President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday told the leaders of the South-East that it was unthinkable for any Igbo man to consider himself not part of Nigeria.
President Buhari also said without peace there was nothing anyone can do no matter how much the person tries.
President Buhari also told the people that he would want to be remembered as the President who stabilised Nigeria in the area of security, economic prosperity and triumph over corruption.
This is as the President also said that nobody can accuse him of having companies or mansions anywhere in the country and that he tries to keep himself as clean as possible so that he cannot be taken, hostage.
President Buhari, who spoke at a town hall meeting with South-East leaders during his one-day official visit to Imo State, said with less than two years left in his eight-year tenure as President, security still remains a major priority for his administration.
A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari to have said, ”If there is no security, there is nothing anyone can do no matter how much you try or the initiative you have.
He told South-East leaders that while fighting corruption in Nigeria had become very sophisticated and difficult, he would continue to strive to leave a lasting legacy of integrity and accountability in the system.
On the forthcoming 2023 elections, the President reaffirmed his commitment to free, fair and credible polls, urging the leaders to honestly educate their constituencies on the need to hold their elected representatives accountable.
Noting that no country can make any meaningful progress without the development of infrastructure, the President expressed regret that successive governments at the Federal level contributed to the decay of critical infrastructure in the country.
He promised that the Federal Government would complete ongoing key projects in the South East, including the 2nd Niger Bridge as well as the railway lines and routes linking the region with other parts of the country.
President Buhari had earlier commissioned four projects executed by Governor Hope Uzodinma, including the Naze/Ihiagwa/Nekede/Obinze link road, the Balloon Driven/Flood Control drainage at Dick Tiger Road, the Egbeada Bypass road and the New Exco-Chambers, Government House, Owerri.
Addressing Imo residents at the commissioning of Egbeada bypass named after a prominent son of the State, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the President said he was very impressed with the level of work done by the State government.
In his remarks at the town hall meeting, Governor Uzodinma said Ndigbo believe in a united Nigeria predicated on ”justice, equity and fairness.’’
He thanked the President for addressing the interests of Ndigbo through deliberate policy initiatives designed to give the people a true sense of belonging, including the ongoing construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge, among others.