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Ohanaeze Ndigbo Urges South-East to Avoid Protests
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the leading Igbo socio-cultural organization, has urged South-East states to refrain from participating in nationwide protests scheduled for August 1-10, 2024. These protests, organized by various groups, aim to address the escalating living costs and hardships faced by Nigerians. Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, released a statement explaining the organization’s stance, citing historical instances where Igbo people have disproportionately suffered during major protests and riots.
Isiguzoro referred to events like the 1978 “ALI MUST GO” protests, the 1989 anti-SAP riots, the 1993 June 12 protests, the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, and the 2020 END SARS protests, highlighting significant losses of life and property for the Igbo community. The organization emphasized that the prevailing security challenges in the Southeast region make it impossible to conduct safe protests, and participation could exacerbate existing security issues, leading to further chaos.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo also expressed concerns that Igbos could once again be perceived as sacrificial lambs in the upcoming protests, urging Igbo residents in the northern states and the Southwest to boycott the protests for their safety. The organization stressed that the primary focus for the Southeast region should be the release of Nnamdi Kanu, rather than engaging in nationwide protests.
Nigerian news analyst, Mahmud Jega, has shared his opinion on the recent airstrike carried out by the United States in Nigeria, stating that Nigerians should not blame President Bola Tinubu for the incident.
Jega made this statement during a recent interview, where he said he does not believe many people will hold the Tinubu administration responsible, as Donald Trump had issued threats against Nigeria long before Tinubu’s administration.
“No, I don’t think many people will blame the Tinubu administration for what is happening now because President Donald Trump, when he first made the threats, it was clearly not in coordination with the Tinubu administration or the government of Nigeria,” Jega said.
It has been reported that the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in the northwest region of Nigeria. The order was reportedly given by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
He added, “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared the holiday dates for the festive season.
Thursday, December 25 will be observed as Christmas Day, December 26 as Boxing Day, and Thursday, January 1 as New Year’s Day.
The declaration was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. He also added that Nigerians should celebrate the holidays in faith and pray for the nation.
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