By Oginyi Ruth
A coalition of Igbo youth groups have called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress have been urged to zone the the positions of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Deputy Senate President to the South-East geopolitical zone of the country.
The coalition which comprised of the World Igbo Youth council, South-East Women Professionals and Igbo Students Movement said the two positions should be zone to the region for the sake of equity and justice.
Speaking after a meeting in Abakaliki , Ebonyi State Capital with the Presidents-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Alex Isiguzoro and World Igbo Youth council, Mazi Alex Okemiri on Tuesday, they pointed out that such step will help restore confidence of the Igbo in the administration of President Buhari.
It will be recall that South East only currently parade two elected APC senators in the 2019 general elections -Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Senator Ifeanyi Uba, who is alleged to have joined APC this week.
The two senators are not ranking lawmakers thus Igbos could lost out in the selection of principal office holders during the ninth National Assembly.
But the group, however, advocated the zoning of the Deputy Senate President and SGF positions to the zone so as to balance the leadership of the ruling party at the national level.
They stressed that with the ecological funds being attached to the office of SGF, the persistent problems of erosion in some parts of Abia, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi and Anambra would be adequately tackled by the Federal Government.
They noted that the zone has eminent personalities that can occupy the position adding the some of the natural disasters being suffered in the zone would be well handled by an ibo SGF.
The group commended federal government on the ongoing works on most of the federal roads in the
South-East especially Enugu/pH Express Road, Onitsha/Enugu Express
Road.
“We insist that the office of Secretary to the Federal Government be
zoned to Southeast and Deputy Senate President, the Senate President
should go to North East. With the Ecological funds attached to the
office of SGF, the problems of Erosion sites in Abia,Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi and Anambra will be tackled and Southeast will be fully benefit from this position.
“We have qualified Personalities who can give President Buhari robust service as SGF”, the youths said.
