It gives me immense pleasure to
stand here today to talk on this important topic at a time I will consider very
critical to the life of the Igbo nation. From my own limited capacity, I will
try to give my thoughts on the issue and plead with my audience to bear with my
limitations. I believe it is still an open issue, perceived differently by Ndi
Igbo but I still believe we can reach some understanding on what troubles us as
well as how we can deal with these issues. Now let us do a simple analysis to
show you what Nigerian leaders have stolen from the Igbo nation since 2006 when
President Obasanjo's Constitutional Conference, recommended an additional state
to be created in the South East. Let me use the allocation to Anambra State
including the 21 Local Governments in June 2008 to make a demonstration. The
allocation is 5.2 billion naira and assuming it was the monthly average for
year 2008, it means that Anambra got N62.4 billion in 2008. It is now six years
from 2006. If you multiply 6 x 62.4 billion you get N374.4 billion. The new State
would have been given a takeoff grant of about 5 billion naira. The total will
come to 374.4 + 5 = N379.4 billion. In adopting this figure, we are merely using
very conservative estimates given that states have other fronts through which
they get allocations outside the monthly revenue allocation formula. Again, we
note that allocations to the three arms of government have vastly improved from
what it used to be in 2008, where we took this figure. I don't believe there is
any state in Nigeria today whose yearly budget is still in the region of N60
billion. This is what Nigeria has stolen from the South East. It would have
created jobs for at least 50,000 Ndigbo created administrative towns,
Ministries and Parastatals. Tremendous opportunities would have been created,
structures would have built, we would have had more Senators, more House of
Representative members more State Assembly members, Governors, Ministers, and
other cadres of federal appointees, etc.
