29/09/2023
‘Exploitation Of Igbos Must Stop’ — Gov Otti Declares, Urges South East Leaders To Uphold Vision Of Azikiwe, Okpara, Others
https://igbocommunityradio.com/exploitation-of-igbos-must-stop-gov-otti-declares-urges-south-east-leaders-to-uphold-vision-of-azikiwe-okpara-others/
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State on Thursday delivered a passionate speech at the South East Economic and Security Summit in Owerri, Imo State, where he called for an end to the exploitation of Igbos and urged leaders of the South East region to uphold the visionary legacy of past generations such as Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe — the first president of Nigeria, and Dr Michael Okpara — Premier of Eastern Nigeria during the First Republic, among others.
In his address, Otti emphasized the need for collective responsibility in developing the South East region and highlighted the importance of addressing two key issues: security and economic prosperity in the region.
The governor called for justice and the need to end the exploitation of the region by those in power, saying the common man in the South East often feels that justice is elusive, hence the need to ensure that every individual’s life, voice, and freedom is guaranteed within the bounds of the law.
“What we must do over the next 2 days is to look ourselves in the eye and admit that we have indeed not lived up to the vision and dreams of our fathers, the men who built what was once one of the most thriving economic centres of enterprise and productivity in the entire world.
“Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Michael Okpara, Dee Sam Mbakwe, Dr. Akanu Ibiam and others achieved so much for this region not because they had all the money in the world. No. What they had was a clear vision of where they wanted the region to be and followed it with the right commitment, made the requisite sacrifices and built the networks and partnerships that enabled them to achieve so much within a very short time,” said the Abia governor.
He expressed concern about the rising incidents of killings and violent crimes in the region and urged the South-East leaders to be intentional about addressing the problems.
“We must work for justice, justice in our communities, justice in our region and justice in the entire land. The common man feels that anything can happen and justice would hardly be done. The extortion and exploitation of our people by those in power must stop and the life, voice and freedom of every individual must count, within the limit permitted by the law.
“We must rise to condemn the rampant acts of bloodletting and other forms of violent crimes in the region. Our culture and tradition regard the human blood as very sacred and we must hold on to that. The desperation to get rich, especially amongst young people, has reached epidemic levels and we must be genuinely worried. Is there anything we can do to make contentment a virtue in our land once again? I will leave that to everyone in this auditorium,” Otti stated.
Furthermore, the governor raised the issue of drug abuse among young people and called for decisive measures to cut off the supply and punish those profiting from it.
According to him, the devastating impact of drug abuse on the region’s youth and the importance of restoring security and sanity in communities cannot be overemphasized.
Governor Otti encouraged investment in the South East, particularly by creating a conducive environment for businesses. He commended industrialists and businessmen who had already invested in the region and urged others to explore the opportunities available.
He urged political leaders to be deliberate about identifying investment opportunities and committing public resources to motivate private investors in th eregion.
Earlier, Otti appreciated his fellow South East governors, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, and the Summit Central Organising Committee, among others for seeking to build a secure and economically robust South East to overcome the region’s challenges, expressing optimism that leaders and stakeholders in the South East would leave the summit with a renewed sense of purpose to address the challenges facing the region and uphold the visionary legacy of the region’s past leaders.
The Abia governor used the occasion to invite attendees to the ground-breaking ceremony of the Abia Industrial and Innovation Park in Owaza in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State sheduled for Saturday.
“The Park, seating on over 1,000 hectares of land, would host multiple layers of businesses including modular refineries, petrochemical and fertiliser plants and several other chains of enterprises that would take advantage of the oil and gas deposits in Ukwa, nearness to Aba and Port Harcourt cities, a seaport in the works, EPZ, twenty four power supply and other components of the larger ecosystem within the community.
“Already, we have secured the support of a major stakeholder to build an innovation and incubation centre within the Park. The facility would train and expose our young minds to the best tools and platforms for their trade. The innovation and incubation centre would specially benefit university students, graduates and start-ups in several ways,” revealed Otti
— Igbo Community Radio Governor Alex Otti of Abia State on Thursday delivered a passionate