A group, Global Association of Concerned Imo Youths (GACIY), has hailed the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Imo State, saying the president has by the visit dispelled the notion that he nursed a bias against the Igbo race.
President Buhari paid a one-day working visit to Imo State on Thursday, 9th September amid speculation that he was not going to visit in person.
GACIY insisted that the President’s remarks during and after the visit, if matched with actions, will douse the agitations which have rocked the peace of the Southeastern region in recent times.
In a statement dated 11th September, 2021 and signed by the group’s convener, Collins Ughalaa, the group blamed the opposition in the state for trivializing the occasion by making a jest of the president’s trousers, instead of appreciating the gains of his august visit.
The statement reads in part: “After rubbing minds with Igbo stakeholders in Owerri, the president has refined his rhetoric on separatism.
“Compared to previous utterances which heated the polity, this new tone, if matched with action will temper these agitations which have rocked the peace of the Southeast in recent times.
“The visit has frustrated the notion that the president harbours a bias against Ndigbo. Instead it showcased the president’s appreciation of the immense contribution of Ndigbo to the economy and stability of the country.
“There is political will to complete all key federal projects in the Southeast including the crucial Second Niger bridge.
“Imo State is now after the president’s heart and he will do everything within the constitution to help the state.
“This is why the president’s visit matters. This is the outcome of having an empathetic listener, in the person of Hope Uzodimma, as Governor. Sadly, we operate in an age where good news isn’t news, where virtue doesn’t trend. Where, in the name of opposition, some elements will take a shovel and dig night and day to bury this truth.
“The visit is a success. Enemies of the state are red in the face and out of comeback. They can’t understand why good things should happen in Imo despite their relentless assault on the government and masses of Imo.
“So they turn to the President’s wind-blown trousers at the airport. They want to sell it as a wardrobe malfunction. They want the world to fix its gaze on the hem of the President’s trousers while security returns to Imo, while infrastructure expands, while floods disappear, while Governor Hope Uzodimma takes Imo mainstream.
“They want you to look at wind-blown pants while investors storm Imo, while jobs pour in, while Federal programmes are attracted to the masses. They want you to look at wind-blown pants while they feast on the spoils of their profligate 7months excursion in Government House. But we will keep our gaze on what matters: how to consolidate the gains of this historic visit.
