S’East to benefit from planned refineries, says Ben Obi

FROM CHUKS COLLINS, AWKA

MORE light has been shed on government’s plans to establish three new refineries in Kogi, Lagos and Bayelsa States, with assurance that more parts/zones in the country would benefit, including the South East geopolitical zone, soon.

This was disclosed in Awka yesterday by   President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide on Inter-Party Relations, Chief Ben Obi.

Speaking on the proposed new refineries and the removal of petroleum subsidy, Obi urged Nigerians to see government’s programmes on their merit rather than from sectional, zonal or other divisive perspectives.

The new refineries, he said “were to be wholly private sector-driven, and the one for Bayelsa was to be sited at Oloibiri, the location where the first oil well was discovered in Nigeria.

He said Kogi plays a very central role geographically in the nation’s affairs, same as Lagos in terms of commerce and industry too.

He therefore called for calm and understanding, assuring that the project which is coming in phases would in the next phase be extended to other zones in the country especially the South East.

Obi who condemned the recent spate of bombings in parts of the country, admitted that it was worrisome, but added that there would be a change in terms of security in the coming year.

“You can see that most of the suspects behind the recent bombings have been apprehended. Our security agencies are working round-the-clock to tackle the challenge, bring the situation under total control and keep citizens safe. The various arms of government have carried out a progressive training and retraining of all security officers.

On the subsidy issue, Obi appealed to Nigerians to give Jonathan a chance, because he has given his word of honour on it.

“In the past such packages come without any working document of all issues involved or what and where to channel the proceeds and why, but the present administration has put the whole cards on the table for all to see,” he said.
Source: The Guardian, 28^th December 2011.

Why Projects in South-east are Abandoned –Ngige 

From GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka

For over 12 months , the South-east geo-political zone has been hit hard by untold hardship and uncountable losses of lives due to the death traps on the federal roads in the zone . The Federal Government has been paying only lip service to rehabilitation of roads in the region.

Year after year, all federal roads in the South-east, especially the ever-busy Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways appear in the budget of the Federation, yet no reasonable work is done on the roads, ditto other federal projects, including the Second Niger Bridge which purported construction was commissioned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

However, the disenchantment of the people of the South-east and their threat seem to have touched their representatives at the National Assembly who now are said to be working together to ensure that the zone is treated with respect and given infrastructure like other zones.

One of the moving forces in this new spirit in the National Assembly is Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Power and Mine and former Governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, who in this interview withDaily Sun revealed what the South-east caucus of the National Assembly is doing to ameliorate the situation.
Dr Ngige spoke on the roads and why the jobs were not being executed; the second Niger Bridge which he said was commissioned for construction without design, the taking away of the South-east slot in the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court to another zone and other burning issues.

South-east roads
Alor in Idemili South is my place of origin. If anything happens to anybody, you run to your province and from your province to your place of birth; that’s what Gaddafi did. He had to run from Tripoli to his birth place and he said he should be buried with his forefathers. So, the custom is the same everywhere. So, there we are in that Senate as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, legislating for the whole country, for the betterment of the whole people, and we then place our eyes to the peculiarities of our zone.

It is not true that nobody has said anything about the South-east roads. Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu had to go to the Minister of Works. Senator Andy Uba visited there too. I did not visit there, but when the man was being screened, I knew he was going to go to Ministry of Works, having looked at his CV and if you watched our screening, I asked him questions that concern roads and contract management in Nigeria, because you will be thinking about the roads and blaming everybody. Yes, it is true that they gave poor quality contractors our roads, but a contractor like Setraco is not a poor quality contractor. 

He worked for me in Anambra State here. He did the road from Igboukwu through Ezinifite, Uga, Amesi, Umuchu, Umunze, Ogbunka, and Owere-Ezukalla into Isuochi. The road is seven years old, it’s carrying traffic, and it’s a good road. He also did for me Awka-Etiti, Nnewi, Utu, Ukpo, Osumoghu, Iseke. The roads are there shining, no crack, no single crack. I paid these contractors as at when due and they were happy working for me.

On Port Harcourt-Aba-Umuahia-Enugu expressway, we have been on that road for nearly seven years now or more. If you probe on why they have not been delivering, you will discover that government has not fulfilled their own part of the bargain of the contract; they have not been paying for continuity of those contracts.

If you go to Enugu- Onitsha expressway which they gave to CCC and one other contractor which they divided into parts, the contractors are not wonderful, but if you give them excuse to hide under non-payment, they will readily do so. Nigercat did so many roads for me in Onitsha, including Oguta Road which was in a very dilapidated state, Port-Harcourt Road and I went on supervision. I followed them up with serious supervision because I couldn’t trust them. I couldn’t trust their words because they tendered and bided the lowest. Even CCC did Mili John from Oba, Ojoto, to Umoji road. The road is still shining till today. So, everything depends on managers of contracts. I do not say that the contractors are blame-free, they are also to be blamed because I can see poor quality jobs being done on this Enugu- Onitsha expressway. If I’m their client, I will not take the job. I will come and condemn them and excavate them and they will re-do a large portion of them.

South-east caucus decision
So, we have decided as South-east caucus that we will make sure that there is good appropriation for this project in the 2012 budget. The former money that was there was project fund that were gathered by the senators themselves and pushed into this project. As we speak now this year, only the first quarter capital was released. They just released the second quarter the other day; and third and fourth are going to follow. No problem let them be released. Now that they are released, we domicile them in these ministries and that’s what is introduced into the budget as roll-over so that the money will not expire. Once there is a roll-over, it will not expire and we shall appropriate something for 2012 and with that we shall have enough funds. We shall do oversight.

We have agreed in the South-east caucus that even those of us that are not in the committee on Works, we will go on the roads that are in our areas, and I can tell you that I will head the team that will be inspecting federal roads in Anambra so that the people will better sit up. So, there will be sharing of functions, but on a global basis. 

The committee is representing the interest of the Senate. So, this is what we have agreed to do; appropriate the funds, do serious oversight in terms of supervision of these contractors and the Ministry that is giving down the job and we have the capacity to do so because providentially, I won’t say its tactically, the committee for Works in the Senate is headed by Ayogu Eze, a Senator from Enugu State of the South-east. The committee on Works, House of Representatives is headed by Hon. Ozomgbachi from Enugu State. The committee on FERMA is also headed by another lawmaker from Enugu State. So, we will have no excuse not to oversight these people or not to do a correct appropriation.

South-east slot in Supreme Court
If you also watched the deliberations in the Senate, I’ve also complained about the taking away of one slot of the Supreme Court position zoned to the South-east and given to one of our sisters married to River State, Justice Odili. She is my family friend, she is an erudite judge, very intelligent, but the truth of the matter is that she is married to a man from River State and she started her career as a magistrate from River State’s lower bench and moved to be judge in River State and moved to the Court of Appeal on River State’s slot. So, to now move her to Supreme Court with a slot of the South-east is even a disrespect to her, it’s a slight to her, for them to do that.

I raised it on the floor of the Senate when we were confirming Justice Oloruyi Ola and the Senate President on the chair informed me that in the Sixth Senate, screening was done and it was marginally raised, but that from the papers before them, the appointing authority which is the NJC, the president nominated her based on the slot of the South-east and I said it’s unacceptable to me and I will raise it at the appropriate time for that error to be rectified, so that South-east will get another slot. We can’t be short-changed like that.  

Second Niger Bridge
We are doing what we are supposed to do. The road from Port Harcourt to Enugu is now our first line priority. The one from Enugu to Bridgehead, both of them rank higher and we are also doing something about Second Niger Bridge. It is now that it has been discovered, the anomalies, the untruth that have enveloped that particular project, and as we speak now, some foreign investors are coming to partner with us to make that bridge a reality. If we don’t do it that way, that bridge will not be built because as I speak to you, there is no engineering design.

Whatever has been paraded before you before was just a smoke screen, an effigy of lies and deceit that was told to you earlier on by the Federal Government, especially those who went and said they are commissioning it in 2007. You know those; Obasanjo was there, Andy Uba was there, Peter Obi was there, James Ibori was there, Uduaghan was there, outgoing and incoming. They were all there and they did that. But we are all alive and that is the good thing about life. So, there is nothing there as we speak. So, a new study has been commissioned for designs for that bridge and with God supporting us, we are hopeful that the designs will be ready in the next 15 months. 

It was commissioned about two months ago, so we expect the designs back not in 15 months, but 18 to 24 months. It is taking that time because we have now included rail into the design. There was no rail in the former ones they were doing. We need a rail so that when the rail line comes down from Lagos; that is the West-East rail that will go to Port Harcourt through Benin- Asaba, Onitsha- Owerri- Aba, then to Port Harcourt. We want that rail design synchronized into the bridge. With that, it’s a new development, a new kettle of fish altogether. So, we had to start the design all over again.
Source: Sun, 16^th November 2011.

Rough Journey to the East

Nick Udenta

analysis

It's once again that period of the year when Nigerians of the Eastern origin begin to count their losses amidst the joy that heralds the season. Few weeks from today, the roads leading to the eastern and Southern parts of the country will be a no-go-area. Very soon, the media would be awash with the news of families being wiped out along the Lokoja/Abuja Expressway and the story of journey that is supposed to take six to seven hours consuming a whole day or two all because the government of the 'days' have decided to look elsewhere while hers citizens are suffering.

A journey to Enugu, which is often called the gateway to the East, by road, will not keep one in doubt of the determination of the federal government not to listen to the cry of the populace. According to Mr Sunday Mba, a driver with Ifesinachi transport company who has been plying the Enugu/Abuja route for close to fifteen years now "If the government were serious they would have completed the dualisation of the Lokoja/Abuja expressway. The problem started with the Obasanjo regime which gave the contract to "yeye" companies." Mba says it was a deliberate attempt by Obasanjo's administration to punish some set of people who he perceived as his enemy.

Mba says movement between Enugu and Abuja used to be a thing of pleasure until recently when the road became so busy and maintenance became essential commodity, adding that "on so many occasions I have come close to death on the Lokoja/Abuja expressway." He emphasised that if only those in the National Assembly could give half of the attention they give to mundane issues like that of homosexuals the road would have been completed by now.

A journey between Abuja and Lokoja which is normally supposed to take about two hour at most, last week Thursday ,took mr Mba about five hour. As he says "I spent three and half hours between Giri and Kuje road junction along the Gwagwalada expressway" The Gwagwalada portion along the Abuja/Lokoja road is synonymous with "hold ups" while the Abaji/Lokoja is notorious for accidents which often claim many lives every week. Almost every family in the west, east and southern part of the country has lost one or two members or friends on the Lokoja/Abuja expressway. No wonder commercial vehicle drivers who ply the road have decided to change it's name from Abuja/Lokoja road to "point-and-kill."

While Mba wasted about three and half hours to get to Kuje junction, his fellow driver Mr. Jecob Akpan,who plies Abuja Port Harcourt route took a different option by going through the Kuje road which can be accessed through kuje junction along Lugbe /airport road. The road is not tarred but it's less busy. Akpan says "It's to avoid the hold-ups that normally occurs along the Gwagwalada expressway."He lamented the pace of work on the dual carriage way project of the road, describing it as "Slow men at work" Adding that "If it were to be the aviation industry government would have hurried to finish it because they travel by air." But mr Akpam may be wrong on the statement that government officials always fly on air because so many of them have lost their lives on that same roads, so no one is protected.

A journey to Enugu may not be so fantastic as a result of the bad roads but one may seem to have respite when you drive pass Lokoja. The road between Lokoja and Ajokuta may not be a dual carriage way but it's not so busy and it's well tarred. Mr. Abdul Muhammed sales goat in Enugu and he often ply that route. "This place (Lokoja/Ajokuta road) used to be bad but last year they worked on it, so we thank the Kogi state government for that".

