Sundiata Post – leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately implement the 2014 National Conference Report to reunite the Igbo and bring them back to the position they occupied before the civil war.

He said this when a 10-man delegation of Igbo leaders paid a courtesy visit to him at his residence to congratulate him on his 97th birthday, which was on May 25 earlier in the year.

The delegation was led by a former chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Simon Okeke.

His call followed a recent call by The Patriots, led by Emeka Anyaoku, to Tinubu urging him to convene a constituent assembly to draft a ‘people’s democratic pluralistic constitution’ for Nigeria.

Clark emphasised that Nigeria is a big family, and leaders, particularly presidents, should avoid the temptation of making appointments based on ethnicity, as such acts portend a dangerous trend for the country.

The elder statesman also emphasised that the demise of the President-General of the Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo, Emmanuel Iwuayanwu, was not just a loss to the Igbo but to the people of the Southern and Middle Belt and all Nigerians.

He prayed that God would grant the bereaved family, Ohaneze, and everyone the fortitude to bear the loss.

He advised that people appointed into offices should stop mystifying those who appointed them, as if they were gods.

He said while courtesy demands appreciation for good deeds, doing so with a slave-like mentality amounts to adulation.

He reminded the Igbo leaders to hold their heads high, as they have always held positions of importance in the country.

He recalled the activities of past Igbo leaders like Jaja Wachuku, who was a Pan-Africanist and Nigeria’s first respected Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to him, for an Igbo man to genuflect and say the Igbo should “jump to the skies” because one of them is appointed a ‘super’ Minister today is an over kill.

He urged Igbo appointed to positions, especially at the national level, to see themselves as qualified to hold such positions and not be subservient, as other Nigerians are qualified as well.

Earlier, Okeke, on behalf of the delegation, expressed their appreciation for Clark’s selfless leadership in piloting the affairs of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), an umbrella body representing the MiddleBelt, South-East, South-South, and South-West regions.

The delegation said the Igbo are particularly grateful to Clark for always speaking out for them, against the perceived discriminations and injustices perpetrated against them in the country.

They prayed God to continue to keep the elder statesman in sound health and mind, as he continues to speak out against discrimination, marginalisation and oppression.

Former ambassador to the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland under President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007, Godknows Igali, who joined Chief Clark to receive the delegation, thanked them for the visit.

He recounted the ingenuity of the Igbo man, who has the resilience to weather any storm. He recalled the activities of one of the members of the delegation whom he met when he served as Nigerian Consul General to Cameroon, and how he was able to mobilise Nigerians in the Cameroon.

He enjoined them to keep up the spirit.