igbo kwenu biafra kwezuonoo.my people i greet u for grt understanding.i believe that op is leaving in lagos since out of mothers womb because what he is pointing out is far less our problem but its nice if u hv it in big way not that we dont hv intl standard airport in owerri n enugu.south east remains the brain behind development in nigeria if giving a chance to rule.sw should learn how to mind there biz this thread is not for oil soup that wil come here n put hatred in anything concern the igbos.op except which was developed wit nig money no other state is inhabitable in sw.thank you once more.

ChrisGnarly: my SEn brothers, we shld accept d comon truth. we caanot develop in a region that d state government faild to conduct simple local government election, for some state for good 8yrs. where a governor's child build manssion across all d cities home ad abroad, d governors that claim that they ve least share from fg bt go on most expensive vehicles, travel abroad more than other governors. SE is d only zone without stadium, airport, seaport, good road, standard schools in terms of structure, no aid/support to students in high institutions, market everywhere bt non is standard, high tax pay, no infrastructures,. d list is endless. so if we want to develop is time to ask our present and former leaders question, d more we keepp mut d less in d development.

Is it Afam talking thru this monicker or another ofeke talking trash?
Which SE doesn't have stadium, standard sch,airport, no aid to students?
These are not even highlights of development sef but who told u they are not in SE?

Afam4eva:
Someone who gets the drift.

U still get mouth to talk?
Which drift are u talking abt when u are completely unaware of what is happening in your place and how far about other places.

U tucked yourself in Lagos and came here to type the dearth of devt in SE because u didn't see a SE state planning a new stadium.
Have u gone to those states to confirm those projects or are u that gullible?
Tell me one thing u achieved from this thread .
If u want more stadia and swimming pools in SE, go to the FG OR come to SE, meet ur state governors and make a case, thats how those tnz are done.
Not coming on NL to tell yorubas u want stadium, they won't help u.
If u like, ask them to ban me. NL does not butter my bread.

^
you are the reason they say ladies are only fit for the kitchen. shut you ignorant and backward mouth. ignoramus

ngozievergreen:

U still get mouth to talk?
Which drift are u talking abt when u are completely unaware of what is happening in your place and how far about other places.

U tucked yourself in Lagos and came here to type the dearth of devt in SE because u didn't see a SE state planning a new stadium.
Have u gone to those states to confirm those projects or are u that gullible?
Tell me one thing u achieved from this thread .
If u want more stadia and swimming pools in SE, go to the FG OR come to SE, meet ur state governors and make a case, thats how those tnz are done.
Not coming on NL to tell yorubas u want stadium, they won't help u.
If u like, ask them to ban me. NL does not butter my bread.

Ngozie can you stop being so unruly and uncouth.

If you feel so aggrieved , go and "wash TV".

AtlanticBreeze: ^
you are the reason they say ladies are only fit for the kitchen. shut you ignorant and backward mouth. ignoramus

The kitchen is a nice place to be.
Am actually typing from my kitchen.
So cool

ngozievergreen:
The kitchen is a nice place to be.
Am actually typing from my kitchen.
So cool

No wonder you are typing thrash then. My instincts tell me you are not a good cook either. correct?

ngozievergreen:
when Ebonyi opened its three major mills for rice processing and export to West African countries, did Ebonyi peepz rush to NL to flaunt it in ppls faces?

Wow! Nice one. I remember this.
So true.

AtlanticBreeze:
No wonder you are typing thrash then. My instincts tell me you are not a good cook either. correct?

If u eat my food, u must divorce your wife.
But, u too were typing like u were mast.rbating, correct?

ngozievergreen:

If u eat my food, u must divorce your wife.
But, u too were typing like u were mast.rbating, correct?

Such foul language from the mouth of a young girl.

django1:

Such foul language from the mouth of a young girl.

Ngozie is a full grown man

Please dont be mistaken

Italiano1:

Ngozie is a full grown man

Please dont be mistaken

Really? Is s/he a transgendered?

ngozievergreen:

If u eat my food, u must divorce your wife.
But, u too were typing like u were mast.rbating, correct?

smh, why not port to this website nairaland.com/romance where you belong with a certain no familyl having sexkills

django1:

Really? Is s/he a transgendered?