However, the same can't be said of the Ajokuta portion of the road."When we live Lokoja we always enjoy the driving until we get to Ajokuta where the road is very bad. The Itobe bridge(River Benue) is under going some repair but the pace of work is very alarming-one lane of the bridge is closed to traffic. Those who use the road quite often have been wondering why the Kogi state government would not extend the good work they did along the Lokoja/Ajokuta road to the Ajokuta/Itobe road down to Ojodu till Ochadam junction, all in Kogi state. These portions of the road constitute a death trap to drivers because they are in a very poor state.

A journey to Enugu usually witnesses another hitch when one gets to Nsukka in Enugu state. The road is very busy and long overdue for dual carriageway. There's a lot of potholes on the road which has often lead to many accidents occurring on it. Mr. Chijoke Edeoga hails from Ukehe,one of the towns in Nsukka through which the road passed. A teacher by profession, mr Edeoa says the road is economically viable and needs a dual carriageway or at least proper maintenance. "All these lorries that carry food stuff to the south-south and south-east pass through this road. They come from far north and middle-belt. Here's the food-basket of the nation (Benue State). They are our neighbour and they transport their food stuff to the eastern part through this road." Edeoga says apart from all these the road is also the gateway to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), which is one of the foremost universities in Nigeria. According to Edeoga, so many of Nigeria's best brains who were students of the great institution have died on that road.

The journey to Enugu may not be complete if one does not take account of the Nite mile. A terminal sort of for commercial vehicle drivers .Nine mile, as the name goes, is about nine miles away from the city of Enugu. Within this area are located the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), Nigerian Breweries Limited (NBL) with there biggest plant in Africa and other mini companies. As a result, the place is a beehive of activities, so also is the vehicular movement on the roads there. Driving from Nine mile to Enugu centre is supposed to take not less than ten to fifteen minutes but due to bad road and "slow men at work". It takes up to thirty five minutes to complete the journey. Construction work has been on going on this few meter of road (Nine mile/Enugu) for the past three to four years.

While this piece was going Mr Basil Ahionugbe who was travelling from Ekpoma(Edo state) to Enugu sent an SOS to her fiancée in Abuja. The SMS reads: "Ha you did not tell me that the road is this bad. I would have gone with my jeep. It took us two hours to get to Onitsha, but we have been here for the past three hours." Mr Ahionugbe was on his way to visit his in-law-to-be at Enugu. From Onitsha to Awka, both in Anambra State, a journey of about fifty minutes takes hours as a result of bad road. A journey from Onitsha to Enugu takes four to five ours as against two hours if the roads were good.

But many have continued to ask why the state government can't step in and put all these roads in order, then get reimbursed by the federal government whose responsibility it is to put the federal roads in good shape.

As the saying goes "there's no smoke without fire" the people of the east should make it a point of duty to find out why a journey to eastern part of the country by road should make one begin to believe that the governments at the centre have some axe to grind with the people of these area. As the new minister for works, Eng. Mike Onolememen moves to repair some of the damages caused by the past administration, the wise people of the east expect that he turns, look at their direction and do justice to the roads that lead to the east.
Source: Leadership, 8^th November 2011.

South-east Leaders Meeting Deadlocked

By  Christopher Isiguzo

Political office holders from the South-east, including the governors, ministers, National Assembly members and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, rose from a closed-door meeting in Enugu yesterday without a consensus on any of the issues they discussed.

A source at the meeting told newsmen that the governors discussed issues that bother on creating additional state for the zone, the poor road network, ecological disasters bedeviling the zone, the lingering minimum wage debacle, and the Boko Haram crisis among others but failed to reach an agreement on any of them.

It was also gathered that a leadership crisis might have broken out within the governors’ forum as some governors were said to have consistently absented themselves from the meeting without any cogent reason.

The situation came to the fore yesterday when two of the governors, Theordore Orji of Abia state and Rochas Okorocha failed to honour a well-publicised meeting in Enugu involving the governors,  Secretary to Government of the federation, Ministers and members of the National Assembly.

Although, the three other governors, including Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Peter Obi (Anambra) and Martin Elechi were present   as well Secretary to Government of the federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, their counterparts from Abia and Imo states did not show up and no reason was adduced for their conspicuous absence.

Also at the meeting were Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Ministers of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; Power, Prof Barth Nnaji; Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; Aviation, Stella Oduah; Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, as well as other senators, including Uche Chukwumerije.

As if confirming the issue on lack of agreement of some of the issues raised and the seeming disagreement, Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, refused to address newsmen at the end of the meeting, as he simply said: “We don’t have any address. We just discussed issues of common interest to Nigeria and South-east.”

All efforts by anxious reporters to get further details of their meeting proved abortive as they all hurried into their waiting vehicles and drove off.

Source: This Day, 7^th November 2011.

2015: S’ East political leaders meet over Igbo presidency 

From PETRUS OBI, Enugu

South-East political leaders comprising the governors, members of the Federal Executive Council from the South-East met yesterday in Enugu to discuss matters concerning the zone. The leaders refused to tell the reporters what was discussed in the meeting which lasted for about four hours at the Enugu Government House. 

Chairman of the South East Governors’ forum, Mr. Peter Obi of Anambra State merely told newsmen that they discussed matters affecting the zone. A source however told our reporter that the Igbo leaders looked at the possibility of achieving the Igbo presidency project in 2015. 

The meeting which, coming less than 24 hours when the Igbos held a special ceremony to honour Igbo leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is believed to have considered the option of presenting a presidential candidate of Igbo extraction. 

Senator Uche Chukwumerije who canvassed the position during the Ojukwu’s 78th birthday celebration was among Igbo leaders at the meeting. Another issue believed to have featured at the Enugu meeting was that of additional States for the South East Zone. Those who attended the meeting were Governors Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, that of Anambra, Mr. Peter Obi, and Governor Martin Elechi, of Ebonyi State. 

Others were Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Minister of Finance, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Ministers of Aviation and Health, Mrs. Stella Odua, and Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, as well as Minister for Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji. 

Also in attendance were the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and and member of Reps from Enugu State, Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi.
Source: Sun, 7^th November 2011.

Abia sack of non-indigenes: Monarchs to reconcile S/E govs

STEVE OKO, Umuahia

The row being generated across the South East geo-political zone by the recent policy of Abia State government to transfer non-indigenes in its civil service to their states of origin may soon be history as Royal fathers from the zone have moved in to save the situation.

This is following the resolve of the monarchs to set up a committee to meet with governors in the zone with a view to reconciling them on the ripples the policy has generated.

This was the outcome of the 18th Executive Council meeting of the South East Traditional Rulers Council held Thursday in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

Fielding questions from newsmen after the meeting, Chairman of the Council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, said the council had resolved that henceforth, any problem in the zone would be ‘’discussed and resolved in-house to allow peace reign’’.

The royal fathers who are not comfortable with the bad blood the policy is generating across the zone said they would set up a committee to visit the governors for amicable settlement of the impasse instead of the unnecessary media war going on in the zone.

Eze Ilomuanya said the Peace and Reconciliation Committee is to be headed by the Chairman, Abia State Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Onuoha John Akaliro to ensure peaceful co-existence and unity in the zone.

He added that the committee is to visit all the governors of the zone as part of efforts to calm frayed nerves and promote peace among them.

Eze Ilomuanya further stated that it was the thinking of the council that every traditional ruler should contribute to the security of the zone and commended the effort of the Abia State government in boosting security in the state.

He pledged the council’s support to efforts by the Abia State government to sustain security in the state and lauded the government for taking the welfare of traditional rulers in the state seriously.

Earlier in his opening remarks, chairman Abia State traditional rulers council, Eze Akaliro, advised against politicizing the policy on transfer of non-indigenes as such attitude would only cause division in the zone.

Declaring the meeting open, Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji commended the monarchs for the meeting, saying it provides a platform for Igbos to protect their common heritage.

He described traditional rulers as the pride of the society and as such no stone should be left unturned to give them a pride of place.

Orji who was represented by his Deputy, Chief Emeka Ananaba charged the royal fathers to be alive to their responsibility of maintaining peace in the zone as well as strengthening the value system of Ndigbo.

He appealed to the royal fathers to embark on social reorientation of the people in their various domains to restore the dignity of the people.

Orji also used the forum to explain the reasons behind the administration’s policy of transferring the services of non-indigenes in the state back to their home states, saying it is to enable it pay the new minimum wage as well as to tackle the problems of Abia citizens.
Source: Daily Champion, 29^th October 2011.

South East Governors Appeal to FG Over Ecological Problems

Clement Nwoji

Abuja — Worried by the spate of disasters in the Southeast geo-political zone, state governors in the zone have protested to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist the zone in managing its ecological problems.

While the Enugu State Government donated a portion of land to enable NEMA to establish its office in the state, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State appealed to NEMA for establishment of its offices possibly in the 36 states of the Federation to facilitate its operations nearer to the people.

The agency promised to study the need so as to facilitate its response times to any disaster or emergency situation in the country.

The Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi made the promise during familiarization visits to Imo and Enugu states over the weekend where he commiserated and donated relief materials to some recent victims of disasters in the zone.

The Director-General who noted that the issue of emergency and disaster management continues to take centre stage in the country and the world at large, however said it required adequate collaborations among stakeholders to pay serious attention to the issue.

In a release by the NEMA Head, Press and Public Relations, Yushau Shuaib, the Director-General said NEMA only has seven zonal offices in geopolitical zones and covering the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.

He therefore urged the two states to key into some of the policies of the Agency like the establishment of Local Government Emergency Management Committees, the Grassroots Emergency Volunteer Corps and provides adequate funding for their respective emergency outfits.

He then implored the States to see disaster issues as security issue because of various disaster threats in the geopolitical zone like erosion, flood planes and communal hostilities.

Receiving NEMA delegation in his office, Governor Okorocha requested the agency to create more offices and acquire helicopters for effective search and rescue operations.

He promised to provide facilities in Owerri the state capital to host NEMA office and to maintain its helicopter.

He said that "Imo State as the center of South East and South South geo-political zone would be glad to provide facilities to NEMA that will make your efforts easy and fast in deploying and attending to disasters within the region from Owerri, the state capital."

Also in Enugu State, the Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi who represented the governor commended NEMA for timely support to the victims of fire incident at prisons/police quarters in Enugu.

He assured the DG NEMA that more effort would be put in place to strengthen Enugu State Emergency Management Agency for adequate disaster management and relief interventions within the state.
Source: Daily Champion, 26^th October 2011.

Southeast governors insist on new state

By Chris Oji  

Southeast governors yesterday gave a condition for backing the planned constitution amendment: an additional state in their region.

They threatened to withdraw support for the exercise, if they are not given another state.

The Southeast has the least number of states – five – among the six geo-political zones.

To perfect their plan, the governors met in Enugu yesterday.

They resolved to present their report for discussion at the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) meeting in Abuja tomorrow.

The governors said it was high time all geo-political zones in the country had equal number of states in the interest of equity, fairness and justice.

Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum Peter Obi of Anambra State told reporters that they met to articulate a common position and present their demands at the NGF meeting. Constitution amendment was the main agenda at the Enugu meeting.

Obi said if the Southeast’s request for additional state fails to receive priority attention, its five governors would back out of discussions on constitution amendment.

He said: “Basically today (yesterday), we discussed one issue, the issue of constitution amendment, especially as it concerns the creation of an additional state for the zone, to have the same number of states in all the zones of the country.

“We are not asking for a particular number of states. We are only calling for equality of states for all the zones and that is what we want.”

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha said: “If the Northwest zone could have seven states, the Southeast zone could as well have seven. In essence, the Southeast governors are calling for additional states.”

The Seventh National Assembly has kick started the process for constitution amendment.

The Senate and the House of Representatives has each constituted Constitution Review Committees.

The committees will collate the position of Nigerians on the amendments in addition to leading the process of amendment.

While Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu chairs the Senate Committee on constitution review, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha chairs the Reps’ committee.

Both of them are incidentally from the Southeast.
Source: The Nation, 10^th October 2011.

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South East Govs insist on 2 more states

TONY ITA ETIM, Enugu

Agitation for creation of additional states in the South East made a rebound last weekend with the zone’s Governors insisting that anything short of two new states would be unacceptable to the zone.

