The silence of the Southeast governors in Nigeria is deafening. And it has always been this loud.
In a region rich in history, resilience, and human capital, Southeast Nigeria today stands adrift—plagued by insecurity, economic stagnation, and systemic marginalization. But even more troubling than these tangible crises is the deafening silence of the region’s elected leaders.
While their people are extorted, openly marginalized, harassed, and economically strangled, the governors of the five Southeast states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo—appear paralyzed, divided, and disturbingly complicit through their inaction.
This is not just an administrative failure; it is a moral abdication.
A Leadership Void
When tragedy or injustice strikes, one expects elected leaders to rise, speak, and act with conviction. Yet in the Southeast, a pattern has emerged: silence.
Be it the militarization of the region, the rampant extortion by security agents, the documented injustices faced by South Easterners, or even the inexplicable debacle surrounding this year’s JAMB exams, the governors are often either missing in action or issuing timid, non-committal statements that neither challenge the status quo nor comfort the aggrieved.
Consider Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who has become more famous for aligning with the central government than defending the dignity of his people. While his proximity to the federal powers in Abuja may serve his political longevity, it has done little to stem the tide of insecurity, economic decay, or military abuse ravaging his state and the region at large. He is not alone.
The other Southeast governors—irrespective of political party—have similarly failed to forge a united front on issues that demand urgent regional consensus. There is no single focus and no united ideology about moving the region forward like the former leaders of the region did in the late 60s and 70s.
What happened to political courage? What happened to leading with principle, even if it means risking favor with the federal establishment? What happened to siding with the oppressed,especially when they are the people of your political and social constituency?
These are the same federal forces under whose watch South Easterners are regularly extorted at military checkpoints and whose policies continue to undermine educational access and economic participation in the zone.
Militarization of The South East, Extortion, and Economic Strangulation
Southeastern Nigeria is perhaps the most militarized region in the country outside of conflict zones, not because it is home to terrorism on the scale of Boko Haram, but because of a historic distrust and ongoing political tensions. Military and police presence is now so normalized that extortion at checkpoints has become a daily ordeal for ordinary citizens.
A 2022 report by SBM Intelligence revealed that Nigerians paid at least N18.8 billion in bribes to law enforcement officers in a single year—an overwhelming portion of this from the Southeast. Commercial drivers, traders, and students are the primary victims, many of whom face multiple checkpoints in a single town-to-town trip. This is not law enforcement; this is institutional banditry backed by uniforms.
Yet the Southeast governors have never collectively called out this systemic abuse. They have not organized public forums, filed official petitions, or taken any measurable steps to protect their citizens from the military harassment that occurs on their watch.
A JAMB “Glitch” or Regional Discrimination?
This year’s JAMB examination debacle should have been a watershed moment. In what JAMB described as a “glitch,” hundreds of students from the Southeast saw their results nullified and were ordered to retake the exam on short notice—often without adequate preparation or proper logistics.
Reports indicate that many of these students encountered serious challenges during the rescheduled exams, ranging from malfunctioning systems to poor supervision and disorganization.
And still, silence. No Outrage. No interest,no statement from any of the leaders.
Not a word from the commissioners of education in the affected states. No emergency press conferences, no mobilization of resources, no holding JAMB accountable for the trauma and disadvantage it imposed on thousands of Southeastern students. This is educational sabotage masquerading as administrative error.
Where were the governors when these young citizens—future doctors, engineers, and leaders—were being treated as expendable?
Fractured and Fearful: A Region Without a Voice
The Southeast Governors’ Forum, once seen as a potential instrument for regional development and collective advocacy, has degenerated into a ceremonial club. The inability of these governors to work together is perhaps their greatest failure. Each appears more focused on pleasing the federal center or building a personal empire than on advancing a collective Igbo agenda.
There is no master plan for economic integration across the Southeast. No bold infrastructural blueprint, no unified response to insecurity, no shared investment vision. In the face of existential threats to the cultural and economic survival of their people, these leaders have chosen the coward’s path: silence, appeasement, and self-preservation.
Meanwhile, unemployment festers. Infrastructure crumbles. Young people migrate in droves. And a generation that once looked to its leaders with hope now watches with bitter disillusionment.
Time for Courageous Leadership
To the governors of the Southeast: the hour is late, but not too late.
History will not remember you kindly if you continue down this path of timidity. You were elected not just to govern, but to lead—to protect your people, speak up against injustice, and die for something noble if need be.
Leadership, especially in moments of adversity, demands sacrifice. If you cannot risk displeasing the federal government for the sake of your own people, then you do not deserve to govern them.
It is time to stand as one voice, not five scattered ones. Demand justice for your citizens. Create a regional security strategy that does not depend solely on federal goodwill. Confront the extortion and militarization head-on. Speak truth to power—boldly, courageously, unapologetically.
We are watching. Your people are watching. History is watching.
And history, as we know, is unkind to cowards.
Dr Igwe O Atuegwu is a Nigerian writer, policy analyst, and advocate for good governance in West Africa. He contributed this piece from Abuja,Nigeria.
