Gov. Ugwuanyi, South East leaders restate call for completion of 2nd Niger Bridge …as Obasanjo urges Ndigbo to look inwards to develop zone

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, other governors of the

South East zone as well as major stakeholders in the zone who converged in Enugu Thursday for an economic and security summit have

reiterated the call of the people of the area on the federal government to complete the second Niger Bridge.

Former president of the country, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who also attended the summit charged the people of the zone to exploit their known entrepreneurial acumen to look inwards to develop the South East zone.

The event which held at the Government House, Enugu attracted front line Igbo leaders who, in their separate speeches decried the level of

infrastructural decay in the zone, called for increased federal presence and general social and political justice as they affect the people of the area.

Among the Igbo leaders that graced the summit were the deputy Senate

President Chief Ike Ekweremadu, the governors of Ebonyi, Chief Dave

Umahi, Abia,  Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the deputy governor of Anambra, Dr. Nkem Okeke , the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and the convener of the event, Prof Barth Nnaji.

While reading his welcome address,  Governor  Ugwuanyi, whose speech

set the tone for the general clarion call for the improvement of the lot of Ndigbo in Nigeria, described the summit as a veritable platform to discuss the peace and economic growth of the geopolitical zone and the country in general.

He underscored the importance of the summit, stressing that security

and economic
development play vital roles in the upkeep of humanity.

The governor also explained that the summit will afford the people

ample opportunity to discuss the two vital elements that can make the

zone  move forward, calling on the federal government to

rehabilitate federal infrastructures in Enugu state and the other parts of the

geo-political zone in general.
Also addressing the gathering, Chief Obasanjo noted that

South East geo-political zone is endowed with much human and natural

resources which if properly harnessed, would go a long way to launch

the whole country into economic buoyancy.
According to Chief Obsanjo, 'if the economy of the people is not taken

care of and if the security is not taken care of, the economy of your

people will diminish, so the two are symbolic…security by

itself is not deficit, if there is no security in any part of Nigeria

there is no security in Nigeria', he noted.
He commended the South East governors and other stakeholders for their

ingenuity, advocating for periodic meetings among them with a view to

charting a positive course for the rapid development of the zone.. end