Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state on Tuesday, February 14, decried the alleged marginalization of the South-East.
According to him, there is nothing to show that the region is part of the Nigerian project, Vanguard reports.
Okorocha made this known during the one-day working visit of Acting President Yemi Osinbanjo on Tuesday, February 14.
Okorocha says there is nothing to show Igbo land is part of Nigeria
READ ALSO: Osinbajo, Amaechi, others storm Imo state
The governor noted that the Igbo
region had been short-changed, especially in the areas of appointments
and allocation of Federal projects.
Okorocha, who is the chairman of the All Progressives Congress Governors Forum, said: “No
other group in Nigeria that had invested as much into our nationhood
can sing the song of marginalisation as much as Ndigbo has been made to
sing it.
“We have nothing to
show that we are part of the Nigerian project; neither do we have any
sense of belonging in the present government at the national level.
“We
have been marginalised both in terms of projects and appointments. In
Imo State, for instance, all we have is a Minister of State to show for
all the efforts and extreme sacrifices we made to ensure that the All
Progressive Congress (APC) had a good outing in the last general
elections.
“I know you are the Acting
President and have the ears of the President. So, there is no better
person to tell our painful story than you. You need to take a second
look at what is happening in the South-East. No serious political
appointment, no visible federal infrastructure so far, to show the
presence of federal government in the South-East in general.”
He added: “I
beg that as the government gives subsequent appointments let the
qualified sons and daughters of the state and region are considered.
“Those in business should be considered for federal patronage.
“Imo
state played major role in bringing APC to power because if what had
taken place in other states was allowed to happen in Imo State and other
states in the South-East, probably we wouldn’t have had the APC
government today.
“Given the roles that I
personally played as a sacrificial lamb in the South- East during the
elections, my state deserves a better deal.
“There
is no federal government presence in the oil-producing areas, and none
of our youths benefitted from the federal government’s Amnesty
Programme.
“I also use this
opportunity to ask for the quick refund of the money spent by the state
on Imo International Cargo Airport and on some federal roads in the
state.”
Meanwhile, the Ohaneze Ndigbo has warned that most Igbos may soon join Biafra agitation is the region continues to be marginalised and treated unfairly
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