No Babyosisi is the transgendered

Ngozie is man pretending to be a woman

Italiano1:

Ngozie is a full grown man

Please dont be mistaken

dgango is full grown italiano, don't be mistaken

AtlanticBreeze:
smh, why not port to this website nairaland.com/romance where you belong with a certain no familyl having sexkills

hmmm

alaafin: Thanks op for this post. In as much as i will not want to bring triabalism into this topic there is no way it can be separated from the woo of this nation. Even our constitution is guilty of it. It recognises place of origin rather than place of residence. But as tribalistic as the yorubas are, they welcome strangers with open arms. That is why the west seems to be better than the rest in terms of infastructure and economy. The people of south east have contribute immensly to social, political and economic life of south west. But did easterners ever give room for strangers impact in the east? God did not just give us natural resouses, he also give us human resourses in aboudance. When easterners embrace the westerns putting behind them awolowo and ojukwu, that day nigeria will seat in its right place in committee of nations. As long as the east still feel contempt for others, they should not expect any tangible development. Dont think that a good government is coming to perform miracle because public money in nigeria is meant for salary and the rest for emblezzment. Before you pronounce me triablist; i am a yoruba man, my wife urobo and my children half yoruba half urobo.

If you had taken your advice to your masters whose bottom you lick all the years and which made Nigeria a dysfunctional country. Igbos do not lick any body's bottom. Igbos say it as they see it.

The way the Op is going,you will think that the South East begins at Abakiliki and ends at 9th mile.

Afam4eva: I'm writing this to register my displeasure with the almost absence of huge development in the South-East of the country. I have looked round the country and have discovered that, it's probably in the South-East of the country that you have the lowest numbers of development, especially capital development going on. I recently saw a thread on stadiums being built by state governments and none of these stadiums are been built by South-East governments. Governments all over the country are embarking on building New Airports in their states but none of these states are South-East states. States all over the federation are setting up tourism havens but not in the South-East and this brings me to the question, what do South-East governors use their allocation for cos i've not seen any project in the SE worth jumping up for save for a few mostly in Enugu. As an Igbo man, i find it embarassing that when it's time to even boast about what my part of the country has done, there's very little that one can be proud of. I'm even looking to see if something is going on in Asaba to even use that to boast but despite the fact that some things have been achieved in Asaba, it's still a growing city. Right now, Enugu is all there is to be boastful about in the SE and i think it's a shame that a people who pride themselves in commerce are lagging behind big time in a country that can't even be said to be developing. I think the major problem is one of leadership. We probably boast of the worst leaders that this country has produced. We have to make do with all these Ogbete leaders that our states keep churning out. For heaven sake, what business has Theodore has in becoming an LGA chairman let alone a state governor. is there nobody that can do better than Martin Elechi? Is Peter Obi the best Anambra can boast of? When will Rochas start attracting big time investors to Imo state who are not coming to setup up cheap hotels. The SE needs our attention and it has to be very fast.

I got to the thread late I guess.
But then, I'd opened a similar thread last month..here....https://www.nairaland.com/1464589/way-forward-ndi-igbo-nigeria
Had to battle the tribal warriors to prevent the thread from degenerating into a free for all tribal bashing scene.
I inquired as to what could be done to start & sustain meaningful economic development in the east.
Funny thing was, the so-called Igbos themselves on the thread were the greatest antagonists.
Crazy...weird...left me stupefied actually.
These are dudes who probably spend less than 3 weeks in their ancestral region in a year.
Lots of obtuse deductions and counter arguments ranging from the silly to the outright laughable.
Some dudes even lauded a well know Igbo group for holding its meeting in Lagos!

As a concerned Nigerian who has interests in the SE, I wish Ndigbo will really sit down and tell themselves the facts.
Let me paraphrase some for ya:

1) The civil war is over...we know gory memories remain and all that...but then even Hiroshima and Nagasaki has moved on
...last time I checked, Japan was among the top 5 global economies.

