Why I recalled sacked non-indigenes – Orji

Abia State Governor Theodore Orji
| credits: newnigeriannewspapers.com

 Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State says his longing to have a united country prompted his decision to recall non-indigenes sacked from Abia civil service.

He said this on Saturday, at the Enugu State Correspondents’ Chapel Press Week.

Orji called on Igbo people to put behind events that led to the sacking of the affected workers and foster a united cause.

He said there was a teeming number of Abia indigenes disengaged from other states’ civil service when he took the decision to sack the non-indigenes.

“The idea then was to replace the non-indigenes in our civil service with the Abia indigenes sacked from other states’ civil service,” Governor Orji stated.

He was  represented at the occasion by his Senior Special Assistant on Youth Development, Mr. Okechukwu Isiguzoro.

According to him, “Abia State was not the first to disengage non-indigenes in its civil service.”

He, therefore, enjoined other states in the South-East to emulate the state in recalling those they disengaged on such grounds.

Assuring the people that such policy would never occur again in Abia, Orji urged all Nigerians, particularly Ndigbo residing in the state, to see themselves as indigenes with full rights and privileges.

He said, “It is only in Abia State, among others in the South-East today, that non-indigenes contest elections and win. Non-indigenes are being appointed into political positions in Abia. And so non-indigenes should also take their rightful place in the civil service.”

Chairman of the Enugu State Correspondents’ Chapel, Chris Oji,  thanked the governor for the role he played in the release of journalists kidnapped near Aba,  Abia State, about two years ago.

Dr. Nnanyelugo Okoro of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka had earlier  delivered a paper on “Journalists and Social Media: Challenges as Opportunities.”