‘South-East Soldiers, Biggest Casualties Of Boko Haram War’

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, of deceiving Nigerians with phony promises they do not intend to fulfil.

The National Publicity Secretary of the group, Uche Achi-Okpaga, said this on Friday in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH.

The Ohanaeze’s spokesperson therefore predicted electoral defeat for Buhari in the February 16 presidential poll, saying Nigerians, especially the Igbo, had seen the deception of the ruling party.

He accused the Buhari-led administration of making attempts to decimate Igbo people in the military, saying indigenes of the South-East in the military had suffered the heaviest casualties in the war against the Boko Haram in the North-East.

He said, “The present administration has not done well for the Igbo people. There is calamitous violence in the North and Nigerians soldiers are being killed in hundreds. We found out that south easterners in the military had continued to be killed in a large number and they are followed by those from the Middle Belt. This is a deliberate effort to decimate the number of Igbo people in the Nigerian Army.”

Achi-Okpaga accused the government of neglecting the South-East in terms of developmental projects while staging a series of military operations there despite that the region was peaceful.

The Ohanaeze spokesman added, “In the South-East, the government has brought Operation Python Dance; this is the third one. Presently in Nigeria, the South-East is the most peaceful region. Armed robbery, kidnapping have been reduced to the barest minimum. There is no violence anywhere in the South-East; still, they are sending soldiers to attack the whole place. But where there is violence in the North-East, they have no solution.”

Achi-Okpaga also criticised the President for reportedly sidelining the Igbo people from what he called juicy appointments.

He stressed that the exclusion of the people of the South-East from the Board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission showed Buhari’s alleged disdain for those from the region.

The publicity secretary stated, “In what way has he been fair to the South-East? Is it in the building of roads or what? Does it mean fairness has different meanings in the dictionary of the President? He has not done well and you can see how they are trying to deceive Nigerians.

“They promised the South-East the presidency in 2023; they also promised the South-West presidency in 2023. How can you be speaking from both sides of your mouth at this time? This government has come to be known for deception.

“Last year, Chris Ngige said by October 2018, civil servants would be enjoying a new minimum wage. Now, they are setting up a committee. What is the need? Pass it to the National Assembly. Setting up of a committee is a deceptive means to buy time.”