By Okey Ndiribe, Asst. Poltical Editor
Prominent Igbos have continued to hail President Goodluck Jonathan’s appointment of Major Gen. Onyeabo Ihejirika as the Chief of Staff, Nigerian Army.Among those who have hailed the appointment is Anambra State Presidential Liaison Officer to former President Shehu Shagari Dr Dozie Ikedife who said the appointment of an Igbo officer as the nation’s Chief of Army Staff was welcome but insisted that only the ascension of an somebody from the South-East zone to the office of President would completely wipe out the feeling of marginalisation among the people of the region He described Gen. Ihejirika as competent officer and a gentleman.

Said he: “ Gen. Ihejirika should maintain the dignity of that office.”
Commenting on the sack of the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, Dr. Ikedife said that although the former police boss was not yet due for retirement, change was the only thing that was permanent in life.

He however opined that there were incidents that happened during Onovo’s tenure as the police boss that did not go down well with Nigerians. Said he:

“For instance, before the Boko Haram insurgents carried out the magnitude of operation they did in Bauchi where they released over 700 of their members who were awaiting trial in the prison yard, those who head the security services in this country should have received intelligence report about it”.

In his comments on the appointment a former Minister of Health , Dr. Tim Menakaya, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo said it was a good development.

Said he: “It is wonderful. The Federal Government has become more sensitive to the feelings of the people of the South-East. With this appointment, we are beginning to feel like we are a part of Nigeria. The President has shown a better understanding of the people of the South-East.”

He continued: “I hope that this development would lead to a greater integration of Ndigbo into Nigeria. We expect that with this appointment, things would start changing in the military. In the past most Igbos used to get retired when the attain the rank of Lt. Col. in the Army or its equivalent in the other arms of the military.”.

He also maintained that the appointment of Gen. Ihejirika has not entirely eradicated the marginalisation of the Igbos in the Nigerian polity.

Said he: “ For instance, all the major highways in the South-Eastern part of the country are deplorable. This is also a manifestation of marginalisation.”
In his own remarks on the appointment of Gen. Ihejirika another Ohaneze chieftain Dr. Dozie Ikedife said it was an appointment that was long overdue.
He described Gen. Ihejirika as competent officer and a gentleman.

Said he: “ Gen. Ihejirika should maintain the dignity of that office.” But he maintained that it is only the ascension of an Igbo to the office of President that would entirely wipe out the feeling of marginalisation among the Igbo.

The President of Ohaneze Ndigbo Ambassador Raph Uwechue also hailed the appointment a welcome development.
Uwechue said the news was very welcome not only to Ndigbo but to all well-meaning Nigerians.

Said he: “This is the first time somebody who is of Igbo stock from the South-East has headed the Nigeria Army after the late Head of State Maj. Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who was appointed by the British. Considering the fact that it was the Army that fought the war, Gen. Ihejirika’s appointment to head the Army has removed the stigma that came to the Igbos as a result of the war.”

He continued: “ You know that before the appointment of new service Chiefs, two of the former service chiefs were Igbos. However, the positions that were occupied by the former Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshall Paul Dike and former Inspector-General of Police were different in the sense that it was only in the Army that this gap existed. That gap has now been filled.”

He congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan for taking this step which demonstrates that every Nigerian who is qualified for a job should not be discriminated against or stopped from occupying any office in the country.

In response to a question as to whether the appointment had ended the marginalisation of Igbos in the polity, Uwechue said the Army alone does not constitute the national polity.

Said he: “ It is just one aspect of the life and activity of our people. For instance, if you consider the fact that there are six geo-political zones in the country, it is only the South-East zone that has five states which is the least among the zones. Four other zones have six states each and one zone has seven.

So, this is another example of marginalisation. But this appointment has reduced that feeling among the Igbos. Certaintly, it does not wipe out marginalisation because there are still other areas where the Igbos have not yet been adequately accommodated.”