Evangelist Elliot Uko is the founder of Igbo
Youth Movement and leader South-East
Democratic Coalition. In this interview, he
speaks on the Buhari Presidency and other
national issues. Excerpts:

How is the South-East welcoming the new
government?
We, in the South-East, voted massively for
President Jonathan, and our candidate
didn’t win. So, normally, adjusting to the
reality will take some time. Some clever
people will like to exploit the situation to
drive their own personal agenda, and cloak
it as if it is the South-East agenda, and
these are to be expected.

The youth wing of Ohanaeze is allegedly
giving President Buhari, a list of people to
appoint as ministers. Is this a South-East
agenda?
I am embarrassed by that. The same
Ohanaeze youths went to Otuoke to
welcome Jonathan the day he returned
there. The following week, they issued a
statement calling on the Buhari regime to
come and collect a list of the PDP South-
Easterners who just finished working with
Jonathan, who they want him to prosecute.
The same Ohanaeze youths called for
Uwazurike’s arrest. When I phoned
Uwazurike, he said he believed it was the
elders that wanted to sacrifice him, and use
his blood to endear themselves to Buhari.
The same Ohanaeze Youths said that they
are now another Ojukwu, to fight Buhari.
The same Ohaneze Youths are now giving
Buhari, a list of people to employ. It’s
obvious they can’t do all these without
their elders prodding them, but the
desperation to endear themselves to
Buhari is embarrassing the entire Igbo
nation.
Not even Arewa, not the Afenifere, has
drawn a list for Buhari. People are
wondering why Ohanaeze Youths should be
drawing a list of ministers for Buhari. I
don’t speak for Ohanaeze. I don’t even
know the one which is the right Ohanaeze.
There is so much confusion. I’ve stayed
away from them for a long time. I’ve not
spoken to any of their leaders for more
than two years.

Do you have faith in President Buhari to
rebuild Nigeria?

President Buhari has said he is ready to
rebuild Nigeria. It is wrong to doubt him.
The proper thing to do is to believe him,
support him, and pray for him. If he fails, it
will not be because we failed to support
him.
If he treats Ndigbo well, do you think they
will swing with the APC?

I don’t care about APGA, APC, Labour
Party, PDP, whatever, I don’t belong to any
one. But I do not think that it’s fair for
anybody to expect Ndigbo to now suddenly
become the undertakers of the PDP.
Some years ago, I was in the sitting-room
of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu,
and he asked a top PDP man in the room,
‘Is it true that in the hall where Obasanjo
announced that he had chosen Yar’Adua to
run for President, that there was no Igbo
man there?’ The PDP man said yes, and
Ojukwu wept.
Ojukwu wept because at that time, the
Secretary of PDP was an Igbo man, Ojo
Maduekwe. But in the hall where Obasanjo
invited other people and announced that
he had decided to nominate Umaru
Yar’Adua as the President, there was no
Igbo man there.

It was Ahmadu Ali that picked up the
phone and called Ojo Maduekwe to inform
him. So the PDP has always excluded
Ndigbo, in their arrogance. So, if Ndigbo
decide to be undertakers of PDP, so help
them God. The political dynamics of Nigeria
has never involved Ndigbo, because Ndigbo
are upright, sincere, and fair-minded. What
Ndigbo want from Nigeria is a just,
equitable country that is fair to all. Other
people want a Nigeria where they will
control and intimidate others. Others want
a Nigeria where one of their own will be
Head of State. Other people want a Nigeria
where Ndigbo will be oppressed and
sidelined, so that they will feel that they
are the ones in charge, but Ndigbo don’t
dream of afflicting anybody.

If President Buhari gives Ndigbo a true
sense of belonging, do you think Ndigbo
will embrace APC?
The answer is neither here nor there. What
I want President Buhari to know is that if
he doesn’t give Ndigbo a sense of
belonging, then those elders who told us
that he is an Igbo-hater will be correct, will
be proven right. If he gives Ndigbo a sense
of belonging, by listening to our cry to
restructure this country, Ndigbo will finally
come to see that he is not the evil as we
have been told, and Ndigbo will begin to
appreciate him, to work with him, maybe
even embrace him. The choice is entirely
his. We are a people oppressed and
marginalized. We came into Nigeria with all
our heart, but some other people
convinced themselves that they had to
blackmail Ndigbo in order for them to
remain relevant.
When the FCT was constituted and built, go
and check the records, the people that
allocated the lands at the FCT made sure
that Igbo people got less than 5 per cent of
all the allocations. 20 years on, Ndigbo own
almost half of Abuja. How? Because they
bought from those who got the allocations.
Those who got the allocations finally sold
their allocations to the Igbo.
The degree of envy towards the Igbo man
is so frightening. Just look at this. Some
people are working hard so that President
Buhari will not appoint an Igbo man as the
Secretary to the Government of the
Federation. That is the degree of the
hatred towards the Igbo man.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/buhari-adjusting-to-reality-will-take-ndigbo-some-time-uko/

loquacious is allowed.

chowlade:
loquacious is allowed.

Ma lady!

Soo many empty comments, lemme climb my bike n cooontiiiinuee. But Igbos should hav voted Chris Ngige nw chai xhai zhai

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Ndigbo don't want to comment issokay