Ihedioha is expected at inaugural meeting of Imo State Presidents-General, says Anoruo

Success Damian:

Pastor Okechukwu Anoruo, President, Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos (ISTDAL) who doubles as the Diaspora President of Association of Imo Communities Presidents-General of Nigeria has disclosed that the Executive Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha would be among the crème de la crème expected at the inaugural meeting of Imo Communities Presidents-General of Nigeria.

Anoruo stated that the meeting would take place on the 20^th of July, 2019 at Imo State Liaison Office, Bishop Oluwale Close, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He said that the search for peace, not just for Imo State, but also for the well-being of her citizens in the Diaspora, has been on the front burner of discussions, hence the need for a grass-root association that would speak for the common Imolites outside their homeland.

“His Excellency, the amiable Governor of Imo State Hon. (Chief) Emeka Ihedioha is expected to grace the event, all our Imo president brothers, from Abuja to Zamfara, wherever they are outside Imo State are converging on 20th July, 2019, so we are also expecting all our well wishers in Lagos to come and join us to receive our August visitor. Also expected is the National President of Igbo Nationalities Emeka Diwe and all the presidents from the south east,” Anoruo disclosed.

Explaining reasons for the formation of the association, Pastor Anoruo who spoke in his office at Tejuosho Lagos said “What is happening in Nigeria today is crying for proper attention and expecting the state town unions to react as a grassroots association. 

“We are not saying Ohanaeze has failed us, but we want also to support and work hand in hand in lifting the voice of the common Igbo man mostly Imo people. You know Imo is always a pacesetter, where they always rise to the occasion, such that the other associations can join suit to come together. So coming together is not just easy, it is not politically motivated but coming up as how our sons and daughters are being treated in their various states, the Imos in Zafara, Abuja, Adamawa, when you hear that so so and so people are being killed, who are those people that are being killed. It is non-indigenes that are being killed. But because non prominent names, we don’t want to attach it a sentiment that will trigger national this thing, we decided to see how we can talk to ourselves and call for caution,” the president said.

 He spoke further “As a union we can call on the attention of the Governor, if necessary we can involve the local vigilante in our various communities, because most of us are in the Diaspora, the home land now is free, our wives are now overnight being made as widows, while the young ones are being made as orphans. So we don’t want such again,” he said.

Anoruo stressed that the nation cannot afford to be thrown into another civil war “Now they said there is RUGA. In every atom of nonsense there is always sense in it.  We don’t want tomorrow they baptize it with another name which can take all communities unaware. 

“We don’t want what happen in Nigerian civil war to repeat itself, all we are trying to say is we can bring ourselves together so as to call our youths to order to know the best approach anywhere we are to be careful and mindful of the kind of words to use in addressing all these issues, because all the issues are national issues, which if not properly checkmated or call our people to have a little symposium people can be speaking in different direction which can trigger a civil war. We don’t want a civil war in Nigeria.”

Anoruo who is also the Baba'loja of Tejuosho added that the town unions cannot fold hands and watch their people killed like slaves in their homeland ”So as a pacesetter state, we want to start by calling our own to order, it is a wakeup call, we cannot just be folding hands and watch our people being killed as slaves in our own homeland.”

He reiterated that the association is not displacing Ohanaeze “We are not supplanting Ohanaeze, but you know Town Unions are formed from kindred, towns to states. So we are well-rooted, when you say Ohanaeze, you will not see ohanaeze in your kindred, you can only see it in national or states, but from the kindreds our message will disseminate to the states. Where the RUGA wants to take place is it not in the villages, in the communities? Look at Igbo leaders who converged in London to speak in respect of what is happening in Nigeria, we don’t want to converge in London, we want to converge in Nigeria where the problem exists. 

Chairman of the Event Planning Committee, Chief Christ Ekeocha, Executive Member (ISTDAL) speaking on the extent of preparation for the occasion disclosed that the committee have made adequate preparation, “We have made arrangements, from picking our guests from the airport and making it smooth ride for them, and we are also looking at the accommodation part of it, so far we are working very hard to make sure that the day remains a huge success since it is an inaugural meeting.

“That day we are going to showcase many of our cultural dances, Igba Eze, those things are coming that day, there will be lectures, the president general will explain to the people why we are gathering, so we feel at the end of the day all of us will be united,” Okeocha said.

Other members of the committee include Hon. Tony Duru (Assistant Secretary General, ISTDAL), Mrs Flora Mbata (Assistant Welfare, ISTDAL), Mazi Kingsley Iwuanyanwu (Executive member ISTDAL).