Ohanaeze Presidency: Okiro is Our Choice, Says Igbo Elders’ Council
Former Inspector-General of Police, Mike Mbama Okiro, who is one of the persons contesting to be the next President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has received more endorsements as the Igbo Elders’ Council has made as Okiro choice.
Speaking on behalf of the council in a statement, Nze Uchechkwu Enweremadu, said “Okiro is the only living retired senior police officer to have worked with nine heads of state and presidents of Nigeria.”
According to him, Okiro is most suitable to lead Ndi-Igbo having worked with General Mohammadu Buhari, in 1983, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in 1985, Gen Sani Abacha in 1990, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1998, President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 1999, President Musa Yar’Adua in 2007, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, in 2010, President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015 and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when he was the Governor of Lagos State and Mike Okiro was his Commissioner of Police.
Enweremadu said:”Okiro has track records of solving the nation’s problems time and again. As a police officer, he was able to curb the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) incessant crisis in Lagos State that could have resulted in much more serious economic losses to Lagos.”
“His tactical wisdom in handling of that crisis saved Lagos State and the entire South-west region from serious breakdown of law and order.
His determination to restore normalcy in Lagos eventually repositioned the entire region to become the best regional economy in the country.”
The royal fathers noted that the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme was Okiro’s concept for the Niger Delta ex-militants.
“The Amnesty has halted further bloodshed of Nigerian youths in the Niger Delta region. That action saved the lives of tens of thousands of Nigeria’s youths from what could have become the greatest tragedy of our time from Nigeria’s own military onslaught on Nigeria’s youths,” he said.
He stressed that the Amnesty has also saved the lives of many security personnel because some of them were losing their lives in their efforts to curtail the excesses of the ex-militants while engaging them in gun battle.
“This very action also helped improved Nigeria’s economy. Again, in 24 hours after S Mike Okiro returned from the creeks after meeting with the militants, thousands of guns were surrendered, and the militants stopped their attacks on Nigeria’s oil infrastructure and Nigeria’s crude oil output rose from 600,000 barrel per day (BPD) to 1.6million BPD. Ndi-Igbo will surely benefit from Mike Okiro’s wealth of experience,” he advised.
He also disclosed that “ The militants didn’t hold him captive because of their trust and confidence in him as one of their brothers.”
Enweremadu insisted that Sir Mike Okiro is the best candidate for the position of Ohaneze Ndigbo, saying: “with Mike Okiro’s track records of helping to bring peace and economic stability to two geopolitical zones of South-west and South-south of Nigeria, we believe he can replicate same in the South-east of Nigeria and indeed all Igbo land by ending the isolation of Igbos in Nigeria. “
“We trust and believe in Mike Okiro’s world connections to bring peace and economic revival to Igboland and the borders of Nigeria. This is the kind of leader Igbos need to lead us at this critical time where building bridges across various divides has become imperative to achieve collective,” he declared.
