Former Nigerian President, General Olusegun Obasanjo, has revealed that he was once criticized for appointing Professor Charles Soludo as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Minister of Finance. According to Obasanjo, the person who criticized him said that he had ruined the economy of Nigeria by appointing an Igbo woman as Finance Minister and an Igbo man as CBN Governor.
Obasanjo, who was speaking during the one-year anniversary celebration of the governor Soludo in Awka, the capital of Anambra state, said that the criticism he faced was a result of what he termed as “Igbophobia” – a fear of the Igbos. He went on to say that this fear was unfounded and that it was time for Nigerians to move beyond it.
The former president also spoke about the end of the Biafran War, which ended on the 13th of January 1970. He said that Biafra “died” and was “buried” on that day, and that it was time for the country to move on from the past.
In his words, he said:
“Somebody came to me and said that I have succeeded in ruining the economy of Nigeria, and I said why. He replied as said I appointed an Igbo Woman as Minister of Finance, an Igbo Man as Governor of Central Bank. I don’t know why he said that except what I call “Igbophobia”. I like what Chief said: I believe that on the 13th of January 1970, Biafra died and was buried.”
