Before I delve into the second and final series of this article, let me comment on some of the responses i received from my readers. One accused me of being anti-southeast because I had faulted one of the mandates which was for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, houses and other infrastructural damages suffered by the region as a result of the effects of the civil war.
How my citing that such a mandate as incongrous with present day reality should then be translated to me being anti-southeast or anti-igbo bothers me! What is wrong with calling out such an incongruity?
Another stated that I was rather being pessimistic about whether the bill would be signed into law or not! I merely pointed out that it was not yet uhuru, since the bill was yet to receive presidential assent. Likewise my assertion that owing to.the poor.performance of previous commissions recently set up, there was really nothing to expect from the creation.of the SouthEast Development Commission!
What is wrong with such an assertion, particularly when it is backed with facts and figures? For example has the NDDC justified it’s receipt of over 15.3 trillion since it’s inception? Comparing such an amount to the level of development registered in the Niger Delta area is heavily dismal and in countries with an inclement tolerance for corruption a number of NDDC officials wouod have been frontline candidates for prison or death by shooting.
Thus I have no apology for my pessimism, and would rather prefer not having a SouthEast Development Commission than having one that would line up the pockets of a few persons at the detriment of the region.
To the meat of this present series, I will dwell on some of the would be challenges of the commission to serve as a template or guide for the incoming commission, that is if the bill will receive Asiwaju’s assent anyway.
What managerial structure would the SEDC operate with? It is alleged that the proposed commission should have three executive directors, for Finance and Account, Projects and Corporate Services. It would also have other zones represented on commission, similar to what is obtainable within.other regional bodies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and the North East Development Commission, NEDC. Would the leadership of the SEDC be rotated amongst the states that make up the region? What would be the structure of tenure, four, five or six years? On what basis would such a rotation follow? Will it be by virtue of the year such a state was created or by alphabetical order?
There is also the challenge of funding, no doubting with the perceived marginalisation of the region since the end of the civil war, the SouthEast Region is bogged down with infrastructural, ecological and environmental challenges and should require huge funding from the Federal Government. How will this funding come? What percentage of funds would come from.the FG? Would the component states also contribute to such funding ? If yes, what percentage would the component states make to the commission? Would it emulate the NDDC model of 15 percent of the allocation of the nine states that make up the region and would.companies operating within the region also be made to contribute to the SEDC?
How would a number of projects also.be funded, would the SEDC adopt the PPP model to ensure that it avoids the error of the NDDC and it’s number of abandoned projects littered over the Niger Delta Region?
There are also the challenges of monitoring projects approved and ensuring that such projects not only meet the standards required but are also delivered on time. What measures would the commission take to ensure that projects handled by it are projects that would contribute immensely to the resurgence of the region as the commercial nerve centre of the Nation?
How would the commission also deal with issues of youth restiveness, one that has recently risen owing to the recent fervour for Biafra as well as certain aspects such as unemployment, underemployment and a declining values system? Would the efforts of the commission not also be hindered by such militants and crime groups? Would investors courted by the SEDC be willing to invest amidst such turmoil?
Corruption as I had earlier mentioned remains another factor and I will not dwell much on it here but the commission must be ready to deal with it as a major threat to it’s success.
As the former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke recently posited at a recent forum, the SEDC would attract a number of goodies to the region, now while I am not as optimistic as he is owing to the Nigerian way of doing things, it is my hope that the SEDC would be different and create an exception in the SouthEast, a model for development and rekindle the hope of the people of the region in a united, free and fair Nigeria.
Restiveness and killings in Anambra State and the Southeast geopolitical zone in general will deny women the opportunity of having spouses.
The declaration was made in the report of the Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (ATJPC), the Executive Summary of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka, the state capital, yesterday.
It noted that restiveness and killings had resulted in a structural problem of demographic sustainability because women were finding it difficult to find mating partners.
The report stated that women are some of the worst-hit victims as they have suffered and might continue to suffer from killings, rape, loss of husbands and sons, and denial of livelihoods.
It noted also that thousands of young people had been killed since 1999 when restiveness became pronounced in the region, just as many had fled the rural areas.
“The killings from the ongoing violence in Igboland generally and in Anambra in particular due to violent crimes and claims of agitation have once again disproportionately affected the stock of young males in the region.
“It has reduced the likelihood that women will be able to find suitable mating or marriageable partners while also increasing the likelihood that females will end up unmarried and reproductively unfulfilled.
“It will further swell the number of unmarried women in the region, particularly among those who reside in the homeland and have limited interaction outside the boundaries of home.
“These women could remain unmarried or wait out their productive years in search of a suitor who has likely been killed.
“They may feel intimidated about giving birth to a child outside marriage for fear of being labeled wayward and humiliating their families for birthing children into illegitimacy,” it declared.
The report recalled the case of Amaka Igwe, the lawyer who was killed in Onitsha alongside her husband.
It also recalled the killing of Harira Jubril near Umunze in Orumba South Local Government Area on May 25, 2022 alongside her four daughters.
It stated that the killings had resulted into destitution or dependencies among men and had led to economic impoverishment for many women, mass widowhood and enforced childlessness.
It noted that in rural or farming communities, polygamy had remained prevalent and women’s access to land depended on their relationship with the men in their lives.
The livelihood consequences of the killings for women could be very severe, it stressed.
“Married women who have no sons can lose access to land and to subsistence in a political economy in which re-marriage can be quite difficult for a woman with children.
“Naturally, the additional stress of this kind of life on top of the trauma of the disappearance of the husband or bread-winner can lead to diminished outcomes for physical and mental health.
“As many communities devolved subsequently into more generalised forms of atrocity and violence, hospitals and healthcare facilities had been destroyed in the restiveness.
“Healthcare workers had become afraid of showing up for work and access to reproductive healthcare and facilities had become more rarefied in the rural areas.
“Unlike most other parts of Nigeria which have a problem of girl-child school enrolment, Anambra leads the states of Southeast Nigeria in a unique regional problem of diminishing boy-child school enrolment and retention,” it stated.
It noted that women typically contributed to the livelihood and education of their children, but with their sources of income cut off, their children were denied access to basic nutrition and to social services.
