Ohanaeze Commends Gov Uzodimma For Initiating ‘Most Vital Project For South East’

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has commended Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State for initiating a sea route through the Orashi River/Oguta Lake, Degema to the Atlantic Ocean.

Ohanaeze stated this during its June National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Enugu. The pan-Igbo group said with the project, Governor Uzodimma had embarked on ‘one of the most vital projects for the Southeast of Nigeria’.

Ohanaeze, in a release by its national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, added that ‘Gov Uzodimma has responded to the age-long yearnings and dreams of the entire Igbo’. The release was made available to THE WHISTLER on Sunday.

Quoting it, “Like Hercules, Gov Uzodimma is poised to clean the Augean stable by demystifying the much-touted Igbo land-lock phenomenon. This development will enable businessmen from the South East to import and receive their goods in the comfort of their homes from all over the world.”

Ohanaeze further noted that Uzodimma’s vision ‘attracted the interest of the federal government to declare the Oguta Lake-Orashi River as an Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone’.

According to the statement, “One of the benefits of a free trade zone is to attract foreign investments which will in turn help create jobs and economic growth, thereby reducing unemployment and insecurity.

“The dredging and opening up of the two rivers to the Atlantic will benefit not only the Imo State’s economy but that of the South-East, the Nigerian nation and the West African sub-region.

“Ohanaeze is excited that the Uzodimma stride in expanding the economy and social frontiers of the South East. Ohanaeze, led by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, is committed to an entirely new paradigm for Ohanaeze Ndigbo; an Ohanaeze that will create and drive a vision for Igboland for socio-economic transformation; and an Ohanaeze that will be concerned with a governance template for the Igbo states.”