The Governors under the aegis of South East Governors Forum at a meeting in Enugu demanded that two new states should be created in the zone to ensure equity and justice.

The South East has been clamouring for new states so as to be at par with other zones in the country.

The zone currently has the lowest number of states among the six geopolitical zones. It has five states against six and seven which other zones have.

Political leaders at the National Political Reform Conference held in Abuja in 2005 had endorsed the creation of a state in the zone. But the plan later did not work following the throwing away of the constitution amendment by the then Ken Nnamani –led Senate as a result of the rejection of the third term clause.

In the last National Assembly several Igbo leaders led a delegation to both the Senate President and Speaker House of Representative to canvass for states in the region.

At the just concluded Igbo Summit in Abakaliki, Ebonyi , leaders from the zone appealed to both the Presidency and the National Assembly to grant the request of the zone for creation of additional states.

Speaking after the Governors meeting in Enugu the chairman of the Forum and Anambra State Governor Mr. Peter Obi stated that only the creation o at least f two additional states in the zone was acceptable to the people of the region.

He said "Basically today, we discussed only one item, the issue of constitutional amendment, especially as it concerns creation of additional state, for South East, to have same number states. That is basically what we discussed."

Obi, who was answering questions from reporters shortly after the meeting at Government House Enugu, stated that the meeting was a single item meeting.

According to him what the forum is demanding for is the equality of the number of states in the county with other zones .

He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a constitutional issue that has to do with creation of new states so that the South East zone can have equal states with other zones in the country.

Obi, who refused to answer further questions, stated that the zone does not care where the states would be created from stressing that all that the people need is equality in the number of states.

The meeting was attended by Governors Martin Elechi of Ebonyi; Rochas Okorocha, Imo; and Sullivan Chime of Enugu while Theodore Orji of Abia was absent.

The meeting which started about some minutes to 3 pm lasted for less than an hour.
Source: Daily Champion, 10^th October 2011

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South Eastern Nigeria: The Rot Within

By Fredrick Chiagozie Nwonwu, 27/09/11

Have you ever been to the South East of Nigeria? If not, have you ever heard a detailed description of life in the southeast? Perhaps not, but I can tell you it is not one rosy affair. Life in the land of the rising sun is one of misery and lack, with little by way of government policy geared towards improving the lives of the people.

This blog post was long in the making, but its berthing now was prompted by the utterances of one of the so-called governors in the Zone, whose much quoted reaction to a viral video of a girl being gang raped by five men – widely believed to be students of a university in his state – was something akin to, “the rape video is the work of my political detractors”.

As stupid as that statement sounds, it is a clear example of the kind of people that have been left to run the affairs of the southeast. Educated clueless illiterates with seriously overblown sense of self worth; who are wont to believe that any and every issue revolves round them.

It is as a result of the continuous perpetuation of individuals like the aforementioned governor that the South East has become a desolate land, ridden with disillusioned youths who see the underworld as the only source of the high sustenance that they think the prevailing wealth mongering society requires of them. It is clearly as a result of the very decadence that now pervades all facets of South Eastern society that the aforementioned rapists found a ready environment to carry out their hell spawned act without fear of discovery.

I am not saying that crime and lawlessness exist only in the Southeast, but the truth is that they occur at a higher rate and are usually carried out with an impunity that baffles anyone with a sense of right in a land of almost complete ethnic homogeneity. This should not come as a surprise, as more than any other part of Nigeria, the Southeast, which clearly needs it more than any other zone, is bereft of economic and social development.

The road to this sorry state

The generality of the Igbo, who are the predominant tribe in the Southeast, are known for their industry and communal spirit. It is this industry that pushes them to seek greener pastures, not necessarily to better their personal lot, for their communal spirit also means that they have a stake in the development of their home communities, to which they are expected to make remittances that will aide communal development all through their adult lives.

One would have expected that a society with such communal mindset would have reached the pinnacle of development, or be very close, but the reverse is the case. In Igboland poverty and dearth of infrastructure are two scourges that are running rampage. Here, government and governance are generally perceived to be an extension of personal businesses; hence, politics in the South East is viewed as an avenue for those in the field to make as much money as they possibly can. Politics is nothing less than a scheme where the connected find the resources to become stupendously rich.

Unlike in other parts of the country, where a vibrant youth culture or a religious system helps keep leaders in some kind of check, the Southeast, because of a growing culture of brain drain, lacks the services of the best of its youth. Christianity, which Igbos forsook the gods of their fathers for, is principally a party to the rot in that society, with most of the corrupt political leaders serving as knights, elders and deacons in churches where the front pews are their preserve.

Left with nothing to hope for, youths in the Southeast have nothing but a choice between two evils: helping the political power horses subjugate their communities for a share of the booty or engaging in criminal acts that will provide the same end – more money to spend.

Clueless governments run the show

One would have expected that with an industry-minded citizenry, the governments of the southeast would have naturally geared developmental programs towards provision of infrastructure that will aid industry, but no, they expunge their federally derived revenue on personal aggrandisement and propagation of a servant class through which they perpetuate their blind thievery.

Today the southeast is a mess; it possibly has the highest rate of emigration in the world, with more than 80 percent of the citizens living outside the Zone. In the past, people living outside the zone usually send money for community development – building of schools, markets, water projects, scholarships, hospitals, roads, etc, but the high rate of kidnapping has destroyed the ambiance of the festive seasons that usually bring this sons and daughters home and keeps their hearts there. Now people are more content developing their places of sojourn, to the detriment of their home region.

But, who in his right senses will blame them, when clueless self-serving political bandits hold sway in their native land.

There is of course a need to save the South East from the clutches of the evil bedevilling it, political criminality and its resultant brother crimes: Kidnapping, armed robbery, advance fee fraud; crimes that if we tell our self the truth, are endemic in the home region of the enterprising Igbos.

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S/East: Ohanaeze tasks FG on state creation
UFOMBA UZUEGBU,Asst News Editor

Lagos state chapter of apex Igbo body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday in Lagos, asked the Federal Government to create at least, one more state from the South east geo-political zone of the country, to rectify what it described as lopsidedness and fractured imbalance of Nigeria.

It also announced that the 2011 Igbo Day celebration, would hold on Thursday, September 29, at the national stadium Suru-lere, Lagos.

Briefing newsmen in Lagos yesterday on the activities to mark the day, the chairman, Central Organising Committee of the group, Mr Basil Osoukwu said: "We recognize President Goodluck Jonathan’s efforts towards righting the many wrongs meted out to Ndigbo. That is why we are calling on him, facilitates the correction of the fractured imbalance of Nigeria, by motivating the creation of at least, one or two states from the South east geo-political zone before Nigeria thinks of more states from the six geo-political zones."

The group commended President Jonathan for appointing competent Igbo sons and daughters into his cabinet. It commended in particular, the appointment of the former managing director of World Bank, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as Finance minister, saying it was a step in the right direction.

Osoukwu said: "We believe that by this singular and several others, Mr President has not only shown that he is a president that has not only come to work, but one who also recognizes the competence of Ndigbo."

On the Igbo day celebration slated for September 29, Osoukwu said the epoch- making event has as theme, " Igbo Bu Otu ", stressing that the theme was chosen, to reinforce the unbreakable Igbo bond ; to thank their friends and well-wishers who stood by them, in the years of turbulence and also to joyfully announce to the world that Ndigbo are unwavering on the march to greatness.

He disclosed that the group would also use the opportunity of the occasion, to honour illustrious sons and daughters for their landmark contributions in moving the geo-political zone and the nation in general forward.

According to Osoukwu, other activities lined up to mark the day include an inter-denominational srvice, visits to markets and road shows, a lecture, pre-event dinner, cultural displays, dances and entertainment, among others.

The group condemned the recent bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja and many more which occurred in different parts of the country in the past and commiserated the UN and the families of those who lost their loved ones.

Osoukwu said: "Violence benefits no one. It is counter- productive and breeds its kind-violence. Consequently, we call on all Nigerians to eschew violence and embrace dialogue; for in violence, we hate and destroy. But in dialogue, we love and unite."
Source: Daily Champion, 7^th September 2011.

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Onyekakeyah:South-East Economic Summit: The missing link

BY LUKE ONYEKAKEYAH

FACED with grave economic, social and political deprivation that have practically reduced her to a spectator rather than a player in Nigeria’s geo-politics, the South-East region last week, opened a three-day summit at the once exotic Nike Lake Resort Hotel in Enugu, apparently, to address some critical issues plaguing the region. Tagged South-East Economic Summit, with a resounding theme, “Creating a 21st Century for South-East Nigeria – Igwebuike”, the parley, which ran from 1st to 3rd September, was timely, given the unsteady and unpredictable state of affairs in Nigeria’s political and economic landscape.

Among other things, the meeting aimed at producing a blueprint for the region by “Seeking solutions to peculiar factors militating against economic development of the region and finding ways to meet contemporary standards and demands. Reviving the industrial base of the region while strengthening and improving upon its current comparative commercial advantage. The development and maintenance of imperative infrastructure, access to necessary funds and other ancillary facilities. Redressing the imbalances and practices that tended to marginalise or discriminate against the region as well as the role of good governance in the economic development of the region”.

According to reports, the meeting was hosted by the governors of the five south-east states, with the president of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Ralph Uwaechue as guest of honour. A host of Igbo intellectuals, professionals, business and political leaders were in attendance. President Goodluck Jonathan was represented by the Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime. From the line up, the stage was properly set for a serious discussion if that was really what the meeting was set for. But the extent to which the meeting would be useful and productive depends on how far the major players are willing to bury the usual egocentric disposition that breeds division.

Having said that, I’m inclined to take a critical look at some of the line up of issues billed for discussion. First, if the meeting was out to produce a blueprint for the South-East, then, the issues ought to be more comprehensive and all-embracing. But that was far from being the case. The issues were skewed towards reinventing the age-long commercial interest of Igbo people, with a flip on infrastructure and politics. Nowhere in the lineup was education mentioned in a discussion that would produce a blueprint for a 21st century South East Nigeria! There’s also no mention of agriculture, which remains the bedrock of social and economic development in any economy. These were the missing links at the summit.

The first issue - seeking solutions to peculiar factors militating against economic development of the region is quite in order. It’s good to identify where the problem lies as a first step towards dealing with it.  As far as I’m concerned, the overriding factor hampering economic development in the South-East is lack of education. The South-East used to rank first in education before it was overtaken by the South-West. But all that is now history. While the population is on the increase, the number of people going to school, particularly males, is on the decrease. A situation where about 60 per cent of adults in the region are illiterates cannot make for development in a 21st century world, no matter how it is pursued.

While it is understood that a large percentage of people may be engaged in buying and selling, which they call business, the policy issues that dictate how businesses are run in Nigeria are made not by the Igbo but by Nigeria’s ruling class that cares little about the success or failure of Igbo businesses. That’s why Igbo businesses have always remained at the receiving end of policy thrusts in the country. There’re a thousand and one examples that show that Igbo businesses are vulnerable to the dictates of extraneous policies in the country. How many Igbo business people have suffered great losses owing to policy thrusts by the Federal Government? It’s common knowledge that many Igbo businesses have risen at one time and fallen at another time owing to factors beyond their control. It’s ironic that while the Igbo see themselves as businessmen, the truth is that the Igbo, after all, aren’t the master business moguls in the country. As a matter of fact, the Igbo are nowhere to be found among the richest business tycoons in the country despite their acclaimed business acumen. What it means is that when it comes to real business, it’s not the Igbo that are doing it. The Igbo are at the fringe, only that many of them are there. What we have in reality is a horde of illiterates and school dropouts who find “business” as the last resort. And expectedly, most businesses done by this group hardly grow because they lack funding and intellectual input.

