Igbo groups to Buhari: We want SGF for South-East, tell leaders to rally support from North, South-West
By Tribune Online
Igbo groups to Buhari: We want SGF for South-East, tell leaders to rally support from North, South-West
A Coalition of Igbo groups has urged the South-East leaders to unite together and mend fences with their North and South-West counterparts as to have their rightful place in the helm of affairs within the country.
The groups which lamented exclusion of South-East from leadership of the 9th National Assembly, the judiciary, made the call in Abakaliki on Friday.
According to the group, Ndigbo must re-strategize ahead of 2023 by mending fences to avoid being schemed out in positions of authority in the country.
The group said in a statement signed and issued to newsmen in Abakaliki by Mazi Alex Okemiri, National President World Igbo Youth Council, Dr Mrs Helen Ogbonnaya; Chairperson South-East Women Professionals and Comrade
Chidera Udoko President Igbo Students Union, described the scheming out of South-East in the current leadership of the National Assembly as a wakeup call for the Igbos to restrategize and take their rightful place in the polity.
They, however, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately compensate the South-East by picking next Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF) from the zone and recommended immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu for the position.
The groups said “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
Nigeria’s project and we are calling on the Igbo traditional rulers and clergy to chart the way forward.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo must reconcile with
Biafra agitators and the youths, and stop media assault on the ruling party but should be nonpartisan in their policy statements.
“We call for the total restructuring of Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership with a new template to be more socio-cultural in their modus operandi,
and genuine reconciliation between the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to be facilitated by the South-East governors. Ndigbo should see the silver lining in the recent exclusion of South-East in top echelon of the country, there is a golden opportunity in self rediscovering of
Igbo as we must correct where we politically got it amiss.
“We congratulate South-East governors on their swearing in, we 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 coal mine, which was President
Buhari’s electoral promise before he was sworn- in in his first term is actualized in his second tenure.
“We boldly support the call for South-East to produce the SGF and we know that Dr Ogbonnaya Onu is a round peg in a round
hole, a disciplined and season administrator and a loyal party man.
We advocate that the former Minister Science and Technology is the brain behind the merger of APC and 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 South-East zone,
President Buhari should, in the spirit of sportsmanship, replace North-East with
Southeast in the position of SGF as Northeast is now in charge of the leadership of the Senate, and we boldly support Ogbonnaya Onu for the
Job of SGF.
“We wish to see Nkalagu Cement industry bounce back in full force, second 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.”
Igbo groups to Buhari: We want SGF for South-East, tell leaders to rally support from North, South-West
Tribune Online