Edwin Clark Accuses Buhari of Suppressing Igbos During His Tenure

The leader of the Ijaw Nation, Chief Edwin Clark, has stated that former President Muhammadu Buhari did everything he could to suppress the Igbo people from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria.

Clark further claimed that Buhari excluded the Southeast from some of his appointments during his time in office.

In a letter to President Bola Tinubu, Clark pointed out that Buhari did not appoint anyone from the South East to the Board of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, even though the region has three oil-producing states – Abia, Anambra and Imo.

Clark said Buhari allocated less than 1% of a $22.7bn loan to the South East zone, while other regions received higher percentages. He also said the former President failed to appoint service chiefs from the Southeast region.

Clark stated that Buhari’s actions were aimed at subjugating the Igbos, though the reasons for this are not clear. He provided examples, such as the NNPC board having no members from the Southeast, despite three states in the region being oil producers.

Clark also said the discrimination and injustice against the Igbos has continued under Tinubu’s administration. He noted that while Tinubu appointed 10 ministers from the Southwest, only 6 were appointed from the South, with no justification for this omission.

The elder statesman called on Tinubu to immediately restructure the country if it is to remain united.

He also urged the implementation of the 600 recommendations from the 2014 National Conference Report, and for the Igbos to stand up and assert their rights.