The Igbos Rebuilt their Region After the Civil War but the Northerners still have Mud Houses”- ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says despite the fact that the Igbos fought the civil war that led to the destruction of lives and properties in the South East region, they were still able to redevelop themselves, unlike the Northerners who after the war, still have mud houses littered in their region.
Atiku said this when he spoke to a coalition of youth groups under the aegis of Play Forum in Abuja over the weekend. He described the Northerners that have spoke against the restructuring of Nigeria as lazy people.
“I would not have gone to school if I were born today. My parents were so poor they couldn’t afford to send me to school. I was born during the era education was free, food was free for me, I was sponsored from primary school to the university. There was even a job waiting for me before I graduated. Yet, there was no oil boom then. I am certainly not a product of oil boom Nigeria. So, I don’t know what those who are against restructuring are afraid of. Those afraid must be lazy. We fought the civil war with the Igbo. Today, the Igbo have been completely rebuilt, but we still find mud houses in the north. Is it the fault of the easterners that the north is like that? I think that what is most important is the devolution of powers and resources with the various governments whether states or regions. How do the people hold those in power accountable for the resources handed over to them? Left for me, I will ask every part of this country to take charge of its resources while the federal government should handle defense, foreign affairs and immigration among others in the exclusive list. It should not be complicated to start with all the recurrent items in the constitution. The president can dialogue with the governors or the national assembly for states to take charge of the roads, hospitals, schools and such other items in the concurrent List while the federal government will continue with items on the exclusive list2 he said
