In his visit to the South-east since
assumption of office, President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday arrived Ebonyi State
where he remarked that the visit was a strong expression of his belief in
Nigeria’s unity.
The president also pledged to improve agriculture, power supply and the
provision of infrastructure projects in the region when the 2018 budget is
passed.
Buhari, whose visit to Ebonyi had been tagged
the first presidential visit to the state in the last 17 years, was conveyed by
a Nigerian Air Force helicopter with registration number NAF-540 from Akanu
Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, to the army barracks in Nkwagu in
Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, at about 11.15 a.m.
He was accompanied by the state Governor, Chief David Umahi.
Umahi was among other South-east governors who
had received him at the Enugu airport.
The president, who was received at the army barracks by dignitaries from the
state, subsequently commissioned six projects and thereafter proceeded to the
Government House where he met notable leaders of the state and traditional
rulers from both Ebonyi and the South-east who conferred on him two traditional
chieftaincy titles.
The president recalled how some Igbo leaders
had visited him at the State House, Abuja, last month to express concern over
the poor state of infrastructure in the region, assuring them that resources
meant to address their concerns had been captured in the 2018 budget currently
before the National Assembly.
The president promised to concentrate on power
and agriculture projects as well as other social services in the region when
the budget is operational and praised the state governor for the projects being
executed by his administration in the state, describing them as laudable.
The president, who was conferred with the
chieftaincy titles, Enyioma 1 of Ebonyi, meaning a trustworthy friend of
Ebonyi, and Ochioha Ndigbo, meaning the leader of Igbo people, by both the
Ebonyi State Council of Traditional Rulers and South-east Council of
Traditional Rulers respectively, expressed appreciation for the titles as well
as the warm reception accorded him, saying he was glad for the opportunity to
interact with people of the state.
He said: “I am delighted to be here in Abakaliki to interact with the good
people of Ebonyi State and indeed the South-east region as a whole. I want to
express my gratitude to the people of Ebonyi State for their hospitality and
warm reception since I arrived the state.
“My presence here today is a demonstration of
my strong belief in the unity of Nigeria. As the most populous country in
Africa with over 300 ethnic groups, our diversity is almost unique.
“When I met with the leaders of the South-east in Abuja last month, they raised
several issues of concern including the state of the roads and infrastructure
in the region.
“I will like to commend Governor David Umahi
for his vision and commitment to the development of this state. Some of the
projects I commissioned since my arrival are laudable.
“I am also grateful to the traditional rulers of Ebonyi State for the honour
bestowed on me with the traditional title of Enyioma I of Ebonyi. I thank you
for this honour and warm reception.
“I want to assure you that we will deliver on our promises. Our 2018 budget
included many projects for the region in the area of power, agriculture and
social services.”
The president was emphatic that the Ndigbo is
synonymous with Nigeria just as Nigeria is synonymous with Ndigbo.
The president, who celebrated what he described as the ingenuity of the people
of South-east and their talent for trade and commerce, said the Igbo ethnic
group and Nigeria were inseparable.
“The people of the South-east are known for
their ingenuity, industrial and commercial talent. There is no part of Nigeria
where you will not find Igbo entrepreneurs, both men and women, contributing to
the development of their adopted communities.
“So, I am asking you all not to buy into the senseless propaganda for
secession. Igbo is Nigeria and Nigeria is Igbo. Both are inseparable.
“We must therefore continue to commit
ourselves to the development of Nigeria, a Nigeria where we sustain our
national unity without compromising on our cultural identities, a Nigeria where
the aspirations of its people are guaranteed without prejudice to tribe or
religion, a Nigeria where we can sleep at night knowing that tomorrow will be
better than today.
“The task of nation building is a continuous
one. It never stops. Our founding fathers, from all corners of this country,
worked together to actualise the creation of one Nigeria.
“After independence, the same founding fathers worked together to maintain this
one Nigeria. Yes, they had differences and varied opinions at times. After all,
they were only human.
“And yes, they had moments of weaknesses and
doubt. But again, no one is perfect. However, one thing they all protected
until the end of their lives was having one Nigeria for all Nigerians,” he
said.
In his remarks, the Ebonyi State governor
congratulated the president on the chieftaincy titles conferred on him and
thanked him for his enormous assistance to the state, which he said had
resulted in a revolution in the agriculture and solid minerals sectors.
In appreciation of the assistance, Umahi
presented 2,000 bags of rice and 2,000 tubers of yams to the president,
describing the presentation as the fruit of the state’s prayers that the
president would enjoy the fruits of the seeds he planted.
“First is to congratulate our president for this highest honour bestowed on you
today. It is an honour that is well deserved, Your Excellency, you have helped
us quite a lot especially in the area of the agriculture revolution and solid
minerals. And today, sir, you are with us.
