By Praise Chinecherem
Former Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Simon Okeke has expressed great concern on the state of the nation, where people scramble for what to eat, even in Anambra State where there are billionaires.
While addressing journalists in his residence at Amichi, in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Okeke said Nigeria is blessed with enormous resources, yet citizens do not have enough to eat.
He noted that President Tinubuโs administration needed to rejig its methodology of leadership to reduce hardship in the country.
Okeke, however, note that things had gone wrong before the emergence of Tinubuโs administration, adding that it could have been better but for the removal of oil subsidy which he said made things difficult for people to survive.
Speaking on national currency, he cited 1982, when Naira was stronger than dollar but today, according to him, it is nothing to be proud of the rate Naira has fallen in value.
On the position of the South East zone in the country, Chief Okeke said that the Igbo of the South East had continued to be a weeping baby as it appeared that they were not part of the country because of marginalization.
โOne would have thought that there would be a better accommodation of the South East in leadership of Nigeria, but today it isnโt so,โhe said.
Okeke made reference to 1960, when Nigeria gained her independence. He said the country had been on a tripod, (North,West and East) which he interpreted as Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, noting that the South East zone is treated with complete denial.
โNigeria in tripod is made up of three legs which are North, West and East but the third leg which is East has been broken.The tripod has one broken leg, therefore it cannot stand very well.
โIf other zones are treated the way South East zone is being treated, I believe they wonโt take it. Look at Ministerial appointments and other opportunities where Ndigbo are not well accommodated, I mean balancing the equation. I praise my people (Igbo ) for accepting it in good faith without making noise or causing havoc, โhe added.
He said where there is no justice, there is no peace, adding that until all the zones are treated equally and until South East is given its due share in the country, the country would continue to wobble.
Okeke enjoined all the South East Governors to move together as one people, to forget about their political party differences, for the advancement and progress of the zone.
โIf all the five Governors of the South East zone can move together as brothers which they are, go to the President of Nigeria and say this is what they want especially in Nnamdi Kanuโs case, I believe he (Tinubu) will listen to them but if they are divided, nobody will listen to them, โhe further said.
To develop the South East, the former police boss advised stakeholders to assemble funds for much bigger projects that would take care of the zone adequately in terms of employment. He called for investment in industries and other developmental efforts in the zone.
He assured that the development of the South East zone would be easy, if the Governors could pool their resources together and all they could contribute to achieve the dream for the interest of posterity.