2)Nobody really gives a f*** what you think or feel. If you are not putting food on someone's table and paying their bills...
you are squarely on your own with your opinions. That means you need to stop EXPECTING OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS TO
CONCEDE SOME SUPERIORITY SHIT to Igbos or JUST SHIFT AND LET IGBOS TAKE OVER. No questions asked, no debate,
no resistance..you know...cos Igbos deserve it and are the best breed of aliens from Mars or something.
Rather than play the foolish whining game...PLAY POLITICS! Form alliances, bribe, compromise, win-over,woo your perceived
enemies/friends to a MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL relationship.


3)Its not bravery or a sign of great accomplishment to rent and plant on another man's land while living as a tenant on his land.
Rent expires, you are on leased time and will continue to add more value to the landlord's region.
Not advocating for Igbos to stop investing in real estate outside outside SE...not possible even if they tried, but NOT TO
THE DETRIMENT OF THE SE!
No matter how hard you want to defend the Igbo owning large swathes of real estate in Lagos, Abuja, Kano etc, fact still remains
there is this thing called "region" in Nigeria. And we know people from other regions are not feeling romantic about real estate in the SE.
So what gives? Start developing your homeland my brothers. Thats it.


4) The dynamics of today's global economy favours the smart hustlers not necessarily the hardworking ones. Igbos need to be smart.
THINK ABOUT YOURSELF FIRST! Forget about what other groups are doing. Do your own thing. Attend to your own affairs.
That is the smart thing to do. Stop trolling the Westerners and the Northerners.
The SW dudes are attracting FDI and manufacturing concerns to Ogun state away from Lagos...due to the relative congestion
and high premium on land. That is smart thinking. Smart positioning.
While Igbos are known to be hardworking and indomitable traders and business men, its a shame that the SE with all the raw
talent available is still languishing at this level of development.
While commendable stuff is happening at Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba...you can't seriously expect a world-class investor to deal with the lack of motorable roads,thuggery, kidnappings, inept and non-functional leadership prevalent in those areas.
If the FG and co refuse to develop infrastructure in the SE, what are your governors and entrepreneurs doing about it?
Port Harcourt and Calabar are there literally being under-utilized. There is this thing called PP,BOT etc
Nuff said.

5)Have asked it before and will ask it again...what's wrong with other groups trooping to the SE to buy land, build and live?

Ngwakwe: @Afam try answering these questions first

I would have taken time to do justice to Afam's obsession only that he has prejudice and moreover the thread has already gone to the dogs. However, I will provide comprehensive analysis and answers if the following questions below are clarified

The only sensible comment here are those of Abagworo and other one or two comments.

Afam's question is a premise on what he sees on the pages of Newspapers and internet hence very much faulty and baseless.

The first question should be what actually constitute development?

What are the immediate need of the people?

What foundation are already on ground to necessitate the second, third etc levels eg Enugu was the capital of East Central States when Umuahia was a glorified village?

What resources are readily available to prosecute those capital development as the case may be?

Are PPP also part of the comparism?

Is debt free balance sheet another type of development?

What roles the FG has played to encourage sustainable development in such area?

What Economic policies of the FG has been favourable to the State to attract foreign investments?

I will be back if Afam provides his answers.

Dude stop trying hard to sound witty and dancing around the issue.
All these diversionary tactics soon degenerate in to a pity me party.
No one is responsible for you. If your leaders love Igbo land, they will attend to & develop it.
FG or no FG.

Most of the major economic breakthroughs over the last decade were accomplished through foreign companies.
Pascal Dozie and co laid the groundwork for MTN to operate. The funding for that was not sourced within but from
foreign investors not just SA.
The same can be replicated across various industry sectors. Soludo does not even need to be a governor.
Neither does the FG have to be directly involved in all cases.
Nestle, Cadbury, Unilever etc are all foreign owned companies operating Nigerian subsidiaries.
Nothing stops various indigenes from the SE states from forming BOT partnerships with foreign investors
to attend to infrastructure development, industrialization,health care etc
The SE,SS have the manpower, market and consuming power to attract such levels of investment.

