The Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday said until Nigerian leaders respect N’digbo and ensure equity and justice, the country will never be the same.

Ekweremadu, who spoke in Enugu while addressing people of Eziagu council area of Enugu state, during a solidarity visit said, despite the contributions of Ndigbo in the development of Nigeria, “we are being provoked everyday by the government of this country.

“Let me remind you that we are going through difficult periods in Igbo land. As Ndigbo, we are going through trying periods, we are being provoked everyday by the government of this country in the way they treat our people, especially, the marginalisation going on at the federal level by the federal government.

“We are also aware of the contributions of our people towards the development of this country. The Nigeria Movie Industry, which is the major export we have, Igbos pioneered that industry, in sports, Igbos are all over the world doing the country proud. When you see Nigeria national team playing, 80 percent, most times, are Igbos and we are happy to do that.”

Ekweremadu, who also believed that Ndigbo were more Nigerians than any tribe, disclosed that “in all remote villages in Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri and everywhere, there are Igbos who are patent medicine dealers, you will see Igbos selling plastic, you will see Igbos providing jobs not only to their people, but to the rest of Nigerians.”

He said Ndigbo had done so much for the country and deserved respect, stressing that until “we get our respect, Nigeria will never be the same. So any person who thinks that Igbos will be relegated and there will be peace in this country is joking. We believe in equity, we believe in justice.

“This country is big enough for everybody. Nigeria needs energy and ingenuity of Igbos, they need our creativity, they need the enterprise of Igbo man and we can combine the attributes with the other tribes and Nigeria will be great. So we will continue to work on this to ensure inclusivity in the governance of this country.”

The deputy president of the Senate said Igbos will never accept the situation where any tribe would be excluded from the governance of this country because this country belongs to all, adding that “it may be dark today, but there would be light at the end of the tunnel.”

“We have already left Egypt and we will never go back to Egypt. Definitely, we will get to the promise land unlike the people of Israel, all of us will be alive when we get to the promise land. So, I am not shaking and don’t be afraid my people, we believe in this country, we believe in free enterprise, we believe in justice and we also believe in equity and that we ensure that this country will get,” the lawmaker remarked.

•Sourced from Blueprint. Photo shows Senator Ike Ekweremadu.