The National President of the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Comr. Igboayaka Igboayaka, in an interview with The Voice, has stated that Ndigbo don’t need igbo president before their needs would be met, but good representatives.
He stated this on Sunday November 27, 2019 during the Ohaneze youth local government convention and inauguration held at St. Theresa Cathedral, Abakaliki.
Comr. Igboayaka noted that an Igbo man becoming the president of Nigeria is not the solution to igbo marginalization, but the opening of seaports will to a large extent solve the issue of marginalization.
He stated that 75% of marginalization is caused by Igbo leaders, who give little or no attention to the peoples demands.
Adding that their is need for Igbo leaders to rise up to their responsibilities and take positive measures for the opening of seaports in Igbo land which would pave way for development in the region
“We are being marginalized by our brothers and our sisters, we are being marginalized by those that are representing us at the senate, house of reps as well as the governors. They should wake up to their responsibilities. That is why I said that 75% of the marginalization in Igbo land is caused by our leaders they should sit up.
“There is hunger in the land, they should create the enabling environment for us to survive. If we have a sea port now that is in full operation, you will see that the level of unemployment would be taking care of. Is it Buhari that would talk about seaport for us? No, it is our Governors, our senators that should start making it as an issue. And you can see the economic value of sea port.
“We say we are being marginalized by the north, look at the population of Ndigbo, do you know that Ndigbo constitutes 42% of the population of this country? And you are saying that you are being marginalized by Fulani that is not up to 7million.
“We have up to 120 million of Ndigbo living in this country. And you are telling me that people that are 7 million are marginalizing us. It is unacceptable, we need to sit up and that is why I’m mobilizing the youths so that we can transform our population into a political capital, he reiterated.”
Stating that, Igbo presidency would not solve the problems going on in the South East zone; “after all, the South has produced a president for six years, but the problem of an Igbo man is not president, but good representative . For us to have modern rail way, for us to have industrial gas pipeline .These are the problems that when they are solved, we will all benefit from it. So anybody that is saying that the problem of Ndigbo is to produce a president is lying. The problems of Ndigbo are these things that I have touched. We need a seaport and that is fundamental.
” We can have a president for more than 8 years, still we will continue in abject poverty. But if we have a good representative, our economy will improve,” he said.
Comr. Igboakaya while commending President Buhari for the approval of about 1 billion naira for the renovation of Enugu airport, further called on the President to open the seaports in the east.
“We commend Mr. President , we also call on him on the need for Ndigbo to have a functional sea port. We have six things that will help us to development and they are, functional seaport, international airport, industrial gas pipeline, national electricity grid and the construction of the road from Otocha to Nmiata by extension of Abuja road.
“The road has been abandoned for more than 30 years, and nobody is talking. And you find it difficult to go to Abuja, but if they construct that road it will be very easy for us to go to Abuja, do our businesses and come back,” he said.
Speaking to the State chairman Ohanaeze Youth Council, Ebonyi State, Comr. Obiya Sabastin, he expressed delight over the success of the convention, stating that his passion to drive home the 7 point economic agenda of the national president has propelled the inauguration of the local government executive few weeks after the inauguration of the State Executive members.
He therefore charged the new local government executives to drive home the 7 points agenda of the association and achieve success.
“They have been giving assignment which is to go to their respective local governments and establish Ohanaeze Youth Council and in turn go further to mobilize the ward and executive members in their various communities. My advice is for them to take this message back to their councils, so that at the end we will achieve our goal”, he added
