By Simeon Mpamugoh
Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) Aguene Art Foundation (AAF) and president Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State, Eze Solomon Ogbonna, has called on the President General of Ohanaeze Ndiigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, to strive to preserve the collective cultural heritage of Ndiigbo as a legacy that would outlive him.
He said this against the backdrop of the recent visit of Chief Iwuanyanwu to the palace of Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, which did not factor in the contribution of the executive members of the Lagos chapter of the sociocultural group.
Ogbonna advised the national body to appoint Charles Odunukwe, a tourism and hospitality expert, who can sacrifice time and money for the interest of Ndigbo in Nigeria and Diaspora.
He said, “Odunukwe can make sacrifices for the betterment of Ndigbo. He is a man I respect so much and will listen to anytime irrespective of the fact that I have a consent judgment with certified True copy (CTC) that would expire in 2026.”
Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu was in Lagos recently where he paid a courtesy visit to the Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu. He noted that what he had been preaching to Ndigbo in Lagos State was the same thing the Apex leader re-echoed during his visit. He gave stewardship steps taken when he was elected in 2018 to boost the inter ethnic relationship between the Yoruba and Igbo in Lagos.
He recalled, “Immediately I won the election, my first assignment was to visit the Oba of Lagos in company of prominent Igbo leaders like former military vice president, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, who was also the chairman of my inauguration committee, late Professor George Obiozor, Sidney Dikee, etcetera.
“During the visit, I presented a masterpiece artwork (a beautiful Igbo woman carved with wood) worth millions of naira to the Oba of Lagos, and to call for peace between the two ethnic groups, especially considering what happened in the 2015 general elections when Ndigbo supported Jimi Agbaje against Akinwunmi Ambode, who was the Oba’s candidate and choice of the people of Lagos.”
He urged the Iwuanyanwu-led national body to initiate close door meetings with some eminent Igbo leaders in the state, even as he extolled Odunukwe’s commitment to the course of Ndiigbo in the state. “There are very few people like him who can make sacrifices to help their tribes,” he remarked.
He said it was unfortunate that some people would see his concern for the promotion of Igbo culture and quality assurance leadership team in the South West zone as controversial, adding that it was better to set the records straight, because It was only truth that can set the people.
He urged Iwuanyanwu to listen to wise counsel from those who matter in Igbo cultural tapestry with a view to collectively preserving the people’s heritage, “I remember a meeting I had with Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of Afenifere in Lagos, alongside John Nnia Nwodo, Supol Shonibare, late Yinka Odumakin. e.t.c. He told me to try, as much as possible, to walk in consideration and inclusion with everyone without fear or favour.
He further said, “I’m over 90 years old. So, I’m in the departure hall waiting for God’s announcement. This advice is true for Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. There are a lot of things missing in Ohanaeze Ndigbo which need to be tidied up. I don’t like to flaunt my achievements especially in the visual art and culture sector where I operate, but let me humbly say I have attended more than 20 art exhibitions and auctions in the western world.
“So profile is not important to me. What interests me most is the result. I call on my Igbo brother and leader, Chief Iwuanyanwu, to work toward entrenching a good legacy, which will outlive his generation by uniting all the factions of the group through roundtables. He has to leave a good legacy by being circumspect in appointing people to positions in the South West zone so that they will not destroy the culture and reputation that took us many years to build.”