What do you do in such circumstance? What would happen if the Igbo have power at the highest political level so as to direct policies that would at least favour them? What is needed is a long term strategic plan to reposition the Igbo in Nigeria’s geo-political equation. Otherwise, nothing works. You don’t separate politics from economy. He who holds the political power controls the economy. The only way to redress that is to embark on aggressive mass education policy in Igbo land. It’s on this consideration that I support the free education policy of Owelle Rochas Okorocha in Imo State and urge the other states to take a cue if they’re serious about leveraging the South-East. It’s good that the summit recognised that there are peculiar factors militating against growth and development in Igbo land that need to be identified and trashed out. But let the meeting not be a mere jamboree to meet long time business and political associates. The previous summits haven’t brought any real time change in Igbo land.

On the issue of reviving the industrial base of the South-East, the same odds facing business enterprises in Igbo land also face industrialisation. How do you industrialise a region with low level of education attainment? Industrial development anywhere in the world requires highly trained skilled manpower in different fields. Large populations of Igbo extraction don’t belong to this group; instead, they belong to the unskilled category that lack professional expertise to manage industrial production lines. What it means is that the industrial re-development proposal won’t have the Igbo as the driving force. It’s common knowledge that top Igbo business tycoons prefer to deal with expatriates rather than indigenes. What it means is that the industries to be so revived, assuming that the condition on ground favours that, are not meant for the Igbo. They’re meant for some foreigners.  They, Igbo, will however, do the menial jobs as servants. The Igbo, in that case, will be the oppressor of the Igbo.

That brings me to the statement made by the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, to the effect that “the Igbo were the architects of their misfortune”. To many, Senator Nnamani may have stirred the hornet’s nest, but to others, he made a cogent statement that should provoke rethinking and reappraisal of the Igbo situation in Nigeria. Nnamani’s remark has historical dimension. The pre-independence Nigeria had a fine crop of Igbo intellectuals at the helm of affairs driving the independence movement. The Right Honourable (Dr.) Nnamdi Azikiwe, was the finest of them all. The Igbo were leading the rest of Nigeria but along the line, that leadership role was taken away to the extent that today, the Igbo are largely discountenanced in important issues affecting the country. The South-East is practically a forgotten zone. The harsh conditions there have forced millions of people to abandon the zone for greener pastures in other parts of the country and abroad. The implication is that today, the South-East, which once had the highest concentration of population per square kilometre is depopulated.

There’s no space to go into all the details but suffice it to say that the Igbo man’s “I too know”, “I’m too important” mentality, has robbed him of his pride of place in the national scheme of things. The Igbo finds it ego boosting to enslave his fellow Igbo in the name of the boyi-boyi business culture. The oga (master) and boyi-boyi (servant) relationship that’s prevalent in business circles makes the Igbo the oppressor of his own folk. Therefore, rather than maligning Senator Nnamani on account of his statement, the remark should serve as a thought provoking indictment of the Igbo, which, if given the right reflection, could help in re-inventing the unrelenting business enterprise spirit of the Igbo in all areas of human endeavour. The Igbo should go back to the fundamentals and retrace their steps; identify where they derailed, decipher what went wrong in order to be able to find a lasting solution to the Igbo question.
Source: The Guardian, 6^th September 2011.

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Igbos, architect of their problem –Nnamani
From PETRUS OBI, Enugu  Friday Sun, September 02, 2011

Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has accused the people of the South-east zone of being the cause of whatever misfortune they are currently suffering in Nigeria.      

“Igbos are the architect of their political and economic misfortunes in the country,” he said.                  
 
Nnamani, who was speaking at the opening of the South-east Economic Summit in Enugu, said until the people of the area come together and re-prioritize their needs, their problems would continue.        

He observed that the summit had provided a veritable platform for soul searching and introspection, stressing that for the people of the zone to have agreed to come together and review their status in the corporate entity called Nigeria, was an indication that they were ready to take their destiny in their own hands.                                  

He said it was regrettable that Igbos had made themselves laughing stock in the country over their inability to come together and speak with one voice.              
    
“It’s really unfortunate that we have continued to cry wolf when we have, in our activities and conducts, made ourselves the laughing stock of other people. We hardly speak with one voice. It has continued to be difficult for us to have consensus on any opinion and this has indirectly affected us adversely in our national acceptance.”

Nnamani, however, noted that there was still an opportunity for the people to remedy the situation and reclaim their pre and post- independence position, adding that naturally the people of the South-east were blessed to the level that once the right things were done, they could effectively compete with any developed economy of the world. He urged them to entrench new values, team spirit as well as what he called delayed gratification which, he said, was lacking in the young ones from the area who were ready “to do anything to make money and enjoy live within a shortest possible time.”   

In his speech, the Summit Chairman, Kalu U. Kalu, lamented the economic situation of the South-east zone, which he said was presently at the lowest ebb and as such needs to be revived by its leaders both in politics and business.                                       

“Our infrastructure is the worst in the country; qualitative education can only be imagined; no meaningful federal presence in the zone, while insecurity has become the order of the day.”                   
He noted that the summit was an opportunity for the people of the zone to do a soul searching with a view to finding the best way of addressing the myriads of challenges facing them as a people. 

Declaring the summit open on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, said the essence of the Summit was not necessarily to pass the buck or apportion blames, but to highlight the pitfalls and chart a new roadmap for the rejuvenation of the economy of the zone.           
He expressed dismay over what he described as the fatal collapse of “our proud heritages - from Enugu coal to Nkalagu cement, from Aba textile to the dwindling fortunes in agriculture and food production. From the menace of erosion to sundry security concerns, the zone has endured some ugly times,” he said.  

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Obi and the Southeast’s search for credible leaders

Very few subjects can boast of generating the kind of interest the issue of political leadership in the South-East Nigeria has done over the years. The unflagging commentary it spawns every so often bespeaks of the people’s unwavering concern over the issue.

Since the end of the civil war, the issue of political leadership in the zone has remained a sore point in the consciousness of the people. This is evident on account of the people’s loss of privileges and positions in virtually all spheres of national life. The resurgent feeling of loss manifests each time the people’s collective aspiration is threatened by the larger Nigerian interest. One such case was the recent elections to the Senate Presidency and Speakership of the House of Representatives, both of which the zone lost to North Central and North West, respectively. Coupled with that was the loss of the chairmanship of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party zoned to South-East, but which was unceremoniously ceded to another zone when its last occupier, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo resigned the office.

The loss of these positions in quick succession against the background of constant denials quickly pitched the people against their leaders. As a consequence, they (leaders) were perceived as compromised; dismissed as self-serving, and denounced as myopic. Vilified alongside them is the Ohaneze Ndigbo which stance on the last general elections was also criticised. Both got besmirched for failing the zone in its quest to approximate the other five zones of the country, or at least keep a close second in structural development. But how fair are the criticisms in the light of the limited influences of these leaders?

Arguably, there is structural imbalance in the country which places the South-East zone in noticeable disadvantage. Apart from visible lack of federal presence, the zone is a state short of the other five which greatly weakens its political base. Thus, blaming all denials on the leaders instead of the system is a case of obtuse reading of the real political situation. The Federal Government is guilty of policy of containment against the political aspirations of people from the zone. The zone neither gets its dues each time political offices are ladled out, nor attracts corresponding projects. It is the frustration which the people unwittingly visit on their leaders.

But today the South-East governors have geared efforts to reverse the ugly trend. The Governor Peter Obi-led forum has been pedalling to the metal to undo the wrongs of the past. Though a difficult task, but the efforts are yielding desirable results. It is on record that the forum has made importunate requests to the presidency which have led to review of some of the following projects: second Niger Bridge, Enugu International Airport, ecological problems, federal roads, Ebonyi State University, oil reserve in the zone, Enugu coal mine, among others.

Recall that before Obi assumed the leadership of the group not much was heard in terms of effort to address the problems of the zone. In fact, it hardly constituted any major force in political equation of the country. But all that have changed today. This explains why a lot of people blamed the failure to secure either of the two political offices on the group. But those who do this are themselves ignorant of the abiding political intrigue in the country. The decision to cede away those offices alongside the chairmanship of PDP is in consonance with the pervading political culture of the Nigerian state. The culture of treating issues affecting the zone with levity.

The conclusion of the Peter Obi-led governors’ forum to pursue structural equality rather than seek appointment to positions should be seen from the prism of popular action. An international airport in the South Eastern Nigeria is more beneficial to the people than Senate presidency. Those who feel strongly about the loss of those positions are blinded by order of protocol list. That is the absence of people of South-East descent among the first four citizens of the country. The argument being that a Senate President or Speaker of House of Representatives would influence the development of the zone. But our history is replete with tales of failure. The Obasanjo regime alone had five Senate Presidents of Igbo extraction with little to show for the development of the zone.

Infrastructural development of the zone is underway. The stillborn second Niger Bridge contract awarded during the Obasanjo regime has now been re-awarded. There is also the upgrading of the Akanu Ibiam Airport Enugu to an international airport. Other issues raised and which are receiving favorable response from the presidency are: the takeover of Ebonyi State University by the Federal Government, exploration of gas reserve in some parts of Anambra and Enugu states. There was also a pronouncement to the effect that about N11 billion would be voted to tackle erosion menace in the five states of the zone.

It is believed that if effort is sustained in this direction infrastructural development will not only improve, but the people’s political profile would be enhanced. Governor Obi has not rested. He has since made official visits to the Presidency and other relevant ministries as a follow-up. His visit which was widely reported was anchored on the need for Federal Government to expedite action on some of the projects already embarked upon, and to commence actions on the others.

Notwithstanding, the long denials suffered by the zone in the hands of the Federal Government has impassioned the people to impugn the honesty of their leaders. But to indulge in such pastime or make scapegoats of these leaders will only exacerbate the entire situation. It will be the quickest way to remain hitched in the doldrums of underdevelopment and to satiate the political subjugators of the zone.

No matter how tempting it may be to argue that all the problems of the zone are induced from without, some of them are also self-inflicted. The problem of the zone is as much a failure of leadership as it is a reward for mediocrity.

For headway there must be a distinction between holding appointment to positions, making money, and housing the right spirit that is receptive to the demands of leadership. Leadership is not all about the size of one’s pocket, nor is it a function of self-glorification.

Mr. Ejike Anyaduba, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abatete, Anambra State.
Source: Vanguard, 14^th August 2011.

South-east govs back Economic Summit
From PETRUS OBI, Enugu

The South-east Governors’ Forum has declared support for the forthcoming Zonal Economic Summit which is expected to create a better business environment, equip, empower and enable the people to participate actively in the nation’s economic arena.

Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Mr. Peter Obi of Anambra State, who received the Central Planning Committee of the Summit, led by its Chairman, Chief Chris Obiefuna in Awka, commended the Summit Group from taking such initiative.

He said: “The benefits of the Summit may not be obvious to the ordinary person but entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the South-east will have a new business horizon that will herald a better future for political economy of the zone.

He assured the cooperation and support of the five state governors of the zone to ensure that the economic summit was a success, considering its strategic importance to the business community in the zone. Governor Obi appealed to entrepreneurs and the entire business community in the zone to support the efforts and attend the summit, which would hold at Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu betweent Thursday and Friday, September 1 and 2.

Earlier, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Chief Chris Obiefuna, noted that the summit was conceived to act as a catalyst for translating into reality the various ideas and ideals that had been conceptualized in earlier conferences and summits for the economic development of the zone.

He said the summit would also leverage on the institutional frame works and initiatives already developed by other economic sub-groups and interventionists organizations in the zone as well as called for concrete affirmation actions.
Obiefuna pointed out that the summit would also provide strategic platform for top state government officials in the zone to learn more about the various economic packages already developed for the economic transformation of the South-east political zone.

He told the governor that the summit was aimed at finding practical solutions and strategy to turn around the deplorable state of the economy of the zone as a contiguous economic bloc.
Source: Sun, 12^th August 2011.

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South-East And Burden Of Moribund Industries

BY NNAMDI MBAWIKE 

The state of many once thriving industries in the South East now moribund has been blamed on the unfriendly attitude of the state governments, ranging from government’s multiple taxation to poor patronage of their products to outrightabandonment.LEADERSHIP’s Nnamdi Mbawike writes on this devepment.

