Ignore Edwin Clark’s request to remove Imo Abia and Ondo from the NDDC – Ohanaeze to Tinubu

The main Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned Niger Delta elder statesman Edwin Clark’s request to withdraw Abia, Imo, and Ondo States from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Clark’s approach, according to Ohanaeze, was nothing short of parochial savagery, diabolical, and harmful to national cohesiveness and togetherness.

The elder statesman had urged President Bola Tinubu to remove Abia, Imo, and Ondo from the NDDC by amending the 2000 Act that established the commission.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum’s head, PANDEF, stated that the inclusion of Abia, Imo, and Ondo States in NDDC was a political anomaly.

In response to the request, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the factional Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, encouraged Tinubu to disregard and dismiss Clark’s unhealthy “vituperation into the dustbin of history.”

Clark, he claimed, was encouraging ethnic intolerance, which “has no place in our diverse and multicultural society.”

“Rather than engaging in divisive rhetoric and exclusionary tactics, Ohanaeze Ndigbo expected Chief Edwin Clark to advocate for the gazetting of former President Buhari’s recognition of the Old Anambra River Basins as oil-producing states,” Isiguzoro said in a statement. This acknowledgment includes the states of Anambra, Enugu, and Kogi, which should be included in the NDDC. Chief Clark has demonstrated a flagrant disrespect for fairness and equity by neglecting this critical factor.

“Furthermore, in light of the economic hardships brought about by the elimination of fuel subsidies, Ohanaeze Ndigbo strongly condemns Chief Clark’s views.” His remarks are profoundly disappointing and unacceptable to us since they do not reflect the position of the Niger Delta area as a whole. Ethnic intolerance has no place in our country’s discourse, and leaders like Chief Clark must seek to promote unity and inclusion rather than plant seeds of discord.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reject Chief Clark’s exclusionary stance and rise above his divisive rhetoric.” We urge President Tinubu to maintain the values of equity and justice by include the Old Anambra River Basins in the NDDC. This action would not only correct historical injustices against the Igbo people, but it would also foster national cohesion, development, and unity.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo remains dedicated to the goal of achieving a united and prosperous Nigeria in which every ethnic group is given equal rights and opportunities.” We shall continue to campaign for the fair treatment of all regions and strive for a future marked by harmony, understanding, and shared wealth.”