New rail-lines but none in the South East
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration has constructed many rail lines in the last five years.
The lines cut across all the other geo political zones but not a single criss-cross in the South East. For instance, the 326 KM Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line for commercial operation as well as the ancillary facilities yard at the recently named (Owa-Oyibu), Delta State are already in place.
At the virtual opening of the rail line linking Itakpe to Warri, President Buhari directed the Federal Ministry of Transportation to link all the nation’s ports of origin and destination – Apapa, Tin Can, Warri, Onne, Calabar Ports – to the rail network in order to significantly improve overall transportation and economic capacities.
Buhari’s government has also approved to link this line further from Itakpe to Abuja, thereby, connecting the Northern Zone of the country and also extending southwards to link the Warri Ports,” he said.
The president expressed confidence that the project, which serves as a vital link of the South-South geopolitical zones of the country to the Northern zone, would be completed during the tenure of this administration. About 11 rail stations had already been named after some prominent Nigerians. They are; Adamu Attah Station, Itakpe; Abubakar Olusola Saraki Station, Ajaokuta; Augustus Aikhomu Station, Itogbo; George Innih Station, Agenebode; Anthony Enahoro Station, Uromi; Tom Ikimi Station, Ekehen and Samuel Ogbemudia Station, Igbanke. Others are Goodluck Jonathan Railway Complex, Agbor, Owa-Oyibu; David Ejoor Station, Abraka; Michael Ibru Station, Opara; Alfred Rewane Station, Ujevwu; and Michael Akhigbe Railway Village, Agbor. Just look at this: President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the payment of $318m (about N123bn) as counterpart funding to the Chinese Government for the Ibadan-Kano Rail project. Again, South East was left out’. And yet, this: Outrage Over President Buhari’s Approval Of $1.96bn Rail Project Linking Nigeria To Niger Republic . And on 15 May 2018, the Nigerian Minister of Transportation signed a $6.68 billion contract with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to complete the remaining segments of the Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway. Construction is expected to take 2-3 years from the availability of funds.
In early 2013, it took 31 hours for passenger trains to travel between Lagos and Kano, at an average speed of just 45 km/h.
The 187 km segment from Abuja to Kaduna was the first to be built. Abuja was not on the national railway network, as it was purpose-built as a capital city after Nigeria became independent from Great Britain. Kaduna is an important junction point on the existing Cape gauge railway network, where a branch line departs the Lagos–Nguru line for Kafanchan, on the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri Railway. The construction of the Abuja–Kaduna segment cost $876 million, consisting of $500 million in loans from the Exim Bank of China and the balance coming from the Nigerian government.
A $1.53 billion contract was awarded in 2012 to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation for construction of the Lagos–Ibadan segment (156 km) of the standard gauge railway by 2016 However, the project has also faced delays. A ground-breaking ceremony finally took place on 7 March 2017, and the railway was scheduled for completion in December 2018.
Past Army Chiefs – only two Igbos out of 25
Maj Gen Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi 1965–1966, Lt Col Yakubu Gowon, January 1966 – July 1966, Lt Col Joseph Akahan, May 1967 – May 1968, Maj Gen Hassan Katsina, May 1968 – January 1971, Maj Gen David Ejoor, January 1971 – July 1975, Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma, July 1975 – October 1979, Lt Gen Ipoola Alani Akinrinade, October 1979 – April 1980, Lt Gen Gibson Jalo, April 1980 – October 1981, Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi, October 1981 – October 1983, Maj Gen Ibrahim Babangida January 1984 – August 1985, Lt Gen Sani Abacha, August 1985 – August 1990, Lt Gen Salihu Ibrahim August 1990 – September 1993, Lt Gen Aliyu Gusau Mohammed, September 1993 – November 1993, Maj Gen Chris Alli, November 1993 – August 1994??, Maj Gen Alwali Kazir, August 1994 – March 1996, Lt Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi, March 1996 – May 1999, Lt Gen Victor Malu, May 1999 – April 2001, Lt Gen Alexander Ogomudia, April 2001 – June 2003, Lt Gen Martin Luther Agwai, June 2003 – June 2006, Lt Gen Owoye Andrew Azazi, 1 June 2006 – May 2007, Lt Gen Luka Yusuf, June 2007 – August 2008, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, August 2008 – September 2010, Lt Gen Onyabor Azubuike Ihejirika, September 2010 – January 2014, Lt Gen Kenneth Minimah, January 2014 – July 2015, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, July 2015 – Present
Past Secretaries to the Federal Government of Nigeria – only one Igbo out of 19
DR. S.O. WEY 01/09/1961 – 16/01/1966, MR. M.A. EJUEYITCHIE, 04/08/1966 – 20/12/1970, MR. A.A. ATTA 21/12/1970 – 12/06/1972, MR. C.O. LAWSON, 16/08/1972 – 31/03/1975, MR. A.A. AYIDA, 23/04/1975 – 31/03/1977, MR. ALI L. CIROMA, 01/04/1977 – 30/09/1979 ALHAJI SHEHU A. MUSA, 01/10/1979 – 31/12/1983, MR. G.A. LONGE 01/01/1984 -30/01/1986, CHIEF OLU FALAE, 31/01/1986 – 31/12/1989, ALHAJI ALIYU MOHAMMED, 01/01/1990 – 26/08/1993, ALHAJI MUSTAFA UMARA 27/08/1993 – 17/11/1993, ALHAJI AMINU SALEH, 18/11/1993 – 17/10/1995, ALHAJI GIDADO IDRIS 17/10/1995 – 28/05/1999, CHIEF U.J. EKAETTE, 29/05/1999 – 28/05/2007, AMB. BABA GANA KINGIBE, 29/05/2007 – 08/10/2008, MAHMUD YAYALE AHMED, 08/10/2008 – 29/05/2011, SENATOR ANYIM PIUS ANYIM, 01/05/2011 – 29/05/2015, ENGR. BABACHIR DAVID LAWAL 27/08/2015 – 29/10/2017
20 ex-police IGs but only one from South East
…and others
As it is, there are 36 states in the federation and only five are in the south east while other zones have six while North West has seven. In the national assembly, there are 109 senators and the South East is only 15 even as they are the least in the House of Representatives. Currently, there are 14 security chiefs and 12 are from the north while none from the south east. In all the ministries and agencies, promotions are made but Ndigbo are not always considered. In all the national development plans carried out all the way from General Yakubu Gowon’s regime, Ndigbo are not usually considered.
As you read this, it was only in 2013 that the Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu was given an international status. In addition, all the federal roads in the Igbo country are bad shape. In political appointments and federal character representation, Ndigbo are not given fair attention, This is the lot of Ndigbo in the last 60 years, particularly since after the war.
