OPINION: Why I found Ohaneze's press statement very disappointment – Ohaeri

As written by Victoria Ohaeri

I find that Ohaneze press statement very disappointing. Here are my reasons:

When I was invited early this year to speak at the South East Youth Summit on the alienation of Igbo youth in Nigeria, I switched the subject and talked about how Igbo leaders marginalize their own youth. I cited many examples to demonstrate that mentorship is alien to Igbo elite circles. You should not blame them. The present Igbo elite were also alienated by the leaders before them, and were only inducted into the elite club after 'they had made it' either educationally, economically or politically. As you can see, the problem we currently have on our hands is probably, cultural.

IPOB is populated by the critical mass of disenchanted youth across the Southeast, tired of the political opportunism, institutionalized margination and under-development of the region. Ohaneze, on the other hand, is populated by the older generation of Igbo elites recently forced together by the emergence of Nnamdi Kanu. In other words, Ohaneze Ndigbo, before Kanu emerged, historically had no clear agenda either for themselves or for the region. The popularity of IPOB forced them to regroup and have a rethink.

Having said that, Ohaneze and IPOB have different, but important, roles to play. They need each other. When it comes to providing strategic direction or handling diplomatic inter-regional negotiations, Ohaneze is the door to knock at. When it comes to mass mobilization and group action, IPOB is it. Ohaneze clearly lacks the capacity to play IPOB's role and vice versa. Comparing the two bodies reeks of myopia.

So, was there any need for Ohaneze to denounce IPOB to make their point? That was a totally miscalculated, needless move. Consequently, discordant tunes rent the air regarding what the collective demands of the region are. Everyone is talking at the same and nobody is listening to the other.  In Igbo folklore, it is the elders that are blamed when a goat entangles itself with the rope in the ban. That is why Ohaneze  should be blamed for the current confusion in the land. They have failed to provide an inclusive decision-making arena and the mentorship support that IPOB seriously needs. They have failed to discern and separate issues that should be resolved internally from issues that should be discussed at the village square. They have chosen to wash their dirty linens in public and play in the fields of eye-service, seeking applause from quarters that mock them behind the curtains. By doing all these, they have smothered the fire of confusion.

What is the way forward? I don't even know. But I know they will read this post. As our people say: onye mara asu, ya suo n'ikwe. Onye na-amaghi asu, ya suo na ala.