Yoruba, Hausa Communities Lament Marginalisation In Enugu

Leaders of Yoruba and Hausa Communities in Enugu state, chief Ade Johnson Adeyelu  and Alhaji Haruna Sule,  have  strongly cried out over what they described as endless marginalization of the people of the two  communities in the state by the state government.

Expressing their disappointments in two separate interviews with our correspondent in Enugu on Monday, the two leaders regretted that all the attempts made now and in the past to appeal to the state government to give the people of the affected communities sense of belonging proved abortive.

Their words: “The Yoruba and Hausa communities have been good to both the people and government of Enugu state. They have been doing everything expected of non-indigenes in Enugu state. We don’t think they have done anything wrong to warrant the kind of endless marginalization they have been subjected to in the state for a long time now”, they further lamented.

According  to the leader of Yoruba community: “Enugu state government has done well in making Enugu peaceful for both indigenes and non-indigenes in the state. But then, I will advise the state government to look into the plight of non-indigenes in the state, like every other state government in the country. Lagos state government appointed an Igbo man commissioner in the state. That gives an average Igbo man sense of belonging”.

According to him, “We have lawyers, doctors, engineers and other professionals who were born and breed here in Enugu state. They see Enugu state as their home, but regrettably the state government is doing nothing to give them sense of belonging in any form”.

Speaking in the same vein, the leader of Hausa community in Enugu state said: “I am not happy with the way government is treating members of the Hausa community in the state. Government is not doing anything for us. We have  written the governor several times seeking audience with him,  but all to no avail. I have been to the Government House in company of Aminu  and  one of  my sons, and we spent a whole day there without seeing the governor”.

Alhaji Sule who also expressed dismay that he has been sick for the past two and half years now  without the governor or his subordinates caring to know whether he is alive or dead ,  went on to say: “We were at the Government House twice but could not see the governor. And since then, I have never been there again”, he regretted.

On the performance of Governor Sullivan Chime’s Senior Special Adviser(SSA) on Inter-Ethnic Matters, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed, the two leaders criticised his recent reappointment, regretting that the SSA “is representing his selfish interest and not ethnic groups in the state”.

According to them, “The SSA is not accessible . For the past four years, he has never called community leaders of various ethnic groups in the state to know the problems members of their various communities are facing in the state. How can somebody who does not call meetings to know the plight of members of ethnic communities in the state say he is representing them”, they further wondered.

The two community leaders, however, advised Governor Chime, to carry along  members of all the ethnic groups in the state  with a view to giving them sense of belonging , “as it is done in other states of the federation”.