I think the Igbos need to focus on political consciousness and accountability from public officials.
Cos while other states might be forgiven if they sit on their bottoms and wait for the FG to bring the goodies some time in
the future, the Igbos are too independent and republican to wait for handouts(my biased opinion anyway ).
Have not stopped wondering why they keep waiting for FG to solve all their problems.

Onitsha developed from the scratch after the civil war without Government assistance.

Aba developed from the scratch by individual efforts

Abagworo: Onitsha developed from the scratch after the civil war without Government assistance.

Smh.
How does posting pictures of towns in the SE address the topic being discussed.
Granted, the Igbos are hardworking, resourceful, beautiful, strong, rich, better than the kryptonites and
all that...I get the message. Atleast they were able to stand up after the war. Commendable.
But are you not worried about the prevalent insecurity and the new industry of kidnapping that has taken shape in
the SE?
The abrasive selfishness and "i'm better than you" mentality oozing out from your kinsmen.
Why can't the SE governors team up and help each other?
Why do investors run from the SE...I'm not sure how much exposure you have to
investors both local and international...but the SW from Edo down seem to be relatively
more conducive to long term investments to bankers/financial analysts I've met.
What are the much respected SE elites doing besides chilling out in their "manshuns" in Asokoro, Maitama,
Lekki, Ikoyi and VI?
I'm not implying other regions are better or well off...just the SE seems to be a special case,
AND...the Igbos seem not to care! That is except arguing backwards all the time.
Dont divert, what do you have to say?

PabloAfricanus:

Smh.
How does posting pictures of towns in the SE address the topic being discussed.
Granted, the Igbos are hardworking, resourceful, beautiful, strong, rich, better than the kryptonites and
all that...I get the message. Atleast they were able to stand up after the war. Commendable.
But are you not worried about the prevalent insecurity and the new industry of kidnapping that has taken shape in
the SE?
The abrasive selfishness and "i'm better than you" mentality oozing out from your kinsmen.
Why can't the SE governors team up and help each other?
Why do investors run from the SE...I'm not sure how much exposure you have to
investors both local and international...but the SW from Edo down seem to be relatively
more conducive to long term investments to bankers/financial analysts I've met.
What are the much respected SE elites doing besides chilling out in their "manshuns" in Asokoro, Maitama,
Lekki, Ikoyi and VI?
I'm not implying other regions are better or well off...just the SE seems to be a special case,
AND...the Igbos seem not to care! That is except arguing backwards all the time.
Dont divert, what do you have to say?

Aba has more multiationals than any other city/State apart from Lagos and Ogun.

The largest malting plant in the world owned by Heineken is in Aba.

The 1st private power generatin Company is in Aba

The largest brewery in Africa is in Onitsha while there is a move to expand the Nigerian brewery in Aba to march that. Of Onitsha.

The only private car assembly is in Nnewi

The largest. Aluminium can manufacturing company in Africa is in the pipeline at Aba as well

Glassforce which is the most advanced bottle manufacturing plant in Nigeria is also located in Aba.

Most Okada parts used in Nigeria originates from Nnewi

The list of success in the Southeast is endless but I am one of the people that believe that all we need is beautification of roads and layouts, good drainage system, provision of good refuse disposal system and pipeborne water and the SE especially Aba and Onitsha will step up to be like 1st world cities. Unfortunately only Imo and Enugu that have little economy have focused on beautification. I have written earlier that it is regrettable that the capital of Anambra and Abia were fixed in Awka and Umuahia.

Chima_Agbalajob:


Your idea of let all states build what they like and develop at their own pace is not bad if resources were limitless. Unfortunately, in the real world, we have limited resources which must be used to achieve the most good. A major reason Nigeria failed to develop like Malaysia and Singapore in spite of being ahead of those countries in 1960 and having more resources than them is exactly your mindset of repeating useless projects everywhere in every hamlet,while the real things begging to be built as power plants and heavy industries are labeled "oyibo projects" > Imagine that Nigeria spent a whopping $300 billion dollars to build a useless new capital city they called Abuja, instead of building their industrial and agricultural base which would have ensured Nigeria became an industrialized world power, with very high standard of living seen in developed countries.

Imo airport was actually conceived when Nigeria had a 19 states structure and Imo was the ONLY of the 19 states without an airport. Thus, people who designed and built that airport had the current Abia state in mind as their catchment area for passengers.

