Buhari urged to address Igbo perception of marginalisation in his government appointments

PAN-Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohaneze Ndigbo has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the perception of marginalisation that many people across southeast Nigeria feel by appointing more Igbos into his government.

 

Since President Buhari assumed office in May last year, youths across the southeast have been up in arms against his government, claiming it is marginalising them. Their fears have been fuelled by the limited numbers of Igbos appointed to head government parastatals and in sensitive positions within the presidency.

 

Although each southeast state has one minister each and the minister of state for petroleum and the Central Bank of Nigeria governor are Igbo, many youths across the southeast feels they have been short-changed. Mazi Okechukwu Iziguzoro, the president of Ohaneze Ndigbo's youth wing, said this lack of appointments, coupled with a limited federal presence in the region is fuelling the anger.

 

He stated that Ndigbo were being marginalised in terms of federal appointments and allocation of resources to develop infrastructure. In addition, Mazi Iziguzoro said the southeast should be accommodated in the current effort towards tackling social infrastructure crisis in the country.

 

Mazi Iziguzoro added: “There is also the urgent need to revive the Enugu coal mine that has been closed down for 43 years, which can be an alternative power supply to the nation and create employment too. If the federal government can address these fundamental issues, we believe so much that the Biafra agitations would end.”

 

He also urged the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, put the necessary machinery in motion to repair all major roads in the zone and to start the construction of the second Niger Bridge to create enabling environment for the establishment of industries. Mazi Iziguzoro explained that the group had perfected the necessary arrangements to present the need for the inclusion of a referendum in the nation’s constitution by sending a delegation to the National Assembly to include it in the proposed constitution amendment