From: Madu Ezenoha, ENUGU
Former governor of Enugu State Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo has called on Igbo socio cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo to champion the building of a world-class commercial city in Igboland with export free zone modelled after the famous Dubai in the United Arab Emirate.
He made this clarion call when he hosted the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Enugu State chapter in a courtesy visit led by its President Chief Dr. Alex Ogbonna at his Enugu residence.
The former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) reiterated that Ndigbo have all it takes to replicate Dubai in Igboland to make it a business eldorado going by their entrepreneurial acumen and being the backbone of industrial and infrastructural development across the country.
According to him, Ndigbo world-wide are hungry to invest in their homeland but only need a credible leadership in the new Ohanaeze that will re-assert the undying Biafra spirit and create an enabling environment in conjunction with the governors in the Southeast zone.
He also noted the abundant agricultural potentials in the zone which if well exploited will solve the current unemployment and infrastructural deficit in the abandoned zone by the Federal Government.
Some of the produce of comparative advantage abound in the zone include oil palm, cashew nut, cocoyam and cassava among numerous others.. Chief Nwodo charged every family in Igboland to plant oil palm trees in order to retrieve what they lost to Malaysia.
He urged the Enugu Chapter of Ohanaeze to be the tap root of the President General Chief Nnia Nwodo in restoring the vision of the founding fathers and lauded their total support to him during the election.
Earlier in his speech, the leader of the delegation Dr. Alex Ogbonna commended Dr. Nwodo’s simplicity, integrity and courage and described him as a humble person with intimidating credentials.
He assured him that the new executive is focused on restoring the Igbo spirit and will surely mobilise the entire Igbo nation to actively participate in national programmes such as voters registration, elections and population census among others.
In her vote of thanks, Prof. Helen Nwamba -chairman Standing Committee on Planning and Strategy assured Dr. Nwodo and the Igbo nation that the new Ohanaeze leadership will not fail them but will restore the peoples’ unity and enviable position in the country.
