By PETER ANOSIKE
Thursday, December 22 , 2011

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has condemned the exclusion of the southeast in the proposed refineries to be established by the federal government.
The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, had told aviation correspondents that government would use the money realized from the removal of oil subsidy to rehabilitate the existing refineries and then build new ones in Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos states.

president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State chapter, Chief Oliver Akubueze, said that the exclusion of south-east from the states where the new refineries would be located is not fair.
According to him, Southeast should be considered for the location of the refineries, going by the fact that it is also oil producing geo political zone and has the least of federal presence among all the geo-political zones in the country.
He urged President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the neglect of the southeast, which has been the trademark of successive governments does not continue.

Akubueze said that southeast deserves one refinery among other numerous federal presence.
His words,” It is very disheartening to hear from the Minister of Information Labaran Maku, that how the revenue to be generated from the proposed removal of oil subsidy would be shared has been concluded without a mention of the southeast. I want to say that this is not acceptable to us. The time has gone when Ndigbo are relegated to the background. President Jonathan should make sure that Ndigbo is involved in the scheme of things in the country. What is the basis of selecting Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos for the location of new refineries while no state in the southeast was selected. For how long would they continue to remind us that we were vanguished? Ndigbo has a very big stake in this country and we urge president Jonathan to make sure that there is equity in the distribution of federal government presence. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Nobody is more Nigerian than the other”.
On the proposed removal of oil subsidy, he advised government to make sure that the interest of the masses is protected in any programme it wants to come up with.

“The essence of government is the happiness of the greater number of the populace. Based on that, government should make sure that whatever decision it wants to take with regard to the removal of the oil subsidy is mass oriented. We don’t want policies that would be in the interest of only a few people.

The interest of the majority should always be protected. If government feels that removal of subsidy should be the best for the country then it should go on to convince the masses. For now, I think that it is only the elites that have understood it. Government should take the message of how removal of subsidy would change their lives for the better to the grass roots using the appropriate channels.”he said

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/dec/22/national-22-12-2011-004.html

This "Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Branch" should not be making this statement, afterall there is the Ohanaeze MAIN headquarters in Enugu that should be making it, if at all this is important. They must not view Igboland with a "Lagosian" mindset.
Do we need another refinery in Igboland?
Do these people know the environmental impacts of a refinery?
How far are all parts of Igboland from the Orient refinery in Anambra, and the Port Harcourt refinery?

They should agitate for more important things like fixing federal roads and finishing the Enugu International Airport.
Since we are in Nigeria, we don't have to worry about any refinery in our backyard, unless of course they can prove that the economic gain is far more than the environmental impacts.

Onlytruth:

This "Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Branch" should not be making this statement, afterall there is the Ohanaeze MAIN headquarters in Enugu that should be making it, if at all this is important. They must not view Igboland with a "Lagosian" mindset.
Do we need another refinery in Igboland?
Do these people know the environmental impacts of a refinery?
How far are all parts of Igboland from the Orient refinery in Anambra, and the Port Harcourt refinery?

They should agitate for more important things like fixing federal roads and finishing the Enugu International Airport.
Since we are in Nigeria, we don't have to worry about any refinery in our backyard, unless of course they can prove that the economic gain is far more than the environmental impacts.

you dey mind them.

Onlytruth, you just said it all.

i have said this and i will keep on saying it. we have no ohanaeze and as long as these vision-less men and women continue parading themselves as ohanaeze ndigbo, nobody will take them serious.
where are the ohanaeze ndigbo that asked the igbos to vote for jonathan? when serious issues like this that call for the attention of ohanaeze, they will disappear. how will men who sold their conscience have the guts to look jonathan in the face and say they want refinery. no one eats his cake and still have it.
very soon, na ohanaeze ndigbo in london that will be speaking for us.

So with all the political appointments offered to ibos,they wont get a refinery.what a shame yet they would scream that yorubas are marginalized.

Onlytruth:

This "Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Branch" should not be making this statement, afterall there is the Ohanaeze MAIN headquarters in Enugu that should be making it, if at all this is important. They must not view Igboland with a "Lagosian" mindset.
Do we need another refinery in Igboland?
Do these people know the environmental impacts of a refinery?
How far are all parts of Igboland from the Orient refinery in Anambra, and the Port Harcourt refinery?

They should agitate for more important things like fixing federal roads and finishing the Enugu International Airport.
Since we are in Nigeria, we don't have to worry about any refinery in our backyard, unless of course they can prove that the economic gain is far more than the environmental impacts.

