A group, under the aegis of the South East Dynamic Youths, has described the recent appointments carried out by the Minister of Health, Alhaji Idris Pate, as a deliberate exclusion of the SouthEast Region since the Minister had not deemed it fit to appoint even a single SouthEasterner despite the Ministry possessing a number of worthy sons and daughters, who had demonstrated such pedigree within and outside the Ministry.
The group said it would not sit down and watch Pate insult the region with his anti Igbo policies.
Speaking during a press conference, the coordinator of the group, Tony Obiogbolu, told journalists that they were giving Pate two weeks to reverse such an excercise or he would face the wrath of the youths. They also called on President Bola Tinubu to use his office to Intervene and ensure that the region was given its due within the Ministry of Health.
“While we as youths who keep finding reason to believe in this country with the hope that one day it would treat us fairly, and give to us a sense of belonging, some Nigerians have continued to diminish such a hope with their prebendary thinking that some persons have more stake to this country than others. This we will not accept!”
“Recently, the man popularly known as “Bill Gates” Minister, Alhaji Idris Pate, in a manner that has defied all logic and even sense of fairness decided to appoint directors to a number of agencies under his watch and deliberately excluded worthy Igbo sons and daughters, who had demonstrated brilliant scholarship and professionalism in their various fields of endeavour from such appointments. It did not matter if these persons possessed the much needed experience or not for Pate because they were Igbo, they were excluded.”
“We in the SouthEast Dynamic Youths Movement will not accept such and we are giving Pate two weeks to rescind such an exclusive policy or face the wrath of our youths in calculated measures.”
“We also call on President Tinubu and worthy Igbo leaders such as Governor Hope Uzodinma, Governor Nwifuru, Imo and Ebonyi States respectively, the Deputy National Chairman, Emma Eneukwu and the National Vice Chairman SouthEast, Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, who is a prominent health economist, to also make our case in the interest of our unity and peace as a nation.We have submitted our petitions to these persons too.”
As at the time of filing this report, calls made out to the aforementioned to confirm the receipt of such a petition were not returned neither were text messages replied.