South East
Igbo Summit Group Adopts 50-Year Dev Plan
The World Igbo Summit Group (WISG) has adopted the resolutions of its 2016 meeting and called for the immediate implementation of the 50-year visioning plan.
The group took the decision at a post-summit meeting of the group held at the Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) in Abia State on Saturday.
The resolution articulates short term, mid-term and long term strategic ‘plans to “comprehensively tackle the development of Igboland” and promote the wellbeing of the people.
It also strives to persuade Igbo entrepreneurs and investors in Nigeria and Diaspora to think-home and invest in Igboland.
The motion for the adoption of the document was moved by the Director-General of the group, Dr Ifedi Okwenna, seconded by a former governor of Anambra, Dr Chukwuemaka Ezeife.
Prominent Igbo citizens at the meeting included the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo.
Others at the meeting were former President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof. Joe Irukwu, and former Secretary-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Joe Achuzie as well as a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri.
Others in attendance were former ministers of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and, Dr Ihechukwu Maduike, former Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr George Obiozor, and retired Maj-Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, who chaired the meeting.
They said that Ndigbo had held enough conferences and summits on how to achieve economic prosperity and that it was time to put the recommendations and road maps into concrete action.
They stressed the need for Igbo entrepreneurs and investors in other parts of the country and other parts of the world to come home and invest.
They said such a measure would boost the current struggle to achieve economic power for the Igbo nation.
The meeting expressed gratitude to the facilitator of WISG and chancellor of GUU for his untiring efforts in galvanising the group with a view to moving the Igbo nation to the next level.
In her contribution, Onwuliri called for collective effort to save Igbo Language from dying.
She pointed out the preference of Igbo people for other Nigerian languages and English Language to Igbo Language further endangered the language.
Onwuliri called for concerted efforts by wealthy Igbo people to invest in education by establishing universities and other higher institutions of learning in the Southeast.
She expressed worry that although youths of the area ranked tops in the number of candidates seeking university admission annually, the zone had the lowest number of federal, state and private universities.
The Chancellor of GUU, Dr Gregory Ibe, underscored the need for the zone to encourage the study of engineering courses in higher institutions of learning.
Ibe said that most state polytechnics had ceased to offer engineering courses and as such the students opted more for the social sciences and business courses.
He said that the trend portend a bleak future for the envisioned technological development of the area, if urgent steps were not taken to reverse the situation.
The Obi of Onitsha, Achebe, advocated the formulation of a strategic framework for the development of future leaders for Ndigbo.
He urged the summit to articulate a conscious module on how to evolve transformational leaders for the sustainable development of the Igboland.
The President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Nwodo, advocated the use of diplomacy rather than violence in the pursuit of the Igbo agenda.
He called for unity of purpose and commitment to the cause of a united and prosperous Igbo ethnic nationality among various pan-Igbo organisations at home and in Diaspora.
He decried the continued harassment, attacks and massacre of unarmed agitators for the Igbo cause by security agents.
A former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih, remarked that the present Igbo leadership was gradually bowing out of the stage and admonished the youth to begin to prepare themselves to take over the mantle of leadership.
The police in Ebonyi State say they have discovered the body of a yet to be identified middle-aged woman in a hotel room in Abakaliki, the state capital. The spokesperson of the police in the state, Loveth Odah, stated this yesterday.
She said the body has deep cuts on the chest and neck and has been deposited in a mortuary. According to the spokesman, it was discovered at Crown Garden Hotel located along the ever-busy Afikpo road in the capital city.
Mrs Odah, who said that the victim was found in the pool of her own blood, said the suspect had been identified as one Uchenna Awoke.
She said the hotel manager, Emmanuel Eze, the supervisor, and other workers had been taken to the police station for questioning and accused the hotel management of negligence.
“The manager of the hotel, the supervisor and other staff of the hotel were taken to the station for questioning and I must confess to you that the whole thing is negligence on the part of the hotel management. How can a guest be murdered in a hotel room and days after, the management is not aware of the incident.”
“We will investigate the matter properly and I assure you, the perpetrator of the act must be arrested and prosecuted. All we are asking is for the members of the public to avail the police of useful information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect.”
