The Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, has taken an exception to the comment made by the Chairman of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council of Elders, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, which appeared to have ridiculed the Yoruba race.
Afenifere said it had been inundated with complaints from sons and daughters of Yoruba extraction hence its reaction.
In a statement issued by the National Organising Secretary of the group, Abagun Omololu on Sunday, March 26, 2023, and titled ‘Re: The divisive Awka comment by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,’ the Afenifere alleged that Iwuanyanwu maligned the Yoruba race.
This followed the Ohanaeze leader’s remarks in Anambra on Saturday where he described as “political rascals” those individuals fanning the embers of ethnic discord in Lagos.
While condemning the reported attacks on Igbos in Lagos during the just concluded governorship and national assembly elections, Iwuanyanwu insisted that there was no war between South-Westerners and Easterners in the state.
“We are in Nigeria and we have invested in Nigeria. Our investments are so much. We are not going to take the pressure of people telling us to go. We are not going anywhere.
“I want to tell those in Lagos to realize that there is no war between us (Igbo) and Yoruba. They are just political rascals, and we’re going to handle them,” the Ohanaeze leader said.
Meanwhile, Afenifere said it would reach out to the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo to seek an understanding of why Iwuanyanwu made the comment.
Omololu’s words: “We hereby call on Ohanaeze to warn the Chief not to insult the Yoruba. We are a proud nation. We are a hospitable race. All these should not be interpreted to mean weakness. In fact, it is a sign of being civilized. Enough of the provocation.
However, Omololu urged called for calm among the Yoruba and urged them to maintain peaceful and loving relationships with the Igbo and indeed every Nigerian.
The Afenifere Secretary expressed the belief that humanity is more important than the divisive antics or loose remarks made by any individual or group.
Omololu’s words: “We are one people under one nation and one God. The Yoruba have a long history of association and partnership with our Igbo brothers and sisters. Our diversity is one of Nigeria’s strengths in the comity of nations and we should not allow politics, religion, ethnicity, or anything else to divide us.
“We urge all Yoruba to continue to relate well with all other ethnic groups in Nigeria and abroad.
“The Yoruba are known worldwide as promoters of peace, unity, and orderliness. We should hold on strongly to those virtues in the interest of peace, progress, and prosperity in Nigeria and the world.”
