Prominent sons and daughters of Igbo
land met on Wednesday, to deliberate and appraise the state of Igbo land in the
national polity, in a bid to enhance the fortunes of the South East in the
Nigerian project.
The meeting, held in Lagos, had in
attendance, among others, former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, former
governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim and Chief Chris Uba, who had earlier
brokered peace between the two former governors.
In a communiqué made available to the
media, signed by the trio of Kalu, Ohakim and Uba, called on stakeholders in
the South East to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation in order
to move the region forward.
According to meeting, the bitterness
among leaders in the South East was the major cause of the setback of the
region. According to them, “Today marks a new beginning in Igbo land. Today’s
meeting is a demonstration to the whole world that forgiveness is the key to
progress, maintaining that the differences between two prominent sons of the
region have been resolved in the interest of our people," the leaders
enthused after their laudable rapprochement.
The eminent politicians also stated
that the region needs to give unflinching support to President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration in order to ensure the speedy completion of the
Second Niger Bridge, the implementation of the gas master plan, and completion
of the development of the nation's railway, dry ports and other ongoing
projects.
The meeting condemned in strong terms
the disrespect to the South East traditional institution by politicians for
selfish reasons. They explained that traditional rulers remain fathers to all,
irrespective of tribe or political affiliation.
The group observed the increasing
number of unemployed graduates in the region, stating that a technical
committee would be set up to draw up an action plan for the engagement of the
unemployed.