The report stressed that consequences of insecurity had negated previous progress made on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Anambra as young boys abandoned education and fled their communities for fear of being killed or abducted.
The United Nations created 17 world development goals called the SDGs in 2015 with the aim of peace and prosperity for people and the planet, then and into the future.
The goals have 2030 as their attainment target date.
Anambra’s 14-man ATJPC was inaugurated in June 2022 to investigate insecurity in Anambra and the Southeast in general.
It submitted its final report to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Wednesday.
It had Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a human rights lawyer and former Chairman of Nigeria Human Rights Commission, as its chairman.
At long last, the much awaited 188MW Geometric Power Plant in Aba, Abia State, has become a reality. Thanks to the doggedness of Professor Barth Nnaji and his team who kept pushing despite many challenges. Even for bystanders, it has been a tortious marathon race, for the past two decades, from conception to reality. Many are now pointing at that power generation and distribution model, as the way out of the electricity crisis that Nigeria is facing. This column agrees with that postulation.
According to an analyst, the 188MW power plant is programmed to generate approximately 135,360,000 kWh of electricity per month, which at roughly 500 kWh per household would serve about 270,720 households. According to Professor Nnaji, the choice of Aba for the power plant was deliberate, considering the manufacturing potentials of the city. No doubt, Aba is a preeminent industrial centre in the Southeast and leads in leather works and garment production in Nigeria, and its products are easily passed off as made in Italy.
So, the provision of permanent power could turn Aba to the industrial hub of the southeast and even parts of south-south considering its proximity to Rivers State.
No doubt, the shortage of electricity is the greatest impediment to the economic prosperity of Nigeria. With the entire country sharing about 4,886.40 MW of electricity last year, which periodically fluctuated to less than 2000 MW, and zero, when the national grid collapses, as it often does, the Aba model is the way to go. The 188 MW serves a fenced off area, encompassing industrial and residential areas.
The Geometric Power Plant also has its dedicated gas pipeline of 27km, and may not suffer the debilitating gas supply challenges that have made a mockery of the several power plants initiated during the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo in the Niger Delta area. So, the plant generates, and distributes to end use consumers. That solves the present challenges across the country, where power generation and distribution companies are perpetually quarrelling over who is responsible for the crisis in the electricity sector across the country.
While the generating companies (Gencos) claim they generated about 14000 MW, the distribution companies (discos) distribute about 4000 MW, with part of the problem attributable to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which owns the national grid that collapses regularly. The Geometric Power Plant has its own localized distribution wires, cables, poles, meters and transformers. So, the problem associated with vandalized transmission lines across the vast unchartered Nigerian forests is solved with the localized transmission lines.
This column has for years called for the decentralization of the transmission line, otherwise called the national grid. According to Punch, the national grid collapsed 46 times in six years. And most of the times, the reason given is that vandals have tampered with the line in difficult terrains. This column reiterates that the grid should be regionalized, so that interventions can be quicker and consequences of collapse reduced, to the affected areas.
Of course, there is the problem associated with the existing contracts between the federal government and the existing discos, which seem to have covered the entire country, save for few exceptions like the fenced up area reserved for the Geometric Power Plant. Perhaps while taking steps to untangle the contracts in a way agreeable to both parties, to starve a long drawn legal battle, the ministry of justice should advice on ways to create more fenced up areas for other investors.
Notably, the Gencos have breached many clauses in their agreement, and the 10-year initial privatization period has expired. There is also the paucity of investors willing to invest the huge resources required by the power plants and distribution networks to be efficient. One of the reasons for the disinterest by investors is the tight control of the tariff by the federal government agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). That leaves Nigeria is a difficult position.
And because of the economic impacts of the removal of petroleum subsidy and the deregulation of exchange rate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is unwilling to yield to cost-reflective electricity tariff. The administration is in a difficult situation, because without allowing the discos to charge cost-reflective tariff, investors would not invest to upgrade the facilities. On its own, the federal government cannot raise the capital required, to buy off the investors and upgrade the infrastructure required for efficient power supply.
The way out may therefore be to fence off more commercial centres and high-brow areas, where users can pay cost reflective tariffs, and hand them over to investors willing to go the way of Geometric Power Plant, in terms of upgrading the facilities, and charging commercial tariffs. After all, the discos are already operating what they call dedicated lines, but which are very expensive to access, because the customers are few and scattered.
But with residents of some highbrow arears already getting regular power supply for which they pay higher tariffs, this column believes a lot of such possibilities exist to be tapped into. Of course, with many clusters making an alternative arrangement away from the Gencos, discos and TCN, the nation will be the better for it. And if there is improvement in the economy and inflation is tamed, the subsidy regime in the electricity sector can also be removed so that investors would have the confidence to come into the sector with their investments.
Also, on their part, the discos, with the support of the federal and state governments can concession some of their concession arears to private equity investors, where the model of Geometric Power Plant can be replicated. After all, it makes neither commercial nor common sense for Discos to hold onto large area where they are hamstrung to apply commercial tariffs because of regulations by NERC. So, where possible they can parcel out part of what they hold to other investors, and collaborate to make better returns on their investments.
Hopefully, the southeast would tap into the Geometric Power model, for the economic renaissance of the region, as promoted by vice president, Kashim Shettima, who represented PBAT at the commissioning of the power plant recently. Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, who signed the Enugu State Electricity Bill into law last September, has promised to play in the generation, transmission, and distribution segments of the market. We await his style of play.
Luckily for Abia State, they now have Governor Alex Otti, who understands how to make the state prosper, unlike the consumerism of the previous eras. As I have argued on other occasions, there is need for collaboration within regions. Hopefully, the Southeast Development Commission, if it becomes a reality, can tap into the burgeoning electricity market, and help reincarnate the region as an economic power house.
The sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has continued to cripple economic activities across the five Southeast states of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, resulting in financial losses of unimaginable scale. The enforcement of the unlawful directive by the separatist group, now with varying compliance rates in the affected states, has also foisted a siege mentality on residents. NWANOSIKE ONU, SUNNY NWANKWO, CHRIS NJOKU and OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE report that the situation has worsened the socio-economic situation in the once vibrant region.
For residents in the five Southeast states of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Abakaliki, the fear of Monday, the start of each week, is still the beginning of wisdom.
