Onlytruth: This question has bugged my mind for weeks and months now. It has got to the stage that I cannot sleep well at nights while pondering this question. I remember vividly how we lobbied (at least added our voices) to the appointment of Anyim Pius Anyim to the position of Secretary to the Federal Government. There are such other Igbo personalities now as Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and others. I would not be exaggerating if I say that we hold strategic positions in this government.

Why is Enugu International Airport "upgrade" looking like a glorified hen house project?
Why didn't the Federal Government include Enugu as one of the international airports to be concessioned alongside Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt?
Is it that Igbo heartlands must continue to be denied international access or something more sinister?

These PDP Igbo Federal officials should tell us what projects (any project at all) they have attracted to the SE. They are there because we voted for Jonathan.
As for Jonathan, unless he is not going to need Igbo votes again, he should take this personally.
This continued marginalization of Igboland, even with Igbo sons/daughters in strategic Federal positions should give us reason and pause for thorough introspection. I hate PDP (not that APGA has impressed me too much but it is still better than PDP in defending Igbo interests in Nigeria) for this reason. If any Igbo thinks that I'm wrong for hating PDP, he should come here and put forward a contrary view; let the readers decide. It is not enough that your local PDP governor may be working. It is time we start thinking COLLECTIVELY for our survival in Nigeria. If we cannot survive in Nigeria by confronting the local challenges, how can we survive out of Nigeria by confronting international challenges?

So, let's answer this question honestly.

Here I stand.

Signed,

Onlytruth, ndu di n'eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo Nairaland.

KANO
TOTAL PASSENGER 292,055

Enugu 102,541

jason123:

This is why:

Kano


Enugu



http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/ext/latest_release/ssd09.pdf

Onlytruth:

Not that I value Nigerian statistics much, because they are political tools.
Nevertheless, even your own statistics fail you if you look again, and this time more carefully.

Onlytruth: Our emancipation will begin the very day we kick PDP to the curb.
I wonder who would debate the fact that the two APGA governors in SE are the best governors there.
They are really thinking about EVERY of our problems.
Our PDP big men are only kissing assses and have ZERO projects to show for them.
At least our APGA governors have things to show.
Our PDP people have NOTHING to show us. And BTW they all live in Abuja.

odumchi: Frankly, it's quite obvious that one musn't depend entirely on the FG for anything whether it be something as small as a road repair or as large as an airport. Unfortunately, this is the problem that is not only affecting the Igbo but Nigeria as a whole.

Were it not for the determination of Igbo individuals, Igboland would have been in shambles by now. This simple fact again attests to the culture of selfishness imbued within some of our politicians; they work for their personal aims and leave the people in the dust. I once heard someone ask what the difference bertween Southern and Northern politicans was and the reply was that Southern politicans steal money and deposit it into their own pockets, while Northern politicans steal money and develop their land with it.

In actuality, the only ways that the Igbo Nigerians are able to get things done the way they want are in the state and local government level.

Onlytruth: ^^ Contd.
Now if you add a statistically very SIGNIFICANT + or - 30% of traffic at Lagos which usually terminates in SE, the Enugu and Owerri airports if given full international operations, would dwarf Kano, and even Abuja.

You people should learn to speak the truth always even if it hurts you.

PointB:

Well, Eze I agree, but not totally. The APGA governors in SE are very diligent visionary, who know what they want and are consistently pursuing it, despite some opposition. But we cannot totally cast aside the PDP governor - Sullivan Chime, who has transformed Enugu state.

Yet still, one APGA governor has GEJ ears, what has he been whispering to him. Governor Obi is doing well (IMHO), but I am yet the see the benefit of his being in GEJ economic team.

Onlytruth:

Very good observation.
In order words, we don't really need the federal government of Nigeria for anything.
Let us get it into our heads and render any federally focused party irrelevant in Igboland.
Let us do this and reclaim our future!

Dede1:

To ask a non-Igbo Nigerian to speak the truth on the issue that slightly favor Ndigbo in the contest of Nigeria polity is akin to pulling a tooth.

Dede1:


Bros, you are still talking about to render any federally focused party irrelevant in Igbo land. I want Igbo land out of Nigeria entirely.

Dede1:
Bros, you are still talking about to render any federally focused party irrelevant in Igbo land. I want Igbo land out of Nigeria entirely.

Onlytruth: @PointB,

Nna eh, if there is at least ONE solid project by the federal government in SE, and we see that work has started on it(like that second Niger bridge), we would have something to hold onto while we wait.
Nsogbu adighi bros,

Ihe merenu bu ka anyi na elegodi anya na afo a.
Honestly, if by year's end we have nothing to show (and we will have nothing to show, mark my words) we should leave PDP this year.
We should leave PDP before 2015 unless there is a MAJOR political concession the party is willing to give to Ndigbo in 2015, else I would even encourage YOU [b]PointB [/b]to go and run for Presidency under any party. I will mobilize votes for you.
As long as we don't vote those who would retain institutional marginalization of Ndigbo in Nigeria, I will sleep netter at nights, knowing that we never voted for them.

