Of indigenes and Nigerians

Vanguard

31 October 2011

Of indigenes and Nigerians

In Editorial

THE controversy that has raged in the past few months about Abia State expelling non-indigenes from its civil service has been going the way of all Nigerian debates — aspersions, name calling, threats and more noise which when expended leaves the matter unaddressed.

None of these is new. The details of the matter are that the Abia State Government expelled those not from the state’s service. Abia did not deny the action. Its explanation that it was the last of the five states from the former East Central State, in the mainly Igbo-speaking parts of former Eastern Region, to have acted this way, sounds retaliatory, but again, it is the truth. The further explanation that Abia was sagging under the weight of its citizens sacked from service in other states is emotional and debatable.