Follow Us on Google
By Clem Aguiyi
FIRST let’s start with the titbits of what
Prof Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala had to say. Her
speech at the South East Summit really cut
deep and had all spellbound.
She started by chastising us on how we
have been our biggest enemy by not sup-
porting each other – we are too individual-
istic, leaving the sense of common purpose
and focusing on fragmentation.
She talked about the security challenges
and why we should continue to work to-
wards ending it. She talked about the gas
project currently ongoing in the region and
encouraged the governors to push on. She
believes we can do better and should hold
ourselves to higher standard after all, we
are Ndi Igbo and should never settle for
less. She pointed out the Budgit statistics
figure which shows that some South East-
ern states are doing relatively well, espe-
cially Ebonyi and Anambra, but insisted
that it is below expectation as we should
aim higher. She admonished the governors
to improve their IGR and make judicious
utilization of the FAAC.
She talked about infrastructure and how
bad we have done so far. She suggested we
plan on exiting the national grid for spe-
cial area, and emulate Bath Nnaji who has
done something worthy of note.
She pointed out how hardworking and
entrepreneurial we are as Ndi Igbo as she
has witnessed our people across the world.
But she expressed worry on how these en-
trepreneurial skills are yet to make any im-
pact in the region. She talked about mov-
ing away from just building mansions in
our villages to building sustainable growth.
Can we attract these supply
chains she asked? The world is
moving towards AI, digital econo-
my, fintech, electric car, etc.
She talked about how digital trade, that
digital services can be utilized to enhance
creative Industry in the region. “We need
digital infrastructure to make our region
attract digital infrastructure. Online op-
portunities should be made available for
our teeming youths. Can we have Enugu
silicon valley?
Digital economy should be given a spe-
cial attention as more business transac-
tion takes place via this means. She talked
about manufacturing in Aba and Nnewi,
but suggested how we can activate indus-
tries in Owerri and Abakiliki as well.
Another huge resource we have and
haven’t utilized is the Diaspora resources.
She spoke extensively on how this has
helped but not in a way that is regenera-
tive. She encouraged that we intentionally
make South-East the service hub for edu-
cation, and a service hub for health by
encouraging Diaspora doctors to come
home and build hospitals, referencing her
husband.
Diaspora for financing: She suggested
that the governors come together and float
the South-East diaspora bond that can trap
all these monies.
On his part Soludo dwelt on majorly five
key points. The first was his gratitude to
his colleague governors and Igbo leaders
for the new spirit.
His words: I want to say on behalf of
myself, the government and great people
of Anambra State, that we are committed
to this South-East agenda. It is not just
talk, we have already started demonstrat- ing this, the way we are already conduct- ing ourselves. This is really a new dawn in the South-East and for those I hear and
see on television talking and admonishing
the South-East governors to come together
and unite, we are and I am very delighted
to be part of this very particular group.
When we had our first or second South-
East governors Forum in Enugu, we dem-
onstrated that by all of us being in atten-
dance as it were. And today we are here
and part of that commitment to show that
wherever in igboland, we are together.
Ideally, this kind of summit should have
been held in our political capital Enugu
but here we are in Owerri, demonstrating
that commitment and solidarity with one
another.
I want to thank the governor of Enugu
who a few days ago, hosted the Truth, Jus-
tice and Peace Commission that I set up
last year and all the security advisers of the
five South-East governors were there and
you guys met. I have received the report
and I want to believe our governors will
consider it in due course.
A new dawn, a new team, now gives
us the agenda. And that brings me to my
third point, which is, we need a plan. We
all have ideas but for the organizers of this
summit, what we need and will very much
cherish from all of you is not just a two-
year or five-year plan but a Vatican plan for
centuries. Give us a 100 year plan for the
South-East. In Anambra, we developed a
50-year plan, vision 2070. My manifesto
derived from that 50-year plan. We are
intentionally, deliberately implementing
that. We need a plan because if you don’t
have a destination in mind, any road will
take you there.
I want to believe that by the end of this
summit, we have a working group that will
give us a South-East plan and an agenda.
The next one is Homeland consciousness. What will it take to implement this
plan? If we don’t have the Homeland con-
sciousness, we don’t believe in ourselves,
this will not be achieved so let us believe.
I have heard the speeches given and
books of lamentations. It’s very good to
lament but I rather like to see the glass as
half-full than half empty. The South-East
is ready for business, the South-East is ripe
for business and we must believe in our
ability to turn things around and get the
South-East going again. That must be the
outcome of this particular summit.
We can lament about the insecurity and
so on and so forth. This is not the most in-
secure place in the world. Other places are
thriving in spite of their own insecurity.
When I arrived in Anambra, eight lo-
cal governments were totally under siege
by these hoodlums. They are all gone, we
are settling into business. They would not
deter us, Anambra, the South-East and all
of us. We must be determined to move our
place forward in spite of the challenges.
South-East indigenes must not wait for
all the problems to be solved by the Gov-
ernors before they can come to invest in
the zone. If they don’t stop seeing the
only gloom and doom, this place will be a
desolate homeland. The South-East renais-
sance should not stop at self-belief, the re-
gion should also partner with the rest of the
country, the Diaspora and the international
community. We need not just ourselves,
we need Nigeria. Ndigbo needs Nigeria
and Nigeria needs Ndigbo. Ndigbo needs
Africa and the world, and the World and
Africa need Ndigbo. As an itinerant peo- ple, we cannot be an intolerant people.
We need the partnership of everybody,
partnership of the rest of the country, part- nership of the Diaspora and partnership
with the international community.