PointB: @OnlyTruth,
I don't really care about what become of PDP in Igboland or Nigeria, I support people that offer Igboland hope. That's why I like how Obi has and Rochas are building road in the hinterland, even though some may have reservation about the overall quality. The gesture is very much welcome. On the Chime Airport issue, I agree we don't see him shout and scream about the airport, but one can only wonder what is happening in the background. But I rate him on high on the Enugu monorail vision, even though serious work is yet to commence.

As for the Onitsha port, I am yet to shout halleluyah, until I actually see commercial activities commence there. And by the way, I have not heard Governor Obi's voice recently on the issue of second Niger bridge. I thinks that and Onitsha port are his babies.

Finally, I want Obi and Rochas to be more involved in buiding the APGA brand, or jettisoning the party and forming another if external forces are bent on keeping the parties in the fringes.

PointB:

Lol. Pointb for Presidency,
I don't have the stomach for frontline political office. I think myself a strategist, not the foreman. Thanks for the confidence though.

Onlytruth:

Honestly, our future really depends more on Rochas and Obi, from what I've obversed. I thank God for Rochas in particular because he gives me a different kind of hope for political leadership in Igboland, APGA or no APGA.
I am only convinced, that only those governors who think for collective SE and Igbo good are good enough.
Enugu governor for instance needs to understand how important the city and the airport is to SE, and hustle for it like mad. Peter Obi (though not PDP) still needs to hustle for the second Niger bridge and the port at Onitsha because both will serve Igboland. PDP governors have not shown much commitment to the collective. They have been reclusive towards collective Igbo interests somehow, and I blame PDP for it. All these can still change if they prove me wrong tomorrow and actually hustle for us. Within 8 years of Obasanjo presidency, I know how Yoruba almost cornered the whole Nigerian oil wealth. Love them or hate them, those Yorubas are militant with their interests.
That is why they are getting more attention than we that enthroned PDP.
Nwanne eziokwu ike na acho igwu m.

Onlytruth: ^^ Contd.
Now if you add a statistically very SIGNIFICANT + or - 30% of traffic at Lagos which usually terminates in SE, the Enugu and Owerri airports if given full international operations, would dwarf Kano, and even Abuja.

You people should learn to speak the truth always even if it hurts you.

FACE: Ndu_Chucks, yes we can accomplish a lot on our own if we tried harder, just like we achieved Sam Mbakwe Airport on our own; just like we set up Anambra and Imo universities as pioneer state universities in Nigeria when we realised that quota system and being "educationally advantaged" were holding us down. Yes, that is our new message; a message of self help and economic growth just like our fathers did, just like we plan and execute during our christmas meetings in Ala Igbo. However, heaven knows that we are not going to forfeit our own fair share of federal government projects because of self help; if not every state should self help and leave FG alone.

FACE: However, heaven knows that we are not going to forfeit our own fair share of federal government projects because of self help; if not every state should self help and leave FG alone.

Chyz*:

The Minister of Aviation has nothing to do with why Ibiam Airport was not included in the upgrades. [size=14pt]She could only take orders.[/size]

Onlytruth: One of the topmost PDP Senators (a leading member of that chamber) maintains a suite at NICON HILTON Abuja.
That suit costs hundreds of thousands of Naira EVERY DAY, and he has another house in Abuja o.
That NICON suite is just a "slaughter house".
That is his own contribution to development of SE.

Obiagu1:

This sums it up. Thank you.
People should stop trying to shift blame and turn our people to culprits when the blame squarely lies with the President. Call a spade a spade! I hate spinning.
Common Secretary to the federal government has to be blamed for zero projects in Igboland and minister of finance too SMH

ndu_chucks:

nwanne FACE, kedu? It is most unwise to forfeit "your share" of federal government projects. In orser to achieve that, Ndigbo must understand the process which leads to the selection of which projects will be funded. The decisions are typically made by the Federal executive council.

Ndigbo needs to answer the following questions:

(1)Who are the Igbo members of that council?
(2)Are Igbos holding these Igbo members accountable?
(3)Are Igbo governors doing anything to demand that the projects important to Igbos are implemented?
(4)When are Igbo youths going to take their peaceful protests to Abuja to let their concerns be known?
(5)What were the pledges GEJ made to Ndigbo during his campaign?

If you all do not have answers to these questions, I'm afraid you will get nowhere.