Some Igbo
leaders have said that the Igbo nation are not interested in producing the
president of Nigeria without restructuring of the country.
This view
shared by some Igbo leaders, who met with the Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe-led
Ohanaeze committee on collation of Igbo views on restructuring in Lagos.
The meeting
which was held in Ikoyi, had the likes of Deputy President General of Ohanaeze,
Dr Sylvan Ebigwei; Dr Kalu Idika Kalu; Chief Guy Ikokwu; Agunze Chibeze Ikokwu;
Professor Uzodinma Nwala; Chief Charles Odinukwe; representatives of South-East
governors; and members of Igbo Think-Tank group, Aka-Ikenga among others.
The first
of such meeting was held in Abuja; the Lagos gathering was the second in the
series.
There will
be another meeting in Enugu on March 4 to be followed by the Ime-Obi (inner
caucus meeting) of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
which will lead to an enlarged Igbo summit.
Chief Guy
Ikokwu told Vanguard after the meeting that, ‘’We debated Igbo position on
geo-political restructuring. Igbo insist on restructuring of the polity
immediately. We are not interested in Igbo presidency now without
restructuring. We are calling on the presidency and the National Assembly to
proceed with restructuring immediately.
‘’The
Federal Government or the centre should have less power than it has now. It
should devolve power to the federating units. We agree with the South-West and
the Middle Belt that the federating units should be the zones with the states
under them. Each zone should have its constitution. There should be fiscal
federalism and resource control.
‘’We are
looking at six zones, three in the South and three in the North. The majority
of Ndigbo believe, like the South-West, that the federating units should be the
zones. With true restructuring, equality of zones, fiscal federalism and
resources control, there will be no need for an additional state in the
South-East. Each zone will be free to create as many states at it deems fit
without recourse to the centre.’’
On the
herdsmen crisis, he said the leaders want South-East governors to ‘’see
livestock, breeding of animals or ranching as an economic activity, as our
forefathers did in the old Eastern region. Chief Michael Okpara established
ranches across the Eastern region and we had the Obudu Cattle Ranch. Apart from
meat, we produced dairy products. Livestock is not only cattle. It includes
pigs, goats, rabbits, sheep, etc. Today, we don’t have Igbo livestock any
longer. We expect our governors to have something to show in this regard in 24
months.’’
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