President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu, has urged the Igbo to ensure that only quality men and women with outstanding pedigree are elected to the organisation’s National Executive Committee (NEC) come January 10, 2025.

Chukwu stated this during his inaugural meeting with the NEC at the organisation’s National Secretariat in Enugu, according to a statement issued by its spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia.

He explained that the Igbo are one of the leading lights of Africa, and for that trajectory to be sustained, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo must be strengthened with officers of sterling and accomplished qualities.

The President General emphasised that the effectiveness and viability of any organisation or government are a function of its leadership recruitment process.

He expressed delight that the Imeobi Ohanaeze has resolved to establish a screening committee to ensure that the incoming NEC comprises men and women with sound education, integrity, vision, knowledge of Igbo cultural and ethical values, innovativeness, and collaborative corporate relations, among other qualities.

“The Igbo leader recalled with nostalgia the enviable Igbo unity during the Dr M. I. Okpara regime, which propelled the Igbo to become one of the most educated ethnic groups in Africa,” the statement said.

“During the Okpara regime, almost all the schools, churches, markets, hospitals, and other social facilities were built through organised town unions.

“There were farm settlements that provided the necessary agricultural techniques for improved farming activities. There was food sufficiency in Igbo land. But, most regrettably, subsequent Igbo leaders appeared to have abandoned their responsibilities,” it said.

Chukwu informed the NEC that it was the combination of Igbo internal peace, unity, and food security on the one hand and credible, accountable governance on the other that made Eastern Nigeria one of the fastest-growing economies in the world under Okpara.

In a related development, Chukwu said the Nigerian government has no sufficient reason to continue to detain the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

He emphasised that “the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a moral burden on the Federal Government”, adding that “there is no sufficient reason for the prolonged detention of Kanu by the security agency of the state”.

He stated that although his days in office were numbered, he was determined to leave behind an impressive legacy.