In Nigeria, the separatist agitations have kept waxing stronger on daily basis. This is no longer the only separatist agitators from the South East region of Nigeria but including those from the South-South, South-West and even Middle Belt with other geopolitical zones showing no readiness to stop the agitations.
Our Correspondent in Ebonyi State, VICTOR NWEGEDE, Why eliciting responses from the residents of the state gathered that a gross marginalization of the people of the South East geopolitical region and bad governance by the Nigerian leaders were the major factors fueling the separatist agitations in the country.
According to the National Youth Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Engr Damian Okafor, "the South Eastern region of Nigeria has been grossly marginalized since the civil war ended. There is unimaginable infrastructural decay in the region. The roads are in their poorest state, there is no functional health care facility, the educational system are nothing to write home about; no drinkable water in the rural areas including high cost of living and unemployment at the highest rate.
"The worst and most challenging aspect of it is that the people of the region are not allowed to take their turn in the presidential election after every other region has produced a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. By implications, they are taking the South Easterners as second class citizens.
"Another issue fueling the agitations is the killings of innocent villagers by Fulani mercenaries after which the government will not do anything about it to stop the evil act."
The Igbo youth leader who is also an Ebonyi indigene, however, suggested that giving an Igboman the President of Nigeria would simply quench the agitations naturally.
Reacting on whether the state governors have been fair in the discharge of their mandates to curtail the wanton agitations in the country, Okafo subscribed to neither 'yes' nor 'no' as in his view, "every state has their own peculiar challenges.
"But the recent performance index rate done by the international organization rated Ebonyi and River States high. So, with such index, we can say that those state governors are performing above average to quench the agitations.
"If the governors had done well, do you think that the agitations would be this high? I don't think that the governors are the cause of the agitations. Some of them have done extremely well and the agitations are still high. The bad governance starts from the successive previous administrations and some of them have now seated up to address the challenges but it appears too late. Crucifying the governors has never and can never be the solution."
Okafor, however, urged Igbos to come together to fight for what truly belongs to them in Nigeria, saying that 'breaking away cannot be the best option' in considering their investments in the country and the difficulties to encounter in starting life afresh.
In a swift interaction, the Executive Director of Neighborhood Environment Watch Foundation (NEWF) Dr Kelechukwu Okozie, also lamented high sense of injustice and marginalization in the country.
In Okozie's words: "It's injustice that has been fueling the separatist agitations in our country. It's non-inclusion, where a segment of a society who felt that they are not part of the system. That they are marginalized and felt one part of the society has it all in the exclusion of other parts of the society."
The Human Rights Activist urged those in control of power to first identify the challenges in the country, by addressing them with open mind, as he suggested all inclusive government and dialogue as the simplest ways to go by.
"The only thing that can stop the agitations is justice and inclusion for all segments of the society. These are things if the government do it, will quell these agitations.
"The first way to arrest the continuous agitations in the country is to engage the separatist agitators in a dialogue. The separatist agitators are crying. They may be right or wrong, but what they are agitating for, should be looked into, for consideration. For that to be done, there should be dialogue, because it's long overdue and you can't secure peace on the barrel of gun. Then, we should adopt diplomacy, to address these people who said they are marginalized, suffering injustice and not being part of the system," he opined.
Okozie blamed Nigerian government for having not engaged the separatist agitators in a dialogue but decided to imprison their leaders, some of their members, whereas some of them were maimed and killed.
He maintained that such approaches would continue fueling the agitations, and however, urged the government to welcome dialogue as the best option to arrest the situation.
"The government has first failed as they rather chose to put them in prison. Some were maimed with others killed and these are not the best options for them. Government should go into a dialogue with the separatist agitators and if possible, release the leaders of the agitators so that we can have peace.
"When they are released, they can go into negotiation because this issue cannot be resolved on the barrels of guns or through the court. It can only be resolved politically," he suggested.
The Executive Director of the Neighborhood Environment Watch Foundation, also recalled when his organization was mandated by the Savannah Centre to carry out peace initiative across the nation and discovered that injustice, exclusion and marginalization as the major forces behind the separatist agitations in the country.
"We were mandated by Savannah Centre, to engage on peace initiative, and we have a dialogue with major state actors but the underlying statements remain that there were injustice, exclusion and marginalization. These were their generalization and if these three things are addressed, all these agitations will fizzle out. So, we believe these are the drivers of the agitations," he stated.
He further advocated for equity, fairness and justice among all the segments of the country as he urged those occupying different political positions especially the state governors to discharge their duties effectively.
"Let's have a country where every segment of the society has equal share, not where one segment of the society has it all and the other ones will have nothing. This is the cause of all these agitations.
"The simplest way to bring these agitations under control is dialogue. Let's go by free will syndrome - we shouldn't base our dialogue on who is wrong or right but to come together and discuss, chat out the problems and resolve them. We will be better united but let's address those issues that are driving these agitations.
"If I'm to say anything further, do the state governors understand their mandates? Can you call two or more persons and ask them to tell you the mandates of this government? Their mandates are different from their campaign promises.
"So, often times, most of them will say they have addressed their campaign promises but they have not addressed their mandates in the minds of the people, because the governors have not taken cognizance of the desires of the people.
"Did they draw their authourities from the people? Did the people know what their mandates are? If in the states where they are the Chief Security, and there is high level of insecurity - people are left in unbearable experience, that means the government doesn't know its mandate.
"By implications, they should go back to their drawing board, to know what their mandates and as well the desires of the people are," Okozie stressed.
In the same vein, an Ndiebor Ishieke Community Leader in the state, Chief Patrick Aloh, traders in Margaret Umahi International Market, Mrs Agatha Nwogbaga, Mrs Jacintha Nworie, Mr Peter Ogaranya, numerous others who interacted with our correspondent, urged government to adopt dialoguing with the separatist agitators, while lamenting high rate of destruction of lives and property, including the sit-at-home order which according to them, has kept promoting economic retardation and security threats across the states in the South East zone and other parts of the country.
