South-East professionals decry unfair treatment of Igbo race
*Writes Buhari, seeks review of recent police promotions
Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja
A South-east professional group has decried the unfair treatment of Igbo race in the country saying the zone has again been treated unfavorably in the recent promotions made by the Police Service Commission (PSC).
In an open letter addressed to president Muhammadu Buhari, the group said, it was unfortunate that like in the past recruitments, appointments, promotions and allocation of resources, the region was again denied its rightful place in the exercise carried out by the commission.
According to the letter dated December 26, 2020 and titled, ‘Unfair treatment of Ndigbo and Urgent Need to Right the Wrongs by Mr President’, the group under the aegis of Conference of Igbo Professionals Worldwide, called on the president to address the principle of federal character in the distribution of jobs.
READ ALSO: How Igbos can actualise 2023 presidency- Sen Pius Anyim
“We call on you sir, to address the principle of federal character in the distribution of public resources and appointive positions, especially security chiefs”, it stated.
In a statement jointly signed by its National President, Prof. Patrick Kalu and National secretary, Dr Uche Mbaka, respectively, the group alleged that out of the recent promotion of senior police officers, the South East was given one slot while some regions got over 12 slots.
They also appealed to President Buhari and the National Assembly to not only set up a panel with a view to unraveling circumstances leading to unfair treatment of Igbo race in the country but also review the recent promotions of the police commission.
The letter read in part; “We wish to kindly draw your attention to the recent appointments made in the Nigeria Police Force by the Police Service Commission (PSC), under the chairmanship of the retired former Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith.
“Recall that the Police Service Commission on Friday, December 18,2020 rose from its 10th plenary meeting with the promotion of 37 senior police officers to their next ranks. This action by the commission is highly commendable given that it would boost the morale of officers and men of the Force to serve their fatherland diligently and meritoriously.
“However, we are constrained to point out that the exercise which ordinarily would have been effected in line with the country’s policy of equity and fairness, was regrettably skewed towards some regions at the detriment of the South East.
“For instance,as observed by us,out of the figure mentioned earlier, the North West was apportioned 12 slots just as the North East was given 8 slots. The South West on the other had, got 7 while the South South got 5 in that order. The North Central geopolitical region was given 4 slots. We regret to say here that unlike the zones mentioned, the South East region only got 1 slot.
“This,to us,is the height of the ongoing desperate efforts of the current federal administration to completely alienate the Igbo race in the Nigeria project. This provocative action is condemnable and unacceptable to us.”
The group further listed areas the Igbos were being marginalised in the nation to include, “lopsided appointment of security chiefs; infrastructure deficit including roads, railway, and seaports; unfavourable allocations from the federal government; and concentration of interventions of development partners in other regions.
“Others are exclusion from commanding heights of the nation’s economy; delay in the passage of South East Development Commission Bill and flying the kite of the 2023 presidency”.
While calling on the president to address the principle of federal character in the distribution of public resources and appointive positions, especially security chiefs, they also appealled to the National Assembly to immediately step in with a view to stopping these unfair treatments of Ndigbo in Nigeria.