The Senate yesterday passed the South East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill 2018.
The proposed commission aims at enhancing the infrastructural development of the South East zone, which is grappling with huge ecological challenges.
It also seeks to act as a catalyst for the development of the commercial potential of the zone.
The proposed legislation requires the concurrence of the House of Representatives to become a bill of the National Assembly, and the President’s assent to become a law.
Senators Stella Oduah (PDP-Anambra) and Samuel Anyanwu (PDP-Imo) jointly sponsored the bill read in the Senate on June 22, 2016.
Its passage in the Red Chamber followed the presentation of the report of the Committee on Establishment and Public Service by its former Chairman, Senator Emmanuel Paulker (PDP-Bayelsa), on the floor of the Senate.
The bill, after Paulker’s presentation, was considered clause by clause by the committee of the whole, and amendments made by the lawmakers were read for the third time and eventually passed.
In his remarks, presiding Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, commended his colleagues for a job well done.
In his words, “Every morning we pray that God should give us the grace to do only those things that will promote the peace and unity of this country.
“I believe that we have shown today that we are committed to the unity of this country, and it is this unity that will give us faith in this country.
“This faith will in turn help us to pursue peace and progress,” he said.
Briefing newsmen after plenary, members the South East caucus of the Senate, led by Sen. Enhinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia), thanked their colleagues and members of the committee for their efforts.
Abaribe, who spoke on behalf of the caucus, urged the President to sign the bill into law “as soon as we tidy it up and bring to him, in the interest of the unity and progress of Nigeria”.
“This will put to rest the long-drawn agitation in the South East, and the difficulties in the rehabilitation and reconciliation efforts that started at the end of the civil war.
“All things we see always will end up at the negotiating table, which is what we have done,” he said.
The lawmaker said he hoped the House of Representatives would give concurrence to the bill as it went in the Senate.
When established, the South East Development Commission would be the third zonal interventionist body in the country.
Bishop David Oyedepo, the Founder and Presideng Bishop, Living Faith Church Worldwide, on Saturday predicted that nothing would disturb the peace of Nigeria and its story would change for the better in the year 2019.
Oyedepo made the declaration at the just concluded annual prophetic gathering of the Winners’ family, christened the “Dominion”, in a satellite telecast of the church.
In the telecast monitored in Abuja, the cleric also declared that 2019 would be a year of “I have Dominion”.
“Nothing will tamper with the peace of Nigeria; the story will change for the better in the name of Jesus.
“Nigeria shall not see bloodshed, the Prince of Peace will continue to dominate in Nigeria, in Africa and Nigeria is declared blessed.
“Anywhere you step, accident is forbidden; death will not come near you and our nation.
“Anything that is of grace in my life, I freely release upon you today.
“God has opened the year 2019 to us, celebrate Him because its our year of “I have Dominion,” he said.
The Bishop added that the year 2019 would be a year of humbling testimonies for Nigeria and pace-setting testimonies.
He further declared that 2019 would be a colourful year for the nation.
According to the cleric, as long as Jesus has the final say on the issues of Nigeria, it will experience greatness.
Oyedepo said that there would be no more cause of alarm in any area of the nation and its citizens.
He advised Christians in Nigeria to delight themselves in the spirit of servant-hood, adding that the spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood.
“The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood. As you keep rising on the ladder of leadership, you must retain our spirit of servant-hood, constantly working to add value to others and be kingdom minded,” he said.
According to him, dedication is at the root of dominion, saying: “Sow yourself as a seed by being totally dedicated to God and His Kingdom’’.
He told his congregation that sacrificial giving guarantees the meeting of all their needs.
“When you engage in taking care of the well-being of others, God is also committed to your well-being,” he explained. The cleric admonished Christians would engage in meeting the needs of the needy, every barrier on their path of destiny would be crushed.
“Nobody tampers with your life, your career, your family and goes away with it because you are promoted to God’s kingdom.
“God will stand for your defence in the day of trouble. Every sacrificial giver has a defence around him in the day of trouble always have that in mind,” he said.
He reminded his congregation that the Church is not a building; the Church is a people and the Redeemed of the Lord.