Correct and if we need more in the future, the Orient refinery in Anambra, will build it once dey master the technology. GEJ has to evenly distribute development. yet to see more for Bayelsa.

Onlytruth:

This "Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Branch" should not be making this statement, afterall there is the Ohanaeze MAIN headquarters in Enugu that should be making it, if at all this is important. They must not view Igboland with a "Lagosian" mindset.
Do we need another refinery in Igboland?
Do these people know the environmental impacts of a refinery?
How far are all parts of Igboland from the Orient refinery in Anambra, and the Port Harcourt refinery?

They should agitate for more important things like fixing federal roads and finishing the Enugu International Airport.
Since we are in Nigeria, we don't have to worry about any refinery in our backyard, unless of course they can prove that the economic gain is far more than the environmental impacts.

+ 10 Eze ndigbo well said

Bliss4Lyfe:

Correct and if we need more in the future, the Orient refinery in Anambra, will build it once dey master the technology. GEJ has to evenly distribute development. yet to see more for Bayelsa.

Correct, more devlopement should go to bayelsa. There is need to also clean up the oil community of the Niger delta region

~Bluetooth:

So with all the political appointments offered to ibos,they wont get a refinery.what a shame yet they would scream that yorubas are marginalized.

does it matter ?

Those appointments or so called zone ONLY REPRESENTS THEMSELVES and not the people of those zones they claim to come from.

Why they screamed marginalization of yoruba is because of comment of urs

take e easy pelu won o.

Why debate "fall outs" of paper projects.
why dont lets see the commencement of the project first b4 we debate issues?

Onlytruth:

This "Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos Branch" should not be making this statement, afterall there is the Ohanaeze MAIN headquarters in Enugu that should be making it, if at all this is important. They must not view Igboland with a "Lagosian" mindset.
Do we need another refinery in Igboland?
Do these people know the environmental impacts of a refinery?
How far are all parts of Igboland from the Orient refinery in Anambra, and the Port Harcourt refinery?

They should agitate for more important things like fixing federal roads and finishing the Enugu International Airport.
Since we are in Nigeria, we don't have to worry about any refinery in our backyard, unless of course they can prove that the economic gain is far more than the environmental impacts.

EzeIgbo OnlyTruth, udo dili gi.

I think I'll disagree with you here. Fixing roads does not offer us any more gain than a refinery. We need employment and retention of expertise within the SE. I once complained about this exclusion of the SE as a possible location of this planned new refineries. If we concern ourselves with possible environmental impact of a refinery in our land, then we should close the door entirely to even exploit a single oil or gas reserve in our land because I don't know which one posses more hazard.

You talked about Orient, for goodness sake, Orient is private. Will we provide ourselves with all that we need without the help of the federal government? From building 2nd Niger bridge to whatever. Why? Also, PH, though in Igboland, is not in the SE.

If Ohaneze in Enugu continue to keep mute on everyone issue except in handing Igbo vote to GEJ, then I'll turn to Ohaneze Lagos branch as the official centre of Ohaneze because I think they understand the need of the Igbos more.

Obiagu1:

EzeIgbo OnlyTruth, udo dili gi.

I think I'll disagree with you here. Fixing roads does not offer us any more gain than a refinery. We need employment and retention of expertise within the SE. I once complained about this exclusion of the SE as a possible location of this planned new refineries. If we concern ourselves with possible environmental impact of a refinery in our land, then we should close the door entirely to even exploit a single oil or gas reserve in our land because I don't know which one posses more hazard.

You talked about Orient, for goodness sake, Orient is private. Will we provide ourselves with all that we need without the help of the federal government? From building 2nd Niger bridge to whatever. Why? Also, PH, though in Igboland, is not in the SE.

If Ohaneze in Enugu continue to keep mute on everyone issue except in handing Igbo vote to GEJ, then I'll turn to Ohaneze Lagos branch as the official centre of Ohaneze because I think they understand the need of the Igbos more.

@Bolded, Okwu gi kwu oto, but please contact me at ezendigbo_nl@hushmail.com

This is very important.
Thanks.

Even with G. E. J. Azikiwe in power they are still being marginalized. Nigerian civil war is and will be the longest war ever fought.

.

It seems to me that since the Chinese are providing 80% of the funding for these refineries, then presumably they had significant input regarding the location.

Perhaps it is just business.

ekt_bear:

It seems to me that since the Chinese are providing 80% of the funding for these refineries, then presumably they had significant input regarding the location.

Perhaps it is just business.

maybe