From Magnus Eze, Enugu, Vincent Kalu, Lagos, Noah Ebije, Kaduna, Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri, Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
Major ethnic nationalities in the country on Friday appraised the 25 years of unbroken democracy in the country, with the Ohanaeze Ohanaeze Ndigbo saying the Igbo have been grossly disappointed and marginalized.
Other Igbo groups like the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Igbo Lawyers Association (ILA), and Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) also said that they were very disappointed with Nigeria after 25 years of democracy.
The various groups said that Ndigbo had been relegated to the background since the return to democracy in 1999.
They noted that the lot of their people had not improved one bit while blaming the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari for compounding to their woes.
President General of Ohanaeze, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu expressed deep anger that the region has continually been marginalised despite every effort put in by the people to salvage Nigeria.
He further stated that Igboland had not fared better infrastructure-wise within the period under review.
He said: “People like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and many other Igbo leaders showed a lot of love, patriotism in fighting for the independence of this country. Even after the independence was gotten, Ndigbo used their resourcefulness to travel to different parts of the country and wherever they travel, they develop Nigeria.
“It’s very painful to us to experience what we’re experiencing at various times, first of all in 1970 after the civil war, the war ended in a peaceful negotiation, no victor, no vanquished. Part of the discussion was the 3 Rs: Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation.
“Now we accepted Reconciliation in the normal Igbo way, unfortunately people continue to create enmity between us and our brothers in River State, after the war, Port Harcourt was the place Igbo man’s properties were confiscated. They were all seized without compensation and since then it has not improved.
“It reached a crescendo during the time of Muhammadu Buhari, he made it clear that we didn’t vote for him, so, he would not support us. He made us feel we’re not part of Nigeria and now what happened after the last election was clear to everybody, because Peter Obi who is an Igbo son won election in Lagos and Abuja, after that time, there was hostility against Ndigbo. They asked them to go. All these made us feel people are not serious about what they’re doing about democracy.
“We have constantly talked about restructuring of the country, the present constitution where power is concentrated at the centre does not make any sense at all. At various discussions it has been agreed that power should rotate between the North and South, but it’s structured now in such a way that Igbo can never get power.
“If you watch what happened the last time, it was coming to the South and to the Southeast which was next in line but some people from the North wielded their influence and made it return to the West.
“People showed a lot of hatred at no just cause for the Igbo. Igbo spend their money wherever they are, they build schools, houses, markets, industries and develop their environment. They increase the Internally Generated Revenue there.
“Even when it comes to appointments, they neglect us. Nigeria has about 48 ministers and we have six political zones. Igbo are the only people who have five ministers, others got more.
“In terms of states, it’s only Igbo who have five states. There was even a time when they asked the Igbo to go home. These are some of the things we must address.”
ILA leader, Chief Chuks Muoma, SAN, said: “In my opinion, no administration since 1999, has done anything to favour the Igbos in Nigeria. We are being marginalized in every sphere of Nigerian life, be it in socioeconomic development, industrialization, positioning and rehabilitation of critical capital infrastructure.
He said the country should be restructured such that the regions control their resources and contribute to the federal purse for national governance.
“Our people are hounded, harassed and intimidated by the powers that. Nnamdi Kanu, and many uncounted young Igbos are languishing in detention for reasons that they are Igbo. We have nothing to celebrate for now,” he said.
In his reaction, Secretary of ADF, Chief Abia Onyike said of all the major ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, the Igbo have suffered terrible ethnic discrimination and profiling more than any other since the current democratic dispensation started in 1999.
“Under the present democratic pretension, Igbo people have no citizenship rights. The Hausa-Fulani-Yoruba alliance/oligarchy has consolidated its plan to strangulate the Igbo under a new slave/apartheid system which makes it a crime to be Igbo. In fact, there is no democracy in Nigeria as far as Igbos are concerned.”
President General of COSEYL, Goodluck Ibem regretted that Buhari made punishment of the Igbo a policy by denying them an opportunity of being appointed Service Chiefs in his administration.
Professor Ango Abdullahi led Northern Elders Forum (NEF) said the North has nothing to boast of in the last 25 years other than abject poverty, seemingly unending insecurity and underdevelopment in the region alleged foisted on it by its elected political leaders.
Spokesperson of NEF Abdul-Azeez Suleiman told Saturday Sun: “While there have been some gains in terms of economic development and access to basic services, the North continues to face significant challenges in areas such as poverty, underdevelopment, insecurity, and political representation.
“The Northern region has long been considered the political powerhouse of the country, with a significant influence on national politics. However, the region has faced numerous challenges over the past 25 years. One of the key issues facing the North is the prevalence of poverty and underdevelopment. These issues have been exacerbated by factors such as insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, and poor governance, which have hindered the region’s overall development.
“In some cases, political leaders from the region have been in the forefront of corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement of public funds.”
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Ijaw National Congress (INC) and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) urged the federal government to restore genuine hope to Nigerians.
The President of the MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu,
“Democracy is good and we have moved forward, but and we still have a lot to do. Through restructuring, we can make the best out of democracy and Nigeria will be better for it.”
President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, said the return to democratic rule has given Nigerians some opportunity to choose their political leaders, noting that the worst democratic government is far better than any military regime.
President of PANDEF, Sen. Emmanuel Ibok Essien, regretted the economic adversity being experienced by Nigerians, but noted that democratic rule remained the best government system.
“In the past 25 years, it has not been so bad except for this last nine years. It was good in the first 16 years when we started. We are appealing to those in the government to ensure that they look critically into the economy and make sure that they improve the country to allow people to breathe,” Sen. Essien said.