South Easterners That Can Be Nigerian President
OpenLife Nigeria reports that as the agitations rage high in the comity of South Easterners, seeking supports to occupy the Nigerian presidency in 2023, Chike Ogeah, the Managing Director of Mac Folly Limited, operator of Lagos Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, on Friday, offered fresh perspectives to the quest during an early morning conversation on Arise TV.
In the entire stretch of the South Easterners’ presidential desires, the former Commissioner of Information in Delta State argued that Ndigbos not geographically captured within the five southeast states are eminently qualified for the country’s number one position.
He made this disclosure against the perceived marginalization of Ndigbos in Ukwani, Ika, Ikwerre, Anioma who are outside Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia States.
He specifically zeroed in on the Oshimili-Aniocha people of Igbo extraction in oil-rich Delta State, saying they do not lack the human capacity in producing the next president, but have always been marginalised and often described as not being mainstream Igbo.
He posited that the Oshimili-Aniocha Igbos bore most of the brunt in the Nigerian civil war and cited the Asaba massacre that occurred on October 5, 1967, when federal troops entered the community and ransacked houses, killing civilians because “they were Biafran sympathisers.”
He succinctly clarified sundry issues concerning Ndigbo.
First, he put a lie to the oft-bandied claim that Igbo are neither united nor reaching out to other sections of the country in a bid to actualise the quest for Igbo presidency aspiration in 2023.
He advised those who threw up such puerile arguments in a bid to deny people of Igbo extraction a shot at the presidency to look for better excuses.
He believes it’s time for Nigerians to end the perceived alienation of Ndigbo by making the emergence of a president of Igbo extraction possible in 2023 as was the case in 1999 when Obasanjo was thrown up to appease the Yoruba over the June 12 annulment.
He proudly rehashed his Igbonness, saying that irrespective of dialectical differences, an Igbo is an Igbo whether from Delta, Rivers, or North-central.
He had harsh words for any Igbo in Rivers, Delta or elsewhere who deny their Igbo ancestry for political expediency.
Asked to name possible presidential materials of Igbo origin, he cited Professor Kingsley Muoghalu, Peter Obi and Professor Pat Utomi, among others.
He detests the dichotomy among Igbos on who is ‘mainstream’ or peripheral Igbo.
Chike is a 1983 graduate of Psychology and a 1988 graduate of Law, both from the University of Lagos and Barrister at Law in 1990, from the Nigerian Law School.
After practicing as a Legal Practitioner for a number of years with Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore (Legal Practitioners), he started his own Law Practice, Ogeah & Co.
With a keen interest in Governance and International relations, Chike moved on to work in the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also worked in the National Planning Commission, in the capacity of Special Assistant to two Chief Economic Advisers to the President.
Early career successes in Government were followed with an appointment as the National Coordinator of the successful, States Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (SEEDS). Chike then proceeded to work as a Facilitating Consultant in the Office of the Millennium Development Goals also within the Presidency.
In 2006, Chike was called upon to head the Federal Government of Nigeria –owned, Skypower Aviation Handling Company Limited, (SAHCOL) as the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer. He held this position for four interesting years and judiciously handled the privatization of SAHCOL in 2010, one of the most successful and transparent processes, in the history of the privatization agenda of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In 2011, he was called upon to serve as the Commissioner for Information for Delta State under the Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, 2011 to 2015 administration. A position he held adeptly and successfully till May 2015.
Chike is presently the Vice-Chairman of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), a post-privatization privately-owned Company.
About Author
