Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has urged rich Igbo businessmen to take more interest in seeking political power.
Omokri said it was not enough to amass wealth while neglecting how one’s nation is governed.
He stated this while emphasizing the role political power plays in directing the nation’s affairs, including economic activity.
Omokri, who was Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media, stated that businessmen with access to political power thrive better than their colleagues without access.
He spoke amid rising calls for Igbo presidency in 2023, noting that the dream would become easier to achieve if more rich Igbo men back it up with funds.
Read Also: Facebook should apologise to me – By Doyin Okupe
“To those Igbos who say they do not need political power, I counsel you to research the competition between Ibeto cement and Dangote cement. Lack of political power destroyed Ibeto. Access to political power promoted Dangote to the extent that Nigeria’s borders were opened for him and shut for everyone else. No amount of money is enough if you have no political power!
“With one stroke of the pen, the man with political power can eradicate your economic power. He can ban your businesses. He can overtax your sector. He can deny you airports, seaports, and security.
“Do not be blinded by money. After God, it is government. Why do you think that despite all their hard work and ingenuity, no Igbo is amongst the 10 richest Africans, according to Forbes?
“Abacha used his political power to give General TY Danjuma an oil bloc. Danjuma sold it for $1.5 billion. Folorunsho Alakija was awarded an oil bloc by government, today she‘s the world’s richest Black woman.
“Igbos need political power because as Aristotle said, man, by nature, is a political animal,” Omokri wrote on his Facebook page.