“The prayer of everyone is that you plan to see it; you will be alive to tap
from the seeds that you are planting. Today, you gave us a giant leap in
agriculture and so we have here with us 2,000 bags of rice and 2,000 pieces of
yam to give to our president.
“It is a prayer answered because you have sown
in the land of Ebonyi and God has given you the strength and health to partake
in that seed that you planted. We are grateful to give back to our father who
has given so much to us,” Umahi said.
Among the initial projects Buhari commissioned
were a 700-metre twin Trans-Sahara bridge linking Enugu and Ebonyi States with
Cameroon; the Senator Offia Nwali flyover; the 14.5km Abakaliki-Afikpo road;
foundation laying of the Ebonyi city mall; foundation laying of the Muhammadu
Buhari bridge; and unveiling of the Akanu Ibiam statue.
Also, at a reception for the president at the
state’s stadium, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo,
thanked Buhari for his visit to the region barely a few weeks after Igbo
leaders had visited him in the State House to draw his attention to
infrastructure deficit in the South-east.
Nwodo then painted the horrible state of
infrastructure decay in the region and appealed to the president to address it.
He said the decay included the rotten state of the Enugu airport, recalling how
an Ethiopian Airline aircraft recently lost a tyre while landing as a result of
the bad runway.
He also said livelihoods in the region were threatened by the infrastructure
decay including the dilapidated state of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway,
Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, stoppage of work on the Second Niger bridge,
unemployment, hunger and starvation, among others.
Nwodo demanded the concession of collapsed
major roads in the South-east to the governors of the region to enable them
rebuild such roads the way they want them.
The former minister, however, lauded the president’s decision to pay pensions
to ex-Biafran policemen and damages to victims of the Nigerian civil war.
Also speaking at the stadium, Umahi urged the
president to call some of his appointees to order, accusing them of frustrating
efforts by the state to obtain loans meant for the development of the state
under the guise of politics.
He also requested the president’s intervention in certain challenges
confronting the state such as non-functioning dams in the state totalling 30 in
number, which he said would have boosted rice production.
Umahi pointed out that the dilapidated dams
had restricted rice production in the state to only the rainy season.
He also sought the federal government’s intervention in the existing hydropower
dams in the state for electricity generation, which he said would go a long way
in improving the wellbeing of the people of the state.
He also drew the attention of the president to some federal roads that his
administration had constructed, lamenting that such projects were not captured
for a refund in 2018 budget.
Responding to issues raised by Nwodo and
Umahi, the president who was clad in an Igbo Isi-agu (loin head) jumper with a
red cap to match, praised the entrepreneurial skills of the people of the
South-east, saying Igbos are found in every part of Nigeria.
He deplored the activities of persons he described as misguided Nigerians
agitating for secession, noting that they did not witness the debilitating
effects of the Nigerian civil war and counselled that as the founding fathers
of Nigeria had sustained the unity of the country despite their differences,
the nation’s unity must be sustained.
On issues raised by Nwodo and echoed by Umahi,
Buhari said his government was working aggressively to improve infrastructure
by building roads and improving power supply, adding that efforts were being
made to guarantee food security for the nation.
He told the rather excited gathering that his government had recently resolved
to mobilise contractors back to the Second Niger bridge.
He also said N10 billion had been earmarked in
the 2018 budget for the Enyimba Industrial Park and the Nnewi Auto Park which
he said would be implemented in collaboration with the states and the private
sector.
The president also disclosed that payments to ex-Biafran police officers had
commenced 17 years after they were pardoned, adding that an upgrade of the
Umuahia Diagnostic Centre in Abia State was in the pipeline.
He again commended Umahi for his stewardship
in the state and expressed appreciation for the chieftaincy titles conferred on
him, saying: “I am Enyioma l of Ebonyi. I am Ochioha Ndigbo,” which earned him
further applause.
The president will depart Abakaliki Wednesday for Awka, Anambra State, to lead
the grand finale of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) campaign rally for
Saturday’s governorship election in the state and will return to Abuja later in
the day.
Among those who received the president were
the deputy governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Kelechi Igwe; Minister of Science and
Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; former governors of the state – Senator Sam Egwu
and Chief Martin Elechi; former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim;
former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu; ex-Minister
of Health (State), Mr. Fidelis Nwankwo; former deputy governor of the state,
Prof. Chigozie Ogbu; the zonal Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Chief Austine Umahi; and Chief Executive Officer of Orient Global Ltd,
Chief Chukwuma Odi.
Other dignitaries who visited the state to welcome the president were Abia
State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr.
Chris Ngige; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema; and his Trade and
Investment counterpart, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah.
