In a recent letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Chief Edwin Clark, the leader of the Ijaw Nation, has accused former President Muhammadu Buhari of deliberately marginalizing the Igbos from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria during his tenure.
Clark highlighted several instances where Buhari excluded the South East from key appointments and significant funding allocations.
Clark pointed out that Buhari did not appoint any member from the South-East in the Board of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), despite the region having three oil-producing states: Abia, Anambra, and Imo. Additionally, Buhari allocated less than 1% of a $22.7bn loan to the South East zone, while other regions received higher percentages.
The Ijaw leader also criticized Buhari for failing to appoint any service chiefs from the South East, noting that out of the 17-man security chiefs, 14 came from the North and only 3 from the South, excluding the Igbos.
Clark further alleged that the discrimination against the Igbos has continued under President Tinubu's administration, with 10 ministers appointed from the South-West and only six from the South-East.
He called on Tinubu to immediately restructure the country and implement the 600 recommendations of the 2014 National Conference Report to address the injustices against the Igbos.
The accusations made by Chief Edwin Clark highlight the ongoing tensions and grievances among different ethnic groups in Nigeria, and the need for equitable representation and resource allocation to promote national unity and development.
