By Adadainfo
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Sunday, praised Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma for embarking on the dredging of a sea route from the Orashi River/Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean.
Ohanaeze stated this during its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Enugu. The body, in a release by its national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said with the project, Governor Uzodimma had embarked on ‘one of the most vital projects for the Southeast of Nigeria’.
The release read in part, “Gov Uzodimma has responded to the age-long yearnings and dreams of the entire Igbo. 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 observed 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’.
The release read further, “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.”
