You Must Respect Your Host Communities, Obi Tells Igbo in Southwest

A call has gone to Igbo people in the South-west region to ensure a healthy relationship with their host communities, and be good ambassadors of the Igbo nation.

The Balogun Ndigbo of Ibadanland and Oyo State, High Chief Alloysious Obi, gave the advice on Sunday in his palace in Ibadan while playing host to the South-west Executive Council of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Those present at the event included the acting President of Ohanaeze Southwest, Chief Emeka Enweronye; the Osun State President, Chief Ugoagwu Nkemka John; the Oyo State President, Chief Ndubuisi Okorie; the Ekiti State President, Chief Alex Ndubuisi; the Ogun State President and incoming South-west President, Chief Matthew Nwankwo; the Ondo State President, Chief Innocent Ezechiefo, and many other Igbo leaders from all the states in the South-west region.

Obi said the Igbo must at all-time respect constituted authorities and cultures of their hosts, noting that it is only by doing so that peace would be achieved and maintained by the two sides.

While calling on the Igbo to stop engaging in businesses that would tarnish the image of the Igbo nation, but rather be hardworking and innovative in their legitimate businesses, the Igbo leader insisted that Ndigbo must strengthen good and positive relationship with other regions to achieve the desired presidency as no particular region is capable of achieving political power on its own.

Obi, who lauded the Igbo leaders for paying him visit, describing them  as true Igbo sons couple with the existing cooperation and unity within the Igbo leadership in the region, advised that any dissenting voice among them be treated as in-house affair instead of washing the dirty linens in public.

According to him, "We must all condemn in strong terms the habit of going on pages of newspapers, radio and television to attack any Igbo personalities; it is my candid view that there are many ways of correcting ourselves without going to the public domain."

Obi also commended the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, for making Ibadan and the state friendly and accommodating for Ndigbo, stating that having spent 47 years in Ibadan, he is proud to describe the city as the most accommodating and peaceful place to live in Yoruba land.