Despite repeated announcements by the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the Southeast that it has backed down on the enforcement of its Monday sit-at-home order, most residents of the affected states would rather give an arm than move around freely and carry out their day-to-day social and economic activities.
No one wants to incur the wrath of the non-state actors who, in a bid to compel compliance to the order, have been inflicting incalculable economic and financial haemorrhage on residents including loss of lives since August 2021 when the sit-at-home order kicked in.
Checks by The Nation revealed that from Awka in Anambra State to Aba in Abia State, Owerri in Imo State to Enugu and Abakaliki in Enugu and Ebonyi, respectively, normalcy seems to have returned, apparently on the strength of IPOB’s annulment that it has stopped enforcing the sit-at-home order.
However, in some areas such as Onitsha, Nnewi and other rural and semi-urban towns in different states, people are still uncomfortable moving freely on Mondays. In Anambra, for instance, six communities are still under siege, resulting in a serious lull in economic activities because the residents all deserted their business areas.
Some of the affected communities include Orsumoghu, Ukpor, Ihembosi, Isseke, Lilu and Azia, all in the Anambra South Senatorial zone. Residents in these communities complained that the non-state actors have stopped them from attending the burial of their loved ones, for instance, even as they added that the actors insisted that they must consult them for approval before the residents embark on any lawful activities.
The enforcers of the order, some of whom wield guns and other dangerous weapons, have also ordered that only 20 people are allowed to attend such burials, no matter the person who died. The condition forced the residents to relocate to either the commercial city of Onitsha or other neighbouring towns to entertain their guests after the quiet burial.
A Professor of English at one of the universities in the state, who was a victim of such a condition, told The Nation that the experience was terrifying. A 72-year-old Psychologist, who pleaded not to be mentioned, also said such a condition could lead to the victim’s untimely death and emotional trauma.
A school teacher in Enugwu–Ukwu in Njikoka Local Government Area, who spoke in confidence, also told The Nation that they teach in fear. He said the hoodlums are still on the prowl, adding that some of them (teachers) in public schools teach under duress. A banker, who works in one of the old-generation banks, also said working on Mondays is forbidden in their office.
However, the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has continued to battle the enforcers, but they are still relentless. The governor’s Press Secretary, Chris Aburime, told The Nation that the State Government would not back down on its resolve to ensure that the people live their normal daily lives again.
“Security issues are not discussed anyhow, but be rest assured that the Anambra State Government and security operatives are not sleeping,” he said. And for the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ikenga Tochukwu, “It is not yet time to count our blessings. It will be a gradual process, but the Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, and t he sister agencies are still on it. The war has not ended.”
One of the school teachers in Enugwu–Ukwu in Njikoka Local Government Area who spoke in confidence told The Nation that they teach in fear. He said the hoodlums are still on the prowl, adding that some of them in public schools teach under duress.
A banker, who works in one of the old-generation banks, told The Nation that working on Mondays is forbidden in their office.
VImo as the epicentre of the crisis
The sit-at-home order has refused to abate in Imo State. Despite the purported discontinuation of its enforcement, normalcy has not fully returned to the troubled state. Communities in and around Oru East, Oru West, Orlu and Okigwe remain volatile, with intense enforcement orders leading to tragic incidents.
Residents have reported killings and abductions of those who defy the order, resulting in fear and disruption of daily life. An indigene of Orlu but who is a resident in Owerri told The Nation that business activities in the zone have come to a halt as people are not free to go about in search of their daily bread.
“We are not free to transact businesses in our communities because of the deadly activities of these hoodlums. We want urgent government intervention,” the indigene, who pleaded for anonymity for fear of possible reprisal, said.
Some towns in the state have also become ghost cities as roads are lonely to walk or ply on Mondays. For instance, in areas such as Obowo Junction leading to Mbano, there is a gully or valley that serves as a haven for those hoodlums. On Mondays, that road is a no-go area; hardly anyone plies the road. Several kidnappings and robberies are carried out on the road and have had a negative economic impact.
A trader who identified himself as Nze Polycarp said the economic impact of the sit-at-home order is evident, with businesses, markets and transportation services being severely affected. The education and healthcare sectors have also been badly hit, with activities in schools and healthcare facilities almost ground to a halt.
The situation has also led to a significant decline in economic, commercial and human activities in those communities, causing concern among residents and stakeholders. A lawyer who spoke in confidence told our correspondent in Owerri that judges in Orlu have refused to sit in any court in Orlu.
“They prefer to have their sittings in Owerri because they can be killed or kidnapped if they dare sit there. Efforts to address the sit-at-home order have been made by State Governments and security operatives, but the impact continues to be felt,” he said.
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, told The Nation that he would soon organise a summit on insecurity in the Southeast. “We are planning a summit on insecurity and its effects on the economy in Southeast soon during which we will address the issues squarely,” he said.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has also addressed the issue of the unlawful sit-at-home order. He also vowed to work tirelessly to put an end to this order, which has been crippling socio-economic activities in the state.
Breather in Ebonyi
The sit-at-home order is no longer being observed In Ebonyi State. However, the spill-over effects of the enforcement of the directive in neighbouring states in the region on businesses are visible. This is because businessmen can’t come into the state on Mondays, leading to a loss of revenue.
However, the situation has greatly improved as many businessmen come in on Sundays and then proceed to the markets to carry out their transactions on Mondays. They then load up their goods and wait till Tuesday morning before leaving.
A manager of one of the hotels in the state, who spoke in confidence, told our correspondent that they record more sales on Mondays unlike before the sit-at-home order. “Yes, the weekend period now kind of extends to Monday. You have visitors who come from other states during the weekend but are forced to stay till Tuesday because of the sit-at-home order.
“The same thing applies to businessmen who come in to buy things such as rice at the mill. They do their business on Monday but can’t leave till Tuesday. This indicates that they spend the night in hotels. So, in a way, it has been beneficial to us,” he said.
A rice miller at the Abakaliki Rice Mill, James Obasi, said customers patronise the business on Mondays unlike before when they would open and record few sales. “Though the sit-at-home order is not observed on Mondays here, its impact is still felt in the market but not like before,” he said.
