By Rapheal,South East

Copyright thesun

From Jude Chinedu, Enugu

President General of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), Goodluck Egwu Ibem, says security has significantly improved in the South East following the arrest of Simon Ekpa, who he alleges funded and armed youths to destabilise the region. He, however, insists that lasting peace will only come with the release of Nnamdi Kanu.

In this interview, he speaks on the formation of the coalition, the marginalisation of Igbo youths, the role of past administrations in fuelling unrest, and what Ndigbo should do ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Tell me about the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders. What is the coalition about?

The coalition is a conglomerate of different groups drawn from across the five states of the South East that came together to form the coalition, and I was selected as the President-General.

Our aim and objective is to defend the interest of the South-East geopolitical zone and also to defend the interest of South East youths, which is Igbo youths. That is to ensure that the interest of the South East youths are protected in the Nigerian context.

Because before now, the youths of the South East geopolitical zone have been sidelined in the political equation of the nation, and we feel it is very wrong to keep quiet without doing anything to protect the interest of our people. That is what formed our decision to come together to form a common front to defend the interest of our people.

When was this coalition formed and do you think you have made any headway in achieving your objectives?

Yes, the coalition came on-board in 2019 when the former president, President Buhari, was the president of Nigeria. His administration really did not favour the people of the South East.

There was nobody from the South East that was appointed a service chief. The South East had only junior ministers during his administration. He described the South East as a dot in a map. He unleashed terror on South East youths and its residents and all forms of inhuman treatments. There was Operation Crocodile Tears and different forms of military operations.

All of these were just to destroy the South East — maybe because of the five per cent votes he said he got from the zone. So we deemed it necessary to raise a voice because what he was doing was no longer democracy. The level of nepotism was so high. The level of maltreatment was so high that we had to say no by coming together to raise a voice.

Because under a democratic system of government, the president is the president of everybody and not for a particular section of the country. That was what informed the decision of the youths to defend the interest of our people against the oppressive administration of President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023.

Some other persons think that the restiveness in the South East heightened under Muhammadu Buhari. Do you share this view?

Buhari was the cause of what led to the unrest we are having today in the South East. This agitation by IPOB and other separatist groups have been there when Goodluck Jonathan was president and he never killed or arrested anybody.

He felt that under a democratic government, people have the right to air their views or oppose any of his policies. He believes in true democracy.

So when Buhari came on board and some people were saying what they were saying, he never engaged anybody to ask what is the problem. But rather, he ignored the South East. He was making appointments only from the North and few people from the South West. All his appointments were just for his brothers.

He released N500 billion to his Fulani brothers to service their radio. All the things he was doing were for the Fulanis. There were killings by herdsmen, destruction of farmlands, and instead of him to say no, he was defending the Fulani herders’ terrorist actions at that time.

So his administration was polarised against one ethnic group. He was just favouring his people. The way he handled the nation brought us to where we are today. There was no democracy under his administration. It was just pure military regime.

There was no form of democracy under his administration. So the country was destroyed along ethnic lines because of the way he managed the economy. He was just borrowing money anyhow, printing money and just messed up the economy. He was more interested in borrowing money to share to his people. There was no form of professionalism whatsoever in his administration.

So he was the one who brought Nigeria to its knees today. What is happening now is as a result of the mistakes he made when he held sway as the president of this country. It is unfortunate that someone was given an opportunity but he chose to lead the country to the ground.

We have had insecurity in the South East for a while now. What is the situation now and what has the present administration done to remedy the situation?

On the insecurity in the South East, you can bear with me that there has been a significant reduction in incidents of insecurity in recent times mainly after Ekpa was arrested.

He was the one funding insecurity. He was empowering youths with ammunition, giving them money. But since he was arrested, there has been a significant improvement in security in the South East.

So I would not say there has not been improvement. There is reasonable peace in the region. The level of herdsmen attacks have been reduced. I give kudos to Mr President in that aspect. What we need now is for the release of Nnamdi Kanu so that everything will be fully settled.

Why do you think the release of Nnamdi Kanu is so important to the full restoration of peace in the South East?

