his people with enthusiasm. Ndi Igbo will never forget in a hurry that in their most trying time after the civil war, you were the chairman of Rangers International Football which helped to rebuild the confidence and pride of our people faster than ever envisaged. ”
President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo, and former Corps Marshall, Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC), Osita Chidioka, extolled the virtues of Nwobodo.
The occasion was graced by former governor of Enugu State and senator-elect, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, Senator Gil Nnaji, Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Edward Nnaji, and others.
