This is coming as the group's President-General, Gary Igariwey, foreclosed the possibility of an Igbo occupying the presidency of the country by 2015, saying Ndigbo could only aspire for the plum job when President Goodluck Jonathan or any other South-southerner would have served out his eight-year unbroken rule.
However, apart from President Jonathan and Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, who were represented by Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo and Commissioner for Culture, Joe Mammel, respectively, former Ministers of Aviation and Health, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi and Prof A.B.C. Nwosu, respectively, a handful of traditional rulers, various cultural groups, and other notable leaders were absent.
In his speech, Jonathan acknowledged the massive support he had continued to receive from the people of the South-east since he became president, pledging his commitment to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring the development of the zone.
"You have remained a pillar of support for my administration; you have indeed given me greater support than any other ethnic group in the country. I want to also assure you that I will not take your support for granted.
"As you are aware, my administration has continued to make efforts towards addressing the marginalisation of the zone. We are already addressing the infrastructural deficit in the zone; the international airport has taken off and plans are underway to develop it as one of the major aerotropolis in the country. With the dredging of the River Niger and the award of contract for the second Niger Bridge, you can agree with me that the South-east can no longer remain the same," he said.
The president further used the opportunity to praise the Igbo people for the unwavering belief in the unity of the country as evidenced in the manner the people of the area have continued to invest massively in every part of the country.
"Igbos are resourceful, sociable, highly industrious and have a strong republican orientation," he said, and, therefore, urged the people of the zone to rediscover and hold tenaciously that the great attributes that made the first and second republic Igbo leaders thick.
Also speaking, Igariwey reviewed the place of the Igbos in the country, noting that the event called for a sober reflection.
"Our people have been expose to lots of dangers; our people are killed recklessly by Boko Haram and their properties destroyed. Time has come for the federal government to do all it can to check this ugly situation," he said while calling on the people to cultivate the habit of investing at home.
On the presidency of the country, Igariwey lamented that the major challenge facing the people of the South-east was their inability to speak with one voice, noting that the only way the people of the zone would get the presidency would be for them to be united.
"Whether they like it or not, we remain the largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Ohaneze made it clear three years ago that we will seek the presidency immediately after the South-south would have completed its unbroken tenure whether in 2015 or 2019.
"But let's us bear in mind that we have been too quiet and that cannot get us the presidency. The Yorubas fought for June 12 and eventually got the presidency with Obasanjo; the South-south did the same and were destroying pipelines and now they have the presidency. Though, I am not advising that we should destroy pipelines but we have to show that we equally deserve to have the presidency," he said.
On his part, the chairman of the occasion and First Republic Minister of Aviation, Amaechi, took a swipe at Igbo political office holders especially governors, ministers and legislators or having failed to take Igbo land to the next level.
The elder statesman who went down memory lane, lamented that unlike during the First Republic when no serious decision was taken in the country without inputs from the Igbos was made, the South-east has been relegated to the background, a problem he heaped on the heads of the governors.
"Did we elect them to be blowing siren and accumulating wealth? We gave them power so they could use it to better the lot of the Igbo man but unfortunately, they have failed us as a people," he said, while calling for a rediscovery.
Source: Thisday
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