South-East leaders, on Saturday, met with the Presidential delegation led by the Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, and demanded for a President of Igbo extraction in 2023, maintaining that “it is time for South-East to produce a President”.
At the meeting held in Government House, Enugu, leaders of various groups which included the South-East governors, members of the National Assembly from South-East, Ministers from the zone, Religious leaders, traditional leaders among others made their presentations and frowned at the way the South-East has been marginalised in both infrastructural developments and appointments.
The leaders told President Muhammadu Buhari that they were not happy with the marginalisation of the people of the South-East in security architecture of the country.
Therefore, they asked for equitable representation of the South-East in the security architecture among the five Service Chiefs, Immigration and Inspector General of Police as well as disarming of the killer herdsmen operating with AK-47s in the zone.
Those who spoke at the meeting included the Chairman of Anambra traditional rulers and Obi of Onitsha, HRM Igwe Alfred Achebe, President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, South-East CAN Chairman, Bishop Goddy Okafor, representative of South-East Elders, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, and the leader of South-East youths, Pascal Ugwu.
Iwuanyanwu, who said Buhari “is my friend”, asked Gambari to tell the President that Ndigbo were not happy.
In a 14-point communique presented by the chairman of the South-East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, the leaders demanded for the creation of additional states in the South-East in the spirit of equity and justice.
They called for urgent construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of all federal roads in the zone, which they described as death traps.
Umahi later presented a communiqué on behalf of the zone.
He stated that “We, therefore, with humility, request our President, the father of our nation, to please look into the demands of the various groups of our people, as presented today, review same with a view to solving them”.
Umahi stressed that “South-East people believe in one Nigeria and this is the reason we are in every part of this country erecting infrastructure, living peacefully with our host communities and doing our businesses”.
The South-East leaders also requested for “a joint operation into all our forests to flush out criminals and killer herdsmen with AK-47” and pledged their commitment to continuous co-existence with herdsmen who have been living peacefully in the zone for years.
“We pledge to continue to protect all the various ethnic groups living in the South East. We enjoin them to go about their businesses peacefully. We thank Mr. President, Governors and Traditional Rulers in other parts of Nigeria for their commitment to protect our people, especially during and after the protests. We must continue to live in peace”, they said.
“We believe that under this platform, we are bigger and stronger”, they said, pledging their undivided support and love to the President and his administration.
The leaders also thanked Buhari “for all the great works he is doing at the Second Niger Bridge, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, dualised road of Enugu to Port Harcourt and some other projects in the South-East”.
They thanked Buhari for his commitment towards the struggle for the emergence of Prof. Okonjo Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
“We are particularly grateful with the way you have engaged the world leaders to see her through the process. May God crown your efforts with success, Amen”, the leaders said.
The leaders expressed appreciation to “Mr. President’s delegation for carefully listening to, engaging with stakeholders and undertaking to report faithfully to Mr. President for his consideration and necessary action”.
Earlier in his address , the host, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, said that the strategic dialogue between the Presidential delegation and the expanded meeting of the South-East stakeholders was historic and momentous as it presented an uncommon opportunity for deepening the common ideas between the zone and the Presidency, “while setting the agenda and framework for a focused and continuous engagement on matters of common interest”. assured their unwavering commitment to a united, peaceful and equitable Nigeria.
Present at the meeting were Ugwuanyi, Umahi, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, their Imo State counterpart, Senator Hope Uzodinma and the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; the House of Representatives’ Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu; Senator Sam Egwu; Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Ambassador Justina Eze; Mrs. Josephine Anenih, representatives of Igbo youths and students, among others.
