Dr. Chris Ngige
Caught in web of criticism over his alleged support for exclution of ndigbo from appointments by President Mohammadu Buhari, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, has said he never endorsed the perceived marginalisation of Ndigbo by the administration of President Buhari. Senator Ngige insisted he was misquoted by the media over the issue.
Ngige had been under severe criticism by some Igbo leaders following a report that he endorsed alleged lopsided appointment of political office holders by the Federal Government.
In a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe, the Minister said: “What Senator Ngige said and which he is not afraid of repeating is that politics is an investment and that as far as the 2015 presidential election is concerned, Ndigbo made a very bad investment.
“He did not endorse the perceived marginalisation of Ndigbo. It was a misinterpretation of his statement and the it is incorrect.
“We put all our eggs in one basket despite clear signs we shouldn’t. We should therefore not allow such ill-advised investment to repeat in subsequent elections.
“My position which I passed as a caution in that interview is that Ndigbo should start to strategically position themselves for 2019 and avoid a repeat of what happened in 2015. Other zones are already strategizing and we must not be caught napping. Just as all reasonable politicians in the South East accept that we played bad politics in 2015, we should effectively put it behind us.
“The resilient nature of the Igbo allows no room for self-pity. We have met greater challenges and surmounted them.
“It is for this reason that I and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South East have been welcoming our leaders like Chief Jim Nwobodo, Senators Ken Nnamani, Emma Agboti, Nkechi Nwogu and Andy Uba; Chief Chukwuemeka Nwogu- my predecessor in the Ministry of Labour, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, former Minister of Health, former Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime and host of other people who have seen the need for this.
“However, as I said in the interview, the bad investment of the 2105 is not enough to marginalize anybody”.
