Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti, has disclosed that his administration will on September 30 flag off the construction of a seaport at Owaza, Ukwa East Local Government Area.
Otti disclosed this on Thursday, during the ongoing South-East Economic & Security Summit holding at Landmark Event Center in Owerri, Imo State.
Theme of the summit is: “South East Beyond 2023: Time for Reset”.
The proposed sea port is conceived to also have an Export Processing Zone and other business-promotion facilities.
Otti tasked his governor colleagues to create enabling environment for businesses to thrive, a situation he said will encourage Igbo entrepreneurs to locate thing home while citing their businesses.
“We must encourage our people to look East by creating the right environment for business. It is not enough to tell them to return home.
“We do not have a choice but to create an enabling environment for businesses in our region.
“What we must do over the next two days is to look ourselves in the eye and say to ourselves that we have failed to replicate what our fore leaders created here in Alaigbo which was once known as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
We must rise to condemn the bloodletting and other crimes that shed human blood; our custom and tradition recognise human life as sacred.”
The keynote speaker, and Director General of the World Trade Organization, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, pointed out that South East lost its communality and solidarity which it was known for, and urged that individuality must be eschewed to produce a working environment.
“The biggest problem in the South East is ourselves; we have lost our biggest asset which is community and solidarity. We’re too individualistic, which is good but not when we need to come together.
“Some of the biggest Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Nigeria are Ndị Igbo, if you go to some of the biggest markets around the world, you’ll find various enterprising Ndị Igbo there but our homeland is looking so shabby.”
Ebonyi State governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru represented by his Deputy Mrs. Patricia Obila, called for peace in the region and assured that the State is fully committed to the South East region.
“We need Peace in the South East, we have the best brains in the world, we need to sit together to harness this wisdom and Ebonyi State is fully committed to this course.”
Present the summit were the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma; Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah; Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim; former Chef of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd); former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mike Okiro; CEO of Zinox Computers and Konga, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, among others.