Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of Southeast Governors forum, David Umahi has revealed that Federal ministries now sees the entire Southeast as a red zone because of insecurity.
The governor said the classification is not in the zone’s best interest as it will deprive the area of federal projects.
Umahi made this known during the inauguration of a new leadership of the South-East Traditional Rulers Council, headed by Eze Charles Mkpuma, the Chairman of the council in Ebonyi.
“The declaration of southeast as a red zone by these ministries means that what is due to us would be difficult to come,” Governor Umahi said.
According to him, the insecurity in the zone, occasioned by agitations for self-determination, amounts to “self-inflicted injury” by the people.
“It is time for the zone’s leaders and people to collectively say no to the killings in the zone because we no longer see the real agenda of the agitations.
“The people should support governors from the zone and other leaders to permanently stop this bloodshed because we know the parents and communities of the perpetrators of the heinous acts,” the governor said.
He further said the agitation for secession had been hijacked by cultists, kidnappers and other criminal elements, hence the need for the acclaimed freedom fighters to critically review the situation.
“It is presently difficult for trucks with goods from other parts of the country to come to the zone as we did not harmonise adequately to determine areas of comparative advantage,” he said.
