By Akinwale Kasali
Two-time Governorship candidate under banner of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abia State and former Group Managing Director of defunct Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti, has opined that having a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction, would not solve the problem of the country, as some fundamental structural problems must be handled for an egalitarian society to be institutionalized.
Otti, airing his views on the clamour for a President of Igbo extraction from different Groups, stated that insecurity would continue in the country until poverty among the citizens is addressed.
He stressed that; “A situation where close to 90 million people, representing 43 per cent of our population, live below the poverty line of less than 1.90 dollar per day, makes the country a veritable candidate for insecurity of the highest order.
“If you have followed my politics, you would realise that I do not believe in primordial sentiments. I believe that tribe and religion are basically smokescreens used by politicians to drive personal interests.
“Having said that, I also know that arrangements about power shift have remained the fulcrum of our politics in Nigeria. That is not to say that our salvation is going to come from that.
“Given that arrangement that has had power move from North to South and power having been in the North for two terms, it should naturally move to the South. Since South-West and South-South had been in power, it should naturally shift to the South East. That is the extent to which I believe in Igbo Presidency.
“Would that solve the problem of Nigeria? I think not. There are some fundamental structural problems that must be dealt with for an egalitarian society to be institutionalized.”
Dr Otti has since dumped APGA for the APC.
