The Asaba Development Union (ADU) Worldwide, acting on behalf of the Asaba community, has condemned, in very strong terms, an attempt to convert the Asaba Memorial Centre, built in memory of victims of the 1967 Asaba Massacre, to a personal property.
The umbrella body, charged with the responsibility for all Asaba affairs, in reaction to the response of Hon Ndudi Elumelu Campaign Organisation to an advertorial by the Asaba Memorial Trust Fund, wherein the Campaign Organisation claimed that Hon Elumelu “owns” the Asaba Massacre Memorial Centre, said it was an attempt to usurp a Monument asset built with government funds in honour of victims of war.
According to a statement signed by the President General of ADU Worldwide, Ogbueshi C. C. Ashiogwu; and the Chairman, Asaba Memorial Trust Fund, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze; Isama Ajie Ahaba, “For the sake of clarity and to prevent deliberate misinformation from gaining ground, it has become necessary to set out the facts.
“The reality that faces us as Asaba people is to confront this outrage from Hon Elumelu, who is currently acting through some faceless individuals. Let it be stated categorically that at the time the issue under discussion was handled by Hon Elumelu, these individuals, now claiming and acting as a mouthpiece were neither his aides nor members of the National Assembly.
“This means that they do not have the privilege of holding such intimate knowledge as to what transpired between the Asaba community and Hon Ndudi Elumelu in relation to the development of the Memorial Centre.
“The people of Asaba remember vividly when Hon Elumelu announced publicly that he facilitated the building of the Monument and Museum in honour of our brothers and sisters who were brutally murdered during the Asaba Massacre at the outset of the Nigerian Civil War. He presented it as a gesture of appreciation to Asaba people for the overwhelming support and goodwill they had shown him throughout his political career”.
The statement said Asaba people wholeheartedly embraced and celebrated the project because it symbolised remembrance, healing, historic preservation, and respect for innocent lives that were cut short, expressing shock and disappointment that the same individual who publicly associated himself with the project as a tribute to the dead was now treating it as his personal property.
“That Hon Ndudi Elumelu facilitated a project does not amount to owning it. Rather than address the genuine concerns raised by the people of Asaba, through the Asaba Memorial Trust publication, what we have witnessed, instead, is cyber-intimidation, propaganda, emotional blackmail, and an attempt to gaslight an entire community into silence.
“When our people resisted the apparent takeover and politicisation of the Monument, the facility was reportedly donated to a political pressure group associated with His Excellency, Mr. President, through his son, Seyi Tinubu”, the Asaba community noted.
It maintained that such a donation raised serious moral and ethical questions, wondering how a Monument built in memory of Nigerian massacred victims could suddenly become associated with campaign activities, and when the pain and blood of their ancestors had become tools for political patronage.
“Even more unfortunate is the desperate attempt by his loyalists to twist the narrative by falsely claiming that the people of Asaba are against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu simply because questions were asked about the ownership, purpose, and usage of the Monument.
“Let it be clearly stated that Asaba people are not against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or his re-election. Many people genuinely support the President and believe he deserves the opportunity to continue the work of governance.
“The support for any President or political party must never come at the expense of truth, dignity, accountability, and historical preservation. Supporting a President does not mean surrendering our heritage, nor does supporting a government mean silent while sacred public symbols are converted to political assets.
“The Asaba Massacre is not a political slogan, it is not a campaign material, nor is it a personal property of a powerful politician. It is the painful history of Asaba people. Therefore, we refuse to be intimidated, gaslighted or to allow anyone to play with our collective intelligence as a people. Let it be emphasized that we, Asaba people, will not allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to subvert our history for personal political advantage.
“We deserve respect, our history deserves protection, and our memories of the innocent dead deserve dignity, not political exploitation. Note that Asaba, as a community, is ready to explore all legal and legitimate remedies to ensure that this violation does not prevail.
“All documents available vividly show that this Monument belongs to Asaba people, and we are ready to follow this path until the Monument is returned to us, the rightful owners, and the building used for its intended purpose”, the statement noted.
