By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Amid the controversy and criticisms that have trailed his alleged comment to the effect that he welcomed the marginalisation of the South East geopolitical zone by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC-led government, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday, denied ever endorsing the marginalisation of the South East.

Senator Ngige was quoted to have said in an interview with a national daily that Ndigbo made wrong political investment in the 2015 presidential election, which justified the complete exclusion of prominent appointments in the Buhari’s government.

Against the backlash the said interview has generated considering the lamentation that the government of the day allegedly blacklisted the South East in appointments of key political positions including headships of security apparatus in the country, the minister has denied ever supporting the marginalisation of the South East.

Ngige in a statement in Abuja signed by his Special Assistant on media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe said the misinterpretation of his statement in one of the national dailies on Thursday, May 25, 2017 as endorsing the perceived “marginalization” of Ndigbo is incorrect.

Obidiwe in the statement said that what Ngige said and which he would repeat to say any time was that “politics is an investment and that as far as the 2015 presidential election was concerned, Ndigbo made a very bad investment.”

According to the statement, the minister said, “We put all our eggs in one basket despite clear signs we shouldn’t. We should therefore not allow such ill-advised investment to repeat in subsequent elections,” Ngige said in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe.

“My position which I passed as a caution in that interview is that Ndigbo should start to strategically position themselves for 2019 and avoid a repeat of what happened in 2015. Other zones are already strategizing and we must not be caught napping.

“Just as all reasonable politicians in the South east accept that we played bad politics in 2015, we should effectively put it behind us. The resilient nature of the Igbo allows no room for self-pity. We have met greater challenges and surmounted them.

“It is for this reason that I and the APC in the South East have been welcoming our leaders like Chief Jim Nwobodo, Sen. Ken Nnamani, Sen. Emma Agboti, Sen. Nkechi Nwogu, Sen. Andy Uba, Chief Chukwuemeka Nwogu- my predecessor in the Ministry of Labour, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, former Minister of Health, former Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime and host of other people who have seen the need for this.

“However, as I said in the interview, the bad investment of the 2105 is not enough to marginalize anybody. The present administration of President Mohammadu Buhari does not look in that direction. I and other APC leaders in the South East shall continue to make sure that the Igbo is fairly treated.

“Every piece of information is not for the pages of newspapers but I wish to re-assure that we are doing much more than eyes can see to ensure that the South East is not left behind in the distribution of infrastructures.

“ For example, work is going on simultaneously on all the major federal roads in the South East; Enugu- Onitsha, Enugu- Umuahia-Abia-Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt -Owerri, Oba-Nnewi– Arondizuogu- Okigwe, to mention a few while Julius Berger has been mobilized for the 2nd River Niger Bridge. When last did that happen in the South East? There is also the Benin-Onitsha rail line which was not originally in the Jonathan-PDP rail masterplan. We have included that.

“By my pedigree, as the former President General of Aka-Ikenga for eight years, member of Ohaneze Strategic Committee and member, Imeobi Ohaneze, I will advise that our people should cry no more over spilt milk as there is room enough to feed the cow well and get milk in better quantity and quality. That is politics for you. A word is enough for the wise.”