An Igbo economic pressure group, Southeast Vanguard for Good Governance, has described the proposed Oji River Industrial City by the Enugu State government as a game changer which will revamp the economy of the South East. Speaking after the recently concluded Southeast Economic and Security Summit, the convener of the group, Desmond Okoli said that going by recent developments, it appears that the governors in the Southeast have decided to put the region where it rightly belongs as a hub for commerce and industry.
He said that with projects like the Oji River Industrial City, which would be located at Ugwuoba, the border town between Enugu and Anambra States, the Igbo would be able to come home and invest. He said he has gone through the mission statement of Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, who initiated of the project and concluded that the project would transform the economy of the Southeast as a whole. He said what Mbah has done in his private capacity as an entrepreneur is what he is trying to replicate now that he is the elected governor of Enugu State.
His words: “The Oji River Industrial City is going to be a game changer for investors and other people in Enugu State in particular and the Igbo in general. It is going to be a win-win for all those that would be involved, either directly or indirectly, especially the host communities, the investors, the government and the people of Enugu state. It is a landmark project that would make Oji River the centre of industrial and technology development, not just in Enugu state but in the Southeast.”