Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has abrogated its sit at home directive in South East Nigeria, saying the development is to embrace peace negotiations organised by the Anambra State Government.
On Saturday in Awka, IPOB yielded to the appeal by the Anambra State Government and traditional rulers to pave the way for peace, since all Igbo stakeholders and religious leaders have declared their intention to find a lasting solution to insecurity and incessant sit-at-home
directives in the South East.
The decision was disclosed by the Chairman, Anambra Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, during a one-day peace building and security meeting held in Awka on Saturday.
His Royal Highness, Igwe Achebe, who is also the Igwe of Onitsha, said that the stakeholders have continually held meetings on the way forward to lasting resolutions of the impasse with the agitators.
He said that after its meeting with the group on Friday, April 1, it was agreed that a call to release the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, would be a step to dousing the tension in the state.
He said that after the meeting, the group placed a call to all its members to sheathe their swords, put down their guns and go the way of dialogue.
“We call on all who had taken the way of gun to put down their guns and take up the olive leaf from the government to better themselves,” Achebe said.
He said that the state government has set April 4 for prayers aimed at seeking God’s face to restore a lasting peace in Anambra and South East as whole.
Achebe said it was agreed that on April 4, all churches in Igboland and South East will join in prayers to seek God’s forgiveness and to restore peace in the area.
“Igboland has lost so much in economic and social development of the zone and we are tired of the situation and want peace,” the traditional ruler said.
According to him, “It is agreed that on Sunday, April 3, all churches will announce the IPOB decision to their faithful to come out on Monday 11am to their various churches to offer prayers to God for the restoration of peace and economic development.”
Lots of other speakers at the meeting spoke in line with the decision.
The speakers include Mr Uche Okafor, Anambra Speaker, who assured assured that the legislators would partner with the state government to enthrone lasting peace and economic development of the state and the zone.
Chief Damin Ogene-Okeke, the National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, urged the public to embrace the decision to establish peace building amongst “ourselves and work towards improving security sanity in the state”.
He called on the governors of the South East States to represent their people well and speak the minds of
the citizens who elected them into office.
Also, Mrs Amaka Uzodinma, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolutions (IPCR), in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, to use his security votes to prevent insecurity than to quell it.
She made the call at the Anambra peace-building and security summit held in Awka on Saturday.
She said the fastest way to achieve resounding success in insecurity challenges and peace-building in the state is for the government to extend security votes to other bodies saddled with the responsibility of peace and conflict resolutions.
Uzodinma said that governors should use their security votes to quell security challenges instead of preventing conflicts, peace-building and tackling insecurity challenges in the country.
She said that governors spend so much on security outfits only through buying bulletproof vehicles for the security officers to combat insecurity challenges instead of preventing the crimes that lead to conflict and insecurity.
“Governors spent so much money to quell insecurity challenges with the security operatives not preventing them, they need to re strategise in their methods of tackling the impasse,” she said.
She said that there are needs for the governors to use their security funds judiciously to harness services of various bodies charged with peace building and conflict resolution and security watch groups to prevent crimes.
Uzodinma said that agencies charged with the responsibilities of peace building and crime watch are starved of funds and cannot do much but suggested that the government should use part of their security funds to support these agencies for huge results.
She said the governors should support agencies who could reach out to the grass roots to enlighten them on the need to be peaceful and how to be a good neighborhood watch.
“Civil societies, National Orientation Agencies, human rights orgainsations, IPCR are the bodies that need funds to work very hard to ensure that crimes are prevented and peace achieved in the state.
“Peace is very paramount in the growth and development of any nation, therefore these groups need to be empowered to assist government in the capacity of preventing crime through factual reports on security issues and conflict resolutions.
She said that the government needs to have strong inter-agency programmes and capacity building for women organisations to be well trained on what to do to assist in preventing crimes and building peace.
She said that women need to be trained on early warning and early response and information gathering to enable them give out quality information to the government once they notice any wrong behavior instead of living in fear.
“If the women are well trained on what to do anytime they notice any attitude that is anti-progressives, they will play the role of pushing urgent information on any ill behaviors to relevant bodies.
“If the women, especially mothers are well informed, they would be in a position to question their children and relatives who engage in anti-social behaviors.
“The ability of the mothers to question the strange achievements of their children, would instill fears in their minds and make room for good behaviors of the young adult.
“Such checks would stop engagement of activities considered by government to be anti-development by the people, thereby enthroning sanity in the society,” she said.
Uzodinma said that IPCR is located across the country, as the Head, Peace building Zonal Office in the South East is domiciled in Anambra.
She said it is the duty of IPCR to partner the governor to achieve peace-building and conflict resolutions.
Uzodinma commended the governor for the strategy applied to tackle the security challenges of the state and urged him to partner IPCR and related agencies to achieve resounding successes in areas of peace-building and insecurity fallout.
Dr Paschal Agbodike, Deputy Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, representing Ihiala II constituency, urged all agitators for Biafra to embrace the way of peace so that their goal would be achieved on the table of dialogue.
Agbodike said that the zone had suffered lots of economic and social development problems since the struggle started in August 2021 and that nothing meaningful would be achieved on the grounds of war.
He commended the governor for his all-inclusive leadership and appealed for its sustenance so that the state and other states in the south east would experience lasting peace and return back to its normal business life.
Mr Chris Azor, Chairman, Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET) and Co-Chair, Open Government Partnership (OGP), said that he was happy for the active participation of the group in the security and Peace building Summit, hosted by the governor.
Azor said that the event was borne as a result of civil society pressure to have the State Government embrace dialogue as an imperative means of finding a lasting solution to the current insecurity in Anambra and indeed the entire Southeast.
“The civil society is of the opinion that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), should be released on bail to enable more discussions and lasting settlement.
“We are also of the view that the southeast should be given the opportunity to produce the next president of Nigeria for Justice and equity.
“The civil war cannot be said to have truly ended, when an Igbo man cannot have the opportunity to lead Nigeria, since the end of the civil war.
“We implore the State Government to institutionalise Social Protection and security, as there is currently no social protection policy in the State.
“Retirees don’t get pension as and when due. Old people and youth without employment are not catered for. Citizens are not ready to die for the State and country.
“There is need for good governance, transparency and accountability, consultative and inclusive Permanent Dialogue Mechanism, and engagement with citizens.
“The Government needs to partner with civil society and Non State Actors for growth and sustainable development,” Azor said.
Mrs Franca Nwigbo, President General of Nawfia community in Njikoka local Government Area, who was in attendance, said that the idea of the governor to call all stakeholders irrespective of the political parties was amazing.
Nwigbo said that the governor’s all-inclusive style and dialogue leadership skills would yield progressive results on security and conflicts resolutions.
Mr Cyprian Okereke, the chairman of Orumba South local government areas of Anambra, pledged his support to ensure that normalcy in education, work and business returns in full in the state.
“Force can never achieve any better results in human management,” he said and commended the ability of the governor to apply wisdom in handling the insecurity challenges of the state.
