By Peter Egwuatu

A group of lawyers under the aegis of  Otu Oka Iwu  Nigeria has lamented the slowdown in the level of economic and business activities in the South East, while blaming the situation on the insecurity in the region.

As a result, they have called on the Federal Government and the governments of the South Eastern states to, as a matter of urgency, tackle the insecurity in the region which compelled a restriction of movements of people to the region.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the group’s president, Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, a former President of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN, who is also a lawyer, said: “We have no other country to call our own.    So for that reason, we call on the Federal and State Governments to quickly address the issue of insecurity in the South East as this has contributed to the fall in all economic and business activities as people cannot move freely. This is a very sore issue concerning the entire country as nowhere is safe today.”

On the issue of the economy in Igboland, Unegbu said: “We observe with pains in our hearths the wanton destruction of Igboland economy. The Igboland before now was bubbling with activities from Onitsha-Nnewi axis through Aba-Orlu axis. Today the story is in the past and this has given rise to a comatose economy without direction and no substance. We must all do something to bring back those days of old where the young challenge nature to a wrestling contest for ideas where the young in our communities will surely come out victorious. We should go back to the drawing board and discover where we got it wrong before it is too late.