The South-East Must First Fix Itself Before Asking to Lead Nigeria
By Ibrahim Umar
For years, Nigerians keep hearing the loud calls from the South-Easterners of Nigeria, for a chance to produce the next president. It’s a fair request. Every region deserves representation at the top, even though every region has it autonomy to elect it's own regional leaders and manage its resources. But when you look closely, the question that comes to mind is simple: Who amongst the Leaders in the East do you see, and profile through their history that is Worthy enough to be Nigeria's NEXT President?
Which of the South Eastern leaders has bulldoze him or herself into the majority of Nigerians in other regions to make the majority of Nigerians confident enough to elect as Nigeria's NEXT President?
What has the South-East shown Nigerians to make the nation trust its leadership capacity?
Let’s be honest here, leadership starts at home. Before anyone dreams of governing a complex nation like Nigeria, they must first prove they can manage their own house well. Sadly, the South-East hasn’t done that convincingly. The region which is rich in talent and history, continues to fall behind in basic governance, infrastructure, and unity.
A Region With Untapped Potential
The Igbo people are among the most enterprising Nigerians. From Aba to Onitsha, Nnewi to Enugu, creativity and business sense runs deep. In trade, they have no rivals. In resilience, they have few equals. Yet, this same strength hasn’t translated into good governance.
Many South-East governors have spent years recycling promises while neglecting the very issues that matter most to its people from roads, electricity, industry, and youth empowerment. Instead of turning the region into an industrial hub, many have turned it into a campaign ground for blame, politics that shoots themselves in the legs, and fuelling agitations for a landlocked country within a sovereign country and fuelling animosity towards other Nigerians.
Excuses Won’t Build the East, and definitely won't produce a president
It has become a tired song to blame “federal neglect” for everything wrong in the East. Every region in Nigeria has its share of federal shortcomings. Yet, some regions chose to build regardless of the peculiar problem that every region in Nigeria is bedeviled with.
Lagos wasn’t built by handouts from Abuja. Akwa Ibom’s development didn’t start after a federal miracle. Kaduna didn’t wait for a national policy to rebuild schools and roads. The Edo people are not waiting for a sovereign country of their own to build their region, or to produce a president first. They used the same tools every state has which is vision, discipline, and smart governance.
The South-East has no excuse for failure. Every governor in the East gets their fair share of the same monthly allocation, the same power to collect taxes, and the same chance to attract investors. The results simply don’t match the potential.
Disunity Is a Silent Killer
Another major problem is political disunity. While other regions often vote with one voice, the East have been known to split its strength among multiple parties, PDP, APC, LP, APGA, and others except for the last 2023 election. It’s like trying to light a fire with scattered sparks; none of them burns bright enough.
Without unity, you can’t bargain effectively at the national level. And when the region speaks with many voices, the rest of the country struggles to take it seriously.
The agitation for inclusion should start with inclusion among themselves.
Poor Governance Has Driven Away Its Own
The South-East has sadly become a region where investors are scared to stay, and even locals are afraid to live.
The sit-at-home orders, criminal gangs hiding under agitation, and constant insecurity have crippled the local economy. Igbo businessmen who built their first wealth in the East now run their companies from Lagos, Abuja, or abroad.
That’s not because they hate home, it’s because home doesn’t feel safe anymore.
No serious nation will hand the presidency to leaders who can’t guarantee stability in their own backyard.
Time for a New Kind of Leadership
Still, all hope isn’t lost. The South-East has brilliant young minds, innovative entrepreneurs, and visionary thinkers who can turn things around if given the space.
The region doesn’t need another loud agitator or empty politician. It needs problem-solvers, leaders who can fix roads, stabilize electricity, attract investors, and restore peace. Once those things happen, respect and trust will follow naturally.
Nigeria is watching. The nation wants to see proof of performance, not tellers of sympathy stories and pathological liars, or another emotional blackmailer. Every region and individual that earned its turn at the top first built credibility at home.
The truth is simple you can’t lead Nigeria if you haven’t led your region well. The South-East must clean its house, unite its people, and prove through results that it deserves the nation’s trust.
The future presidency is not given out of pity or guilt tripping Nigerians, or trying to manipulate Nigerians along religious and ethnic divide, it’s earned by performance.
Until that lesson sinks in, the call for a South-East presidency will remain what it has been for years, a loud song without rhythm.
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