Prof. Chinedu Nebo, a former Minister of Power, has stated that governors in the South-East are significant impediments to their states' economic and regional integration.
Nebo made the remarks Monday during the African Heritage Institute's launch of the BECANS 4 Survey report in Enugu.
While delivering his keynote address, titled 'The Need for Regional, Economic Integration in Nigeria: A Perspective from the South-East,' the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka alleged that governors, rather than cooperating to maximize and utilize the region's abundant natural and human resources, were busy amassing wealth for themselves and their generations.
"They are not concerned with the growth of their states; they are simply concerned on securing second tenure," he explained. It's a matter of how much I can obtain. How much money am I capable of amassing? How much money can I amass over an eight-year period? They are unaware that, as a result of the widespread corruption in our country, there may one day be a revolution, destroying all they have accumulated.
"If our rulers are rational enough to view the 'Igwebuike' phenomena as a guiding principle for survival and existence, they will do better. How frequently do they convene to strategize? They should abstain from self-centeredness and selfishness, which will ultimately ruin them and the state they are presiding over."
Nebo advised governors to enter agriculture in order to establish the area as the nation's food basket.
"Some institutions, such as the South-East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Manufacturing, and Agriculture, have the power to propel the integration concept forward. They should adopt a philosophy of collective integration," he said.
