BY EMEKA UDEAGHALA, ENUGU
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been accused of lacking empathy for the plight of Nigerians who are suffering from the hardship occasioned by the current federal government economic policies
Igbo socio – political group, the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) said the actions of the president has shown that he is not touched by the sufferings of his people
The ADF equally blamed the insecurity in the South east on the then South east Governors Forum under the leadership of former Ebonyi state governor and now Minister of Works, Dave Umahi
The group attributed the rising insecurity in the zone to the refusal of South East Governors Forum to form a regional security outfit, to tackle the frightening insecurity in Igboland.
The National President of ADF and former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University (IMSU), Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie who made the allegations while briefing the media in Enugu at the weekend, frowned at what he described as the insensitivity of the Tinubu administration to the current unprecedented hardship faced by Nigerians.
The ADF president who spoke after the groups expanded executive meeting expressed shock over President Tinubu’s decision to spend millions of dollars to buy a new presidential jet at a time that Nigerians were dying of hunger.
The former president of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) said President Tinubu does not care about the plight of suffering Nigerians because he claimed that he bought his way into the presidency.
Awuzie said: “How can he buy a new presidential jet when the people are dying of hunger? How can you as the President, buy a new car for almost one billion Naira when your people are suffering?
“When the people protested against hunger, the response to the protest was to buy a new presidential jet. It does not show empathy for the people of Nigeria. This is the ugly situation we have found ourselves in the country.”
On the frightening wave of insecurity in Igboland, Awuzie said ADF was greatly disappointed with the South East Governors Forum, which frustrated an attempt to establish a security outfit in the region.
He regretted that rather than support the establishment of a security outfit for Igboland, which they fought for, the South East Governors under the leadership of the then Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, for selfish political reasons, preferred the community policing idea of the Federal Government.
“We were all involved in the attempt to articulate our own security strategy, after the South West established their Amotekun Corps. The brother of Dave Umahi was made the Chairman of the Security Committee, but he (Dave) never funded it.
“We were waiting for the inauguration of our own security outfit to police Igboland, when Umahi suddenly said that the governors had accepted community policing. We were disappointed. Where has the community policing taken us? Nowhere.”
The ADF president therefore called on Nigerians to imbibe some integrity and character, and to ensure that they cannot just be bought, until the country gets to the level that votes would count, in order to hold elected office holders accountable.
Present at the meeting included Although the meeting included the ADF National Secretary and former Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi State, Hon. Abia Onyike, Bishop Obi Onubogu, H.R. H Igwe Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu, Professor Simeon Alozieuwa of Medicines Sans Frontieres, Professor Dozie Chukwuokolo and Chief Chekwas Okorie.
Those who joined virtually include Dr. Sam Ohuabunwa, Professor M. Aghaji, Professor Nath Aniekwu, Professor Ogbonna and L. M Alozie SAN.