Of course, Anambra is also free to build airports at Otuocha, just as someday, Adada state will build its own international cargo airport at Adani, so that they won't use the airport at Enugu or Otuocha. If you look at the distances on the map, it is less than 40km apart.If you lived in Long Island, New York, to drive to the airpot JFK its actually more than 63 kilometers trip. Yet New York state has not built another airport at Long Island,even though just their fire department budget $55 Billion dollars is almost double the entire Nigerian budget.

Believe me, i was one of those that had pressed for the completion of Oba airport or the construction of another one due to major design flaw and erosion prone area of then Oba airport. I had written Ngige when he was Governor in 2003 on the issue of Onitsha or Oba airport completion, which he totally ignored then and even made representations to Gov. Obi shortly after he won the court battle in 2006 via Prof. Chinyere Okunna on the need for an airport at Onitsha for the business community or complete the Oba airport. Then, they rightly pointed out that one was soon to be constructed at Asaba and which could serve the Onitsha community if it happened soon, which will save the Anambra meager resources to be deployed into saving the other sectors of the state which had entirely collapsed then. True to that prediction,Asaba airport project was flagged off and constructed within a reasonable period by the wealthier Delta state. Thus, all the pressure groups doing battle with big transporters who had frustrated any airport project around Onitsha rested our case.

Therefore, in my opinion, an another airport in Onitsha isn't an economic priority right now. What Anambra should focus on is how to complete the refinery at Otuocha,build the IPP planned there, and make sure the IPP generates enough power at least 1000MW to serve Anambra and neighboring states. Willie Obiano spoke like a true wise man who understood what had to be done when he made 4 critical areas of need his 4 point agenda of development to improve commerce,oil,gas & power, agriculture and transport modernization. Anambra must build a monorail transport system to connect Onitsha main market to outer fringes of the town such as Nkpo, Awada,Omaba, and even up to Oba to nnewi.Kano,Lagos and Onitsha were 3 cities in Nigeria recommended for a monorail system in 1986, which the FG never built. Since the concerned states such as Lagos are now building such modern transport infrastructure without FG support, Anambra must find money to build it without depending on FG to do it.

Again, the SE governments should liaise and build light railway lines to connect Onitsha,Abakaliki and Owerri to the PH to Enugu railway line. The vision should be to make it possible to transport yams,rice etc by rail from Abakaliki to Onitsha and onto Aba and pick up industrial goods from Aba back to Abakaliki, without ever riding on roads.This is easily achievable especially with the small landmass of the SE if we had rulers in the SE who thought outside the box and outside the this is my village,my LGA or my state mentality.These would make transportation and movement of goods from markets within the zone cheap and easy. Now if they claim they don't have the money to build all these critical infrastructure necessary for the future and true industrial take off of the zone, why should they waste the little resources they have to embark on repetition of ego projects like airport everywhere just to compete with the ones in nearby states?

Excellent!
+1,000,000 likes

Bros, don't worry again, all you stated below have just been deliberated upon by South East 'Who is who' and great personalities after those war of words and have truly developed a time frame on how we as a group can move forward.

First, we are getting to solidifying our political identity in APGA, grow and nurture the brand as a voting block then see what bargain and alliance we can get/enter as one people.


We are determined to bringing a great change hence forth by taking our destiny and that of our people in our hands.


Thanks for your previous inputs and God bless.

PabloAfricanus:

I got to the thread late I guess.
But then, I'd opened a similar thread last month..here....https://www.nairaland.com/1464589/way-forward-ndi-igbo-nigeria
Had to battle the tribal warriors to prevent the thread from degenerating into a free for all tribal bashing scene.
I inquired as to what could be done to start & sustain meaningful economic development in the east.
Funny thing was, the so-called Igbos themselves on the thread were the greatest antagonists.
Crazy...weird...left me stupefied actually.
These are dudes who probably spend less than 3 weeks in their ancestral region in a year.
Lots of obtuse deductions and counter arguments ranging from the silly to the outright laughable.
Some dudes even lauded a well know Igbo group for holding its meeting in Lagos!

