Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has condemned the “persistent” aversion to people of Southeastern extraction, which he describes as Igbophobia.

Speaking at an event in Anambra State to commemorate Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s one year in office, Obasanjo recalled his work with the professor of economics as well as the current Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

In Obasanjo’s administration which spanned 1999 to 2007, Soludo served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while Okonjo-Iweala was the Minister of Finance.

The former president stated that Soludo, who worked closely with him as an economic adviser, “never misadvised me”, and the economist’s performance impressed him so much so that he was asked to lead the apex bank.

According to the 85-year-old statesman, Soludo was the second Nigerian CBN governor who was not a commercial banker of some sort.

However, soon after appointing the academic, Obasanjo found himself being confronted by a dissenting voice.

“Somebody came to me and said, ‘Wow! You have ruined the economy of Nigeria.’ I said, ‘How?’ He said, ‘An Igbo woman, Minister of Finance; an Igbo man, Governor of the Central Bank? Then you have clearly completed the task of ruining the economy of Nigeria.’

“I don’t know why he said that, except for what I can call Igbophobia, and I don’t take that lightly. It remains, it persists. But when you have that type of thing that was said to me and the type of thing that you know is going on, as I have just called it, what do we do with it?

“I believe we have to go back to the scripture, which says we must conquer evil with good. And whoever you are, wherever people are afraid of you, you must make yourself friendly to those who are afraid of you and earn their friendship by being good to them, and that is what we have to do,” Obasanjo said.

The former president noted from his personal experience, nothing wins friendship like one being friendly.

He added that the appointments of Okonjo-Iweala and Soludo were “probably the best of the appointments that I made when I was president”.

AgubataAkokwa:
Ike Ekweremadu was convicted of organ trafficking in UK 🇬🇧 and Igbos are not supporting him because he committed a crime.

Bola Tinubu was convicted of drug trafficking in USA 🇺🇸 and some Yorubas are supporting him because he is a Yoruba man.

We Yoruba should learn from Igbos and stop supporting crime because it was committed by our brother.

Other tribes in Nigeria now see Yorubas as ethnic bigots due to our actions.

Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere

NaijaRoyalty:

This clearly shows that the yorubas supports criminals

Kabirudeen25:
Maybe some bastards with low self esteem will call him omo ale. Very stupid people

Debater:


Shush!!
You're even still inciting more ethnic hatred

CXLVII:
Igbo’s planted the seed of the tree they are reaping from!



When Kanu was sowing and propagating hate, “ALL” Igbos were clapping for him, that he became a leader and celebrity.

What were they expecting will to reap? Love?

If we consider the insults that was rained on the Northerners, just because of the hate they have for Buhari, then they deserve every bit of hate they getting!

You cannot sow beans and harvest yams!

EmeeNaka:
Hmm
I thought this 'igbophobia' is online thing, but it's clear that it's not.
Nigeria need restructuring. We need to decentralise immediately, otherwise, the risk of spontaneous violence cannot be ruled out. So many problems are stretching Nigeria existence from multiple direction. No country like Nigeria run a semi-unitary Presidential system of government. We must return back to 1963 model now

CXLVII:
Igbo’s planted the seed of the tree they are reaping from!



When Kanu was sowing and propagating hate, “ALL” Igbos were clapping for him, that he became a leader and celebrity.

What were they expecting will to reap? Love?

If we consider the insults that was rained on the Northerners, just because of the hate they have for Buhari, then they deserve every bit of hate they getting!

You cannot sow beans and harvest yams!

JOemmy:


When did kanu appeared? The igbophobia have been there before kanu appeared on the scene in fact it was actually because of it that made kanu popular in the east.

NaijaRoyalty:

They called Vice President Yemi Osibanjo "Omo Ale and Odale" for exercising his constitutional right to contest for Presidency against Tinubu so I won't be surprised if they call chief Obasanjo Omo ale

inoki247:



And what did you call Soludo for having a different opinion...



I remember when you start jumping from one thread to another that he should goan ask for forgiveness from ur lord...

NaijaRoyalty:

Ore, we are not fighting . This is a public forum and I have right to my opinion .

AgubataAkokwa:
Other tribes in Nigeria now see Yorubas as ethnic bigots due to our actions.Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere

NaijaRoyalty:

This clearly shows that the yorubas supports criminals

inoki247:



Don't hide your hypocrisy...

You people av also called Soludo names and even threaten his family just because he was expressing is constitutional right of Freedom of speech...

CXLVII:
Igbo’s planted the seed of the tree they are reaping from!



When Kanu was sowing and propagating hate, “ALL” Igbos were clapping for him, that he became a leader and celebrity.

What were they expecting will to reap? Love?

If we consider the insults that was rained on the Northerners, just because of the hate they have for Buhari, then they deserve every bit of hate they getting!

You cannot sow beans and harvest yams!

JOemmy:



The only solution is actually a restructured nigeria where all three major ethnic groups will live a little bit apart and run their own affairs but some of those that captured power violently few years ago won't hear anything of such they hate the people of the south south and south east but don't hate their God given natural resources.