Kalu Hails Confab Decision For Additional South East State

Eminent businessman and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has hailed the decision of the National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring to propose for approval the creation of additional state in the South East geopolitical zone.
Kalu said if approved, this would be one of the numerous steps that will heal the wound of marginalization that had been inflicted on the Igbos over the years.
Kalu, in a statement on Sunday by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, commended the committee, headed by Mukaila Muhammed and General Ike Nwachukwu, for such a laudable step, adding: “If the proposal is eventually approved, it will be a great relief for me as I have consistently canvassed this same position.
“There is no point having a union in which one out of six is considered the weaker or less privileged partner.”
The South East is the only region with five states.
Others have six states each with the exception of the North West, which has seven states.
The statement by Oyewumi on Sunday said Kalu commended the government of President Goodluck Jonathan for building on the initiative to assuage the feeling of marginalization of the Igbos within a united Nigeria.
He said one of such steps was the appointment of an Igbo man as the Chief of Army Staff by Jonathan’s regime.
He said the failure to appoint an Igbo man to the exalted position of the Chief of Army Staff can only be interpreted to mean that the Igbos had not been forgiven for their perceived negative role the civil war that took place in the country between 1967 and 1970.
Kalu was quoted as having said: “Thirty-four years is long enough to forget any issue we have against ourselves.
“Now is the time to move on and forget our ill feelings towards one another.
“The National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring is giving us another opportunity to consolidate on this.
“We should not fail to take advantage of the opportunity.”