Magnus Eze, Enugu
Igbo National Stakeholders’ Assembly (INSA) has appealed to the Federal Government to dedicate the newly approved $5.513 billion loan by the National Assembly for developing the South East as compensation for its exclusion in the sharing of the previous $22.7 billion loan.
The group also urged Igbo federal legislators to prevail on their colleagues to ensure the whole amount was dedicated for the development of the region.
INSA President General, John Uche, in a statement, yesterday, applauded the two chambers of the National Assembly for approving the loans; insisting that equity, fairness and justice demanded that the South East be treated like other regions of the country.
“It beats one’s imagination how Igbo, whose contribution is the highest in the nation’s internally generated revenue, whose money is used to pay back these loans, are excluded from benefitting from such loans. It goes a long way to show how the Igbo are hated and marginalised.
“Nigeria should look inward in order to stop the dependence on crude oil and develop other sectors of our economy. We have become a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Borrowing can never be a good option for a country that has future. If we must continue to be borrowing, Igbo should not be excluded anymore,” INSA said.
Uche further called on political office holders, who had taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to loot the nation’s treasury, to be ready to face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at the end of the day,” he said.