Dr Etofolam Osuji mni fca
At over 70 years old, I am still being surprised at our proclivity to stupidity. How low can our purported psychopathic elites descend. It is both disheartening and deeply cynical to witness the emergence of the “Association of Past Governors of the South East,” a coalition seemingly birthed not out of a shared vision for regional prosperity, but as a political shield for a failing presidency.
That this Elders wing of the City Boys movement is led by Dave Umahi—under whose chairmanship of the South East Governors’ Forum we saw the tragic collapse of the Ebube Agu security initiative and a terrifying spike in regional instability—tells you everything you need to know about its true priorities. It is a gathering of men who, despite holding the reins of power for decades, failed to deliver the most basic hallmarks of modern development, such as a functional intra-state rail system to connect our commercial cities for our people in the South-East.
The irony of this alliance is heavy and amusing. Many of its members carry the persistent stench of EFCC investigations and fraud allegations, making this support look less like a political endorsement and more like a desperate plea for executive protection. To brandish support for this government in the face of their documented non-performance is an insult to the people of the South East who grapple daily with inflation, insecurity, and systemic neglect that is evident everywhere.
If these former governors truly possessed the statesman-like gravity they claim, they would not be offering their loyalty as a blank check. Instead of acting as a cheering squad for the status quo, they ought to be leveraging their collective influence to demand tangible concessions for the region.
Their support should be contingent on a deliberate radical shift in Federal Government policy toward the South East. Specifically, they should be extracting firm, time-bound commitments for the completion of a comprehensive Eastern Rail Corridor that links Aba, Onitsha, Abakaliki, Enugu, and Owerri to the national rail grid on standard guage. Establishment of Federal presence throughout the region.
They should be demanding the immediate dredging of the Oguta Lake and the development of the Onitsha River Port to transform the region into a true maritime hub, instead of focusing on Lagos ports alone.
Furthermore, they should be insisting on a definitive resolution to the security crisis through a political solution that addresses the root causes of agitation, rather than simply enabling the militarization that occurred on their watch.
In the past 8 years, South-Easterners have been extorted over N5 trillion from the multiple security check points established only in the SE by the Army, Police and Customs. To support a leader without securing the future of one’s own people is not “elder statesmanship”—it is a betrayal dressed in an Isi-Agu dress.
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