A foodstuff seller at the International Market, Stella Kwadoro, said they also suffer from the sit-at-home order in other states as they can’t go to the markets in other Southeast states whenever their market days fall on Mondays.
“We can’t go to the market, so we can’t buy goods for that week. You know we depend on goods we get on wholesale from those markets on their market days and if we miss it that week, then we will not have enough goods to sell,” she said.
A manager in one of the major transport services in the country, who spoke to our correspondent in confidence, said transport companies lose millions of naira to sit-at-home orders. He said: “I don’t have the figures but it will be in hundreds of millions of naira.
“Just imagine the hundreds of buses that you see here in Central Park. On Mondays, they are all grounded because even though there is no sit-at-home order observed on Mondays, we still can’t load as other states in the region shut down on Mondays.
In 2023, former Governor David Umahi who was then the Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum said the region loses over N10 billion each time it observes the sit-at-home order. The situation, analysts have said, worsened the economic situation in the region as it tends to drag more people into poverty.
A resident of Abakaliki, Mr. Ikechukwu Nze, urged those who are enforcing the sit-at-home order to consider the plight of the poor masses in the region.
His words: “They say they are fighting for our freedom but how do you persuade me to support you when you inflict such suffering and poverty on me and my household?
“Whether it is observed in Ebonyi or not, the fact is that every state in the Southeast is affected because we are economically interdependent on one other. If the two major markets in Onitsha and Aba, which are where we go to get our goods, are closed and the ones we produce such as rice can’t be transported out, then it will have a ripple effect on everybody.
“I think the organisers should have a rethink and come up with better strategies to fight for our .freedom, if at all that is what they are doing.”
A security consultant to Ebonyi State Government, Stanley Okoro Emegha, said the State Government has continued to partner with security agencies by giving them all required logistics support to raid hideouts and camps of the enforcers.
This, he said, is the reason the state is more peaceful compared to other states in the region. “We don’t observe sit-at-home order in Ebonyi State. Some political parties held their primaries for the last bye-election on Monday and that was in Afikpo not even in Abakaliki. So, Ebonyi is peaceful.
“But that doesn’t mean we are relaxing. We keep investigating and monitoring. Any slightest suspicion, we mobilise security and raid so that they don’t have a foothold anywhere to strike,” he said.
The spokesperson to the Ebonyi State Police Command, Joshua Ụkandu, said: ‘Police have continued to provide strong security presence in the state on Mondays.
“We also regularly carry out joint shows of force with other security agencies to show that we are on the ground. We shall continue to ensure security of lives and property in the state not only on Mondays but every day of the week,” he said.
Partial observance in Abia
In Abia State, the home state of the detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, residents of major cities and rural areas partially observe the sit-at-home order.
Unofficially, Mondays have become an indefinite public holiday for residents of the state, especially Aba as most groups now have their meetings, play football on the streets and do other house chores, among other things.
Investigation revealed that though some private schools in the state have resumed academic activities on Mondays, the majority of the parents would force their children and wards to stay away from their schools on Mondays.
The Nation gathered that even security operatives who mount various checkpoints to either control traffic or conduct a stop-and-search operation have continued to stay away from their various duty posts on Mondays, except for some detachments that sometimes man some black spots.
A visit to some major parts of the state’s commercial towns such as Aba revealed that there have been an increased number of human and vehicular movements on the roads. Banks in Aba State have continued to observe the sit-at-home order, while a few other banks in Umuahia, the state capital, have defied the order.
While business owners and other residents of the state continue to voluntarily observe the sit-at-home order, some Southeast stakeholders, including the member representing Bende Federal Constituency and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, have been pressing for an end to the sit-at-home order with the launch of his pet project, Peace in Southeast (PISE-P).
While the State Government and its agents have remained mum over the continued observance of the sit-at-home order, a source from the State Government who spoke in confidence admitted the negative effect the sit-at-home order was having on the economy of the state.
The source told The Nation that the State Government decided to choose a diplomatic approach in dealing with the sensitive issue because it wouldn’t want to risk the lives and property of residents of the state which the government was committed to protecting.
At the launch of Peace in the Southeast Project (PISE-P) in Bende, Abia State, stakeholders explored ways to stem the tide of insecurity in the region TONY AKOWE reports
The launch of the Peace In South East Project (PISE-P) recently was an unprecedented event, which resonated in communities, local government areas and states within the region. The epoch-making event which was held in the ancient Bende town, a known terrain in Abia State together with the homecoming/grand reception of the Deputy House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, drew the attention of who is who in Southeast and the entire country.
Also, President Bola Tinubu was conferred with the traditional title of Omeziri Igbo 1 and Enyioma Ndigbo by the Chairman of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Linus Mbah, backed by other traditional rulers in Southeast. Political and business heavyweights from the Southeast and many others from all walks of life converged to not only honour Kalu who is solidly in the leadership of the National Assembly and well respected, but to open an entirely new chapter in the anal of history for Ndigbo.
It was also a time for deep reflection of who the Igbo are from creation and in existence all the while with virtually every speaker alluding to the fact that Southeast has always been a region known for its industrious nature and peaceful co-existence. Their allusions are premised on the reality that before the advent of disruptions based on certain ideologies, which are alien to the people of the area, Southeast enjoyed a full life circle centred on self-sustaining and collaborative efforts geared towards sustained socio-economic development, devoid of intimidation, fear, calamity, terrorism among others.
Another truism is that nothing has reversed this trend, just as Nigeria’s Vice President, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, put it: “The terror groups that have held the Southeast to ransom are not a creation of the people of the region or Nigerians from other parts of the country. The problem we are here to solve as a community, as an Umunna, is a creation of self-serving criminals who do not represent the interests of the Ndi-Igbo and Nigerians…”
While he spoke as one who truly understands what the region has dealt with or rightly put it as what has become its albatross, this mountain (insecurity) which turned the tide in the past few years, is surmountable, because therein lies a sigh of soothing relief and expected return to progressive status quo.
As Shettima posited: “The seeds of progress can only sprout in the fertile soil of peace and security. This is why we take immense pride in the collaboration of all stakeholders and initiatives such as the Peace in South East Project, to ensure that the shield of security in the region isn’t a distant mirage in the landscape of aspirations.”
