Coalition of Igbo groups comprising World Igbo Youth Congress, Southeast Women Professionals and Igbo Students Union, has decried the exclusion of the South East from top leadership positions in the country.
While congratulating newly elected and re-elected South East governors for their inauguration recently, the coalition described the exclusion of Ndigbo as a wake-up call for the region to re-strategise ahead of the 2023 elections.
In a statement signed by the National President World Igbo Youth Council, Mazi Alex Okemiri, Chairperson Southeast Women Professionals, Dr Mrs Helen Ogbonnaya and President Igbo Students Union, Comrade Chidera Udoko, the coalition said: “We congratulate South East governors excluding Anambra State, on their swearing-in as governors, and call for synergy among them. They shouldn’t hesitate to continue to work with President Muhammadu Buhari for the next four years to ensure that the Revamp of Enugu Coalmine, which was President Buhari’s electoral promise before he was sworn in in his first term, is actualized in his second term.
”We wish to see Nkalagu Cement Industry bounce back in full force, the 2nd Niger Bridge completed and all the federal roads that were approved by the last Federal Executive Council especially the Dualization of Aba/Ikot Ekpene/Calabar roads, rehabilitation of Abaomege/Ugep road and Umuahia/Ikot Ekpene roads are done.”
Lamenting the exclusion of the zone in the leadership of the country, the group said: “The coalition insists that the recent exclusion of South East from the leadership of National Assembly, judiciary and executive is a wake-up call for Ndigbo to re-strategize ahead of 2023, mend fences with our old allies, especially the North and South West. We cannot go solo in the Nigeria project, We are calling on the Igbo traditional rulers and the clergy to chart the way forward.
”Ohanaeze Ndigbo must reconcile with the Biafra agitators and the youths, and stop media assault on the ruling party. The body should not be partisan in its statements. We call for total restructuring of Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership with a new template to make it more socio-cultural in its modus operandi. We want a genuine reconciliation between the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to be facilitated by the South East governors. Ndigbo should see the sliver lining in the recent exclusion of South East in top echelon of the country. There’s a golden opportunity in self rediscovery of Ndigbo as we must make corrections where we politically got it wrong.”
Calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint former minister of Science and Tech, Ogbonna Onu as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the coalition said: “We boldly support the call for Southeast to produce the SGF and we know that His Excellency, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, is the right peg in the right hole. He is a disciplined and season administrator and a loyal party man.
” The former minister should be rewarded for his steadfastness and belief in the ruling party as the next SGF,a position that will bring succour to the aggrieved people of the South East zone. Presidency Buhari should in the spirit of sportsmanship, replace North East with South East in the position of the SGF, as Northeast is now in charge of the leadership of the Senate, and we boldly support Ogbonnaya onu for the position.
”Enyimba Economic City is the new destination for economic emancipation of the South East, and Nigeria as a whole. We call on Ndigbo to relocate their business headquarters to the Enyimba Economic City facilitated by Abia State government.”
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