There is out there either needless lamentation for the South East or mockery because of the elections in the National Assembly yesterday. The South East does not deserve and absolutely rejects both lamentation and mockery arising from the occupation of offices in the fourth series of the Fourth Republic.
Records in Nigeria show that while occupation of political office by sons of the soil is useful, it is often more symbolic than anything else. If it translated to regional prosperity, Northern Nigeria would by now be the top ranked in Nigeria. We all know that poverty and all the negative indices hold sway in the North despite holding office three times more than any region.
The South East chose with clear eyes its political leaning. It should live with its choice. Life is a game. You win this round and lose the next. The call on the South East is to focus inwards and build on Its strengths. The call is for citizen engagement with the political and governance process at home to ensure better utilisation of the resources of the region. The call is to build the Human Capital of the region and benchmark against the global best. The call is to achieve poverty rates that are uniformly under 15% max. Ebonyi records poverty rate of 57%, similar to Northern states while the other states in the region range from 12 to 27%.
Young people in the region should be thinking creativity and innovation. Build on STEM. Build our communities. Pay attention to the centre for your entitlements but build strength internally.
No lamentation. No mockery. The sun shall rise even brighter.
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