Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi, yesterday, attributed the rising insecurity in the zone to youth restiveness which he said was caused by the continued marginalization of the zone by the Federal Government.
He said governors of the zone were having difficulty controlling the youths because they were unable to explain to them the reasons for the continued marginalization of the zone by the Federal Government despite their passionate believe in one Nigeria.
Umahi spoke when he received Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of Zone 9, AIG Etim Oko, at Government House, Abakaliki.
He told Okon that youths of the zone were not happy that police officers of Igbo extraction were not being promoted like their counterparts from other parts of the country.
He however said he would not be part of any plan to divide the country, stressing that what the governors and leaders of the zone were asking from the Federal Government was fairness, equity justice and fair play.
“Let me say that the nation, Nigeria, played into the hands of our restive youths because there were a number of demands they were making; there were agitations about the way the South East is being treated at the national level. The youths repeat this all the time, and people bought the impression that they are fighting for the welfare and security of our people, especially when people from this side who are to be promoted at the national level are not promoted rightly or wrongly. When we are not giving the opportunity at the security hierarchy of the nation.
So, the impression here is that we are not welcome in Nigeria. It has given the governors a very serious task with regard to this, and I am sure security agencies know this because it seems a number of people, especially those who are aggrieved with government, are tactically supporting them. But governors in South East believe in one Nigeria where fairness, equity justice and fair play do take place. We do not want to secede as a people, we want to be treated nicely just like other regions and this is a fact”, Umahi said.