As a concerned Nigerian who has interests in the SE, I wish Ndigbo will really sit down and tell themselves the facts.
Let me paraphrase some for ya:

1) The civil war is over...we know gory memories remain and all that...but then even Hiroshima and Nagasaki has moved on
...last time I checked, Japan was among the top 5 global economies.

2)Nobody really gives a f*** what you think or feel. If you are not putting food on someone's table and paying their bills...
you are squarely on your own with your opinions. That means you need to stop EXPECTING OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS TO
CONCEDE SOME SUPERIORITY SHIT to Igbos or JUST SHIFT AND LET IGBOS TAKE OVER. No questions asked, no debate,
no resistance..you know...cos Igbos deserve it and are the best breed of aliens from Mars or something.
Rather than play the foolish whining game...PLAY POLITICS! Form alliances, bribe, compromise, win-over,woo your perceived
enemies/friends to a MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL relationship.


3)Its not bravery or a sign of great accomplishment to rent and plant on another man's land while living as a tenant on his land.
Rent expires, you are on leased time and will continue to add more value to the landlord's region.
Not advocating for Igbos to stop investing in real estate outside outside SE...not possible even if they tried, but NOT TO
THE DETRIMENT OF THE SE!
No matter how hard you want to defend the Igbo owning large swathes of real estate in Lagos, Abuja, Kano etc, fact still remains
there is this thing called "region" in Nigeria. And we know people from other regions are not feeling romantic about real estate in the SE.
So what gives? Start developing your homeland my brothers. Thats it.


4) The dynamics of today's global economy favours the smart hustlers not necessarily the hardworking ones. Igbos need to be smart.
THINK ABOUT YOURSELF FIRST! Forget about what other groups are doing. Do your own thing. Attend to your own affairs.
That is the smart thing to do. Stop trolling the Westerners and the Northerners.
The SW dudes are attracting FDI and manufacturing concerns to Ogun state away from Lagos...due to the relative congestion
and high premium on land. That is smart thinking. Smart positioning.
While Igbos are known to be hardworking and indomitable traders and business men, its a shame that the SE with all the raw
talent available is still languishing at this level of development.
While commendable stuff is happening at Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba...you can't seriously expect a world-class investor to deal with the lack of motorable roads,thuggery, kidnappings, inept and non-functional leadership prevalent in those areas.
If the FG and co refuse to develop infrastructure in the SE, what are your governors and entrepreneurs doing about it?
Port Harcourt and Calabar are there literally being under-utilized. There is this thing called PP,BOT etc
Nuff said.

5)Have asked it before and will ask it again...what's wrong with other groups trooping to the SE to buy land, build and live?

tess22: It's funny how some Igbos feel threatened when another Igbo man or woman comes online to 'wash their dirty linen in public'. These people will call the fellow names and deny that he or she is truly from Igbo land. SMH. As long as Igbos continue with their Victim Mentality and refuse to acknowledge unpleasant truths about themselves, they will always be in trouble.

It is truth, not cover-ups, denials, and excuses that set people free. Igbos wake up to the truths about yourselves and your land. Don't always go into defensive mode when people, even fellow Igbos, make constructive criticisms. If you guys refuse to be humble and learn from your mistakes, you will continue to have problems!

Remember the Hausas don't like you, the Yorubas barely tolerate you, and your own land is inhospitable due to kidnapping, rituals, erosion, corrupt & inept leaders, etc. For your own good, Ndigbo youths, throw off that chip on your shoulders and grow up! Don't continue with that toxic mindset your parents had. You will end up losing in all ways like they did.

BTW I consider myself quarter-Igbo, by marriage!

100 likes
Have you noticed the automatic "defense mode" reflex action a lot of Igbos exhibit when confronted
with the facts of their region?
It will take real soul searching and deliberate sacrifices for the Igbos to swallow their pride,
focus and resolve their own issues and actualize most of their goals.
I am strongly convinced the Igbos being the third leg of the so-called WAZOBIA contraption need to either
shape up or get out of the way for Nigeria to move forward.
They hold a major key to national leadership/development and seem to be not aware of it.
Thing is other minorities surrounding Igbo land are wising up and will be wooed by the SW and North to sideline
the Igbos and take up the mantle of shared political leadership...which we know they'll gladly accept.
My 2 cents.

