Ohanaeze suspends Igbo Day festivity to mourn Iwuanyanwu

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, said on Tuesday it would be ‘skipping’ the 2024  Igbo Day celebration, scheduled for September 29, to mourn its departed President General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

Ohanaeze’s National Executive Council announced this at its emergency meeting in Enugu on Tuesday.

It also directed its state and diaspora chapters to open condolence registers for Iwuanyanwu.

Iwuanyanwu, who passed away at the age of 82, served as the 11th President-General from April 30, 2023, following the death of his predecessor, George Obiozor, in December 2022.

The Ohanaeze NEC held an emergency meeting at its national secretariat in Enugu, where its Secretary General, Okey Emuchay, expressed sadness over Iwuanyanwu’s passing, noting that it occurred less than two years after the organisation lost Obiozor.

 Iwuanyanwu’s son, Jide, had confirmed his father’s death in a statement on July 25, stating that he died in Abuja after a brief illness.

While describing  Iwuanyanwu as a rare human being, who had wonderful ideas and visions for the Igbo nation and for Nigeria, Emuchay explained that a central burial committee would be established very soon.

“All activities, especially, the Igbo Day Celebration of 2024, scheduled to hold on the 29th of September 2024 in Imo State, will be skipped in respect and honour of the departed President General,” he said.

Speaking further, he said, “We want to assure everyone that the ship of Ohanaeze is in safe hands. Collectively as NEC, we want to give assurance that we shall march on from where he stopped.”

He urged all state secretariats of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the chapters in Nigeria and in the diaspora to open condolence books so that people could come and write and convey whatever thoughts and prayers they have for the departed President General.