By ANAYO OKOLI, Umuahia
The recent decision of the Abia State Government to disengage non-indigenes in its work force has created cracks in the hitherto strong political and cultural harmony that existed among the five South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. As expected there have been verbal attacks from the states, especially the other four South East states.

When the Abia State Government hinted of the planned disengagement of the non-indigenes in August, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State was said to have consulted with the governors of the other four states. The other governors were said to have indicated their willingness to take back their indigenes to be returned.

But when the October 1, 2011 effective date of the policy came, governments of the other states reacted angrily, a position that queried the consultation said to have been made by Governor Orji.

Imo State Government was the first to condemn the action, saying that it would rubbish the harmony and unity among Ndigbo. Imo claimed that currently, there were more Abia people in its work force than Imo indigenes in Abia’s. Ebonyi followed suit, first, saying that Abia had not communicated to them on the issue.

PROTEST: Over 80 Ebonyi indigenes protesting at Ebonyi Govt House, yesterday, following their sack by Abia State Government.

Anambra and Enugu have also condemned it even as their Houses of Assembly have also condemned the action. Indignes from states outside the Southeast including Nasarawa, Rivers, Edo , Delta and Cross River among others were also affected. Remarkably Abia women who married some of these non-indigenes were also disengaged.

Abia government officials have, however, remained unmoving saying the action was in the best interest of the state.

Chief Don Ubani, the Information Commissioner; Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief Charles Ogbonna; and the Special Adviser on Conflict Management, Chief Anthony Agbazuere, had at one time or the other defended the action.

Aside resettlement of displaced Abia indigenes, another reason for the expulsion was the N18,000 minimum wage, which they said had placed higher financial load on the government. To them the best way to reduce the load was though downsizing via disengagement of non-indigenes.

“The exercise is not sacking. The Government did not sack anybody. It is transfer of service. The Governor personally wrote to the governors of the South East states to inform them of the decision of his government and appealed to them to absorb them when they are transferred.

“The governor was very humane in taking the decision. He was touched by the number of Abia indigenes who were displaced by the various crises in northern parts of the country. Some of them requested to be transferred back to the state and the governor has no option than to do this.

But the letters issued to these people read “disengagement” from service not “transfer of service”. Though, Agbazuere explained that the government had earlier written letters of transfer to the affected states attaching the names of all the affected persons, this has not been confirmed by any of the states.

In spite of the Abia State covernment explanations, the action has generated a lot of criticism even in the state. The Catholic Church has condemned the policy, describing it as an “injustice and divisive,” pointing out that it “negates true federalism and constitutes a serious obstacle to our march to nationhood.”

In a statement by the Catholic Bishop of Umuahia, Dr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the church said the policy contravenes Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution in respect of place of origin. According to him, that some states breached the Section in the past should not make Abia State to “yield to the temptation of committing an illegality, [as] two wrongs do not make a right.”

He called on the Government“to rethink this policy in the interest of justice, fair play and ocial harmony,” arguing tha these non-indigenes hadnt several years in the state, paying their taxes and contributing to the development of the state. He said that it would amount to injustice to ask them to return to their states of origin that may not have any plan to engage them or provide them with their entitlements.

The Bishop lamented that “there is no assurance that the displaced persons will all be absorbed by their states of origin. This is a worrisome situation that can heighten the level of crime and insecurity in the country”, even as he faulted the inability implement the N18,00 minimum wage and accommodate Abians displaced in northern crises zones by Boko-Haram given by the government for its action.

He said that such reasons were not justifiable to embark on such inhumane policy that “seems to present Abia to the World as a state where apartheid is practiced and condoned.

Also, an elder statesman and founding father of Abia State, Prince Benjamin Apugo, condemned the policy, describing it as “unpopular and ill-advised”.

His words: “As a Nigerian I don’t support what Abia State Government is trying to do by disengaging non-indigenes. Many of them were born here and they were employed in the civil service by the state. It will look very bad for any government to throw them out because they have contributed to whatever development, if any, as at now. I am not in Abia State Government. I am speaking as a true Abian. Government can negotiate with its workers for salary. Disengaging them is not the best thing for the government to do. If the government goes ahead with this unpopular exercise, it will backfire.

“If the other 35 states retaliate will Abia state be able to accommodate those to be returned to the state. The answer is ‘no.’ The best thing for the government to do so that we do not have bad blood is to negotiate. The policy is unpopular; they should not go ahead with it. It will affect Abians everywhere. Those who advised the governor on this issue advised him wrongly. The advisers feed from government and so they cannot tell the governor the truth,” Apugo said, and called on the government to stop the exercise.

Aba branch of the NBA has also given the government a knock over the action. Aba Bar said the action amounts to “unabashed desecration of the fundamental rights provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and African Charter on Human and Peoples rights.”

As the controversy goes on, Abia Government has maintained that there was no going back on the decision even if others term it retaliation. Charles Ogbonna, the deputy chief of staff, said the decision had come to stay even as he gave statistics of Abians returned by other states in the past to justify the present action.