The apex Socio-cultural organization of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has said the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, may plunge the state into another heavy security challenges by his unguarded utterances.
The National President of the Council, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, made the remarks while speaking to newsmen at Enugu on Thursday, September 29.
Comrade Igboayaka described Prof. Soludo as “eze onye agwala m’, (the king that takes no advice from anybody), who could plunge the state into another heavy security challenges by his utterances.
The Council, which advised the Governor to desist from criminalizing Ndigbo, decried the display of flippancy by the former, saying the state could experience more intense crisis if proper care is not exercised.
Igboayaka urged Soludo to approach governance with what he described as “measured and mature manner.”
Speaking, he said: “Soludo must seek proper consultation and listening to those that can offer best ideas of insecurity in the state irrespective of the persons class.
“It’s on record that the same Soludo accused Goodluck Jonathan falsely during the run-up to 2015 presidential election.
“As he measured 100% crime perpetuators are Ndigbo, he has given sponsors of insecurity in the zone opportunity to act more by giving it ethnic connotation.
“Governor Soludo has become power drunk and like the biblical Devil that accuses mankind before God, hence “the accuser of the brethren” as in the words of Apostles Paul, Governor Soludo has become the accuser of Ndigbo in crime related matters before well-meaning Nigerians.”
Speaking further, the embittered Igbo youths National President explained that “crimes are profiled by “gangster or individuals”, noting that globally, crime profiling is not done by ethnicity or religion.
“Criminality has no ethnicity, religion or family,” he stressed.
He insisted that Soludo could not be exonerated from the guilt of involvement in criminal activities rampaging the State.
“He, the latter, is yet to retrieve arms from young men whom he and his counterparts used as thugs during the 2021 Anambra gubernatorial election
“Gov. Soludo has given a social stigma of crime and criminality to Ndigbo, and on this, he has shown a high level of irresponsibility and poor information management.
“Ndigbo are not associated with crime; almost 95% of crime are done by politicians and the youths they armed during election for thuggery which Gov. Soludo can’t exonerate himself. Gov. Soludo should identify those he armed and those his political opponents armed during election and take arms out from them. Crime must be fought with every sincerity, not public hypocritical outcry.
“As a Governor whose first steps signify failure, he assembled comedians, entertainers to lead a sensitive “Security Committee” in Anambra. That committee with the likes of Odinkalu, Onyeka Onweni etc has died a natural death, because while constituting the “Security Committee” he refused to consult widely as “Eze Onye Agwala m” (King that takes no advice from anybody)
“Governor Soludo must listen to the voice of reasoning; those that have advised him to “sit up to fashion out an Anambra laws and policy that present certain expectations of governance for the people, and duties of government to the people, dynamic and effective criminal justice system; and what negligence to citizens of the state can necessitate.
“Declaring confrontational war to criminals as if we’re in a battle field is a glaring show of inexperience about strategic governance in a state of crime. Gov. Soludo method of fighting crime is a direct threat to lives of Igbo youths in Anambra, it is a subtle means to eliminate Igbo youths in Anambra.”
The Council advised the Governor to rather consider erecting a correctional facility in the State a more feasible way to combat terrorism other than ethnic profiling.
“He has to build good correction centers in Anambra instead of this ethnic profiling self glory method. As a talkative Governor, he started initially by saying most of the criminals were not from Anambra as if Anambra people are angels and now it is Igbos, as if other Nigerians are angels.
“Soludo must now use all high-flying promises of using his connections to bring investment to Anambra, the time is now. He still has up to three years left”.
He, therefore, implored the leaders of Catholic church and traditional institutions in Anambra to collaboratively wage war against Soludo’s unguarded utterances.
“I’m, therefore, calling upon, the Catholic church (Bishops), Anglican church and Ndi-Eze in Anambra to rise up now to caution Gov. Charles Soludo to apologize to Ndigbo for criminalizing, and mind his utterance before he leads Ndi Anambra into more danger,” Igboayaka stated. Read more.