The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to relieve his Special Assistant on Strategic Communications, Bayo Onanuga of his duties for what they described as hatred against the Igbos.
The group claimed that the presidential aide has remained overly vocal in his disdain for Igbos, especially during the 2023 elections, when he was reported to have made inflammatory statements about the Igbos’ involvement in Lagos politics.
Speaking via a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the human rights organization charged Tinubu to take decisive steps against Onanuga.
The statement read in part, “The gravity of his threats cannot be ignored, and justice must be served. Hate speech and incitement to violence should be addressed wherever and whenever they occur, and those responsible must face the consequences of their actions.
“Onanuga’s public declaration that 2023 would be the last time Igbos would be politically active in Lagos is, a dangerous narrative that incites ethnic hatred and could have severe consequences for national unity.
“Bayo Onanuga has made it abundantly clear that he harbors deep resentment toward the Igbos, and his statements suggest that he is willing to stoke ethnic tensions in the future.
“His assertion that Igbos will no longer participate in Lagos politics after 2023 is a clear indication of his agenda to sideline and marginalize a significant ethnic group in Nigeria. Such a person has no business holding a strategic communications role in the President’s administration.”
HURIWA argued that Tinubu’s continued retention of Onanuga in his government sends the wrong message to Nigerians, particularly the Igbo community, who may feel that the President is tacitly endorsing anti-Igbo rhetoric.
The group, however, clarified that it does not believe Tinubu harbors any anti-Igbo sentiments, given his familial ties to the Igbo community.