The Senior Special Assistant to President Ahmed Tinubu on Community Development, Mrs Chioma Nweze has decried the menace of insecurity in South East and revealed that she has been working tirelessly with the Governors of the zone to end the menace.
Nweze disclosed this to journalists in Abakaliki, after handing over agricultural equipment to International Food for Agricultural Development (IFAD) beneficiaries procured by the federal government to rural farmers in the state on Wednesday.
“I am discussing with South East Governors and we are going to agree on what we are going to do about security in our region.
“When IPOB started, the former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi shouted that Ebonyi people shouldn’t join them, that we have been marginalized over a long period, that we should bend down and develop our state.
“The thing about life is that when one hand touches palm oil, it will affect other hands, now the thing is affecting all of us.
“So, I’m working tirelessly with the governors of the southeast region to ensure that this menace of insecurity is stopped,” she stated.
“The President is interested in what happens at the grassroots level. The President has recognized that communities are the strength of the nation. When the people in the communities are strong, that means the government is strong.
“This IFAD program will end in a year plus. We are sure that, with what we are seeing and the positive impact/ benefits, the program will continue and we are going to expand it.”
The Senior Special, SSA, Nweze who earlier paid a courtesy visit to Governor Francis Nwifuru, commended the Governor for releasing hundred million naira to IFAD as counterpart funds. She however urged the Governor Francis Nwifuru to continue releasing counterpart funds where necessary for the development of the State.
“I encourage states to release more funds to IFAD because IFAD is about the people in the grassroots, the communities.
“The beneficiaries shouldn’t eat their seed money, there was a time they gave people rice to plant and they ate it. Once you plant, you will reap. The more you plant, the more you reap. The next generation of billionaires are going to be agriculturists. The people that are going to make money in this country are people who take agriculture to the next level.
“The President wants to remove all these baggers from the streets. He wants to remove them so that we can go into agriculture. If you want to go into fishery, poultry, etc, we are there to help, so that you can be self-sustainable.
“I’m working with the five governors of the southeast so that we agree on what we are going to do about security in our region. You know, when IPOB started, the former governor started to short that Ebonyi people shouldn’t join, that we have been marginalised over a long period, that we should bend down and develop our state.
“But the thing about life is that when one hand touches palm oil, it will affect the other hands, you can see that it is affecting all of us. So, I’m working tirelessly with the governors of the southeast region to ensure that this menace of insecurity is stopped,” she stated.
