The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, on Friday regretted that huge resources of the country which ought to have been used for infrastructural projects had been diverted to the fight against insecurity.

The governor said this on Tuesday in Owerri while delivering his speech at an occasion marking Nigeria’s 61 years independence, anniversary  warning opposition politicians to stop sponsoring insecurity in the state.

As part of the efforts to curb the menace, Uzodinma said his administration had spent N8bn on youth empowerment and commended the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for fighting banditry in the country.

READ ALSO Photos from the 61st Independence anniversary ceremony in Abuja

He said, “Unfortunately, we have had to contend with reactionary elements who want to sabotage the nation for purely selfish and political considerations. The unrelenting activities of these elements manifesting in banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality have been a setback to the progress and development of the nation.

“Trillions of naira which would have been used for development is being wasted in fighting insurgency and criminality. This is why both the perpetrators and their sponsors should have a rethink so as to release their stranglehold on our economy and advancement. For us in the South East, we should use the occasion of independence to re-evaluate the recent activities of our youths as they relate to our relationship with other Nigerians, our economic growth and our future aspirations.

“As a people who suffered the devastating consequences of a 30-month civil war, reason demands that we should be extremely circumspect in the pursuit of our agenda. I have said it repeatedly that we stand to benefit more in a united Nigeria where justice and equity define our group existence. As a people who are everywhere in Nigeria, we need to remain agents of consolidation, not division and destruction.  We cannot afford to suffer in our own country, by our own actions or inactions, what our people are suffering in Ghana and other African countries.”