South-East Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations, SBCHROs, has named detained Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as one of the three Igbo distinguished personalities of the year 2016.
SBCHROs also named Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, as the second and third Igbo distinguished personalities of the year.
Their names were contained in a statement issued by the group during the 68th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights held recently in Onitsha, Anambra State. In the statement, leader of the groups, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi said Kanu, in addition to the prestigious Prisoner-of-Conscience, PoC Award already bestowed on him, deserved to be an Igbo personality of the year in recognition of his non-violence and peaceful campaign for the emancipation of the Igbo race, using non-violence and peaceful means.
The group stated that while some states incurred over N500 billion debts, Anambra State, under Peter Obi, reduced its previous local and foreign debt to N11 billion and refused to borrow. The group noted that Ekweremadu was chosen as the third Igbo distinguished personality of the year 2016 on account of his bold and courageous disposition against all odds, since June 2015 in his capacity as the Deputy Senate President and highest Igbo federal lawmaker.
Kanu, Obi and Ekweremadu “He towered and withstood executive persecution and leprous treatment simply because he came from a federal opposition party and insisted that the Igbo race is too important in the Nigerian political landscape to be left out in the sharing of the principal leadership positions of the 8th National Assembly of Nigeria.
“He has also made an imprint in the defence of Igbo interests, in spite of threats and blackmails from the executive arm since June, 2015. “Ekweremadu’s position as it affects the collective interests of the Igbo race, particularly against the killings of innocent and defenceless Igbo citizens by security forces is very encouraging and endearing.”
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