Nigeria is angry with Igbos because of their growth, development – Former minister, Nebo

A former Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo has claimed that God specially created the Igbo people to build economy of Nigeria.

He declared that there would be no Nigeria without Igboman.

According to him, other ethnic nationalities in the country envy the Igbo nation because of their resourcefulness, dignity of labour and rich cultural heritage.

Professor Nebo who was also the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, made this known while speaking to newsmen at the South East Development and Leadership Initiative (SELDI) 2016 in Enugu with the theme “Integrating the Southeast Economy for Sustainable Growth and Development”.

He said, “Nigeria is angry with the Igbo’s growth and development. It is obvious. It is only in Nigeria that a traditional ruler will open his mouth and say that if you do not vote for this person, then we will drown you and throw you into the lagoon. A traditional ruler who is suppose to be the promoter of peace and custodian of the people’s culture and tradition”.

“It is high time we woke up and believed in ourselves. The Igbos are great people all over the world. About 80% of Igbo wealth is in the Diaspora. We invest outside the country without coming back home. We need to adopt the ‘think home philosophyk, come back home and develop our land. We need to build and develop love for one another.

“The philosophy of ‘igwebuike’ (togetherness) is still there. There shall be capacity for mentorship for our younger generation. The former Minister, who described the summit as timely and apt, also advocated for an improved educational system that will ensure that capable individuals are produced from institutions of learning.

“We need to build an educational system that is relevant. It is not just enough to churn out graduates into the labour market.

“We need to develop our education system and curriculum in science, innovation and mathematics”, he said.

In an address, the Lead Promoter of SELDI, Mr Ikenna Modebelu, said “SELDI’s vision recognizes the challenges of the southeast region and aims to tackle them by promoting leadership that will foster development in areas of investment, infrastructure development, economic growth, value re-orientation, emerging market opportunities and youth empowerment through intensive advocacy campaigns.

“The promoters of SELDI believe that there is leadership deficit across all classes in the region including elites who have failed to lead by example.