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As the Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), when I was enforcing compliance, I requested for the cooperation of the Nigeria railway Corporation to demolishing all the illegal properties standing on the tracks of the Nigeria Railway within Enugu metropolis but they accused me of sabotaging their projects. Today, I’ve been vindicated because as it currently stands the south east does not show readiness for development and so we have to begin to look at our inner faults.
One of the greatest problems of the south east is the peoples’ mentality; they have refused to participate in becoming part of the Nigeria transformation, but they will be there to undermine any progress in Nigeria while they stay in already developed cities and nations to take materialistic titles and make their homes as only good for home celebrations returns in their rats and cockroach-habited mansions. The entire attitude of a typical Easterner is all geared towards vanity at the detriment of their own survival.
Some of them encourage IPOB while they take refuge in the Diaspora without feeling the pains of what is happening. Today, the sit-at-home culture has crippled the south east economy. For not voting for the APC we lost and failed the first and second time and should not fail the third time because it could be the last straw to the progressive of the south east which has already been devastated by senseless agitations and has crippled the once glorious region that is now at the mercy of criminals. Those in the Diaspora that set the fire that is now raging shamelessly could not come home for Christmas but remained outside the zone and out of the country.
The botched south east railway that the Pro-Biafra groups complain about was already doomed earlier than now, because the NRC had sold all the components of the rail, the tracks and every other property of the corporation. In Enugu, there is a GSM village built on railway track and as chairman of ECTDA I tried to demolish their nuisances of over 3600 structures brought about by the NRC profligacy, just within the Enugu metropolis. I had sort for the attention of the former Honourable Minister for Transport, Rotimi Amaechi to no avail, but I will remain highly indebted to the minister for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, whose cooperation ensured that demolition was carried out in Enugu airport and which the NRC stood against it. If those shanties which the NRC sold were not demolished the south east would not be enjoying the Akanu Ibiam International Airport as it does today.
The Ethiopian Airline would not have been flying today in Enugu if not this part of history that I participated in the making. Sirika gave so much support in the realization of this achievement and today Enugu is the only international travel destination in the south east. In spite of Enugu being a PDP state, the APC administration delivered in the south east capital as much as it did in other states. All these agitating groups in the south east are the south east people using some criminal elements to cause confusion and mayhem in the zone.
The South east should truly go for soul searching, open our eyes and go into main stream politics other than our empty ego which has made us not see the extent of damage we have caused ourselves.
I’m supporting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and I want the rest of the south east to do proper arithmetic to see that the party they did not support in two consecutive elections of 2015 and 2019 has given them maximum benefit with the following visible achievements in the south east of the APC-led federal government. They are:
The Rehabilitation of Sections 1 to 4 of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway (Sukuk Bond) (ongoing); Rehabilitation of Amansea–Enugu Border section of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Sukuk Bond) (ongoing); Rehabilitation of 18km critical stretch of Onitsha–Awka Road (ongoing); Construction of Second Niger Bridge: Completed design of the Approach Roads from Onitsha and Asaba; Award of Main Construction Contract to Julius Berger; and funding of the project by the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, PIDF.
In August 2018 PIDF paid 33 billion Naira (US$90 million) to Julius Berger for the Second Niger Bridge project; Rehabilitation of Arochukwu–Ohafia–Bende Road (ongoing) and Ariaria Market Electrification Project (The Federal Government is implementing its Energizing Economies Programme, which will bring stable and reliable electricity to all the 37,000 shops in Ariaria Market, by providing the Market with a gas-powered IPP) (ongoing).
Others are the Federal Government’s Energizing Education Programme being implemented in Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi state; Nnamdi Azikwe University – Awka Campus, Anambra. The Programme will provide these Universities with an Independent Power Plant, as well as upgrade existing distribution infrastructure, and also provide street-lighting; Completed Ikot Ekpene–Alaoji–Ugwuaji Switching Station and Transmission Line; Construction of Modern Medical Diagnostic Centre at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia (FMCU) (ongoing); Completed Nnamdi Azikiwe Mausoleum (contract originally awarded in 1996, abandoned at various times, Buhari Administration revived the project in 2016, and completed it in 2018); Enyimba City Special Economic Zone: Definitive Agreements signed between Federal Government, Abia State Government and Enyimba City Development Company Limited on December 7, 2018 (ongoing).
They also include the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative–has led to the revival of the Ebonyi State Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited (EFCCL), creating jobs and boosting the supply of fertilizer in the Southeast; Social Investment Programme: 68,000 N-Power Beneficiaries across the 5 States of the South East; the School Feeding Programme has kicked off in all 5 States of the Southeast; Pensions paid to Retired War-Affected (Ex-Biafran) Police: In 2017, the Buhari Administration paid 500 million Naira to clear pensions arrears that had not been paid since their presidential pardon in 2000.
Now that the south east rail project has collapsed, all hope is not lost because Tinubu’s manifesto contains development of rails and if we can play intelligent politics and get into the main stream, other than sentiment, supporting Asiwaju Tinubu will help restore the temporarily abandoned rail project. Some people from the south east even participated in the balkanization of the rail properties, built on rail tracks.
So the problem we have today is not about the APC as some politicians are trying to make us believe, but in ourselves against the detriment of our progress. The world has moved but we are still lagging. Now is the time to make amends and get it right by voting Asiwaju Tinubu who has put the development of the south east in his manifesto. Some of us such as myself, Chimaroke Nnamani, the Imo and Ebonyi states governors and few others have been insisting that we should participate in mainstream politics. The emancipation of the south east is not about Tinubu or the APC but about what Asiwaju has, that will benefit our economy and we can’t continue to play politics of sentiment.
I can tell my people that Peter Obi will not win the presidential election just like Atiku Abubakar is going nowhere except going back to Dubai. In my brother, Peter Obi’s words, they should go and verify.
Dr. Josef Onoh is the Spokesman of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council in the South East geopolitical zone
