The South East Caucus of the National Assembly (NASS) has set up a committee to dialogue with the Federal Government (FG) for the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Leader of the caucus and Senator representing Enugu West, Senator Ike Ekweremadu made this known in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ekweremadu, who is also former Deputy President of the Senate, made this known when he briefed journalists at the end of the meeting of the caucus.
Recall that the Kanu was extradited from Kenya to face trial in Nigeria. His followers ordered a sit-at-home on September 14.
TNG reports daily activities were disrupted in the South East during the sit-at-home, and school students writing exams in Nkume, Imo state were attacked.
However, the South East NASS caucus has condemned in the strongest terms the attack on school students.
Ekweremadu stated that the mandate of the committee was to dialogue with the FG, and find a political solution for the release of the IPOB leader.
In a communique issued after the meeting, the South East Caucus of the National Assembly resolved to intervene in issue and detention of the IPOB leader.
“The South East Caucus of the National Assembly held an extraordinary session on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, to review developments in the South East, particularly the security situation in the region vis-à-vis the sit-at-home orders and the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“The Caucus elaborately discussed the issue of Mazi Nnamdi and resolved to intervene. To this end we resolved to set up a committee to constructively interface with relevant stakeholders, the Federal Government and its relevant agencies towards finding a political solution,” the communique reads in part.
The South East NASS caucus, however, “noted with delight” the call-off of the weekly sit-at-home in the South East by IPOB.
“The Caucus reviewed the sit-at-home orders by the IPOB and the mayhem some nefarious elements have seized the opportunity to visit on the lives, properties, and psyche of our people. The Caucus equally reviewed and rued the incalculable economic losses and hardships these have brought upon our region.
“The Caucus noted with delight that IPOB has called off the Monday sit-at-home order and resolved to ensure that nobody uses them as façades to bring ruination on Igbo land.
“We call on our people to go about their lawful businesses and enjoin our governors and the security agencies to rebuild confidence in our people by not only ensuring the security of their lives and properties, but also ensuring that our people feel safe as undertake their legitimate businesses”.
However, while expressing solidarity with the people of the region over what they described as injustices meted to them, the lawmakers them not to allow anyone to destroy what the Igbo built by their sweat.
“The Caucus expressed solidarity with our people of the South East over the marginalisation of the region in the scheme of things within the Nigerian commonwealth. The Caucus feels the pains of our people and their quest for equity, justice, and protection of their lives and property in every part of the country.
“We, however, appeal to our people not to allow anyone to destroy the South East region.
“The post-war South East was not built through government patronage, but largely by the sheer determination and sacrifices of our people, who refused to resign to fate or bow their heads in defeat.
“It is in Igbo land that you easily find hospitals, schools, roads, and other social amenities built by individual or communal efforts of the people, home and abroad, through the instruments of the town unions and other community organisations such as the age grades, Umuada, etc.
“The result is the comparative transformation witnessed in every nook and cranny of Igbo land post-civil war. Therefore, as a people, we cannot begin to undermine ourselves or become our own nemesis.
“Times like these call for introspection. We must also always bear in mind that our people thrive on industry, commerce, and the informal sector. Importantly, most of our people depend on daily income.
“Therefore, while we must fight for our rights and legitimately express our displeasures over every form of mistreatment, injustice, and inequity, we certainly cannot afford to be the proverbial lizard that ruined his mother’s funeral.
“Anything that threatens Igbo businesses, the peace, security, and stability of the South East threatens our very existence as a people.
“Consequently, bearing in mind that if we allow cracks in the wall, lizards will invade our home, we must all pull together as one people to discourage and resist any tendencies and actions, within or without, which pollute our business environments or encourages anarchy and instability in our region”.
The Caucus equally condemned in strong terms the disruption of examination in Imo State, saying it was not in the character of the region and called on the security agencies to fish out the culprits.
“We resolved to condemn in strongest terms the disruption of the ongoing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in some parts of the South East, particularly the incident at Comprehensive Secondary School, Nkume, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, where the English examination organised by the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, on Monday was ruthlessly scuttled by armed men, who chased away the students, teachers, and examiners before setting ablaze motorcycles belonging to the teachers.
“This is certainly not who we are as a people. We call on the security agencies to unravel the culprits behind these wicked acts and ensure that they are brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others”.
Meanwhile, they assured that they would “join hands with other patriotic Nigerians across regional, religious, political, and ethnic divides to reconstruct a federal system where our rights, happiness, and prosperity and those of our unborn generations are guaranteed”.
“We are resolved to continue to fight for a level-playing ground and an enabling federal system where Ndigbo are able to develop their homeland at their own pace and equally pursue their happiness and actaulise their enormous potentials in every part of the country, unmolested”, they added.
