Another View on The Southerner Newspaper
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999, the elected members of the National Assembly from the South East region have not adequately represented their zone with candour and forthrightness.
They have carried legislative business at the Hallowed Chambers with utmost disregard and disappointment to their people and zone.
They have engaged in unnecessary politics and pursued parochial selfish interests thereby betraying hope for greater achievements for their people. It is about their own interest and not what would benefit their zone.
It was that reason that made former President Olusegun Obasanjo to toy with the Senate leadership by changing them at will throughout his eight years in office. Under President Obasanjo, every South East state produced a Senate President for at least two years or thereabouts.
Our Senators and Federal House members are more occupied with personal aggrandizement than the general interest of their people and zone. They have all treated the people of their region with wickedness, neglect, denial and brashness.
Sometimes, you are confused about the real duties of legislators. Were they elected to build or supervise roads construction? The constituency allocations that the legislators receive now control their actions. This money has shifted their minds off the real legislative duties they were elected for in the first place. Can we say that the so-called constituency allocations constitute a window for stealing?
The legislators from the South East region do not engage in serious debates on the floor of both chambers of the NASS. Rather, we hear often from Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Hon. Benjamin Kalu and through the airwaves with pointers of where next interest is.
Orji Kalu is interested in becoming the Senate President while Benjamin Kalu is eyeing Deputy Speaker’s role or Abia Governorship seat
It is disappointing that till date, our Federal Lawmakers have not made the dredging of River Niger a national debate that would attract attention from even international communities.
How can we have an Onitsha with potential for a Port and our legislators cannot argue for its dredging before the NASS for consideration?
This is a country with a Port in the city of Port Harcourt, that is under-functioning. There are others in and around Rivers, Abia and Delta states. These rivers only need dredging to allow ships to operate for serious economic activities. It is sheer politics that has created the barrier for such not to happen.
There is so much over concentration of everything in Lagos. And, that is dangerous. What is wrong in developing another Port to decongest the already chaotic Lagos ports?
What would happen if a Port is situated in the South East region? Why is anything Igbo treated with disdain, viewed as satanic? What is ‘one united Nigeria’, when a section is not embraced as a part?
If Nigeria must remain united, progressive and peaceful, then, every part of this country must be accommodated without any atom of segregation.
How can we have national lawmakers in Abuja and they do not rise up in protest against the exclusion of the region in the building of railway lines? They are not even talking about it. It is not their business.
The South East needs as a matter of economic importance a railway system that connects from Port Harcourt through to Aba, Umuahia, Okigwe, Enugu moving to the northern and western parts of Nigeria. No part of this country should be excluded in the rail system, considering Nigeria’s mass movements and commercial nature.
Railway is important in trade. It is efficient in cargo handling. So, why disconnect the region from the railway system? It paints a bad picture, creates an ugly suspicion.
The reason former President Muhammadu Buhari built rail lines in the North and South West parts of the country while neglecting the South East region calls for serious concern.
Again, why has the present government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not seen to the construction of railway lines in the South East as a priority is baffling.
The zone has not been treated fairly and equally in Nigeria. This is certainly not a way to treat one of the major components of a country. It is most uncharitable to say the least.
The South East legislators must rise up to fix the Igbo nation in an equitable position with other component units in Nigeria. That is where to start from. That is the number one development agenda for the Igbo other than a man of Igbo extraction becoming President, President of the Senate, or any such other political positions that they have sought for.
Building of roads is good and important but not the ultimate. It is also good to give bailouts but all these are not enough and should not be seen as wonderful achievements. Nigeria has gone past all that.
It is shameful that the SE has large quantity of gas yet, there is no where any gas plant is situated. The South East National Assembly members have not deemed it fit to engage the Federal Government in a serious talk on why it is desirable to erect a gas plant anywhere in the zone. It seems deliberate, intentional for the Federal Government not to consider anywhere in the East as suitable for building a gas plant.
But why are South East Lawmakers keeping quiet? South West Lawmakers and politicians won’t allow such occurence in their zone nor would the Northern politicians. These other Nigerians would have played the politics, lobbied and made necessary arguments to support such within their zones.
South East lawmakers are busy chasing crumbs from the table of our oppressors, their political masters. Who are these lawmakers actually representing? We often cry marginalization but we are more guilty of it.
We knock ourselves on the head, shout and are quick to blame others. We are indeed the architects of our misfortune. We have truly enabled it. Our lawmakers and indeed politicians must think in the direction of developing the region.
Our former leaders like the late Dr. Michael Okpara, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Mokwugo Okoye, Akanu Ibiam, Sam Mbakwe and others sacrificed, did tremendously well to establish a strong foundation for the growth and development of the region until these modern day buccaneers arrived the scene in 1999.
No doubt, the incursion of the military into our political system derailed our advancement. But 26 years of non interruption of this democracy is enough for any country to have finished laying the foundation for a great economic stimulus.
In the entire zone, there is no International Airport, Foreign Missions, Isn’t it shameful to the Orji Kalus, the Enyinnaya Abaribes, Benjamin Kalus? Every Igbo wanting to travel outside the country for any reason has to go to either Lagos, Kano or Abuja.
Why is the SE so shabbily treated? But our lawmakers are not making it an issue for debate and consideration. They are just very complacent.
This is something they ought to lobby their colleagues from other regions to actualize. But they won’t do it because of the fear of their Masters. What exactly are these men in Abuja doing for the SE zone?
This is 26 years of Nigerias’ return to democratic rule. In a democracy, there are opportunities for talks, handshakes, considerations, justice, development, good governance and promotion for peace and unity.
There won’t be any need for the likes of Ralph Uwazurike, Nnamdi Kanu and their likes to carry placards if these men we voted to represent us in Abuja were representing us adequately. It is usually wrong representation and mis-governance that raises or encourages agitators to rise.
There would not have been any need for ethnic bigots or groups if the leadership of the country were up and doing in addressing germane issues confronting us as a people.
MASSOB, IPOB and others rose because of perceived or obvious proof of marginalization of the SE. We can’t succeed in quietening the people except we address their questions. It is just natural.
Our Representatives in Abuja must begin to face reality. The real anger is against their fearful approach to legislation and inability to engage in real argument for equity and fairness which have robbed our zone of the needed development.
