Igbo disunity is a problem of leadership – Nzurumike
OKANU EMELUMBA
As the Igbo community in Lagos honour her distinguished daughters and sons, one of the leaders, Mr. Samuel Nzurumike said that the problem of the Igbo in Disapora is leadership. Nzurumike, who spoke in Lago, said that the major problems is the neglect of the founding fathers like himself and others. He said that the origin of the Igbo community as a body in Lagos started at Ijora Badia, Lagos in 1994. According to him, after the June 12 crisis, the Igbo faced serious attacks and challenges from the indigenes in Lagos in Ijora area of Lagos. Faced with the problem of being pushed out of Lagos and as a consequence total business loss, he as a person rallied round the Igbo to get organised and defend themselves. The resultant meeting according to him gave birth to Igbo speaking community and later the Eze-Igbo which later became the focal point of the people. While acknowledging that this is a positive development on the side of the Igbo, Nzurumike pointed out that the spirit and purpose of the formation has since been neglected, because the present leadership of the Igbo community has neglected the original founders.

Said he, “those who claim to be leaders of the Igbo community at present seem not to understand the spirit behind the formation. No person seems to be bordered on the defence of the Igbo interest and therefore disunity has become the order of the day. The way and manner, most of the Eze-Igbo are selected, he said calls for proper scrutiny by the officials of the Igbo-speaking community and the Eze in council. Nzurumike, who pointed fingers at Eze Hycent Ohazurumike for his being sidelined, called upon him to give him his due recognition and other founding fathers in the running of the affairs of the Igbo community. Since aftere the first Eze-Igbo of Badia in 1999 and Ohazurumike took over, the Igbo speaking community group inn Badia he said seemed to have been neglected. Nzurumike said his grouse is that he has not been given the necessary respect and recognition for the formation of the Igbo-speaking community. He said that he expects the Igbo speaking community to give award as the founding father of the community and bring him into the leadership of the community both at the state level and the national level.

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