Igbo Group Condemns Call For Odimegwu’s Sack

Chief Festus Odimegwu

Calls for the sack of the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu, by the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwakwanso, has been condemned by the Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Congress.

Chairman of the group, Chijioke Onyekaonywu, a former governorship candidate, and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Anambra State, Chief Stanley Okeke, in a joint statement stated that the nature of the calls by Kwakwanso had the capacity to create confusion and over heat the polity.

According to the statement, “The need to prevent threat to our national security and avoid further descend into anarchy and mutual distrust, have necessitated our taking this stride to address the dangerous and reckless attack on the person of Odimegwu by Kwankwanso.

“The nature and intent behind Kwankwaso’s attack have the capacity to create confusion, anarchy and further heat up the polity,” the statement added.

The duo noted that the statement on the poor credibility rating of the 2006 census in the country, credited to Odimegwu did not warrant the call for his head by Kwankwanso, adding that even in his capacity as just a citizen of Nigeria, he has the right to air his views.

“Odimegwu should be commended for being courageous enough to state the facts as they are. In fact, this is the type of leader Nigerians should be looking for those that would call a spade by its name. Let me state here and now that it will be suicidal for the federal government led by President Goodluck Jonathan to tamper with his appointment.

“The statement by Odimegwu represents the truth and the truth is always bitter to the crooked. Using the obtainable world standard as yardstick, where in the world do people living in the desert region more populated than the people living in the delta zone.

“China, India, United States and Brazil are all highly populated and are in the delta region while Morocco, Saudi, and other Middle East countries except those living in the delta region are sparsely populated due to the fact that they live in the desert region,” they stated.

The youths said it was only in Nigeria that the truth is placed on its head, noting that: “Kwankwanso and his co-travelers should learn to respect the truth and live with the fact that a lie can never be proved right no matter how long it has been peddled.

“Finally, we want to state clearly that any attempt to rubbish Chief Odimegwu on the grounds of this, his opinion will be seen as an attack on our collective psyche, and will be resisted squarely by the people of the South-east and every well thinking Nigerian.

“Nobody or group of persons can intimidate or hold this country to ransom. People like Kwankwanso should be reminded that nobody has a monopoly of any tactics of war or political maneuvers,” the statement read.