CHIDIEBUBE OKEOMA
Igbo people are the major victims of the economic recession, a former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, has said.
The former governor spoke on Saturday at the inaugural Chinua Achebe International Conference held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
He lamented that the Igbo were largely marginalised in the country while calling for a change in the current political structure which concentrates power at the centre.
Ohakim spoke on the topic, “The Igbo and the leadership question: The Achebe example.”
He said, “The Federal Government created a national intervention project in 2006 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo to restore peace and promote a sense of belonging in the country. This gave rise to the N400bn East – West Road project, the N600bn Kano/ Maiduguri Road project,the N200bn Lokoja/Abaji/ Abuja Road project and the N150bn Ibadan /Ogbomosho /Oshogbo Road.
“But curiously, the South-East was left out. When we demanded an explanation, we were promised the second Niger Bridge but alas, this project is being pushed to a public-private partnership arrangement with a tolling scheme to recoup the cost of the project. Is this a fair deal for Ndigbo? We must continue to ask for our own share of the 2006 National Intervention Fund.”
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