The Coalition of South-East Youths for Democracy (CESYD) has condemned attempts by a certain Dr Josef Onoh to rewrite the history of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).
In a press statement signed by its coordinator, Comrade Wisdom Akunna Fabulous, the CESYD described Onoh’s claims as “a joke taken too far” and accused him of trying to undermine the contributions of Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
CESYD noted that Onoh’s misadventure were driven by his own failures and frustrations, including his unsuccessful bid to become the MD of the SEDC.
Fabulous praised Kalu for his role in ensuring the passage of the SEDC bill and thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing it into law.
“CESYD is aware that the unfortunate selling point of Josef Onoh is his ceaseless social media applications for the post of the MD of the South East Development Commission, a position he believes is his birthright just because he is the son of a former Governor,” the statement said.
“We understand his frustrations and wish he puts his acts together inorder to make more meaningful contributions to the SouthEast and Nigeria in future.
“It is no secret that the Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Deputy Speaker House of Representatives has lavished profound gratitude to our President and Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing the SEDC bill. These are researchable and verifiable facts laced with empirical evidences.
“We are however taken aback by the obvious show of hate, spurred by the ‘pull him down syndrome’ which is characteristic of crab mentality, exhibited by our friend, Josef Onoh, who has failed to realize that democracy rests on three arms and it is the job of the legislature to make laws including turning Executive Bills into Laws.
“It is no news that there is an age long sense of marginalization – whether real or imagined (in Ala Igbo), and the birthing of the South East Development Commission is a timely corrective measure to erase this impression. We recall that on Thursday 12 October 2023, the SEDC Bill sponsored by Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, began its journey on the floor of the House of Representatives when it went through its first reading, December 20 2023 was for second reading while presentation/consideration of Report took place on the 21 December with third and final reading taking place same date.
“Effectively, the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, presided over by our son the Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, passed the SEDC Bill and transmitted same to the Senate for concurrence and on February 15 2024, the SEDC Bill went through first reading, on 21 February was for second reading while presentation/consideration took place on the 22 of February 2024. The third and final reading held same date i.e. 22nd February 2024. Conference reports by the House of Representatives was on June 5 while that of the Senate was on June 11 2024. Consequently, this landmark Bill enjoyed Presidential assent on July 23 2024.
“Quite sadly, our friend, Josef Onoh reasons he could exchange cheap popularity for putting his boots on the ground to work. As CESYD, we can only say that Josef Onoh has struggled in vain with his wicked attempt at using his media outings to pitch political stakeholders in Igboland either against themselves severally or particularly against our son, the Deputy Speaker.
“We remind our friend, Josef Onoh and his paymasters of the popular Igbo adage which if translated in English simply means ‘the vulture is not comfortable with the position of the Eagle’ (onodi Ugo adighi egbe nma).”
CESYD warned against attempts to distort history and urged Onoh to focus on making meaningful contributions to the SouthEast and Nigeria.
The group also challenged Onoh to provide evidence of his claims, saying that the passage and signing of the SEDC bill were a matter of public record.
CESYD emphasized that the SEDC was a timely corrective measure to address the marginalization of the SouthEast region and praised Kalu for his leadership and commitment to the region’s development.
The statement added: “We end by saying that we are aware of the indubitable fact that the Deputy Speaker on whose young shoulders, fate and God Almighty has entrusted the leadership of Ala Igbo at the centre by virtue of his position, has managed to proactively put Igbo issues and interest ahead of selfish or parochial interest(s). We challenge naysayers to contradict this fact.
“From all our discreet investigations, we can confirm that Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu holds all Igbo stakeholders in very high esteem and it is most unfortunate that any individual or group would seek to undermine his modest contributions by attempting to blindly rewrite history in exchange for prebendal/ephemeral gains.
“Of note is the fact that the passage and subsequent signing into law of the SouthEast Development Commission bill is a watershed in the business of lawmaking in the 10th National Assembly and the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; trying to erase the name of our son the Deputy Speaker from this laudable achievement is an attempt to labour in vain!”
