Alphonsus Nweze
An Igbo socio- political group, Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) has said that there can be no successful restructuring of NIgeria without justice, equity, and fairness to all constituent groups.
The group in a statement signed by its leader Dede Uzor A Uzor was reacting to a lecture delivered recently by the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, where he canvassed that restructuring is the solution to Nigeria’s political imbroglio, not secession.
Fayemi in his postulation made reference to Somalia and Southern Sudan as countries which got independence but they have not fared better.
The group however accused Fayemi of not presenting all the facts that militated the countries and turned blind eyes on countries like Eritrea, Czeck and Slovak and others that flourished after getting their indepedence.
The Igbo group queried, “can you effectively restructure Nigeria in the face of glaring injustice, when a section of the country has hijacked everything ranging from the higher number of states and Local Governments. Kano State alone has 44 Local Governments which almost equals the entire Local Governments in the entire South East”.
Continuing, “In all the Service Chiefs’ appointments, there is no single person from South East zone deemed qualified to be appointed as Service Chief.”
NUF said there was no single presence of federal government in the entire South East except the security operatives sent here to sabotage our economy through extortion, traffic gridlock and inhuman treatment to the people as well as outright killings of innocent citizens.
“There is no industry, the road projects are carried out in half-hearted manner. They prefer developing rail track in Maradi, Niger and Chad Republics than putting the projects in this area”
“Employment opportunities are not extended to the people of the zone since the emergence of this regime. Recently Judiciary officers were appointed, no person from South East was appointed,” the group said.
They said the federal roads in the zone are in deplorable condition, while there is highest level of human right violations and extortion by the security operatives with impunity in the zone.
They said that NIgeria would continue to grope in darkness as long as people like Fayemi refused to say the truth but hide under their selfish agenda to proffer solution for Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The group said it was this lack of honesty and fair-mindedness of the leaders that oil the agitation for secession in the country.
