My father would have been proud of Nnamdi Kanu’s Biafra agitation - Ojukwu’s son speaks

My father would have been proud of Nnamdi Kanu’s Biafra agitation - Ojukwu’s son speaks

- Emeka Ojukwu Jr, son of late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu said his father would have been proud of Nnamdi Kanu for agitating for Biafra

- The son of the late Igbo leader however said that he personally does not agree with Kanu over his method and most especially his hate speech

- He however called for unity and love among Nigerians

As the agitation for the independent state of Biafra continues, Emeka Ojukwu Jr, son of late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a legal practitioner, has bared his mind on the issue of Biafra and Nnamdi Kanu.

The son of the late Igbo leader said his father would have been happy with Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the indigenous People of Biafra for his agitation.

He however claimed that he does not agree with Kanu over his method and most especially the hate speech which has become hallmark of his agitation, Punch reports.

Speaking on the meeting between President Buhari and his late father, he admitted that his father actually visited the president but he was not privy to the meeting.

"I didn’t attend the meeting. I was not privy to what happened. But the indices point to the unassailable fact that the meeting (between Ojukwu and Buhari) held," he said.

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"Why I say so is, remember that Gen. (Olusegun) Obasanjo assumed power as a democratically elected president in 1999. I think the time of the meeting must have been the period leading to Obasanjo’s second term.

"At that time, there were people who felt he didn’t perform well. So, there was a build-up and upswell of political opinions to see what could be done either to change him or whatever. So, they must have met.

He however claimed that he does not agree with Kanu over his method and most especially the hate speech which has become hallmark of his agitation, Punch reports.

"The agitation of IPOB and MASSOB is a valid agitation. The only thing I hold against them is their methodology. But for somebody to fight for self-determination I do not see anything wrong in that. It is like a marriage; there are times the situation will be rosy and pleasant, there are times there will be some upheavals.

"So, we must give room for those things. No one should say those boys shouldn’t talk. They are allowed to talk. But what I am against or what I frown on is their taking over the road because when it comes to roads, there is what we call “access.” If a Yoruba man wants to go to Port Harcourt (Rivers State) or Aba (Abia State), you should not try to block the road, saying you want to vent your spleen because of some certain grievances.

"You’re obstructing him and if you succeed in doing that, you’re proving that there is no government and there is insecurity.

"If there is a need to demonstrate or do whatever, then they should go to a stadium, book the venue, go to the police to get a public permit to hold a demonstration and you can all stay in the stadium, have (a protest by) candlelight and get the media to cover the protest – that’s enough of a message to pass across to the world.

"It is better than recruiting a group of young children from the universities, indoctrinating them and pushing them to get on the roads to do whatever they think they like; acting that way doesn’t help anybody. Their agitation must be devoid of violence.

"Any agitation must be devoid of hate speech. The reality is that nobody has a monopoly of hate speech. Everybody should be civil in relating with their fellow men. We must eschew hate speech to avoid bad consequences," he added.

The son of the late Igbo leader also noted that his father would be proud of Nnamdi Kanu and his agitation for Biafra.

"Well, he’d be proud. He was not a jealous person – he was always very free. If you remember exactly what he said: ‘I hold the torch, but my problem is that I am looking around for a young man to pass on the torch.’ So, if Nnamdi Kanu shows that he is the person that will bear the torch, I don’t have any problem with that.

"But my problem with him is (that) the language being used (by him) is not refined – the language is heating up the polity. I pray that the meeting the South-East senators had with him will ensure that caution is exercised in the language used. I am a party to that. In fact, that (language used) was the dividing line between the two of us – it started when I said ‘don’t insult people’ and all that but he stuck to that. I didn’t want that to happen because I have a name to protect.

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"I think Nigerians should love one another and agitate within the confines of the law. I should also add that we know the history of Nigeria; when did we start to feel bad about one another? If we come to the conclusion that things were going on well until 1960 or 1963, then, why can’t we go back to that point and start from there?"

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Bianca, the widow of the late Biafra warlord Odumegwu Ojukwu, called on those asking residents of Anambra state to boycott the forthcoming governorship election to have a rethink or face the consequences.

Bianca also asked the agitators to commence the boycott in their own states and leave Anambra alone.

Watch this video as reactions continue to trail the establishment of the Biafra Security Service:

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Aanu Adegun avatar

Aanu Adegun Aanu Adegun is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in both digital and traditional media. A graduate of English Studies from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo state. Aanu joined Legit.ng in 2016 covering politics and current affairs. Aanu started his journalism career as a features writer. He once anchored some specialised pages of a national newspaper. You can reach him via - aanu.adegun@corp.legit.ng