A former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, has said governors of the Southeast constitute major obstacles to economic and regional integration of their states.
Nebo said this on Monday during the unveiling of BECANS 4 Survey report in Enugu by the African Heritage Institute.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, while delivering his keynote address, titled, ‘The Need for Regional, Economic Integration of Nigeria: A Perspective from the South-East,’ alleged that the governors rather than working together to maximise and utilise the abundant natural and human resources in the region, were busy amassing wealth for themselves and their generations.
He said, “They don’t think about the development of their states; they only think about how to secure second tenure. It’s how much can I get, how much can I amass, how much can I acquire within eight years period? They don’t realise that because of the massive corruption we have in our land, one day there might be a revolution, and everything they have acquired will be destroyed in the process.
“If our governors will be sensible enough to see ‘Igwebuike’ phenomenon as a principle for existence and survival, they will do better. How often do they come together to strategise? They should avoid selfishness and self-centeredness that will destroy them and the state they are presiding over.”
Nebo said the governors should venture into agriculture in order to make the region the food basket of the nation.
“Some institutions have the capacity to drive the vision of integration like South-East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Manufacturing and Agriculture. They should embrace a collective integration mindset,” he said.
He advised the governors to come together and shun the current tendency of individualism among them.