President Muhammadu Buhari has wondered why some Igbo men are calling for secession; noting that Igbo people are important in Nigeria, and as such it is “unthinkable” for them to seek leaving Nigeria. The President pointed out that the Igbos have successful businesses all over the country.
“The fundamental thing about the Igbo people is that there is no town you will visit in Nigeria without seeing the Igbos in charge of either infrastructure or the pharmaceutical industry,” the President said. Buhari, through his media, Femi Adesina praised their “resourcefulness and enterprising spirit”.
“As a result, it is unthinkable to me that any Igbo man does not consider himself a Nigerian. “Igbos are in charge of Nigeria’s economy, and the evidence is there for everyone to see.” The president expressed regret that successive federal governments contributed to the deterioration of critical infrastructure in the country, noting that no country can make any meaningful progress without it.
President Buhari pledged full commitment of the Federal Government to finish key projects in the South East, such as the second Niger Bridge and railway lines connecting the region to the rest of the country.
“I am convinced that once infrastructure is in place, Nigerians will mind their own business,” he said, adding that the Igbos, as a group, stand to benefit more from the country’s ongoing infrastructure development because “they are more enterprising”, he said.
During his one-day official visit to Imo State, the President held a town hall meeting with South-East leaders and commissioned four projects, including the Naze/Ihiagwa/Nekede/Obinze link road, the Balloon Driven/Flood Control drainage at Dick Tiger Road, the Egbeada Bypass road, and the New Exco-Chambers, Government House, Owerri, which were all completed by Governor Hope Uzodinma.
The president told Imo residents at the commissioning of the Egbeada bypass, which was named after a prominent son of the state, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, that he was very impressed with the State government’s work.
“I am very pleased with what I have seen, and I assure you that I will continue to support Imo State within the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution,” he said.
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