*South-East Governors and some leaders of Ndigbo during one of such meetings with the Police Boss, Mohammed Adamu
The South-East Governors have alleged that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Muhammed Adamu of betrayal, for unilaterally tinkering with the security arrangements they reached with him earlier in the year. This was one of the key points that came out of their resolution at a meeting they called on Sunday May 24, 2020. The governors insist that they would not implement the Community Policing Template (CPT) rolled out by Adamu.
Recalled that earlier in the year the Yoruba, South-West Nigeria set up its own ethnic security outfit named ‘Amotekun,’ to protect the Youruba states from attacks from Fulani herdsmen, bandits, insurgents among other violent crimes against their people especially with the Federal Government nonchalant in the security of lives and property in certain parts of Nigeria. Rather than the Igbo States in Nigeria following the footfalls of the Youruba by creating their own outfit, they invited the IGP to join them in a meeting to discuss the setting up of the security outfit of Ndibgo. The IGP is Fulani.
The crucial Sunday meeting, which was on the day expanded to accommodate some Igbo leaders, in a resolution read by chairman of the South East Governors Forum (SEGF), Mr. David Umahi, accused Adamu Abubakar of going contrary to earlier agreement they reached on the matter.
The Governor who read the statement after the meeting said, “The recent communication from the Inspector General of Police to our governors on community policing composition is not in keeping with the agreement we reached with him during his last visit to the South-East. In the circumstance, we cannot begin implementation of it until the programme reflects our earlier agreement. The South-East Governors and their leaders request the IGP to revert to our initial agreement reached on community policing at Enugu.”
On the economic front, the governors, said they agreed to hold a meeting with the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari and other economic stakeholders on the issue of linking state capitals in the zone to the gas pipeline in line with the pipeline programme of the Federal Government, which runs from Imo to Lagos State. They also agreed to set up committees in various states to work with the FG, World Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority(NSIA) in their various programmes lined up to rejig their economies, especially in areas of Agriculture, SME and solid minerals.
The governor also outlined a common action to protect the citizens of the zone from the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, calling on the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to scale up testing in the area. Those that were present at the meeting were, Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Hope Uzodinma, Enugu and Imo, respectively, as well as Deputy Governors of Anambra and Abia States. The Present-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, former Governing of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwodo, Igbo leader, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Southeast among other personalities.
