$22.7 loan: Nigeria will split if South East is excluded – Ohanaeze warns Buhari

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, OYC, has warned that there will be crisis in the country if part of the $22.7 billion loan approved by the Senate for President Muhammadu Buhari-led executive is not used to build infrastructures in the South East.

OYC warned that, “South East exclusion will fuel crisis and political uncertainty and push the region out of Nigeria.”

This was contained in a statement signed by the President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the Secretary General of OYC and made available to DAILY POST on Sunday.

Ohanaeze said it was studying diligently the details of the approved 22.7 billion dollars loan which was meant to address the infrastructural deficiencies in the country and demanded that the government publish the details of the zones that would benefit from it.
 

The Igbo youth group warned that any plan to exclude Southeast from being beneficiary will send wrong signals capable of shaking the foundation and the unity of the country as “it will not augur well for the administration of President Buhari which we Support.”

“President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 electoral promise to revamp Enugu Coal Mine had not been formally addressed since 5 years ago.

“[We] present these Southeast Federal projects that should be factored into the 22.7 billion dollars loan and shouldn’t be denied for any political reasons, they include, completion of 2nd Niger Bridge; drainage of Imo River with establishment of Owerrinta Dry Sea Port in Abia State; Revamp Of Enugu Coal Mine; Resuscitation of Nkalagu Cement Plant and Factory Ebonyi State; Commencement of Federal Roads approved during the valendatory session of the Federal Executive Council on 22nd May 2019, which the Hon Minister of Power, Works and Housing had kept mum on.

“These Federal abandoned Expressways approved are, “reconstruction and dualisation of ABA-ikot Ekpene Road, rehabilitation and dualization of Umuahia-ikot Ekpene Road, dualization of Owerri-ABA Expressways , rehabilitation of Akoka-Okigwe Expressway, reconstruction of Abaomege-Ugep Expressway and completions of Enugu-Abakiliki-Ogoja Trans African Highway.

“OYC insists that these Capital Projects should be factored into the 22.7 billion dollars loan on behalf of the Southeast Zone. We are still monitoring the development of ongoing Works on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Onitsha- Enugu Expressway and Ohafia-Arochukwu Roads,” it said.

The organisation warned that tensions are already brewing up in the South East on the rumour that Southeast has been excluded from the 22.7 billion dollars loan.

OYC called on the Federal Government to publish the beneficiaries of the proposed loan with inclusions of South East projects to douse the tension.

Ohanaeze noted that “silence in these situations will be a provocative attempt to push Southeast zone out of Nigeria.”

The Igbo youth organisation, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct those involved to include the above listed abandoned federal projects to save Nigeria from disintegration.