Editorial: Mass Return And It’s Economic Importance To The Region 

Economic activities in many areas are at their peak, lots of fun, music, and celebrations are seen in many previously known quiet places, the traffic menace becomes incessant due to the increase in motorists everywhere.

Imagine the Christmas season were 3 months, what will be the economic impact of these August Visitors to the economy of the Southeast? Several people have advocated for the mass return of Igbos to their homeland, they believe that if the Igbos can come back en masse, the development of the Southeast will be imminent and unprecedented. Those who support the balkanisation of Nigeria also believe the Igbos will thrive better when they come back permanently to the Southeast.

What of the infrastructure in the Southeast? Will it be able to absorb the new pressure placed on it by the new guys in town. We believe that if the mass return should be encouraged, a concomitant infrastructure should be in place in order to avoid the Lagos experience where there is constant pressure on public infrastructures due to the crazy influx of people into the state

Now to the big elephant in the room, the money being spent by the returnees were not made in the Southeast region, are there economic opportunities for our abroad brothers to make the same or equivalent amount of money they spent during Christmas in the Southeast?

Is it a lack of economic activities or the spirit of adventure in an Igbo man that made them leave for greener pastures in the first place? If it is the former, what is the Southeast region doing for her economy to absorb them when the mass return takes place?

We believe it is time for great conversations, is the Southeast economy ready for the Southeast? Is the Southeast economy ready to provide jobs for the unemployed Igbos and other ethnic nationalities residing in the region?

Some people believe that the majority of the wealth of the Igbos are outside Igboland, therefore all these wealth and resources should be ported back to Igboland to develop the region.

We also want to ask, these majority of the wealth, were they made inside or outside of Igboland? If the majority of the wealth were made outside Igboland, what can the Southeast region do to make her economy have the capacity so that the majority of the wealth will be made inside Igboland?

The time is now for honest conversations.