PabloAfricanus:
100 likes
Have you noticed the automatic "defense mode" reflex action a lot of Igbos exhibit when confronted
with the facts of their region?
It will take real soul searching and deliberate sacrifices for the Igbos to swallow their pride,
focus and resolve their own issues and actualize most of their goals.
I am strongly convinced the Igbos being the third leg of the so-called WAZOBIA contraption need to either
shape up or get out of the way for Nigeria to move forward.
They hold a major key to national leadership/development and seem to be not aware of it.
Thing is other minorities surrounding Igbo land are wising up and will be wooed by the SW and North to sideline
the Igbos and take up the mantle of shared political leadership...which we know they'll gladly accept.
My 2 cents.

You were making sense until this your post, it seems like you finally let out your true nature here. So the Igbos are actually the ones holding Nigeria backwards? The mass illiteracy in the north isn't an obstacle to Nigeria's development right? The series of bad leadership from the north and west has nothing to do with it right?
Once the Igbos get out of the way Nigeria will automatically develop? What kind of reasoning is that?

sCun: You were making sense until this your post, it seems like you finally let out your true nature here. So the Igbos are actually the ones holding Nigeria backwards? The mass illiteracy in the north isn't an obstacle to Nigeria's development right? Once the Igbos get out of the way Nigeria will automatically develop. What kind of reasoning is that?

Hahaha...atleast read with comprehension.
Now if you will read slowly...its a long post.

I'm sure you are aware the oil producing states have been doing some long term thinking.
And they have come to the same interesting conclusions the Northerners came to decades ago.
The two prizes in the Nigerian state today are the Presidency and the petrodollars.
Control that and you can leave the rest for any agitator.
The Igbos are still confused about the whole Presidency thing and seem not to be able to articulate
a common and coherent political agenda to actualizing anything in the Nigerian state.
You must know that the SS minorities treat the SE like a "big brother"...sure they'll rant and deny it
but that's the status quo. Cos they know the SE have bigger numbers and a bigger representation
at the Federal level.
My point, if the SE does not lead the Eastern Nigeria and the "artificial (yes it is)" SS who will?
Who will realize political gains for the SE and by proxy the SS?
The Yorubas or the Fulanis?
Who will fight for and win political victories that COUNT & MATTER for the general development
of the SE region?
That does not mean the SS can't fight for themselves on their own, but you and I know how
grateful GEJ is for Igbo support.
Having said that, the SS have largely lost faith in the leadership from the Igbos and are quite vocal about it.
So with the Igbos not providing political leadership for the region, the derivative gains and pains are actually
felt round the region. Imagine the SS states without oil. There is literally little or no other
industrial activity going on over there.

Why I posited the Igbos are "an obstacle" to Nigeria's development is this:

The northerners have held the helm for like 3 decades plus...results...abysmal.
The SW under OBJ atleast made some efforts.
But then it has been noted corruption and graft has metamorphosed into something
worse than what was obtained under military leadership.
Only the SE have not produced a tenant in Aso Rock and this IS A MAJOR BARGAINING CHIP
which sadly the Igbos are not using well.
Now the SS have tasted the food cooked by Aso Rock chefs
and seem to like it very much.
From what you and I already know, it will be highly probabilistic for the Igbos to expect
the Ijaws to hand over the presidency to them come 2015 or beyond.
That is assuming the SW and Middle Belt are not in the picture.
So if the Igbos do not gain the presidency, that amounts to NO MEANINGFUL ALLOCATION
FOR FEDERAL PROJECTS IN THE SE, NO SUBSTANTIAL FEDERAL PRESENCE IN THE SE beyond what is
there now. And the cycle of NO-DEVELOPMENT just continues.
I could be wrong, but the top Federal unit in the SE to me is the 82nd division.
So the Igbos are likely to be gamed out of the power calculations...again.
I sincerely hope you don't believe big political appointments are the answer to your regions problems tho.

