Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State
yesterday dispensed with partisan considerations to broach issues of
core interest to the Igbo nation when Acting President Yemi Osibanjo
visited the state on strategic consultations. The governor detailed
account of marginalization of people of the South-East and Imo State in
particular by the present Muhammadu Buhari administration. Okorocha
regretted that the region has been grossly shortchanged on many fronts,
particularly in the areas of appointments and allocation of Federal
Government projects.
His words: “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.”
Okorocha continued: “I know you
are the Acting President and has 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. “I
beg that as the government gives subsequent appointments, let the
qualified sons and daughters of the state and region be considered.
Those
in business should 1be considered for federal patronage.” Apparently,
these were no easy words for Okorocha who is also the Chairman of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum as he carefully chose
his words. “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.”
Okorocha, who noted that he had made a case
previously to President Buhari, expressed confidence that Osinbajo had
the ear of the President and will convey the feelings and grievances
expressed by stakeholders in the state. Responding, Osinbajo said that
it was not exactly correct that President Buhari had been unfair to Imo
people. He said that the Presidency couldn’t deliberately set out to
marginalise Ndigbo in view of their contributions to the development of
the country.
“You said that the highest appointment given
to Imo under Buhari was Minister of State for Education. I will like to
equally inform you that Katsina, the home state of Mr. President, and
Kaduna State where Buhari resides all have ministers of state.
“If
there is any governor in this country that has the ear of Mr.
President, I will say that it is Governor Okorocha. As such, it cannot
be said that the state is marginalised by the APCled Federal
Government,” the acting president said. Osinbajo, during the visit
to the palace of the chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional
Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri in Owerri, however, conceded to the fact that
the oil-bearing communities in Imo State have largely been mistreated
and neglected. He reassured that the Federal Government would make
amend.
He said: “My visit here is in continuation of
consultations with all the states of the Niger Delta as directed by Mr.
President, and I can say that the oilproducing communities in Imo State
have been largely ignored and this will be appropriately redressed.
“The
oil-producing communities in Imo have a lot of vibrant young men and
women who must be carried along in the scheme of things. My interaction
today with those concerned has given the government the opportunity to
discuss with the people directly involved with a view to making sure
that there is justice and even development across the Niger Delta
communities.” Meanwhile, Osinbajo has expressed dismay at the level
of projects abandonment in the oil-producing communities of Imo state.
Speaking at the Stakeholders’ Forum held at the Imo International
Convention Centre, Owerri yesterday, the Acting President declared that
there are over 40 abandoned projects scattered across Oguta and
Ohaji-Egbema, the two oilbearing communities in Imo State.
He,
therefore, directed contractors handling all on-going projects in the
oil-producing areas of Imo State to return to sites with immediate
effect. Osinbajo, who also visited the N4 billion Federal Government‘s
Skill Acquisition Centre and the multi-billion naira gas plant in
Ohaji-Egbema explained that from the lists submitted to him by various
groups, Imo has over 40 abandoned projects awarded in the oil bearing
areas, apart from numerous roads projects that are abandoned. He equally
warned against the diversion of projects meant for the oilbearing
communities by political office holders, noting that such act compound
incidences of marginalisation and restiveness in the oil communities.
According
to him, the Federal Government was committed to injecting fresh ideas
in the development of the Niger Delta area whereby the oil firms,
government, corporate bodies and the host communities would come
together and step up development of these areas. Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, the
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, who also spoke, assured that
his ministry would investigate reports of diversion of oil wells due Imo
to other states.
Chief Jones Uzoka, an indigene of the
oil-bearing communities who spoke, claimed that some oil wells in Imo
were allocated to other states, while some others were shut down for no
reason. Due to these reasons, he said Imo does not get her due share as
oil bearing state and called on the Federal Government to remedy the
injustice.
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