Ohanaeze lament marginalization, Buhari says Igbo control economy

The apex Igbo socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has lamented that the people of the South-East are marginalized in Nigeria’s governance structure.

Ohanaeze’s spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia noted that the fact that the Igbo were scattered all over Nigeria and were successful in business should not be a reason for the current regime to deny them their share of the governance structure of the country.

He spoke in response to the remarks by the president, Muhammadu Buhari, who was on a one day visit to Imo state, that the people of the South-East were enterprising and in charge of the country’s economy.

At a town hall meeting with Igbo leaders in Owerri, Buhari states, “The fundamental thing about the Igbo people is that there is no town you will visit in Nigeria without seeing them being in charge of either the infrastructure or the pharmaceutical industry.

“Therefore, it is unthinkable for me that any Igbo man will consider himself not to be part of Nigeria. The evidence is there for everyone to see that the Igbo are in charge of Nigeria’s economy”.

In his response, Ogbonnia noted that though the Igbo remained an entrepreneurial set of people, they were still neglected.

“That is Igbo tenacity and self-enterprise. It is entirely a different ball game. So, the marginalization we are talking about is in governance structure; the injustice we are talking about is in governance structure”.

Earlier in Owerri, during the presidential visit, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof, George Obiozor, said, contrary to claims in some quarters, Igbo people were not secessionists.

Obiozor urged Buhari that Igbo youths being held in various detention facilities by security agents were released.

He said Ndigbo would continue to be part of Nigeria as long as there was justice in the country.