In the 1960s, Chief Michael Okpara, premier of the defunct Eastern Region laid a strong foundation upon which the economy of Eastern Nigeria, without mineral resources, grew faster than many African, Asian and Central European countries.

Because of the strength of the economy of the region then, many concluded that it could actualise Nigeria’s long held desire to be among the most industrialised countries in the world.

The conclusion followed the presence of many manufacturing industries and farm settlements in the areas that made up the region.
Due to the visionary leadership of Chief Okpara, the unemployment level in the defunct South- East region and Nigeria was very low following the presence of many industries and farm settlements.

Apart from Okpara, other leaders of the zone including former governor of oldAnambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, former governor of old Imo State, Chief SamMbakwe, among others established viable industries that sustained the economy of the region.
Following the abundance of viable and well functioning industries and natural resources, the defunct South East Region was a beehive of activities as foreigners

and Nigerians trooped to buy finished and unfinished products.
The development forced many to nickname the then Eastern Nigeria as “ Japan of Africa” and even went ahead to predict that the economy of the zone would be better than all the economies of most developing countries in the world in the near future.

Unfortunately, the vision of the foremost leaders of the South East to make the zone the envy of all has been thrown into the dustbin of history as almost all the industries and farm settlements that made the defunct Eastern Nigeria proud are now moribund.
They were abandoned shortly after the visionary leaders left office or went to the great beyond. Also the natural resources in the zone accept crude oil have been abandoned.

Notable among the industries that have been abandoned in Enugu, Imo , Ebonyi andAbia, Anambra States include Niger Gas, Niger Steel, Nkalagu Cement Industries,Avutu Poultry Farms Limited , Enugu Petroleum Depot, Sunrise Flour mills, Modern Ceramics, Anambra Vegetable Oil Company of Nigeria(AVOC), Golden Guinea Breweries Plc just to mention but a few.

Worried by the development, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) inEbonyi, Enugu and Anambra States on May 2011 expressed concern over the inability of the South-East governments to revitalise all the moribund industries established by their predecessors in the zone to create employment opportunities and reduce crime.

Speaking with journalists after their annual general meeting, the chairman of MAN in the three states Chike Obidigbo, noted that the absence of those companies in the south east zone had contributed to the unemployment problem and the rising incidence of crime in the zone.
He also lamented the unfriendly attitude of the state governments to the existing manufacturing industries in the states ranging from government’s multiple taxation to poor patronage of their products.

In April 2011, some cement dealers in Enugu State urged the South-East governors to build new cement factories and reactivate the Nkalagu Cement Factory.
“I am appealing to South- East governors to reactivate the Nkalagu Cement Factory, which was abandoned many years ago so that people here can have access to it,”one of the cement dealers at Kenyatta Market, Mr. Oliver Asogwa cried out.He added, “We travel all the way to Benue and Port Harcourt to purchase cement.
“But if the Nkalagu Cement Factory is re-activated, it will be easier and cheaper for dealers and consumers from the zone.”
Although some incumbent governors of the south- east had in the past years made efforts to revive the industries, there is nothing to show that the moribund industries would see the light of day again.

For instance, in 1998, Enugu State government reportedly entered into negotiations with a renowned steel company in a bid to reactivate Niger Steel Company Limited,Emene, which has been comatose for some years now.
The state government was said to have disclosed then that a partnership agreement between it and the management of the steel company was being worked out with technical assistance from the Russian government.

It added that the company when revived would be of immense benefit to the nation’s economy in terms of job creation and making steel available in view of its high demand in the country.

In 2000, the federal government reportedly made moves to reactivate the NigercemCement Factory, Nkalagu in Ebonyi state.
It was reported that negotiations were going on between the federal ministry of industries and stakeholders in the company on how best to raise funds for the reactivation exercise.

In 2010, the special adviser to governor Sullivan Chime on Diaspora Matters, Dr. JudeAkubuilo, urged people to expect the implementation of the privatisation programmeof the state government aimed at reviving some moribund industries in the state such as the Niger Steel Emene, Niger Gas Ltd, Avop Oil, Hotel Presidential, Daily Star, etc., which would afford investment opportunities to Enugu people at home and in thediaspora.

Unfortunately, despite assurances by the federal government and the state governments in the south- east, the moribund industries are yet to be revived.
The industries have remained moribund, forcing many to conclude that they will never get off the ground again.
Source: Leadership, 10^th August 2011.

The Lazy Politicians Of The South East

 By Jon Chikadibie Okafo

It is a heart-wrenching scenario the orchestrated marginalization of the South East of Nigeria by the Government of Nigeria; everything to strangulate the region is being thrown at it. However, I am extremely miffed by the simple fact that Igbos appear to be part of the grand design to self-destruct this once vibrant Zone-our politicians at the top level of the scheme of things in Nigeria are continuously failing to fight for the people that elected[?] them. We have been abandoned by our Abuja politicians who collect huge sums of our money as salaries and perks while lying openly about representing us.

I find it particularly immoral for Igbo politicians who climbed on the shoulder of Ndi Igbo to scale the fence of hunger into opulence to now abandon the people to their wretched fate. It is true that Nigerian politicians represent the worst pack of capricious leeches and liars, it is true that they are notorious for pocketing obscene sums of money meant for societal development; what is however very true is that the politicians from the South East are men and women who see politics as a means to an end-the end being a break away from want and hunger. Although it would be wrong and insensitive of me to address all the big-politicians of Igbo extraction as belonging to this class of selfish clowns, the disturbing fact remains that collectively, they are not getting it right.

Of particular interest to me is the state of roads in the entire South East region of Nigeria; a place sinfully notorious for having the worst road network in the entire country. In an earlier essay, I likened a sojourn to the South East to an attempt at traversing the Biblical Golgotha-a place that is abundantly wretched and depressing. Our roads are completely treacherous and lives are lost daily on them while both motor vehicles and the human minds are shattered. There is no denying the fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria remains sinfully aloof to the plight of the Igbo nation; what with the lies and outright pettiness that is employed in handling every calamity that befalls Ndi Igbo? President Goodluck Jonathan should be man enough to admit his shame by apologising to us for being part of a government that orchestrated this neglect and for now leading a government that continues to snuff the life out of the South East.

I expect to hear what the Federal Government and its errand men and women of Igbo origin will say to us about the state of the Enugu Onitsha Highway, Onitsha-Owerri Highway, Enugu-Port Harcout Highway and Nnewi-Uga road. These are roads that aptly paint a picture of a war-torn Biafra during the civil war; totally dilapidated and washed out. Though Julius Berger Nig Plc is known to handle serious road repairs and construction in Nigeria, I fail to see the comic relief in the choice of a not-really-funny CCC to undertake the repairs of Federal roads in the South East. This is a company that at best appears more like an apprentice in roads construction-from the Owerri-Onitsha road to the now non-existent Enugu-Onitsha “express road”, this company is engaged in what could best be described as an act of war against the people of the South East. The story is that the Federal Government is not releasing the needed funds to power these contracts.

This is where I have a serious grudge against all the elected members of the National Assembly who are Igbos; what are they doing about the apparent neglect of their region by the government they serve? Where then is that moral justification for throwing caution to the wind by “voting for Jonathan and not the PDP” when it has been revealed by no other person than the current Minister for Works, Arc Mike Onolememem that instead of the N7b required, only N300m was budgeted for the repair of Enugu-Onitsha “express road” in 2011? I did not vote for President Jonathan because I refused to be seduced by that sinister argument presented by the leadership of Ndi Igbo that they were voting for Mr Jonathan Goodluck, and not the PDP-nothing could be farther from the truth. Elected members from other regions of Nigeria form pressure groups to press the case for a greater government investment in their regions and they most times succeed- the South East is best known to have elected and selected members whose agbata-ekee mentality propels them towards fighting for their own welfare and pockets! Instead of fighting to bring development closer to their people, our elected members of NASS continue to pollute our environment with fumes coming from the many SUVs they use in driving us further into extinction-not forgetting the loud sirens that announce their presence.

The collapse of the South East of Nigeria is complete; the glaring lack of any form of infrastructural development makes the place a horrible place to live in. The average Igbo folk is comfortable with a thick sense of apathy and total disregard to anything that reeks of government; this is borne out of the fact that Nigeria as a nation continues to close its nose at the stench wafting from the sore wounds of Ndi Igbo. This could well explain the Igbo man’s shallow pride at being egalitarian and republican in nature; I have everything against this mind-frame because it nurtures a situation where we fail to hold our governments accountable. By surrendering our rights to our government, we have accepted to expect that government to cater for our needs and provide an enabling environment to help us achieve our dreams. We have thus chosen representatives to help us tell this government what our needs are but alas, one continues to see a case of total betrayal and abandonment.

It is not yet late in the day for our elected representatives to rise up to the occasion and bring development to Igbo land, it will be really uplifting for any Igbo member of the National Assembly to point to one completed project financed by him/her using the millions collected in our name as “Constituency  Development Funds”. I chose the word “uplifting” carefully here because, it is no secret that these men and women pocket hundreds of millions of Naira which they collect in our name without bothering to give something back to the society. Everywhere in Igbo land, I continue to see men and women who went to Abuja as either “Distinguished Senators” or members of the House of Representatives as honest individuals only to come back physically bloated with the attendant now macho financial muscle. I continue to marvel at this rapid growth, I continue to wonder at the speed with which they build giant mansions and acquire expensive motor vehicles and tastes, and I continue to cringe and tear at my head at the apparent misplacement of values and priorities. And then I ask is this what politics is all about?

A politics that celebrates lying to your own people and using them as a means to an end is pathetic and sad. Because of the obscene money accruable to elected politicians in Nigeria, it continues to be an enterprise that promotes the worst set of charlatan values and mediocre characters. For the purpose of this essay, I pray the politicians from the South East and Nigeria as a whole to see their trade as instrument to be directed towards a service to humanity. The evil that continue to thrive in Nigeria will not be wished away by the prayers offered daily by our religious men and women, the hunger, the diseases, the crimes, the total lack of trust, the hopelessness that stalk our nation will not grow wings and fly away. They won’t; but I genuinely believe that much difference will be made if our politicians who claim to fight for the people come out to do so. God will not come down from the sky to better our lot. We, the people are dying and those elected to work for us should better give us succour before it is too late.

johnteddyus@yahoo.com
 http://jonchikadibie.wordpress.com

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Killing South East softly, subtly
Dan Onwukwe (08023022170)  dan_onwukwe@yahoo.com

When you drive through many towns or cities in the South East, you certainly will see dozens, often hundreds and thousands of big and small business. They are as varied as those who own and operate them. Ask them how they are doing. They will tell you “ifeadirozi ka odi na mbu”.  Things are no longer as they used to be. 

Time was when the South-East geo-political zone used to be an edifying reference point of how to build a citizen sector and a culture of innovation. The power of the citizen sector holds its promise in the complementary strengths of the people and the entrepreneur spirit that creates business and wealth. 

This also translates into good fortune in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But this can only happen when government is quick and responsive to the pressing needs that can boost business enterprises. 

This is vital because, no matter the can-do-spirit in the people, little progress can be made in the absence of basic social infrastructure such as good road network, power supply and raw materials.

For much that still valid the south east still holds so much progress in the economy of Nigeria.  It’s citizens are exemplars of how to make what seems impossible, practically possible. Over the years, economists and management experts have carried studies upon studies on what makes Ndigbo so successful in business. 

The curiousity might have started following the uncommon accomplishments that made the late Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu the first acknowledged millionaire in Nigeria. The answer is simple: it is the vibrancy of entrepreneurship spirit that make some people to see opportunities when others see obstacles and are hemmed in by them. 

This made commercial cities in Igboland such as Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha to create and expand markets in such a large scale beyond our shores. Their feat was recognized by the World Bank and international credit rating agencies. 

This is because good progress is easier when government support private business initiatives through social networks. In strict business sense, this is called Progress Loop. It reveals the potentials for self-reinforcing benefits. About 30 years ago, the World Bank ranked Onitsha as the fastest growing economy in West Africa. Africa with the potential of becoming one of the best commercial centres in the sub-saharan Africa. Aba and Nnewi were rated as the most enterprises commercial centres in terms of building a culture of indigenous technology.

