Founder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Elliot Ugochukwu Ukoh has said that some of the Igbo Governors of the five eastern States may be doing well in terms of infrastructure but they are not representing the interest of the people they ought to serve.
He alleged the governors are only pleasing their masters and fighting to be in the good books of the alleged owners of Nigeria.
Ukoh stated this in an interview with The Sun. He said even the problem may affect the leadership of the apex-socio cultural Igbo group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo as there will be an election coming up in the organisation which he (Ukoh) worried over the personality that may take over from the now President, Nnia Nwodo.
Speaking on the performance of the Igbo governors and their antecedent, Ukoh cited what he saw when he and late Prof Ben Nwabueze escorted the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a meeting with the Southeast Governors few years ago.
He said; “When I and Prof Ben Nwabueze escorted Nnamdi Kanu to a meeting with the Southeast governors, two and half years ago, I realised that the overbearing influence of the central government, makes it difficult for the Southeast governors to be their own man.
“I painfully saw why the central government is very interested in whoever emerges as governor in Igboland. Ndigbo are in big trouble my dear brother. Ugwuanyi is good at trying to avoid any kind of fight, struggles to be a nice guy; Umahi, even though he is performing wonders in Ebonyi, very impressive infrastructure development, is totally committed to the politics of pleasing the master and remaining in the good books of the owners of Nigeria.
Speaking further about the performance of the governors, Ukoh noted that;
“Obiano decided from day one to fight his benefactor, thereby concentrating on survival in office, he has never stood up to identify with Ndigbo aspirations, Ikpeazu doesn’t have any achievements you can put your finger on, he too is busy battling for survival. The Supreme Court governor is the one that will split Igboland.
“Sad but true. Because even though, nobody is thinking about it now. In nine months, he will produce the next Ohanaeze leader, you won’t expect him to nominate a PDP sympathiser. That would negate why he was forcefully made governor at this time. You also won’t expect Ndigbo to flow with his Ohanaeze nominee, who will definitely be an APC sympathiser. Nwodo’s last nine months may actually be the last days of a united Ohanaeze.
Ukoh who told the journalist to quote him in the statement, said the Igbo youths, both the next generation will be disappointed at the present governors because they shy away from the reality.
“You may quote me on this. So Ndigbo are going through difficult times and it’s not over yet. The younger generation are not proud of our governors, they are nobody’s heroes, except of course the praise singers and cheerleaders. The owners of Nigeria will never, for obvious reasons, allow strong willed, independent minded guys to emerge as governors in Igboland.
“We are a conquered people, held down in bondage and monitored aggressively. All our political leaders are compliant actors. This subject is a taboo. A no go area. Never to be discussed. But interestingly, the angry youths are discovering a lot of things, which informs their agitation.
On Palliative distributions powered by the Federal Government to cushion the lock-down over Coronavirus, Ukoh said such thing didn’t happened in the region, he challenged anyone with evidence to come forward.
He said; “the people who share and distribute the palliatives know that they are not fully carrying the Southeast along. They may cleverly organise a roadshow somewhere in Igboland for photo ops or propaganda purposes, but nobody is fooled.
“The intensely provocative dichotomy, makes it difficult to preach one Nigeria in this region. These are clearly some of the reasons the agitation has remained very popular.
“In fact, reality on ground, points to the fact that every thing is being done to hold Ndigbo down perpetually as slaves in Nigeria, but for the awareness and agitation by the younger generation, who tell me all the time, that they believe, there is a deliberate agenda to hold them down as slaves for a thousand years”, Ukoh noted.
