Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed the reason why the South East is politically behind the other regions in the country.
He further urged them to unite to achieve the political aspirations that had eluded them for the development of the region.
He made this known while speaking on Thursday at the South East Security and Economic Summit in Enugu, Obasanjo, said that the zone would not achieve much with continued individualism and lack of cohesion amongst them.
He said the people of the area seemed to have forgotten their spirit of enterprise and communal efforts, which stood them apart from other ethnic groups in the country.
He said the zone was unique and that it needed to use its uniqueness to its advantage to negotiate the actualisation of their aspirations.
“The South East is known for their spirit of enterprise and adventure and you have to utilize it for improved development and security.
“You must work together and not be divided. You must shy away from the spirit of individualism and must earn solidarity with your neighbours,” he said.
Obasanjo urged the state governments to leverage on the abundant natural resources in the zone to improve the lives of their people.
He said that the South East could be the food basket of the nation, adding that state governments needed to take the responsibility of engaging the youths to check restiveness.
“I don’t think I should be eulogized for facilitating this summit in the South East because I did the same thing when I visited Maiduguri because of the problem of Boko Haram,” Obasanjo said.