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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has called on Igbo at home and in the Diaspora to discover, cherish and be proud of their ancestral descent.
Iwuanyanwu, who led the national executive of the group to the home of the late Emmanuel Agumah of Rivers State, whose wife, Hannah, celebrated her 85th birthday, said it was wrong for anybody from the Igbo speaking areas of the country to say he was not Igbo.
“It is absurd for someone whose name is Okechukwu, Amaechi, Nwankwo, Opara, Adanma or Ulunma to turn around to say he is not an Igbo man,” he said.
He said Agumah, who hailed from Ikwerre, was among the foremost leaders that drafted and set up Ohanaeze Ndigbo to ensure Igbo wherever they are, speak with one voice and are protected.
Iwuanyanwu said Agumah believed strongly in Ohanaeze Ndigbo and wondered why some people from Ikwerre and other Igbo speaking areas of Rivers State would deny their ancestral descent which their forebears protected, defended, discovered and cherished.
He recalled how Agumah, Okogbule Wonodi, Ellah and Obi Wali were among the top founders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
Iwuanyanwu advised the present crop of Igbo speaking areas in Rivers State to retrace their steps and toe the line of their fathers who believed they were Igbo.
Iwuanyanwu, who noted that all Igbo speaking people of Delta State believe that they are Igbo, revealed those who were ceded to other states have been appealing to him to ensure they rejoined their kits and kin in the zone.
He commended Mrs. Agumah who he described as an honest and steadfast great woman leader on her 85th birthday anniversary.
The first son of the Agumah family, Igor Agumah, commended Iwuanyanwu for leading the national executive of the organisation to be with them at their mother’s 85th birthday anniversary.