The solution?
The Igbos need to sit down and REACH A WORKING COMPROMISE with the Yorubas and Northerners.
They need to play the middle man and call the SW and Hausa/Fulani back to the drawing board.
Why do I reason so?
1) The Yorubas are Nigeria's best ethnic players bar none. They know it themselves.
They will rather wait for some one else to make the move, then they "analyse and oppose".
If it falls out it favours them, they will fall in line. If not, they'll sabotage it openly and discreetly.
If you bug them to offer solutions, they'll either ridicule you or create chaos and anarchy to make a point.
Any solution they come up with can only be implemented in their region...not that bad though,
but all in all not good for the Nigerian state.

2) The Northerners are contented with Islam, what their imams tell them and whatever crumbs their leaders
throw at them. Really VERY FEW of them are worried. Why should they? They have the biggest land mass,
(not completely sure) the best arable land, the majority of the meat consumed in the South comes from the North.
Also, they have seen and become convinced that they are more politically savvy than the South.
Not to mention the population to boot.
So the Northerners only care about a Muslim from the North sitting in Aso Rock and protecting the interests
of the Sultan and his minions. That is while maintaining the South as a chattel appendage.

3)The Igbos have fallen in love with Nigeria, alas, can't say the reverse is also the case.
The Biafra ranting not withstanding, you know most Igbos have come to realize the huge potential of the Nigerian
state and can't wait for Nigeria to fully accept them for who they are.
They are the top ethnic group bar none who dare go to places where others fear to tread.
They are both willing and ready to live anywhere and mingle with little reservations with the local communities.
The state of development in most NE,NW,SW states is directly comparable to the SE states.
But few if any Yoruba,Gwari, Hausa or Fulani man will be caught buying land and moving with his entire family and extended family relations
to Obioma-Ngwa,Okigwe,Ohafia or Ogidi. That means working and living there at the same time.
At an aggregate level, the Igbos seem to know and understand the other ethnic groups better than they do the Igbos.
So, IMO, the Igbos seem to be the major ethnic group that has yet to contribute to national leadership.
Zik and Ironsi were inhouse observers in my opinion and didn't really make much impact.
In closing, the ONUS falls on the Igbos to PLAY PROPER POLITICS AS THE EQUILIBRATING FACTOR(which I think they are)
in the Nigerian major ethnic group equation...and WORK OUT AN AGREEMENT TO SET THE COUNTRY ON A MUTUALLY
BENEFICIAL COURSE.
If they fail to do so, they should calmly stop agitating, take whatever is dished them by those who fight for and win
the prizes that matter in the Nigerian state...and take it in good faith when their own brothers start denying their ancestry.
My 2 cents.

Ngwakwe: Bros, don't worry again, all you stated below have just been deliberated upon by South East 'Who is who' and great personalities after those war of words and have truly developed a time frame on how we as a group can move forward.

First, we are getting to solidifying our political identity in APGA, grow and nurture the brand as a voting block then see what bargain and alliance we can get/enter as one people.
We are determined to bringing a great change hence forth by taking our destiny and that of our people in our hands.
Thanks for your previous inputs and God bless.

You welcome bro #thughug.
Really feels good to know my little contributions were seen fit to be "deliberated" upon.
I'm hopeful whatever the results of the deliberations are will be translated in action
and gains for the SE and Nigeria as a whole.

PabloAfricanus:
100 likes
Have you noticed the automatic "defense mode" reflex action a lot of Igbos exhibit when confronted
with the facts of their region?
It will take real soul searching and deliberate sacrifices for the Igbos to swallow their pride,
focus and resolve their own issues and actualize most of their goals.
I am strongly convinced the Igbos being the third leg of the so-called WAZOBIA contraption need to either
shape up or get out of the way for Nigeria to move forward.
They hold a major key to national leadership/development and seem to be not aware of it.
Thing is other minorities surrounding Igbo land are wising up and will be wooed by the SW and North to sideline
the Igbos and take up the mantle of shared political leadership...which we know they'll gladly accept.
My 2 cents.

Bros,
Permit me to ask o, So why is yoruba in particular always interested in advising Ibo? When it is obvious to living or dead Nigerians they intensely hate and wish them death?