Perhaps not anymore. Not because that entrepreneurial spirit and vision have deserted the people. No. Rather, it is because the Federal Government has gone to sleep in the areas it ought to assist the citizen sector in the country. For much that is plain truth now, the Federal Government has abandoned the people to their fate. The roads have collapsed, and have become deathtraps. Everywhere you go, North, West, South, East, that is the sad tale. But the situation in the south East is like a repeated poison given in doses that kills its victim slowly, subtly and suddenly, he dies. Is this all about politics, or what?  This negligence has taken its toll on businesses in the South East, the very soul and oxygen for the survival of the people. The state of Federal roads in the South East and the erratic power supply does not make for edifying reading.

At no time is the urgency for the Federal Government to do something resonated more than now. Recently, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state took the gauntlet on how erratic power supply is killing the economy of the South East, to the minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji in his office, Abuja. With voice shaken, the urgency of Obi’s message was unmistakeable: the inability of the Federal Government to provide adequate electricity supply has forced many manufacturing companies in the South East to close shop. 

In Anambra state alone, less than 50 percent of an estimated 3,000 factories in the state have shut down operations. They can only operate with diesel, and the cost of the product has hit the rooftops. One of the resultant effects is job losses, especially among the youths. In Nnewi and Aba, the casualty figure of companies that have closed down as a result of poor power supply is much worse, with less than 35 percent of the factories still in business. 

Onitsha, Aba and Nnewi used to pride themselves as the “Japan of Nigeria”. But that dream is dying fast, for Japan was not developed in darkness. It required thoughtful and wise leadership to build it to what it is today. As governor Obi rightly noted, the factories in the South East are the second largest employer of labour. With thousands of youths now jobless, crime wave is already high with spate of kidnappings and armed robbery on the increase. A society where the best of its youth is jobless is like a time-bomb waiting to explode.

But beyond the power supply crisis that has virtually crippled the South East economy, the state of the roads, especially Federal roads, gives the impression that the Executive branch at the centre has gone Awol. Quite a number of these federal roads are gateways to the economic activities of the zone. Few instances will suffice. In Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of Anambra state, the bridgehead road is the most critical. This is in view of its strategic role as the main artery into the state. So also is its importance to the economy of the state. The same is the Owerri/Aba/Port Harcourt road. 

At the moment, the bad state of these link roads compete with the Oshodi/Apapa Lagos/Ibadan Expressways that is now described as the shame of our nation. Governor Obi as the chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum told the minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen that much during his courtesy visit. But the biggest federal government’s flight of conscience in the South East is the contract given to one of the civil engineering construction firms working on the South Eastern road, CCC. I never knew the extent of mess done by CCC until last week when a catholic priest in the Diocese of Nnewi Rev. Fr. Chiedu A Onyiloha sent me a mail, cataloguing the alleged ‘misdeeds’ of the construction firm. What follows below is part of Fr. Onyiloha’s investigation.

CCC is currently working on some roads in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. CCC is working on the Onitsha-Owerri Road, from the Onitsha through Uli area. That road is yet to be completed, especially the Okija-Azia-Ihiala axis for some years —-whereas the Owerri-Mgbidi section of the same road has since been completed by the Julius Berger Plc. CCC is also working on the Oba-Nnewi-Ekwulumili-Okigwe Federal Road, as well as the Ichi-Nnewi-Ozubulu Federal Road.

Works on the Oba-Nnewi-Ekwulumili-Okigwe have stopped since April of this year (2011) at the Traffic Junction area of Umudim Nnewi without any reasons for not reaching the Amichi-Ekwulumili-Unubi-Uga terminal. As disturbing as the situation is, the so-called completed areas of the road in Umudim Nnewi are unprofessionally done as rains have washed off some of the roads due to absence of gutters in some areas and/or construction of gutters in non-erosion tracks/channels.

South East Governors owe their people the duty of liaising with the appropriate federal/state ministries in monitoring projects going on in their geopolitical zone. This is a conscious civic culture that promotes excellence of service and judicious use of the tax-payers’ resources. Let Governor Peter Obi of Anambra and Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo take a tour of the Oba-Nnewi-Ekwulumili-Okigwe Federal Road and see the glaring engineering inefficiency of CCC. 

Equally, the new Minister of Works’ visit to the road will help the Honourable Minister to invite CCC to Abuja for questioning and/or review of the contract. This will serve as a veritable platform for promoting the Good Luck Transformation Agenda for the Vision 202020. 

Having taken a tour of some of these roads in the South East recently, it is not an odd conclusion to say that the risk elements of neglecting the socio-economic development of this geo-political zone will have incalculable economic consequences, not only for the South East, but Nigerian economy as a whole.
Source: Sun, 2nd August 2011.

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Politics of S/East Governors’ Forum

Written by Jude Ossai

South-East Bureau Chief,  Jude Ossai, writes on the challenges facing the South-East Governors’ Forum in its attempt to tackle the developmental problems in the geopolitical zone.

PRIOR to Nigeria’s independence in 1960, Ndigbo, who currently occupy the South-East geo-political zone and some parts of Delta and Rivers states, took the first shot at the presidency through the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. The Great Zik, as his admirers fondly called him, did not only occupy the office of the Governor-General, but rose to become the first ceremonial president of the country. Then, Ndigbo were at the apex in the military and in commerce. 

But between 1960 and now, the Igbo seem to have lost the steam in the country’s political mainstream, the current occupation of the offices of the Deputy Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SSG) by Chief Ike Ekweremadu and Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, notwithstanding. 

It was against the afore-mentioned historical background that the governors of the South-East zone, under the auspices of the South-East Governors’ Forum, decided in the Fourth Republic, precisely in 1999, to pursue issues affecting the Igbo through regional integration.

The founding members of the South-East Governors’ Conference were ex-Governors Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Chinwoke Mbadiniuju (Anambra), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi) and Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia). 

In the beginning, they held the meeting of the forum in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, before it was organised on a rotational basis among the five-member states. It later returned to Enugu, apparently for convenience and strategic reasons. 

While ex-Governor Orji later crossed over to the Peoples Progressives Alliance (PPA), which he formed when the heat was on him in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for re-election, Dr Mbadinuju could not return for a second term in office under the Alliance for Democracy (AD). 

Coincidentally, the then five state chief executives were from the stable of the  PDP before the current political dispensation that saw Governors Peter Obi and Rochas Okorocha emerging from the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). 

The Igbo governors have said at different fora that they would work together, irrespective of their political leanings, for the interest of the larger segment of Ndigbo. 

In the last general election that saw the re-emergence of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as president, it was gathered that one of the governors, during the meeting, had  called on his colleagues to “reconsider their earlier stand on the total endorsement given to President Goodluck Jonathan in view of the present developments”, stressing that the new development had opened a new chapter in the political history of the country. The governor, the source added, further called on his colleagues to avoid anything that could jeopardise the desire of Ndigbo to produce a president for the country in 2015. He added, however, that a consensus could not be reached on the development as the speakers took different positions on the matter. But that is now history as all the governors worked assiduously to make President Jonathan to realise his dream.

The Igbo governors could not reach an amicable resolution on the standoff between them and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the zone, though the strike in the universities has since ended. Each state is now charging tuition and miscellaneous levies according to its available resources, thus creating room for the authorities of the state-owned university to hike the tuition fees, calling to question the much- talked about zonal integration.

But determined to realise their dream of oneness, the governors had, in recent times, involved top political leaders and elders in their activities. For instance, the Igbo governors and leaders of thought like former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, the president of the pan- Igbo socio-cultural group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwuchue, were in a joint meeting with the governors recently to fine-tune strategies to integrate Ndigbo in the main stream of Nigerian politics. 

Critics of the South-East Governors’ Forum however alleged that the ‘’oriental governors’’ are not doing enough to develop the zone, as they had failed to attract the  Federal Government to the deplorable condition of infrastructure, such as roads.

“Most of the federal roads in Igbo land are death traps and many people are worried about why the eastern governors have not deemed it necessary to go beyond rhetoric and embark on the repair of the roads themselves and get refund from the government at the centre”, a resident of Enugu said in an interview.

While citing joint moribund economic ventures in the zone such as the Cooperative and Commerce Bank (CCB), Nkalagu Cement Company, Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company (ANAMCO), Enugu and Emene Floor Mill, among others, Comrade Amos Ugwu, a retired civil servant, told the Nigerian Tribune that  “the Southeast Governors’ Forum could be best described as a jamboree, arguing that the governors needed to be proactive in their quest to improve the lot of Ndigbo, who they claimed to represent. 

The chairman of the Governor’s Forum, Obi, said that they endorsed the candidature of President Jonathan in the last election because he had the best programme that would address the imbalance in the country and marginalisation of the South-East zone. The question now is, has the re-elected president been working for the interest of Ndigbo?’’,

Be that as it may, the issue of disunity is still very pronounced in Igbo land and unless the problem is tackled, it would be pretty difficult for Ndigbo to be fully integrated. It is time the South-East governors woke up from their slumber. It is only then that the larger segment of the people would stop seeing the governors’ forum as a branch of the PDP. 

The debate on constitutional review has resurfaced and all eyes are on the governors in the exercise in addition to the role the national assembly members would play especially on creation of additional states in Igboland.
Source: Tribune, 21^st July 2011.

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Boko Haram: S-East govs task Northern leaders

By KINGSLEY OMONOBI AND TONY EDIKE
ENUGU- THE five governors of South East, Sunday, called  on stakeholders in the northern part of the country to tackle  the current wave of insecurity in the region arising from the violent activities of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram just as Minister of Police Affairs has summoned the Inspector-General of Police and the top police hierarchy to a security meeting over Boko Haram.

Gov Kashim Shettima of Borno State has also said that the government will provide the military Joint Task Force, JTF with rules of engagement to discourage soldiers from breaking the rights of the people. The governor had earlier accused the JTF of excesses during their operations to counter Boko Haram uprising.

From left, Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia, Gov. Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, Secretary to Government of the Federation, Sen. Pius Anyim, Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra, Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Deputy Speaker Federal House of Representatives, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha during South-East Governors and Political Leaders Forum in Enugu on Sunday.Photo by Hill Ezeugwu.

Speaking with British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Sunday, Governor Shettima expressed opposition to the calls for the withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Maiduguri, while appealing to the residents who were trooping out of the state not to leave. He also urged Boko Haram to lay down their arms and open up lines of communication, saying the government was ready to meet their reasonable demands.

Meanwhile, human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana has called for the prosecution of immediate past governor of Borno State, Mallam Modu Sheriff for his alleged involvement in the extra-judicial killing of Bako Haram leaders.

Rising from a one-day meeting in Enugu, the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Anambra Sate, Mr. Peter Obi urged the  stakeholders in the north to do everything possible to tackle the current security challenges  in the zone.

The governor, who did not give details of their discussion at the meeting, stated that the brief meeting, as usual, deliberated on issues affecting the zone.

“It is a very short meeting and we discussed issues affecting the South East geopolitical Zone. We are committed in working together,” Obi added.

The meeting was attended by governors of Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Ebonyi states. Abia State governor, Theodore Orji was absent at the meeting.

Minister summons IG, top Police hierarchy to security meeting

Following the frightening security situation in the country occasioned by the Boko Haram bombings and attacks in parts of the country, the new Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd) has summoned crucial security meeting with the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim and the top hierarchy made up of DIG’s and AIG’s at Force Headquarters, Abuja, today.

The meeting, according to Vanguard’s investigation, will deliberate on concrete steps to be put in place by the Police towards checkmating the menace of terrorism and restore confidence in the citizenry. It is also to re-assure the people that the Police is up to the task of tackling the Boko Haram threat.

Vanguard was told that the meeting which is the first since Olubolade assumed office a week ago, will signpost the direction the minister intends to go, especially as Olubolade’s reappointment and deployment from FCTA to the Police ministry underscored President Jonathan’s resolve to tackle police challenges headlong.

