Leaders of the southeast region, including the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and governors, held a meeting on Monday evening to address the concerning state of insecurity in the zone.

The meeting was hosted by Senator Hope Uzodinnma, the Imo State Governor who is also the Chairman of the South East Governors and Chairman Progressives Governors Forum.

Although the governors of Enugu, Anambra, and Abia states were not in attendance, the meeting was attended by prominent figures such as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, and serving Senators and House of Representatives members from the region.

Chief Iwuanyanwu, speaking on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, stated that the governors agreed to work collaboratively and had outlined strategies to address the sit-at-home order imposed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which has disrupted economic and social activities in the southeast. However, he did not provide specific details on the strategies discussed.

Emphasising that insecurity is a national problem and not exclusive to the region, Chief Iwuanyanwu stressed the need for collective efforts beyond the southeast to tackle the issue. He expressed that the governors, lawmakers, and Ohanaeze leadership intended to engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to seek his support and cooperation in restoring peace to the region.

He said, “Frankly speaking, I am not going to give you the details of what we want to do. The problem of insecurity is one that cannot be solved by the Southeast governors alone. We have resolved that the leadership of Ohanaeze, the governors and lawmakers get in touch with the President.

“The problem in South East is too much, is too big for the governors alone. It is a Nigerian problem and the president will give support to the governors.”

Governor Uzodinnma echoed Chief Iwuanyanwu’s sentiments, recognising that security matters fall under the exclusive federal jurisdiction and cannot be solely handled by the southeast governors. He announced plans to lead his colleagues to the Presidential Villa for a meeting with Tinubu, aiming to secure the federal government’s intervention in addressing the insecurity challenges.

“The Federal Government in the past has supported us but we think that the federal government can do more. So among other resolutions, we resolved today to make a representation to the President for his intervention to be able to bring insecurity in the region to an end. So any moment from now, we’ll be putting together an arrangement to visit the president and discuss with him. There are certain things we cannot do very well without the federal government. Security is in the Exclusive List and only the federal government can deploy as appropriate.”

Addressing the absence of the governors of Enugu, Anambra, and Abia states, Governor Uzodinnma explained that the meeting was organised on short notice but had the endorsement of his colleagues.