I think so because if he is released, no criminal will have any reason again to say this is why he is doing this or that.

Some of these criminals are hanging on the fact that because he is incarcerated that is why they are doing what they are doing. So if Nnamdi Kanu is released, all those nonsensical excuses will no longer be there. We will now be in a more peaceful environment in the South East.

Do you think the formation of local security outfits in communities by South East governors helped in achieving this relative peace in the region?

I acknowledge the efforts of some South East governors in establishing local security outfits in various communities, but we must state the truth: these outfits did not significantly contribute to the relative peace currently being experienced in the region.

What truly made a measurable difference in reducing insecurity was the arrest and clampdown on foreign-based sponsors of terror and violence against our people.

These individual, while living comfortably abroad, incited chaos at home through propaganda, threats, and the orchestration of sit-at-home orders that crippled our economy and led to loss of innocent lives.

Simon Ekpa’s arrest and disruption have led to noticeable calm and reduction in violence, especially on Mondays and other previously tense days.

What would be your advice to your Igbo brothers who may not want to return home due to perceived insecurity?

I call on our Igbo brothers and sisters in the diaspora and across Nigeria not to abandon our ancestral homes out of fear. I understand the concerns about safety, but running away from our fatherland will never solve the problem. It only emboldens those who wish to take control of our communities through fear and misinformation.

The true solution lies in a united front where communities work together with genuine security agents to root out criminal elements and protect our homeland. Collective vigilance, intelligence-sharing, and community courage are key to lasting peace.

I urge our people to come home, reconnect, rebuild, and reclaim our land from fear. The South East belongs to us all, and no criminal should be allowed to dictate how we live in our own land.

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) was inaugurated some months ago. Are you not worried that not much is going on with the commission so far?

As it stands, I think one of the issues they will be facing now will be the issue of funding. The budget has been made, necessary framework has been put in place for the take-off of the commission but I think the commission is not the only commission lacking funding. Almost every commission for now, from my observation, needs funding.

If you watch you will understand that the 2025 budget has not taken off because of the issue of funding. So it is not really about the South East Development Commission. Other commissions have not even taken off. So it is a general thing.

I believe that as soon as the funds are made available, the calibre of men that are there will hit the ground running and start doing the needful. And we are lucky that a renowned and performing Senator is the Chairman Senate Committee of South East Development Commission, by name Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. He will ensure that everything goes the way it should go on that commission.

So we are not panicking. We know that as soon as funds are released, they will hit the ground running.

If you are to advise the commission, what areas do you think they should focus on in the South East?

I think the first place they should focus on is the issue of infrastructure. Then the issue of industrialization.

If there is infrastructure, it will bring in more development and it will be easier for people to start up their businesses. If there is industrialization, our teeming young graduates will have jobs. It will also help in reducing the level of insecurity and youth restiveness in the zone. If this is not done, it will not go well.

We want a situation where if they come onboard, they will tackle infrastructure and industrialization in the zone. We want them to work in synergy with the governors of the South East and other agencies so that they can revive our moribund industries and bring them back to life. They should also bring back agriculture to the South East so there will be food in the region.

2027 Presidency, where do you think Ndigbo should go?

Where we will go in 2027 is somewhere Ndigbo will sit down in a roundtable to discuss with various presidential candidates who would make themselves available. After the discussion, the person that carries Ndigbo along, that is the person we are going to vote for.

Politics is about interest. You follow who has your interest at heart. So when we analyse and streamline the ideologies and campaign proposals of different presidential candidates from various parties, after that, Ndigbo will now take a stand on where to go.

Ndigbo will not just jump into the ship like that. We will really look well before we leap.

Are there mistakes Ndigbo had made in the past that you wouldn’t want them to repeat this time around?

Yes, there have been mistakes in the past. Before now, there have been hasty endorsements by people, which is not what it is supposed to be.

Before that time, Ndigbo will look at the presidential candidates critically before taking a stand. The election is still far. We still have a year plus before the elections. So before that time, Ndigbo will take a stand and tell our people why we took such decisions or why we reached such resolution. We will consult very well and look at things critically.