Thursday, August 18,
2016
Under the aegis of
South East Leadership and Development Initiative (SELDI), the move stems from
"a near state of hopeless that has befallen the southeast since the end of
the Civil War and in particular, since 1999, when the present democratic experience
took off."
The leaders, it was
learnt, reviewed the state of the zone in the past 17 years and concluded:
"The present democratic dispensation has not helped the area."Besides
governors of the region, the initiative is also being driven by the Deputy President
of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; former Commonwealth Secretary General, Emeka
Anayoku; former Ministers Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Prof. Charles Soludo, and Prof.
Barth Nnaji.
Other include Dr Idika
Kalu Idika, Mr. Tony Elumelu, Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Prof. Pita
Ejiofor, Prof. Elo Amucheazi, Rear Admiral Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd), Chief Olisa
Agbakoba (SAN), former Governor Peter Obi, Dr Orji Kalu, Chukwuemeka Ezeife,
Prof. Philip Emeagwali, and author, Chimamanda Adichie.
A source told The
Guardian: "The assumption that the Federal Government should play a
leading role in reactivating the moribund infrastructure that stares the zone
in the face is the greatest undoing of the region."
If you look at it,
critically, you will know that over 80 per cent of our active youths have
remained without jobs, thus wasting their productive age. If we have the
quantum of investments that have remained moribund working, we won't have the
level of unemployment existing in the southeast."
A document obtained
exclusively by The Guardian said SELDI "is dedicated to transforming and
fostering the development of Nigeria, especially the southeast region, focusing
on leadership development in order to change the fortunes of the people, and
giving hope to present and future generations. SELDI is the response to the
developmental gaps and challenges that confronted the southeast after the Civil
War, which devastated the region."