Igbo marginalisation must be addressed

Chief Uzoma Nwosu-Iheme, a  delegate representing Imo State in  the ongoing National Conference in this interview, expresses optimism that the confab would pull Nigeria out of the doldrums. He also spoke on other issues.

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

Do  you think the confab holds the magic wand to pull the country out of the doldrums?
When President Goodluck Jonathan muted the idea of the national conference in his October 1, 2013 address to the nation, not a few country men and women were skeptical about it. The widespread skepticism and apathy stemmed from previous exercises that came to naught.

I think the circumstances of the present conference and the ones before it are quite different.
The level of consciousness of Nigerians is very high today and the credit goes to democracy. I am quite convinced we have reached the height where no one will find it easy to take us for a ride. Furthermore, I see President Jonathan being sincere with the current national conference.

Colossal implications

I do not visualize him trivializing with the outcome. If he does, this might have colossal implications for him and for the future  of our dear country. I sincerely think he is committed to the dream of building a better nation on the fertile grounds of the conference. Against this background, I personally have a feeling that the current national conference will help in moving this country forward.

The Southeast geo-political zone has the least number of states and local government areas, hence, it attracts the least from the federation account.

Do you see the  conference addressing this?
When I addressed the confab in my maiden speech, I categorically stated that my mandate at the conference is to raise the issue concerning the structure of the country. I pointed out clearly that I have not come to the conference to discuss foreign policy or pursue mundane issues. As a representative from the South-East, I am embittered that the zone is considered good to have only five states when some zones have seven.

Does it mean we are less populated, less educated or more developed than the other zones with more states? Someone needs to convince us with strong reasons why we deserve the least number of states. Is this not sheer marginalization on display? Do we deserve to be treated as second-class citizens in a country where we played front line role to liberate from the shackles of colonialism? This is grossly unacceptable.

The only reason I can make out for this is that we are still being punished for the civil war that they said produced “no victor and no vanquished.” We do not need anyone to remind us that we are the vanquished and are being subjected to marginalization on this ground. But we are no longer ready to stomach this intimidation.

We are demanding for equity, justice and fair treatment in the country where we are major stakeholders.
We must have at least one more state. Again, look at the arbitrary and unjustifiable manner the military created local government areas when they called the shots in this country.  We shall seek to correct these structural imbalances and anomalies during this conference.

On whether the conference would address the problems of poverty, unemployment, insecurity and corruption confronting the nation today

From the robust and impressive GDP rolled out recently which gives the country away as parading the strongest economy in Africa, we might think all is well. However, there are several teething problems confronting our nation and these are traceable to the present structure  we are operating.

Ironically, many people ascribe our untoward situations and challenges to poor governance. I am vehemently opposed to such views, as I have consistently regarded the structure of our country as the very source of our innumerable collective challenges. For me, once we are able to address the problem of the structure of our country, all other ills pervading the system will cease to exist.

Sincerely speaking, there is nothing that holds the key to unlock the fortunes of our great country other than the restructuring of the current system of federalism we have in place.

What do you think is the best way to maximize the eventual  benefits of this confab?
I have earlier said that there will certainly be a difference between this conference and the ones before it. One thing is very clear. The convener, President Goodluck Jonathan appears to be very serious and committed to its success.