Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, has urged the people of the South-east geo-political zone to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He said the president has been fair to people of the zone otherwise called Ndi Igbo.
Mr Kalu stated this on Friday at the inauguration dinner of Martins Azubuike, who was recently appointed a pioneer federal commissioner in the newly established Civil Service Commission for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja.
Mr Azubuike, a former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, is representing the South-east geo-political zone in the FCT commission.
According to a statement by his media aide, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the deputy speaker, who represents Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, appealed to critics of President Tinubu to soft pedal, noting that the president means well for Ndigbo and indeed, the country in general.
He said the current government has been very fair to the South-east with some appointments.
“Support this government. Tell those criticising the government on social media to stop. It is time we got integrated into the scheme of things.
“This president has to come to reengineer the nation and we are partners in progress and I am boldly stating it. We are partners to make sure we fix things in this country. And I can assure you it won’t be long.
“If you read between the lines, the international financial organisations are now projecting that the naira is going to improve by about 25 per cent against the dollar in a few months, coming.
“That is raising our confidence and I can tell you that the number of investors is increasing. They are rushing in despite the challenges we are having. There is hope. So, let’s be patient,” he said.
Mr Kalu asked the people of the South-east to appreciate President Tinubu wherever they see him because of the appointments he has given indigenes of the zone.
“Let’s thank him wherever we see him for all he has done for us. An Igbo man is handling the protection of our oil and gas. The Navy is the chief security agency, protecting our waterways. So, the resources of the country are in the hands of an Igbo man protecting it and you said the president doesn’t like you? This is a very important position he gave to us.
“And then, you said the roads in Igboland are not well constructed. He said, come and be the minister. Go and fix your place. And then, he gave your own brother and son the ‘number six’ position in the country. So, we are part of this government and must defend it,” he stated.
South-east election and the ruling APC
The South-east geopolitical zone has had a very complicated relationship with the ruling party at the centre since 2015 when the APC came to power.
The relationship was further compounded by former President Muhammadu Buhari, whose comment of “95 per cent vs 5 per cent” angered many from the region.
During the last presidential election, most voters from the region backed Peter Obi of the Labour Party, after the two major parties, APC and PDP refused to microzone their tickets to the region. Mr Obi is from the zone.
During the election, Mr Tinubu got a total of 127,605 votes from the five states and did not score 25 per cent in any of them.
Work with Wike— Kalu urges Azubuike
Mr Kalu urged Mr Azubuike and his team to lend their support to the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.
He asked them to sanitise the civil service to be more goal-oriented.
“Wike means well for the FCT. Don’t be among those that will sabotage his efforts. Try to instil discipline in the civil service of the FCT. Set a standard that people will copy because of all his (Mr Wike) policies and dreams.
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“if the civil service doesn’t carry them from point one to point two, it means nothing. Some of them will tell you we have seen this before. Is it not four years since you left here? Let him do and go. We will remain here. That attitude is not a patriotic attitude for nation-building. You must change that mindset if you really want to build our nation.
“So, if you are going to work with the civil service, my message to you and your team is to sanitise the civil service. Let it be a place of giving service to the nation. Support Governor Wike. Support the President. Give proper advice when they run to you.”
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