He maintained, however, that the catastrophic situation can’t be reversed unless the government involves the people whom he said are the ears, legs and mouths in the region. The Vice President’s statement is equally vice-versa in the sense that there is no way the government – nay security agencies will ever tackle the menace without collaboration and extensive support of the people who live in the affected areas.
Collaborating with the views of Shettima, Abia State Governor Alex Otti and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma, who is also the chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum declared their readiness to push for greater support in the pursuit of lasting peace and enduring security in the region.
Otti said: “We the people of the Southeast hereby declare that peace is what we stand for as a region. We declare peace and prosperity, we declare peace for progress, and we stand for peace in the Southeast as a catalyst that will drive growth in all sectors of the economy and rekindle the confidence of future generations. We declare that peace is better.”
On why he has dedicated his time, material and human resources to pursue the cause of this developmental initiative using PISE-P as a vehicle, the convener and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, said: “When I embarked on the Southeast project, my vision was clear — to foster peace, unity, and development in our region through a non-kinetic approach. The Southeast has long been known for its rich cultural heritage, vibrant communities, and enterprising people. Yet, we have faced our fair share of challenges, including socioeconomic disparities, insecurities, political tensions, and occasional conflicts.
“Our goals in the Southeast project are clear. We aim to promote reconciliation among communities and individuals affected by past conflicts. We recognise the need to address the root causes of conflict, including socio-economic disparities and political tensions. Empowering communities is another crucial goal of the project, providing them with the necessary resources, skills, and opportunities for sustainable development.”
While consulting with political bigwigs within and outside the Southeast, Kalu didn’t leave out the traditional institution without hesitation supported the project and graced its launching.
Among prominent traditional rulers who made his stance known on the move to restore the zone to its pride of place is the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe. He threw his weight behind PISE-P, with a weighty endorsement of its non-kinetic approach towards addressing the security challenges in the region.
Already, the non-kinetic measure of tackling insecurity in the Southeast has received the buy-in of many, owing to the loss of lives and property in numerous sectors of human existence. This perhaps informed obvious reason, the Obi of Onitsha emphatically said, “We just have to join forces and make things happen. We want peace and reconciliation in Igboland. Our strength is in what we can do for ourselves.”
From Anambra to Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi – lives and property have been lost over the years, but with the PISE-P approach, hope is rising.
Already, the trickling effect is beginning to rob off within a short time. Perhaps, the soothing embrace of peace led to the celebration of the 2023 Christmas and 2024 New Year without a single reported incidence anywhere in the Southeast.
Now, the gains need to be sustained over a period and continuously too in a bid to get the region back to reckoning. To achieve sustainability gains, there are several factors which should team up to produce more desired results.
Top on the non-kinetic approach to sustain the PISE-P drive is the need to keep the doors of Dialogue open. To a very great extent, continuous dialogue, engagements and reconciliation with stakeholders like the Deputy Speaker highlighted in his speech will play a key role using dynamic means. In this, religious bodies, traditional institutions, youth, women groups, community leaders, and state and non-state actors should be involved.
Nature abhors vacuum amidst the importance of cushioning the effects of conflict or crisis times. Therefore, a holistic Empowerment Programme (both in the short, medium and long terms) needs to be designed and implemented by the various government levels. In creating this path, a central coordinating body like it obtains in the Niger Delta and Northeast should be set up. That agency could be designated as the Southeast Development Commission. Although, it appears there have been moves in this direction recently, however, it should be hastened.
In all, all hands must be on deck at this time and always to achieve the peace mission as Kalu puts it: “…Cultivating a culture of peace is essential in our journey. We must promote dialogue, tolerance, and non-violence as core values within our communities. By working towards these goals, we aim to create a more peaceful, prosperous, and inclusive region for all its residents.
“… let us remember that the journey towards peace is not a destination. It is an ongoing process, one that requires our unflinching commitment and dedication. We must continue to foster inclusivity, promote social justice, and empower our youth. We must invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. We must create opportunities for economic growth and sustainable development. And above all, we must cultivate a culture of peace, respect, and understanding.”
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu has said that his goal for initiating Peace In South East Project (PISE-P) was to foster peace, unity and development in the region.
The initiative canvasses the adoption of a non kinetic approach to resolving the problem of insecurity in south east.
Kalu’s Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu quoted the him as saying that the project also aimed at promoting
reconciliation among communities and individuals affected by past conflicts.
He said: “When I embarked on the Peace in South East Project, my vision was clear — to foster peace, unity, and development in our region through a non-kinetic approach.
“The South East has long been known for its rich cultural heritage, vibrant communities, and enterprising people. Yet, we have faced our fair share of challenges, including socioeconomic disparities, insecurities, political tensions, and occasional conflicts.
“Our goals in the South East Project are clear. We aim to promote reconciliation among communities and individuals affected by past conflicts.
“We recognize the need to address the root causes of conflict, including socio-economic disparities and political tensions. Empowering communities is another crucial goal of the project, providing them with the necessary resources, skills, and opportunities for sustainable development.
“We also believe in the power of engaging youth in the peace-building process. By empowering young people with education, training, and leadership opportunities, we are investing in the region’s future.
“Inclusivity and social justice are core values we aim to foster, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances, have equal access to opportunities and resources.
“Cultivating a culture of peace is essential in our journey. We must promote dialogue, tolerance, and non-violence as core values within our communities. By working towards these goals, we aim to create a more peaceful, prosperous, and inclusive region for all its residents”.
Kalu said the initiative represented a significant milestone in the journey toward lasting peace and development and called for inclusion and social justice in the political system.
He said “It is a comprehensive framework that encompasses various strategies, programs, and projects aimed at addressing the root causes of conflict, promoting reconciliation, and empowering communities.
“But let us remember that the journey towards peace is not a destination. It is an ongoing process, one that requires our unflinching commitment and dedication. We must continue to foster inclusivity, promote social justice, and empower our youth.
“We must invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. We must create opportunities for economic growth and sustainable development. And above all, we must cultivate a culture of peace, respect, and understanding.
“As the Pioneer of Peace in the South East Project, I am deeply grateful for the support and collaboration of each one of you. Together, we have shown the world the power of unity, the strength of diversity, and the beauty of our shared humanity. Let us continue to build upon the foundation we have laid, to strive for a South East that is prosperous, peaceful, and inclusive”.
