Saturday Southerner — Another View 

Saturday, May 16, 2026

It is an indisputable fact that since the coming of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, the marginalization of the South East region and the Igbo have manifested unapologetically. The APC government under late President Muhammadu Buhari and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown without any remorse in thought and actions that they are not an integral part of Nigeria.

May be, after all, the Igbo are a ‘dot’ among the federating units as described by late President Buhari. Possibly it is in the unwritten manifesto of the APC to deny the Igbo of any socio-economic projects that will advance that region.

Those genuinely keen about Nigeria’s development would wonder at the neglect and marginalization of the South East region in the developmental agenda.

National critical infrastructures such as seaports, rail, highways, etc, worth trillions of naira for the socio-economic development of the country and people are mainly shared between the North and South West parts of the country. There is no form of consideration for the South East and South South regions. These two regions are completely shut out of benefitting from big projects for development.

Apart from the Second Niger Bridge that Late President Buhari built in the SE, there is no other visible project that the APC government can claim to have done since 2015 in the SE or SS regions. And, the people of the SE and SSqq consider it deliberate, discriminating and unjust.

Some days ago, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, led by President Tinubu approved a $2.99 billion special metropolitan railway projects for Lagos, Kaduna and Kano. There was none extended to the SE or SS regions. The FEC defended these favoured cities as very economically strategic for the country.

No doubt, they are, but Kaduna and Kano are just two towns that are separated by a common boundary. A railway line connecting Port-Harcourt, Aba or Onitsha to Lagos or Kano would have made a whole lot of economic integration in the country. Port-Harcourt, Aba and Onitsha are towns known for their oil and gas, technology, industry and commerce. They attract professionals, buyers and sellers from different parts of Nigeria and beyond.

Some weeks ago, Tinubu traveled to England to sign billions of Pounds contract for the development of Lagos seaports without any extended to the ports in the SE and SS regions. Yet is common knowledge that in the SE and SS, there are seaports that require development for the benefit of the entire country.

A week ago, there was another Badagry – Sokoto super highway contract signed by Mr. President. Earlier, a Lagos – Calabar coastal highway had been approved and awarded. There was no consideration for a PH – Aba – Maiduguri ‘commercial highway.’ What is it that the Igbo have done to warrant this collosal denial and callousness from a country that claims to be one united entity?

The deliberate neglect and marginalization of the people of the South East is plainly very obvious. Why are our national leaders not looking at the whole country for even distribution of infrastructural projects?

Since 2015, there have been railway projects in the North and South West parts of Nigeria without any consideration for the South East and South South. These are moments in life when we have to ask questions as humans. Are we really part of the Nigerian project? This is not the time to abuse or pull down any government down but to call the attention of the federal government of the inherent lopsidedness in their governance style.

It is to encourage the government to review its approach and dismantle every negative policy that has contributed to the country’s backwardness.

Nigeria, for me, can be saved from disunity and economic backwardness. This recognition and promotion of some parts of the country over others destroys patriotism and nationalism amongst citizens.

There is a growing phenomenon in Nigeria today, despite how you look at it: the Igbo (South East) and South South are treated like underdogs/second class citizens. Would it be wrong for any Igbo after seeing all the unfortunate happenings among his people to shout and demand an independent republic for his region?

It is this maltreatment, this segregation and denial, that encouraged the youths of the South East to demand and support pulling out of Nigeria. Some of them till date view themselves as non-Nigerians.

This was what prompted Mazi Nnamdi Kalu to begin his agitations for an independent republic of Biafra. When you are serially subjected to discrimination and treated like sub-humans by your brothers in a supposedly one family, as human you are compelled to ask questions and demand convincing answers.

All the happenings under this APC-led government since coming to power in 2015 portray hatred for the people of the South East. Nigeria cannot get it right until every man, region, religion are treated equally.

This APC-led federal government is unfair and unjust to the Igbo.

There is a dangerous and very malicious shift in the country. The Igbo are not carried along in the scheme of things in the country. Developmental projects are willingly denied the people for reasons one can’t fathom.

Between 2015 and 2023, when President Buhari built railway lines in the North and South West, he failed to include the South. South and the South East regions. It is still unexplainable why Port-Harcourt, Aba and Onitsha were excluded in the building of railway lines?

One is forced to ask, why the South East and South South regions are so treated with much abandonment? How could the FEC decide to approve railway projects in three cities to improve the country’s economic activities without extending any to the cities in the Sout East region known for its technology, industry and commerce? Why?

Why are the Igbo treated with so much hatred? The Igbo in Nigeria have contributed so much in building and keeping the country’s economy running. But it is also very disturbing and disappointing that the political elites of the Igbo have kept quiet by refusing to rigorously subject the issue to a national scrutiny and intellectual debate.

The political elites of the Igbo are more comfortable occupying political positions but do not speak in defence of their region. They must realize that, political positions do not in their true sense benefit majority of the people. It is only family members, friends and cronies who benefit from political appointments.

The SE political elites in the National Assembly and Presidency should demand inclusion in the national railway map, seaport development, rehabilitation of roads, building of new super highways and several others.

This is what our politicians should focus their attention on – the socio-economic and political development of their region.

The exclusion of any region from developmental projects does not encourage unity and progress. It rather retards genuine reconciliation and an open national discourse for a better and progressive Nigeria. It appears to me that the APC government has re-invented the Nigeria – Biafra war? If not, why are they not promoting rehabilitation, reconstruction and reintegration of the SE region into the mainstream of development in the country?

If Nigeria continues along this path of denying the Igbo of critical socio-economic spring board for the region to rise positively, it is not the Igbo that suffer, it is Nigeria as a country that bears the consequences.

Many countries of the world are poor because they have been ruled by a few narrow minded leaders that refused to organize the society for greatness and for the benefit of all persons and departments.

No country can claim to be developing when it promotes injustice against a part. A part cannot be starved while another is well fed. That is not progress, it is polished poverty and purposeful destruction. No country can lay claim to have developed when some of its component units are allowed to remain in stagnation. It is not a way to run a progressive democracy.

America, Great Britain, France, Germany and all other developed countries of the world are where they are today because their governments did not segregate any ethnic or religious group from the other. They fully accommodated and related with all component units on equal basis.

Nigeria cannot expect to be making progress when the South South and South East regions are deprived. The absence of justice, fairness and equity in the scheme of things remains contrary to our country’s growth and development.