Posted by During the 2024 Igbo Day celebration, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, urged Ndigbo to pray for God’s intervention to end the zone’s decades-long persecution, socioeconomic marginalization, and suffering.
In a statement released on Sunday, factional Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Okechukwu Isiguzoro said that the 2024 Igbo Day will be a time of holy thought and prayer in addition to a remembrance.
He claims that “Ozoemela” (Never Again), the overarching topic of the 2024 Igbo Day Prayers Conference, urges the Igbo people to put their differences aside and work together to mend and reconcile.
As we celebrate Igbo Day this year, the acclaimed leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has issued a statement urging the Igbo people to unite in their concern for the Igbo nation and to take action to alleviate their terrible situation.
Since the union of Nigeria in 1914, our motherland has been tormented by decades of oppression, socio-political marginalization, and insecurity, and our collective hearts are heavy with the unfathomable sorrow produced by these factors.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Constitution lays out the traditional values and traditions of our people, but our beautiful Southeast has descended into a pit of misery due to rising insecurity and poor government.
The continued exclusion has been a severe problem for our countrymen, especially the minority populations in the states where the Igbo language is spoken, as well as in Benue, Kogi, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers.
It has also been a grievance to our culture. In addition, our company communities in Nigeria’s northern and western areas are dealing with unfair obstacles that are affecting their ability to make a living.
In view of these immense hardships, we would like to offer our highest praise to the unwavering determination of every Igbo person who has shown extraordinary strength in the midst of ceaseless threats and conflicts.
A legacy of 110 years of selfless contributions to our nation and continent has been laid down by the Igbo people, whose entrepreneurial energy and perseverance have long been the bedrock of economic vibrancy in Nigeria and beyond.
Every one of us here today pays our deepest respects to those who came before us and to those who came after us.
We remember with sadness the brave women of the 1929 Aba Women’s War, the men and women killed in the coal mine disaster in Enugu, and the innocent people who died in the September 1966 killings and the 1968 Asaba Massacre.
More than three million Biafrans lost their lives in the Civil War; June 12, 1993, was a sorrowful day; and our people continue to be victims of violence inflicted upon them by state-sponsored organizations and criminal gangs.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo respectfully requests that all Igbos, both at home and in diaspora, observe a moment of quiet at precisely twelve noon local time on September 29, 2024.
We pause here today to remember the brave men and women whose lives were tragically cut short by the plagues of ethnic strife, state-induced disasters, and violent conflict.
A united statement of sorrow, respect, and admiration for those who fearlessly battled for our dignity and rights, we urge all Ndigbo to participate profoundly in this act of remembering.
“The 2024 Igbo Day will serve as a sacred moment of prayer and reflection in addition to a commemoration,” the statement read. Keeping our ancient ceremonies alive and paying tribute to our dead heroes are of the utmost importance.
As we gather in every Igbo-speaking state, including Anioma and Ikwerre in Delta and Rivers States, we shall pray and perform rites led by the respected Prince Dr. Richard Ozobu, Chairman of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Elders Council.
The subject of our 2024 Igbo Day Prayers Conference is “Ozoemela” (Never Again), and it urges us to put our differences aside and work together to mend and reconcile. This is more than just a moment of reflection; it’s a call to action to restore faith, forgive one another, and work together for justice so that our land can heal.
In Asaba, Delta State, massive buildings will be erected in solemn remembrance of the Asaba Massacre on this day of reflective worship, which will also include Muslim prayers and traditional customs.
In doing so, we will both honor our history and proclaim our eternal dedication to working together for the greater good.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo asks God Almighty to heal our land, heal the wounds of years of oppression, and bless us with a fresh start marked by harmony and tolerance as we come together in prayer. Our hearts are still bound together in the bond of brothers, even when our words may disagree.