Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has made it clear that the only path to sustainable survival for the people of the South East Region of Nigeria is that of industrialization and a deliberate strategy to create jobs for our people.
Governor Ikpeazu made this known this evening at Government House Umuahia while receiving in audience a delegation of NZUKO UMUNNA led by a former Managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Emeka Onwuka.
Ikpeazu stated that as a people, NDIGBO must rise to the challenge of industrializing our region as a way to ensure our survival in the harsh and uncertain socioeconomic outlook of Nigeria. He said that leaders of the region, from political leaders, economic movers, captains of industry must come together and fashion out a future for our people.
Tasking our leaders to look beyond today and make futuristic plans and projections, Ikpeazu said that if we fail to do that, our children will find themselves in even more precarious situations than we currently face.
According to the Governor, it was this philosophy that that motivated the Enyimba Economic City Project which will revolutionize the economy of the entire South East in the next ten years. He assured that he is 100% committed to the project and that his current policy thrust is to create jobs and more jobs and many more jobs for our people.
He assured that a similar project which will be based on the agriculture value chain will be sited between Umuahia and Bende, and thanked the NZUKO UMUNNA for their wonderful initiative of bringing together our finest brains to fashion out ways of economic development for our people. He assured the delegation that his administration will support them in every possible way and informed them that he will convene a Summit of our economic leaders by September this year. He promised to painstakingly study the report presented to him and take the recommendations therein very seriously.
Earlier, leader of the delegation, Mr. Emeka Onwuka told the Governor that the group is a think thank that comprises of Igbo Professionals both at home and in the diaspora. The group currently has 248 Igbo professionals from various fields of endeavor spread across Africa, Europe, Asia and America.
The group’s strength, Mr Onwuka stated, is in engaging in strategic partnership with leaders of our region and proffering supportive ideas, policies and programs that ensure the development of the various states of Alaigbo in furtherance of our collective development. This, according to him, will be achieved by establishing mutual relations between us and other regions of the country to ensure the security of our people who live and do business there. They also strengthen the unity and cooperation amongst Igbo States through prompt intervention on intra and inter state crises that can jeopardize the peace and cohabitation in the region.
They identified the need to “operationalize the South East Development Plan, stating that Aba has the potential to become the economic hub of West Africa.
They then presented the Governor with a copy of the NZUKO UMUNNA ECONOMIC COMMITTEE REPORT and informed him that they plan to host, in conjunction with the Ohaneze Ndigbo, an inaugural lecture by mid next year.
Other members of the delegation include a former Federal Minister, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Chancellor of Gregory University Uturu, Professor Greg Ibe and others.
The highlight of the day was the presentation of the Enyimba Economic City Project blueprint by the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser of the Project, Chibuzo Chiemela Ekwekwuo Esq who stood in for the CEO, Mr. C Darl Uzu.
Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu and Permanent Secretary, Government House, Elder Aguwa and other aides were part of the event.
Onyebuchi Ememanka, Esq
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
19th July, 2019.