It was further learnt that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji and some critical directors will be in attendance at the meeting which will also find ways of fine-tuning the police operational methods.

The precarious financial situation of the force which is threatening to disrupt Police operations nationwide, will also be discussed Vanguard was told.
Source: The Vanguard, 17^th July 2011.

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South-East govs seek action on insecurity in North

FROM LAWRENCE NJOKU (ENUGU) AND UZOMA NZEAGWU (AWKA)

THE South-East Governors Forum has called on stakeholders in northern parts of the country to tackle the high rate of insecurity in their region.

Rising from their meeting in Enugu yesterday, the chairman of the forum and Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, urged the stakeholders to put in place a necessary machinery so as to ensure security in the zone.

They decried incessant killings and destruction of property in the area, resulting from incessant bombings and called on youths to embrace peace to secure the country’s unity.

On the deplorable condition of roads in the South East Zone, Obi said that the forum had mapped out plans on how to redress the ugly situation in the area.

He stated that the numerous erosion sites in the zone had been catalogued and presented to the Federal Government, stressing that he was aware that some contracts had been awarded to tackle the menace.

Obi pointed out that the meeting reviewed ongoing jobs in the area and would make further presentations to ensure their speedy completion.

On the minimum wage, he said that the zone would not go back on its earlier decision to implement it in line with the Federal Government’s directive, stressing that it was the first to agree to pay the new wage.

The governor who refused to disclose other details of their meeting stated that it was a short one.

The meeting was attended by Governors Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Peter Obi (Anambra), Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi). Abia Governor, Theodore Orji was not present.

Meanwhile, in furtherance of his promises to provide social amenities to Anambra citizens, Obi has kicked off the construction of two water projects in the state capital, Awka at the cost of N128,573,840.28.

The contracts handled separately by two firms included Greater Awka (Aroma) water scheme valued at N78,552,140.8 and executed by Olimax International Group of Companies Nigeria Ltd, while Regibel Ltd is to build the Okika/Udoka water supply scheme at the sum of N50,021,700.

In his speech on the occasion, which was held at the weekend in Awka, Obi commended international agencies in their efforts to partner Anambra in the provision of amenities, adding that they had maintained strong relationship with the state government and the citizens.

He disclosed that his administration was committed to transforming Awka through the rehabilitation and construction of structures including roads and housing estates.

He strongly charged the citizenry to eschew rascality and looting and called for a peaceful environment to encourage influx of investors and industrialists.
Source: The Guardian, 18^th July 2011.

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S’East Speakers Forum Seeks Additional State for Zone

By Christopher Isiguzo

Still basking in the euphoria of his re-election as the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, the chairman of the Forum of Speakers of the five South east states Houses of Assembly, Eugene Odoh,  Monday called for closer interactions among the lawmakers in the zone, stressing that the seeming disunity among the people of the area had continued to deny them huge resources.

He said the zone had lost a whooping N80 trillion in the sharing of allocations from the federation account by the people of the zone over the years as a result of the short fall in the number of the states in the zone.

Accordingly, the Forum of Speakers,  he said,  would see the issue of additional state for the south east as a major focus for lawmakers in the zone in the present dispensation, adding that once the issue of state creation begins at the National Assembly, they would provide all the needed support to their colleagues at that level to ensure that the zone gets its fair share.

Odoh who lamented that the zone being the only zone among the six geo-political zones in the country with the least number of states had lost several billions of naira from the Federal Government, stating that by the time the people begin to relate more closely, they would begin to find solution to their common problems.

Odoh made his feelings known while addressing newsmen shortly after his emergence as the speaker of the Assembly for the second term.
Source: ThisDay, 7^th June 2011.

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S-East, S-South Professionals Commend Jonathan on Anyim, Azazi

The South-East and South-South Professionals, SESSP, a development and advocacy group, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan on the appointment of Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, as well as the  re-appointment of General Owoye Azazi, as the National Security Adviser, NSA.

A statement issued in Lagos, Tuesday, by the group’s President, Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju and Coordinator, Media Directorate, Dr. Nick Idoko, said the appointments had signposted the President’s resolve to assemble a team of technocrats that will drive the reforms to engender the positive changes Nigerians desire so badly at this time in the nation’s historical trajectory.

The group said:  “This development was a clear indication that President Jonathan will always show preference for quality and value-based leadership and would support those who, apart from their eminent qualification, have the best interest of the nation at heart.”
Source: Vanguard, 7^th June 2011.

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We Won’t Confront Jonathan
•Ezeife says S/East deal with the president still intact

By Alvan Ewuzie and Peter Agba Kalu

Erstwhile Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife of Anambra State has lent his voice to the raging matter of political office sharing in the emergent dispensation. Speaking to Daily Sun recently in Abuja Ezeife said he perceives the controversy in the media as one set to cause a needless confrontation between President Goodluck Jonathan and political leaders in the South-East geo-political zone.

He said Ndigbo would resist every move to confront Jonathan on the matter, stating that the zone extracted some promises from the president (which he refused to disclose ) and he has seen nothing yet to indicate that Jonathan would renege on his promises.He advised Igbo leaders not to join in the press war because it was a ploy to get the zone to be at unnecessary logger heads with Jonathan. He said the People Democratic Party (PDP) knows what is right and would do so.

He spoke on the foregoing among other issues. Excerpts:

From all indications, the Igbos seem to have supported president Jonathan without any serious bargain and are now crying and begging for position without being sure of any, is it not a shame?

No, I do not understand what you are saying. we really had serious bargain with the President as to what he can do for our people before the election. The sharing of offices by the act is the party affair and not that of the President, and I want it to be clear that no body , no trick can be used to put us at loggerhead with the President. Some of you were here when the South East leaders forum made serious efforts to get Nwodo’ s successor named, and I would like to give you the detail of what happened, so that you can know the efforts we made, why it was made and how far we went.

First, when Nwodo resigned, we knew that there was a problem because with his absence , no South Eastern person was in the National working committee of the party, and these are the caucuses of the party where things are cleared and we have no representative there. The negotiation people are talking about with the President, actually we voted for the President en masse and if the election comes again, we will still vote for him in that way because we are very proud of him. We wanted to have a chairman so that we will be there when deliberations are on, but our people in PDP, for whatever reason, did not follow us , therefore we did not get the chairman. I can say that the President was in support of the proposal and was eager for the chairman to be named , even before the election, and that chairman could have stayed till the next convention. So, it has nothing to do with election negotiation.

Could you say some of the things you negotiated with the president to do for the Igbos?

I am not going to tell you

Why ?

You will see them happen, and it will not be long before they begin to happen. We reached an understanding with the president and we believe that he will not fail us, and the few things he had done convinced us that he meant what he said.

As a result of the fall out of the Presidential election, there is a strong demand for a Sovereign National Conference, what is your stand on that?

Even if there had been no post election violence, there is over due need for Nigeria people to meet and take fundamental decisions about their

country. Should we continue with 36 states as a federating unit and keep issues of state creation? I will suggest that we should reduce number of federating units, optimally to six and treat every zone equally. The zones can then come together and have their own constitution. Due to the fears the states within the zones may have, the Federal Government can lend support until all the problems are resolved within the states of the zones. The zonal constitution may be federal so that the states will change what they have now, because as they are now, they cannot develop.

We are depending on oil , sharing oil money every month. That is not how it is supposed to be. If we have about six states in a zone, they can do better and pull their resources together, they will do better in terms of development. There are particular areas which require larger attention, like roads, power and water. Now, we have been talking about police , in this arrangement, each zone would have its own police and with that the personnel of the police will be familiar with the area they are policing. Other issues will also be taken good care by the zones. Also, there will be greater integration, greater commonality of culture among the people of each particular zone. What that means is that the people will act more like one and between zones, there will be competition. The South east zone, North west zone and South west zone, they are homogeneous people . What we have now is all Abuja affair. So there are many merits to reduction in the number of federating units, we may also have one unicameral legislature where we are represented equally, and we will appreciate each other more. So, I agree with the position of constitutional conference, constituent assembly, and it should happen in a matter of years.

Do you support the call for the abolition of NYSC programme?

I must tell you that I do not know that people are seriously calling for the abolition of the NYSC, I must also say that by the grace of God , I was part of the initial groups proposing that the scheme should be reformed for greater integration of Nigeria. The purpose of Youth Service is for Nigerians to know themselves increasingly. One irrational act should not be held for another. On post election violence, Let me give you the mathematics of stolen mandate. How many governors are in CPC? Only one from Nasarawa, how many Senators are also CPC? How many in House of Reps and other positions? Then how does Buhari think that he would become President with only one governor out of 36 states. How does he win by virtue of having his villagers vote for him.? CPC does not even qualify as a regional party because it did not cover the region enough and has no structure at all. Then , leave North west and go the South east, South -South and Middle Belt, if any body says he is in CPC, he is answering a name. So, nobody’s mandate was stolen. Tony Momoh told the National Television that the INEC Computers were programmed to deduct 40% from Buhari’s votes, that is part of the mathematics of stolen mandate. Now, multiplying Buhari’s vote by 1.4 to bring back the 40%, how many million did he have behind Goodluck Jonathan? So, there is no reason and justification for the post election riot, except that people are unmasking themselves, letting us know what they truly were. Some people decided to go and incite people to shed innocent blood.

Nowhere in the book we are using whether Quoran or Bible is suicide bombing approved, instead anyone who commits such will go to hell, whether Christian or Muslim. So, the reason for the post election violence is difficult to find, except that some people are anti people, wanted particular people there. Now the cost of the violence, which consumed some Youth Corp members, we cannot abolish the scheme that was really very good. Madness makes people target the Corp members who went to serve their fatherland in other states.

Do you not think that the violent protests are indirect means to blackmail the Igbos out of the 2015 presidential race?

I think what has happened has increased the chances of Igbos in 2015, as far as that particular violence is concerned. People now see what is going on , and what they do not know is that we are coming with a great force of integration and unity. We have been in the wilderness for too long, after the civil war, did people not know who the Igbos were before the civil war? Were we bought with six or three pence? Today, we are going back to what we used to be, and the more people try to make us frustrated, the more we unite to fight back, and now I do not see the reason our people should be killed. Some young men asked me if the Igbos should retaliate and I said no. I told them that it is wrong for one to kill someone staying in his land , who did not quarrel or did anything wrong to him .

That really showed that they are properly brought up in Igbo tradition, otherwise, they would not have asked before doing that. In fact, I am not pretending, Nigerians become safe when Igbos take- over the leadership of this country, there are no two ways about it. I mean that ordinary Hausa, Nupe, Tiv, Yoruba and other Nigerians will surely be safe under Igbo presidency. Why is it so? This is because there will be more economic development, industrial aggression etc. Then, we live everywhere in Nigeria and we have very old philosophy which says ‘where you live, you mend it’.

Therefore, no Igbo President of Nigeria can please Igbo people by concentrating power in southeast, constructing roads only in south east and providing any form of infrastructure in south east alone. It is unfortunate that Igbos are facing a lot of conspiracy from all across the country, especially from old men in power who have grudges against the Igbos.

If our PDP people had stood up and helped when we were lobbying for a replacement of Nwodo, you would not have been here talking on this particular issue. But the point blank situation I am giving you is that Igbo has taste. Right now, everybody is demoralized, small children, bishops, politicians and many people are calling me asking to know what is happening, what has the Igbo done.

You made two fundamental statements, firstly that the Northern youths who engage in violence were not properly brought up, secondly that the greatness of Nigeria is encoded in having a president from Igbo land, are these true.

I said that neither the Quaran nor the Bible approves the killing of innocent people. Anybody with the right faith and good religion cannot go to kill people. Those who did in the north are misguided.

Do you think that Buhari should be held accountable for the violence that followed the Presidential election as a result of his utterances?

