… ­Says their victories a collective triumph for Ndigbo

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has congratulated the new leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on their emergence, stressing that Ndigbo were better together.

Mbah, who expressed happiness over the peaceful process and the outcome of the Friday election, described the election of the new Ohanaeze national executive as a collective victory for Ndigbo globally and reminded the new leadership of the pan-Igbo organisation that the Igbo nation was full of expectations, given their individual pedigrees.

The governor spoke when he received members of the new National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze led by the new President-General, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, in his office at the weekend.

He said, “I would like to start by heartily congratulating you all, on behalf of the Government and the people of Enugu State, on your election to lead this very important organisation. I can only imagine the weight of expectations that must be on your shoulders now.

“But as I said yesterday, this is not a personal triumph. We see it as a collective victory for Ndigbo.

“It is also a demonstration that we now have a solid succession pattern in Ohanaeze. The election was rancour-free, and I also take this opportunity to commend my brother governors who decided not to be passive, knowing how important this body is to the affairs of Ndigbo.

“We know you; we know your pedigrees and we also know that both your leadership experience and your intellectual pedigree preceded you. So, we have no doubt that the task ahead is one that you have the capacity to discharge. It is indeed an onerous task and it begins now, knowing all the existential threats we are all exposed to as Ndigbo.

“I did describe, in my metaphor of the arrow, how strong we will be if we are able to constitute ourselves as a quiver or a whole rather than just a single arrow. The same thing will go for the broom metaphor. You know you can easily snap a broomstick, but a bunch will almost be impossible to snap. So, I think my charge will be for us to forge a united front as a people in resolving all these challenges.

“We are stronger together. As I said yesterday, Ohanaeze Ndigbo represents the soul of our people. It is a very important organisation, which is why we are very happy with the profiles of people that have been elected to its headship.

“We are full of expectations and we pray God to imbue you with the wisdom of Solomon and great health to successfully pilot the affairs of the entire Ndigbo.”

Speaking earlier, Azuta-Mbata commended Governor Mbah for his leadership and pivotal roles in seeing to the success of the election.

He assured that the new executive would not fail Ndigbo and the nation in general, especially given the unprecedented support accorded them by the governors and Ndigbo.

“As you know, we have only just been sworn into office. You were gracious to be in attendance with your colleagues, the governors of all Igbo states, and it was unprecedented in the history of Ohanaeze Ndigbo meetings.

“So, we thought it appropriate to stop over and thank you for your immense efforts and support to Ohanaeze Ndigbo. We thought we should extend our gratitude to you and to the government and people of Enugu State for what you have done and continue to do,” he stated.