An apex Igbo socio-cultural group,
Ohaneze Ndigbo, has called for political and economic restructuring of the
country to facilitate economic recovery and development.
A former president of
the group, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey, made the call in an interview in Enugu on
Wednesday. Enwo-Igariwey said that in the early days of the country, all
regions, as well as the country, had rapid development due to the nation’s
political and economic structure. “Then, there was a great patriotism which
moved production and development from the region to the centre, ensuring that
each region specialised in what it can produce on comparative advantage. “Most
of the development in the North and that regions establishment was made
possible through massive cultivation and export of groundnut. `The South-West
profited greatly from cocoa sales leading to economic and educational expansion
of that zone.
In the South-East and South-South, palm produce provided the
tonic to keep Ndigbo’s economy and entrepreneurial-drive striving,’’ he said.The Ohaneze chieftain said that the group, through various representatives,
even took the need for restructuring to the 2014 National Conference in Abuja.
“The President-General, Secretary-General and some members of Ohaneze played
prominent roles in the 2014 National Conference at Abuja, where we demanded for
restructuring of Nigeria to reflect true federalism. “We also demanded for
fiscal federalism; devolution of powers, responsibilities and resources from
the Federal Government to the federating unit and citizenship rights, among
others,’’ Enwo-Igariwey said. He expressed confidence that with the
entrepreneurial and fight-spirit of an Igbo-man, the Igbos would do well under
a re-structured Nigeria.
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