As the availability of white collar jobs/ civil service continues to shrink drastically as against the rising number of unemployed youths, there is need for leaders, thinkers, policy makers, businessmen and stakeholders from the SouthEast Region to come together, collaborate and churn out a viable road map towards the resuscitation of industries in the region.
Such an effort or set of efforts if well implemented both individually and collectively will not only check the rising tides of unemployment presently experienced within the region but also its accouterments such as crime and youth restiveness which are seriously besetting the region and its inhabitants.
The SouthEast Region which used to be the second largest industrial hub after the South West Region has somewhat seen a number of its promising industries fold up owing to challenges such as the rising level of insecurity, poor economic policies of both the Federal and State governments and poor power supply amongst many other issues. Today, these industries which used to employ youths in their numbers have either had to shut down operations or at most scale down such operations, One finds out that such industries, no matter how profitable it’s business appeared to be had little or no chance against such aforementioned odds stacked up against these industries.
Research did show that the industries established before and within the First Industrial Plan(1962-1968) enjoyed prosperity and development for say about two decades. While the civil war took its toll on the region as a number of industries were destroyed in the course of the war, by the late 70’s, a number of these industries as well as new ones had been reestablished and flourished. Sadly by the time the Babaginda administration came into power and introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which created room for a second tier foreign exchange market which resulted to the massive devaluation of the naira, the abolition of import licenses, changes to import duties intended to reduce the protection of domestic industries and the import dependence of manufacturing and the abolition of export duties all contributed to a sharp decline in the their profitability compared to imports fell significantly.
Further more, subsequent government policies have failed to rectify these challenges:the nation’s continuous dependence on imports, a motley of unfavorable policies, multiple taxation, lack of quality infrastructure and corruption have also decimated the region’s industrial base or capacity.
Insecurity also tops as one of these challenges faced in the region’s attempt at industrialization. The fact remains that no sane human being will site an industry where there are security challenges. The SouthEast has since the return to democracy in 1999 descended into a cycle of violent agitation and crime: Kidnapping, armed robbery , assassinations and other vices have become more prominent while our security agencies even with their best efforts continue to look ordinary in the face of such criminal activities.
It is thus imperative that the five state governments in Anambra in conjunction with the Federal Government must deal adequately with the security conundrum facing the region. While it must be emphasized that the governments should go hard on crime and these criminal elements, I would suggest that they also seek to arrest the few factors that make crime and its participation lucrative before our teeming youths.
This article should serve as a clarion call to the five governors of the SouthEast Region as well as our stakeholders to come together to draw up a SouthEast Roadmap for the resuscitation of these industries as well as the addition of new ones in the region. The governors must take a closer look at a number of policies such as multiple taxation, lack of qualitative infrastructure and insecurity, these factors amidst a few others have somewhat created stumbling blocks for the growth of such industries, stunted their growth options and made their sustainability a bit more tenuous. It is not rocket science!
With access to proper financing , some sort of tax rebates, the provision of quality infrastructure, power inclusive, there is no doubting that these industries will continue to function at par with their contemporaries in other climes, contributing immensely to the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) of the zone.
The time to act is now otherwise the present level of insecurity and youth restiveness presently faced will be a child’s play compared to what lies in the offing should these industries collapse totally.
Joint Body of South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops on Peace and Conflict Resolution has called on Nigerians to ensure Saturday’s elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi took place in a free, fair, and transparent atmosphere.
The body also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rise to its statutory mandate in delivering flawless elections with all the technology and human capacity at its disposal.
The calls were contained in a statement jointly signed by the chairman, Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Alfred Achebe; Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, Most Rev. Dr. Chibuzo Opoko; Chairman, Enugu State Trad. Rulers Council, Igwe Amb L. O. C. Agubuzu and Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke.
The group implored federal and Imo State governments and other relevant agencies to do their best to ensure free, fair, and transparent polls, arguing that such a move would eliminate or minimize post-election disputes.
The body further called on leaders of political parties and their candidates to remind their supporters, stakeholders, and party faithful, to commit to non-violence and maintenance of peace during the elections and beyond.
While enjoining registered voters to come out in en mass to exercise their franchise, the leaders urged them to resist any intimidation or efforts to compromise their conscience with cheap financial or material gestures.
The statement partly read: “On November 11th, 2023, the electorate in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo States will go to the polls to excise their civic duties by electing the Governors of their respective states.
“The aftermath of the highly contentious General Elections in February and March this year was characterised by a deluge of disputed results that in turn precipitated a plethora of court cases which have left the nation mired in a deepening distrust for public institutions.
“From the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Judiciary, the last hope of the common citizen, our nation’s socio-political fabric has been stretched to the point of sundering.
“On the economic front, the challenges have been unrelenting as the harshness of an inclement economy has savaged most of our people, yet inexplicably leaving the privileged and financially secure unaffected, and aloof and indifferent to the implications for their fellow citizens.
“Indeed, it is the beneficiaries of the flawed 2023 General Elections that are themselves at odds with the masses who voted them into office. Divorced and disconnected from the accountability of servant leadership, Nigeria’s political class have adorned the amour of gladiators in pursuit of power by all means.
“The public may recall that when the situation in Anambra State was about to boil over and threatened the success of the gubernatorial election in 2019, it was the Joint Body that stepped into the breach, resulting in a Peace Agreement between the political class and other stakeholders, including non-state actors.
“Today, Imo State is uncertain of the desired goal of an orderly, peaceful, harmonious, and unifying Gubernatorial Election. We must all act and let peace reign.
“We reiterate that the security agencies have a solemn duty to guarantee the peaceful and free movement of people who come out to exercise their civic duties, as well as prevent troublemakers from disrupting the elections, or attacks on any section of the people based on ethnicity, religion or party affiliations before, during or after the election.
“We urge that they devote particular attention to the already reported instances of insecurity, violence, kidnapping for ransom, shedding of innocent blood, and attacks on public buildings and uniformed officers.
“We make the above demands based on the fact that much of our current circumstances is linked directly and indirectly to the primary challenge of forging a pathway to an inclusive and prosperous nationhood.”
