I Laugh When People Claim I Have Igbo Paternity — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reacted to claim in some quarters of his Igbo paternity, saying such insinuation makes him laugh.

The disclosure came even as the former President said he does not believe any Nigerian should be driven away from any part of the country declaring that, “we own this country together.”

Obasanjo stated this when he received the leadership of Ndigbo Amaka Progressive Market Association, an umbrella body of major markets in Lagos State held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday.

In a statement by Kehinde Akinyemi, his special assistant on media, Obasanjo who did not speak much further on the paternity claim issue, simply says, “it just make me laugh.”

Speaking on the meeting, the former President said the leadership of the group reached out to him to support the establishment of the Owerri Central Market positioned to be the best of its kind in the country.

He acknowledged that the market had been contemplated since the creation of Imo state, adding that for one reason or the other, it has not been implemented, “but, I am glad it is coming up again and I hope this time, we are all going to make it real. It is going to be big, the first of its kind.

“And, I am happy also that the governor is showing the desired interest and understanding. And, I am confident that the Owerri Central Market will be, as he expressed the desire to lead the marketing team for the market.”

Apparently referring to a call in certain part of the country for the Igbos to leave, Obasanjo said, “Having ensured that the Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas all came together to fight the war of unity in Nigeria, and “not to fight Igbos to go, but to come. So, if anybody says to me, that somebody should leave any place, he will be the one to leave.”

In his remarks, the group’s spokesperson Chief Emeka Dallas Emmanuel who read a letter jointly signed by Comrade Chinedu Ukatu and Evangelist Iwuchukwu Ezenwafor, said the market will be a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship assuring the group’s determination to play its role for the growth of the market and the nation.

He further sought the help of the former President towards the actualisation of the international market which he noted to be capable of taking a vast majority off the streets.

Emmanuel added that the assistance of the former president will go a long way in helping their members to obtain loans to purchase shops and spaces at the market.