I believe if CPC is comprehensively responsible for the post election violence and unjustifiably so. Buhari said his mandate was stolen and the election was rigged. He also said that he would challenge the South-South election. These are provocative statements and when the statements turned out into violence, they came out and condemned violence. As he was busy condemning the killing, he still insists that he was rigged out. What does he want his followers to do, especially the unenlightened ones.

I think what should be done is that if there are areas in the North that are too violent, Christian corps members should not be posted there. Since nobody from the North has nothing to worry about in the South, they should continue to come. So, I have not seen reason abolish National Youth Service.

How do we checkmate the killing you see after sometime, it will no longer be violent. Muslim devotees would no longer be violent, for instance if you go to the Christians and say that Jesus Christ is a mad man, nobody will talk to you because we are really sure who He is? If you say the same to Mohammed, there will be violence and killings.

Christianity had been longer than Islam. In the past when the Muslims moved from Hegira to Mecca, Muslims fought in the cause of Islam, until religion is allowed to truly practiced. People who did not want them to practice Islam and were blocking them by then, they were asked to fight back. But for propagating Islam, do not use violence. It is not something you sell by force. There was a minor Jihad when Mohammed and his followers left Medina to Mecca, they were obstructed by violence and he said fight because of Allah. Mohammed instructed that no one should fight for Allah. I see Islam as a principled and much respected religion that needs not to be misunderstood.

As it stands now, would allow any of your children to serve in the North as a corper?

My first daughter was posted to Sokoto and I was governor then, and she cried to tell me that she was posted to Sokoto. I asked her who was there when they were posting you, and she said that God was there, then I asked her to go there, even when I had the power to change her posting. National Youth Service gives someone advantage of knowing other parts of the country better. When another daughter of mine was due for youth service, I also educated her on the benefits of one serving outside her area, and when she was posted to Lagos she started crying. Another son of min e served in Yorubaland. So, I have answered your question with my children.

If any of your children were involved among those murdered in Bauchi, would have still hold the same view?

Yes, Yuguda, the governor of Bauchi State totally misunderstood, I understand him to have meant that it was the destiny of those that died, because people do not fight without God knowing. It was how God decided it and therefore we cannot question him, unless Yuguda made another statement than the one I read.

Why then did he say that he was misquoted?

You know, in politics, when people want to crucify you, you find escape route.

With the nation of about 140 million people, the 1940 km of roads we have are death traps and unmotorable yet the government is talking about vision 2020.

Do you think that Jonathan’s government will fair better this time around?

One reason, I supported Jonathan is development, change, no leader of Nigeria, military or civilian had put economic development of Nigeria at the forefront. After he won, the price of petrol in the villages dropped to be the same in Abuja, that has not happened in 30 years. Secondly, since after the election, power has improved across the country, except to the people who have defiency in distribution. Jonathan ensured a credible election where the people’s votes counted. You saw how Nigerians trooped out to vote? That is the kind of thing I am talking about. We can now be able to change any government that we do not like.

Remember, I am not a party man, I do not belong to any political party, but I support good governance.

What is the position of Igbos concerning the Presidency in 2015?

My position is that the issue of 2015 is more of a sustainable Nigeria. By 2015, every zone in Nigeria shall have held the office of President for not less than 5 years, except the South East zone. Middle Belt has held it for 18 years, North West has held it for 15 years, North East above 5 years, South West has held it for more than 11 years and now South South would have held it for more than 5 years by 2015. The concept of zoning or rotation of Presidency has the meaning, only in the contest of the six geopolitical zones. If all the 5 geo political zones had held it for more than 5 years, then on ground can the Igbos be deprive the position.

People say that when there is problem they negotiate with other people and give Igbos money to settle their own case. Let them say what they like. But if thinking equity and fairness, think about Igbo, population, electoral performance, think about Igbo, yet we find it difficult to find ground of which the Igbo can be denied the Presidency of this country.

So what I want to say is that the Igbos are now prepared to take the bull by the horns. We will not take things for granted. It is Igbo Presidency in 2015 or nothing.
Source: Sun, 23^rd May 2011.

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GEJ Must End the Civil War Now

By Ochereome Nnanna

AS I said before, those elected into various political offices must understand the meaning of their mandates. When we say votes must count, we are not just saying the election should not be rigged.

We are emphasising that those we voted for should understand the message behind the vote. Why did Nigerians choose Dr Goodluck Jonathan as their President and not retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari or Malam Nuhu Ribadu?

Why did the Igbo electorate choose Jonathan over Buhari and Ribadu? It was not because they do not like Northerners. The Igbo have a long history of productive political partnership with the North. The Igbo electorate of the South East gave Jonathan nearly five million votes, just about 200,000 less than the haul that GEJ procured from his native South South zone.

Add the rest of Igbo votes in other parts of the country where they rank as the second largest group after the indigenes, and the Igbo might have accounted for not less eight million of the 22.5 million votes that catapulted Jonathan to a landslide victory.

Clearly, the Igbo votes won the election for Jonathan because if you remove them from the president and give them to Buhari who scored over 12 million votes, the latter would have won with a comfortable majority. The Igbo people have never been so instrumental to the victory of any political leader in the history of our nation. This is a heady moment for Igbo to bask in their rediscovered electoral might and reassertion of their majority stake in the Nigerian political commonwealth.

This election must have shut the mouths of those who, before the polls, declared that the Igbo had no electoral worth. I speak pointedly of our loose-talking elder statesman, Chief EK Clark, to whom this statement was credited.

It was a very deliberately trodden political path by the leaders and people of the South East. At the outset of the last transitional process, a consensus was reached that the Igbo would not present a presidential or vice presidential candidate, as all efforts were saved for the envisaged date with history in 2015, when the Igbo expect Nigerians to concede the presidency to the South East.

At first there was a choice between going with the North under the zoning arrangement and supporting Jonathan who hailed from a cousin geopolitical zone. The South East governors, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo and other Igbo interest groups such as Ndi Igbo Lagos, mobilised consensus around a block vote for Jonathan.

It, therefore, came as a shock to many that Jonathan, the leader of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, did not seem to reckon with the contribution of the Igbo people to his emergence and did not consult its leadership before acceding to the removal of the post of National Chairman of the Party from the South East and zoning the Speaker of House of Representatives to the South West.

The President has thus treated the Igbo like people whose votes did not count. However, we are not here to condemn him because power sharing is yet to be concluded. But unless certain home truths are brought back to him on time he may end up making very costly mistakes and alienating his next-door neighbours.

The Igbo people voted for Jonathan for two reasons. Number one: To bring the civil war, which has been raging in the minds of the Nigerian political establishment for over 40 years, to a final stop. Number two: To mend fences with their cousin geopolitical zone: the South South, which also harbours a number of Igbo speaking ethnic groups.

The emergence of an Easterner as the elected president of Nigeria was a vision put together by the Council of South East and South South, COSESS, led by Ambassador Matthew Mbu and retired Commodore Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe in 2001.

It is over 41 years since the Biafra-Nigeria war ended with a fraudulent “No Victor, No Vanquished” official declaration. Any wonder that fraud has become an integral part of the Nigerian political personality?

Part of Jonathan’s historic challenge is to restore the integrity and credibility of leadership in this country by keeping his promises and ensuring that no part of this is ever again left out in the cold. Buhari, being a combatant during the war, might not have been totally purged of the prejudices arising therefrom.

Added to his narrow-minded ideas of political leadership, he did not present a credible choice for the people of the South East.

But Jonathan, not having that kind of background, has a better psychological platform to ensure that that ugly chapter of the nation’s history is brought to a close without any further delay.

The late President Umaru Yar’ Adua, who was also not a combatant at the war front, took a bold step when he appointed the first ever Inspector General of the Nigeria Police from the South East, Mr Ogbonnaya Onovo. Jonathan built on it when he also broke a crucial barrier by appointing the first Chief of Army Staff from the zone since the end of the war, Major General Azubike Onyeabo Ihejirika.

A lecturer of political science at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr Afolabi Olugbemiga, put it intelligently in a recent television programme when he asserted that President Jonathan ended the “military blockade” of Igbo nation when he appointed Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff.

He advocated that he (Jonathan) should also end the “economic blockade” put in place during the civil war, by appointing an Igbo man as the next Accountant General of the Federation, a post no Igbo person has every held since independence. No Igbo has ever been Minister of Works.

GEJ’s challenge is to remove these no-go areas. He must end not just the civil war but also all other wars we can feel but can’t see.
Source: Vanguard, 23^rd May 2011.

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Igbo Politicians Immature, Says Amaechi, First Republic Minister
•Jonathan indebted to S’East - Ex-minister

From GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka

First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi has lambasted the present crop of Igbo politicians describing them as undisciplined, immature, and self-centred. Amaechi, who is one of the few surviving pre-independence Nigeria nationalists in a chat with Daily Sun blamed the current political woes of the zone on the politicians’ naivety and fire-brigade approach to issues. The nationalist who also reminded President Goodluck Jonathan of his pre-election promise to the Igbo, said it was time for pay-back time for Jonathan to reciprocate the overwhelming support given to him during the April polls by righting the wrongs and the injustices done to the race by the previous administrations.

Bemoaning the politicians’ lack of tact, the Amaechi recalled: “During president Obasanjo’s administration, when the Igbos wanted to contest for the presidency, no fewer than seven aspirants emerged from the PDP alone. They only went there to split their votes. But the Yorubas studied the political situation in such a way that the two political parties that emerged in 1999 presented all Yoruba candidates, Obasanjo and Falae so that a Yoruba would eventually emerge.

“Others plan 10 years ahead but Igbos are known for bridge approach. They come to fight when there is war and afterwards disappear.”

The octogenarian however, charged traditional institutions, governors and other highly placed Igbos to throw their full weight in the pursuance of the liberation of the Igbo nation.

He stated further, “our dreams are closing up and we need to take quick steps to recover our selves. At a time we started producing Engineers, technologists and businessmen to control the economy but all the dreams are gone. Now, our children drop out of school for petty-trading. The Igbos were hitherto leading in education. We produced the first female pilot in Nigeria.

“Any Igbo politician who finds N20 million in his account now becomes a leader. They don’t respect their political fathers or seek advice on how to handle some issues, so we need to get the foundation right and this is the right time.

He therefore, advised politicians of Igbo extraction to go back to the drawing board and make personal sacrifices that would better the interests of the Ndiigbo in general. He noted there was the need for the Igbo to plan ahead, strategize if they must be respected in the country’s political arena.

On the “unconditional massive support” given to Jonathan during the last general elections, Amechi who spoke to newsmen in Awka in reaction to agitations for certain key positions to be conceded to the South-East, said that such demand was non-negotiable.

The elder statesman said “We gave Goodluck Jonathan unconditional massive support during the just concluded election believing and hoping that he will not short change the Igbos. We are still looking forward to that.

“The Igbos across the country gave Goodluck stronger support than his zone because we believe he is our son. We expect him as our own to rewrite the wrongs and injustices against the Ndiigbo by the previous administration”.

Lamenting what he called the relegation of the Igbos to the background since the civil war ended in spite the major role they played in the fight for Independence in 1960, Amechi said, “beyond agitation for appointments, the Igbos have been ignored in so many other areas.

“For instance when you open pages of newspapers you will see award of road contracts across the country but in the South East , the Onitsha-Owerri Road Project awarded over 10 years ago is yet to be completed. The Onitsha-Enugu, Enugu-Port-Harcourt, Enugu-Abakiliki roads are all in bad shapes.

“The same is applicable to other areas of development. There is no favourable platform for South-east. There is also no adequate replacement of retiring Ndigbos in government service at the centre. Look at the issue of the Second Niger Bridge, a vital project for the South East. We have heard less of the dredging of River Niger. We need a change which we believe is in Jonathan,”

He spoke further; “the Igbo hold not only the largest population scattered all over the country but are also enterprising, so why the continuous relegation of the South East because of the circumstances of the civil war? The elder statesman asked.

During the reconciliation after the war, the then Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Godwon retd) declared no “no victor no vanquish” and promised the Igbos will not be treated like defeated region but it is not working.”
Source: Vanguard, 24^th May 2011.

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