Global economies have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 pandemic in the last three years. The devastation in terms of loss of human lives and disruption in social and economic activities has made many developing economies more unstable. The people are poorer and with poverty comes its negative effects like insecurity and other social vices. In Nigeria for instance, the insecurity problems in the North East due to the activities of Boko Haram, ISWAP and other terrorist groups have greatly impacted not just the region but the whole country.
As the years went by, the insecurity in the region spread to the North West, North Central and indeed the whole of the South of Nigeria. The degrees of impact have been almost at par. There are kidnappings, school abductions, murderous activities of bandits, herder/farmer conflicts in farms and villages across the nation which has impacted the nation’s food security. This has contributed in pushing inflation into double digits whie unemployment is on the increase.
However, the undocumented statistics is the impact of insecurity on women across Nigeria. Besides school abductions that seems to have been stamped in the global consciousness by the abduction in April 2014 of the Chibok girls, a series of school abductions have happened especially in the Northern region of the country. The increasing number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) weighs heavily against the female population.
However, being displaced in one’s own country that is seemingly at ‘peace’ can be traumatic but the additional socio-economic impact on the victims especially women who are already burdened by various developmental challenges can be unquantifiable. While the government has tried to reduce the impact of terrorist activities in the North through the Joint Task Force (JTF), it is not yet uhuru for the rest of the country. Loss of lives, decrease in economic and social activities and general sense of insecurity among the citizens is a national problem.
Across the South East, the insecurity situation has taken a heavy toll on the economy of a region hitherto renowned for its industry and commerce. The sit-at-home order by some yet to be identified group and the activities of the now infamous ‘unknown gunmen’ have impacted negatively on the region in ways that economists and development experts fear might cripple the economic and social lives of the region if urgent steps are not taken to stabilize the region.
In the light of this, a Pan-Igbo non-partisan socio-cultural group, Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo Foundation (NNIIF), recently took their 3rd annual conference with the theme: WOMEN: A UNIFYING FORCE IN PEACE BUILDING to Enugu state in their effort to explore a restoration of the pristine leadership partnership with the leaders in the region through an inclusive peace-building. The essence of the conference according the founder of the organization, former Minister of Women affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih is to offer all leaderships in the region, political, religious and traditional that are often male-dominated a hand of partnership that can restore peace to the region.
According to Iyom Anenih, the motto of the group is ‘Partnering for Development and going back home with the conference is significant because the women who are the ones most affected by insecurity not just in the South East but globally. She maintains that women are the peace bearers in families being daughters (Umu Ada), wives (Ndi inyom) and mothers (Ndi Nne) whose primary duties are to nurture, unite and mentor depending on which of the tripartite roles they are playing.
Women of Nigeria like most women in developing nations to her are subjected to the similar treatments whether in peace or conflict situations. Women, children and other vulnerable demographics form the bulk of the victims in all conflicts globally. Ironically, men that seem to have the monopoly of all classes of power; political, economic, religious and traditional seem not to realize the roles women have always played in peace mediation and sustenance. She told The Roundtable Conversation that if charity begins at home, it is apposite for the group to go back home through the two-day conference hosted by the Enugu state government led by H.E Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah to renew the pristine sense of male and female partnership to the leaders in the region with a view to restoring peace not just in the Eastern region but in the country.
The theme of the conference is an all-embracing point of focus that the group hopes would cascade to all the regions in the country. Nigerian men must return to the times when women’s traditional role in peace building made the society more peaceful. Speakers at the conference were drawn from across the nation and most were predominantly, educationists, development experts and human rights advocates.
H.E Regina Amadi-Njoku , a development expert who retired as a former Regional Director at the International Labour Organization at the level of UN Assistant Secretary General and the Board of Trustees Chairperson said that the political leaders must realize that while men often have the tendency to be egoistic and tend to be ambivalent about conflicts, women are nurturing and they humanize. In her speech, she appealed to leaders to partner with women as our ancestors did before the colonialists brought their mono system of governance. Men and women in Africa played complimentary roles.
Other Speakers like, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Prof. Kenneth Amaeshi, Ms Ene Obi, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, Senator Grace Folashade Bent, Pro. Chidi Odinkalu, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, Hajia Fatima H. Betara, Dr. Nwankwo Nwaezeigwe, Rev. Dr. Edwin Biayeibo and Prince Ozioma Ani were all unanimous that it is time for inclusive leadership that can enhance productivity. All demographics must fully be allowed through opportunities for education to contribute to both peace-building and productivity for economic growth not just in the South East but across the country.
The goal of the conference was to have the needed conversation (nkata) that can be backed with the partnership the association hopes would return the region to a more peaceful region and in essence the country as a whole where women, the young people and men can explore their full potentials so that progress can be made.
The deputy governor of Enugu state, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai who represented his principal recalled that women and men have always partnered in development because while in rural communities, subsistent farming sustained lives, there was division of labour, men till the land and women weed and nurture the planted seeds. Leadership roles were complimentary and so to him, Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo Foundation bringing up the peace –building roles of women is commendable. He recalled the roles of women in families often replicated at the August meeting as mediators and the socio-economic values of their interventions that even goes beyond the Aba Women intervention in 1929.
Oby Ezekwesili reminded everyone that women have always been part of the driving force of development across Africa. But development she insists must start from the restoration of the dignity of the human person. The Igbos she insists have a belief system that says, ‘Ndu bu isi’ which literally translates to ‘life is the ultimate’. The Hobbesian impact of insecurity in the region as in the whole country somewhat negates this social mantra. Security of life as our ancestors valued it must be the focus of any leadership and both men and women must collaborate through the restoration of peace to achieve this.
Senator Grace Folashade Bent through her speech reiterated the roles women play in the world not just as daughters, wives and mothers but also as bridge builders through marriage. To her, a Yoruba woman, born in Kaduna and married to a man from Adamawa in the North, she is rooted across Nigeria and her children might even spread their wings further. Women therefore must be right in seeking inclusion not just in the political space where policies that affect them are made but also in peace-building.
