It's been shock, surprises for Imo people

It has been shock and surprises for Imo people since
President Muhammadu Buhari came on board in the
past 100 days.

Most respondents, who reacted to the developments
within the past 100 days of the Buhari administration,
were of the view that "the President has been
implementing a carefully planned programme of
exclusion of the South East geo-political zone".
They were shocked that President Buhari did not
appoint an Igbo man as the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation.

"Before the current announcement of Buhari's
appointees, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Senator Chris
Ngige were widely tipped for the post. The
speculation went haywire when the post was said to
have been zoned to the South East", Sir Murphy
Emeto said.

Continuing, Sir Emeto said that seeing things now on the ground so far, the Igbo have no place in this
administration because he said that he would
compensate the political zone that gave him 97 per
cent instead of those that gave him a paltry five
percent.

While agreeing that it is the prerogative of the
President to appoint members of his kitchen cabinet,
Emeto said he should realize that Nigeria is one
country and should remain one.

For an Owerri based legal practitioner, Chief Uche
Ohia, President Buhari has confounded and proved
political bookmakers, including his apologists wrong,
in his choice of individuals to work in various critical
positions.

According to Chief Ohia, "the appointments seem
deliberately skewed to exclude the South East zone
and Ndigbo".

One other sore issue that has pained Imo people is
the planned downgrading of Alvan Ikoku University of
Education, Owerri, to its former status of a College of
Education.

"We expected President Buhari to find ways of
implementing the lofty policy of the upgrade of the
institution to the status of a University. Downgrading
the institution is another direct way of mortgaging
educational development of the South East", Lolo
Nkechi Aladu fumed.

Some civil servants, who, however, spoke on strict
grounds of anonymity, lamented that President
Buhari has busied himself trying to demonize his
predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his former
aides, while workers and pensioners continue to
wallow in poverty, disease and avoidable death.

"Virtually all the projects started by Dr. Jonathan
have been stalled since President Buhari came on
board. The roads are getting worse everyday. The
earlier the President realizes that he is not a saint the
better for Nigeria and its citizens," a civil servant
cautioned.

A loyalist of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who
pleaded anonymity, expressed regret that sycophants
were gradually taking over the Aso Rock, stressing
that except the needful were done, and quickly too,
the country may sadly find her way to another round
of retrogression.

A former Commissioner for Information and Strategy
in Imo State, Dr. Kelechi Okpalaeke, who recently
decamped from the People's Democratic Party, PDP,
to APC, had this to say in reply to Vanguard's
inquiry: "Are Igbo winning in this dispensation? My
brother the answer to this your question lies in the
yardstick that one employs in measuring winning. If
the yardstick is personal appointment then the
answer is no".

While saying that personal appointments have only
led to loss of internally generated revenue to the
states of Igboland, Dr. Okpalaeke, however, pleaded
that "we have to wait until the President forms his
government before we can really evaluate and make
an intelligent conclusion as to the question you
posed".

AbleMoJah® Nigeria.