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The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, has lamented that forty-eight years after the Nigeria /Biafra War, the obnoxious “abandoned property” law in Rivers State was yet to be abrogated.
Speaking as a Special Guest of Honour at the convocation lecture of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on Wednesday, Chief Nwodo regretted that since all the governors of Rivers State had been of Igbo extractions, it was unfortunate that forty-eight years after the end of the War, none of them had, in the spirit of brotherliness, reconciliation and fair play, thought of expunging it from the state status.
The President General reminded the people of Rivers State that the war was over and that they should disabuse their minds of the divisive seed sown between brothers for political gains and assert their Igboness by reverting to their proper Igbo names which were adulterated during the civil war such as Rumuokoro instead of Umuokoro, Wachukwu instead of Nwachukwu, etc.
He, therefore, urged the transport minister, Chief Chibuike Amaechi, who owned up to being of Igbo extraction, to assert his Igbo lineage by ensuring that Ndigbos have a fair share of what is due to them and called for the expunging of the abandoned property law which he said was discriminatory.
In his response, Chief Amaechi, who was the Guest Speaker on the occasion, admitted that abandoned property law was unfair, pointing out that it was responsible for the abandonment of Portharcourt for Lagos by Ndigbo for commercial activities and investments and lent his voice to its abrogation.
The Transport Minister regretted that the issue was not raised during his tenure as governor of Rivers State, adding that in view of the contributions of Ndigbo to the development of the country, they did not deserve any form of injustice.
He promised to protect the interest of Ndigbo in the planned rail line constructions of the present administration.