Prof. Chinwe Obaji believes that the impact of a dysfunctional system on everyone is huge and the governors must pay better attention to the education sector. The loss of values that has contributed to the insecurities can be traced back to the loss of values that has impacted both parenting and the stability of families. She believes that the curriculum must be adjusted to include history and the story of who we are not just as a region but as a country.
Prof. Chidi Odinkalu said that given the impact of insecurity and violence against women that are largely undocumented the group’s intervention must be taken further than the conference. There must be a functional coalition of groups that must work to get to the minutest details of the impact of the gender-based violence on the South East women. He urged the group to equally hold the governors of the South East accountable for actions and inactions that result in the insecurity and underdevelopment.
To him, every male victim leaves behind a string of female victims/dependents. Women are often direct and indirect victims of the violence in the South East, the socio-economic impact is huge. Sexual violence on women come with both physical and psychological impacts that impact development because young men are deserting the communities, women can’t go to farms, markets and even socio-religious gatherings like, meetings, festivals and churches that hitherto provided recreation for them. The ball therefore is in the court of everyone. He believes functional across board partnerships can help untie the Gordian knot of insecurity that will precede development.
The judgment of the Supreme Court which affirmed the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) should concern even the most optimistic opposition political elite in the southeast as regards the region’s geopolitical interests. In the 2023 presidential election, the electorate from the region, feeling disenchanted with the Buhari-led All Progressive Congress (APC) and cheated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which despite years of support, gave the party’s ticket to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, formed the bulwark of the strident Labour Party supporters which took the nation by storm.
Tapping into that disenchantment, the political elite which felt robbed of the right of first refusal with respect to the presidency urged the region to put nearly all their eggs in the Labour Party basket. Well, while that basket has not fallen on a concrete paved road, the skilled labour put into the nurturing and hatching of the eggs have yielded a few chicks, most of them unhealthy and dying at infancy. Considering that patience is not a virtue of the political elite and their people, how would they deal with their political miscalculations?
With PBAT, an ardent political strategist in the saddle, it is fair to assume that the opposition parties would be in the lurch for some years to come, all things being equal. And since the ruling party did not harvest plenty of votes from the zone in the last presidential election, will PBAT apply President Muhammadu Buhari’s incongruous mathematical equation of 97/5 percent of those who voted for and against, in sharing the economic resources of the country? Hopefully, PBAT will prove a more gifted mathematical prognosticator than his predecessor.
Many are wont to believe that some of the economic policies of the past regime, like the border closure, banning of the importation of certain items, the poorly thought out import substitution policies and the manipulative foreign exchange policies were aimed at punishing the businesses done by people from the southeast region. While some of the claims are debatable, there is no doubt that considering the mutual political animosity between majority of the people and elites of the region and the Buhari government, some of the policies were aimed at curbing the economic flourish, some will call it excesses, of the business men from the region.
But as that regime may have found out, the economic regulation policies while encouraging minimal import substitution and artificial foreign exchange control, left the economy so hollow that they had to borrow money to pay salaries and engage in infrastructure development. The result is the stagflation which the PBAT regime inherited. The Buhari policy on rice for example, while creating significant local production, could not tame the run-away inflationary pressure which also affected the price of that staple food. And for an average Nigerian, what worries him/her is the price of rice, not whether they are locally produced parboiled rice in the market.
Again, the border closure which was initially hailed by many, worsened the economic situation, even with the foreign exchange control policies targeted at discouraging certain types of import. Without local substitutes, and with no effective control at the national borders and ports, those determined to import such items soon found a way around the control measures. One glaring outcome was the booming of the parallel foreign exchange market, also referred to as the black market.
As happens with unbridled regulation in a corrupt environment, unprecedented distortion soon set in, as many of the privileged members of the Buhari regime got ensnared into using influence to appropriate foreign exchange from the Central Bank, which they sell through their agents in the black market, to the same marketers who import what the regime sought to substitute. When those imports land at the national border or the ports, the corrupt custom officials appropriate the remnant of what should come to the national coffers, while the goods are delivered to the buyers at excessively exorbitant prices.
So, while the privileged members of the regime, the customs and other regulatory agency officials and the unscrupulous importers smile to the bank, the ordinary people and their national treasury haemorrhage uncontrollably. The multiple whammy of economic stagnation, high unemployment rate, run-away inflation, weakened local currency, scarce foreign exchange and a nation threatened by socio-economic disillusionment of the people, is now the lot of PBAT and his team to manage. Even for the most optimistic person, this is definitely not the best of times for the country, as the nation is like a tinderbox.
Glaringly, for this regime, the first step is to build what the famous Tatalo Alamu, of this newspaper calls, building elite consensus to govern. PBAT must resist the temptation of the Buhari style of surrounding himself with only familiar faces, in the forlorn hope that what is only needed is loyalty and presumed competence. While those two are important, he also needs to hear outsider opinions, not accustomed to his economic worldview, since his emergence in 1999 as a political leader.
As is self-evident, the sinned-against, and the sinners are all suffering the consequences of the poor economic policies of the Buhari regime. Godwin Emefiele, the lightening rod of the economic team of the past regime, appears flummoxed, and must be wondering what came over him, to agree to preside over the gross mismanagement of the national economy. While the presidential apple he was offered is tempting enough, from hindsight he would know that it was a fruitless mirage. As we mourn the economic tragedy, those now saddled with responsibilities under PBAT must learn from what Emefiele and his cohorts brought on all Nigerians, including themselves.
No doubt, the disillusioned electorate and the disaffected elites from the southeast region can be harvested for good or for bad, depending on the poaching skills. While the cause of the political disease afflicting the southeast may be different, their economic afflictions are not different from that of the rest of Nigerians. As political pundits are wont to say, there is no different rice price tag for those who supported the past government from those who didn’t. The costs for transportation, health, education, security and all other needs have no discriminatory tags.
As the Tinubu era starts in earnest following the Supreme Court verdict, the southeast political elite should engage in strategic analysis of the short and long term geopolitical interests of the region. They do not need any lecture to understand that what should guide them should be the paramount interest of the region, in a Nigeria built on equity, fairness and justice. And the region is awash with deep political economists and intellectuals, who can provide the roadmap to reincarnate the pre-civil war south-eastern economic miracles of Michael Okpara.
Perhaps, the time for the much touted handshake across the Niger has come.
