A former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has told the people of the South-East to rise and engage the rest of the country in order to remain relevant to unlock its potential.
Chidoka stressed that Ndigbo should develop a regional mindset as that is the only way to drive common standards and cooperation in education, health, infrastructure, human development and security.
He stated that the reason the region must collaborate with other regions was that any presidential candidate will need to win in at least four geopolitical zones to emerge victorious in Nigeria.
He made these remarks at the World Igbo Congress held in Texas, United States, on Saturday, according to a statement made available to journalists by his Special Assistant on Media, Ikechukwu Okafor, on Sunday. Chidoka spoke on the topic, ‘We have the power to change our destiny’.
He compared the Exclusive List of the 1963 Constitution which had 45 items and that of the 1999 Constitution with 68 items and concluded that the constitution does not inhibit any state or group of states from unlocking its potential.
He added that nothing in the 1999 Constitution prevents the South-East states from coming together and developing a regional approach to development.
He said, “Without the votes from at least four zones, a presidential ambition will be difficult, if not impossible, President Muhammadu Buhari tried three times with Northern votes without success.
“He got it when he worked with a national platform that delivered one zone of the South and decisive win in the Middle Belt states.
“Nothing in the 1999 Constitution inhibits the South-East states from coming together and developing a regional approach to development.
“A regional mindset can lead to common standards and cooperation in education, health, infrastructure, human development and security.”
“Restructuring Nigeria is a good idea but delivering public goods to citizens now is a necessity.”
In his address, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, called on Ndi Igbo to think beyond the South-East in defining the region.
He traced the challenges facing Ndi Igbo in Nigeria and recommended increased political consciousness, peaceful coexistence with neighbours and host communities and renewed commitment to investment in Igbo land.
The World Igbo Congress, Incorporated is a non-profit corporation registered with the secretary of state of the State of Texas.
The Congress operations cover all aspects of youth, community and infrastructural development and connect Ndi Igbo to the world through partnerships at all levels.
