Governor Willie Obiano has decried the poor presence of the Federal Government in Anambra State and Nigeria’s South-East region.

The Governor also criticised the alleged marginalisation of the state in federal appointments and allocation, as well as sharing of government infrastructural projects and other national distributions.

He said this during a meeting with a delegation from the Federal Character Commission (FCC), at the Governor’s Lodge in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

Governor Obiano urged the team to brace up and address all the challenges of marginalisation on the South-East, and the state in particular.

He also informed the members, who are in Anambra State to inspect all ongoing Federal Government projects, that the state is practicing the mandates of the commission in the areas of political appointments and infrastructural.

The governor noted that the FCC was established with laudable motives but over the years, the mandate has been totally side-lined and abandoned.

“We don’t have any federal presence here. Our roads have been abandoned for over 16 years. The federal roads you see are the ones my predecessor and I did. The Federal Government owes me N43.9bn for the intervention on roads, bridges and what have you, and we are yet to be paid that money.

“So we will like this Federal Character Commission to step up in the assignment and ensure equity and fairness in the distribution of the resources of this country, particularly in the appointments.”

In his response, leader of the delegation and Acting Executive Chairman of the FCC, Dr. Shettimah Bukar-Abba, assured the governor that as their focus in the commission had been widened and that all matters would be addressed.

“When you look at this thing, Anambra is fair in one area but in some areas no. if you look at the employment going on in the military or DSS, you realise that there are lop-sidedness in it.

“And these are some of the things that the constitution gives us power to even request the representatives to comply with the Federal Character Principle and where they fail, we are mandated by the law to take them to court.” (Channels TV)

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