By Adadareporters
The member representing Enugu-East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon Paul Nnamchi, has said he sponsored the bill to establish the Federal College of Agriculture and Vocational Technology, Ako-Nike in Enugu-East Local Government Area of Enugu State to bring development to South East.
Nnamchi, a professor, spoke on Friday in Enugu. He said when the institution becomes operational, the agricultural and vocational needs of the people of the South East would be addressed.
Quoting him, “I moved the motion because Enugu is an agrarian state. Enugu-East LGA, where I come from, has a large expanse of land. We have to grow food; not just to eat but also for commercial purposes.
“The institution will bring development and job opportunities. We are looking at agricultural entrepreneurship. We denigrate farmers down here but in the United States, farmers control the wealth.
“Everything is in agriculture. In fact, electricity could be produced from waste coming from the agricultural sector. Knowledge is power. We can’t just be importing. At times, when there is one incident some places, some agro-products will cease coming to the South East.”
On how he factored his constituency into year’s budget, Nnamchi said, “I reminded House members that our people are commerce-driven, therefore, there is the need for an effective transportation system. Carrying goods from the East to the North has been difficult because of the road system. Rail transportation is where I drew the attention of the members. The ones we have are not maintained, and new ones are not being built. We are also looking at having a dry seaport at Emene. Greater percentage of Enugu East and Isi-Uzo will benefit.”
He also spoke on the increasing insecurity in South-East, and how lawmakers from the zone are responding to the scourge: “We have a lawmakers’ caucus that meets from time to time. We discuss ideas to use non-kinetic means to curb insecurity in our zone. It is about giving the people what they need. They need education, jobs and general hope. Nobody that sees tomorrow better will carry guns. The agitation is because some people feel they don’t have hope. Our people feel cheated, and that is the root cause of the agitation.”
