The prominent pan-Igbo socio-political body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has rebuked President Bola Tinubu for the allocation of only five ministerial slots to the South-East region in his nomination list. In a statement issued by Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the organization expressed strong dissatisfaction with what it deemed an “unfair and unjust” distribution of ministerial positions.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo highlighted that the allocation of five ministerial slots falls short of equitable representation for the South-East. The organization emphasized that this perceived inequity stems from historical factors, specifically noting that the Igbo community did not significantly contribute to the process of state creation by military administrations.
The statement from Ohanaeze Ndigbo underscored the discrepancy in the number of states allocated to the various geopolitical zones during the state creation exercise. The South-East region currently has five states, while other zones possess a minimum of six states each, leading to a lack of proportional representation and opportunities.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo lamented that this limitation on the number of states has resulted in unequal representation across various levels of governance, including governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, state assembly members, and other key positions.
“As a result, the South East was shortchanged with five (5) states while other zones have a minimum of six (6) states.
“This situation has placed the South East in a very difficult position, politically, economically, and socially.
“Our political power has been reduced as we have a few senators and also in the House of Representatives; governors, house of assembly and local governments.
“In federal revenue allocation, the South East is denied the revenue that comes on the basis of states. In federal board appointments and other resource distributions, we are strategically shortchanged.
“We wish to observe that this situation was not caused by the current administration but we however appeal to His Excellency, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR to help us remedy the situation and restore justice, equity and fairness in Nigeria.
“We pray the Almighty to bless and prosper our country, Nigeria and give our leaders the wisdom and knowledge to steer the ship of the Nigerian nation to peace, happiness and prosperity for all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity, creed and political persuasion.”
The organization called for a reconsideration of the allocation of ministerial positions to ensure a more balanced representation of the South-East and address the perceived historical disadvantage faced by the region. Ohanaeze Ndigbo stressed the importance of fair and just distribution of opportunities in fostering national unity and cohesion.