The Igbo race has been described as the greatest stakeholders in the Nigerian project. This formed part of the message delivered by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, at the Imo Economic Stakeholders Summit, held in Owerri.
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His words: “The Igbo are geographically mobile, economically
enterprising and educationally ambitious.
“This Nigerian nation is better with Ndigbo as part of the
dispensation. Our duty as a government and as a people, is to give them the
tools, the platforms and the competence to construct the platforms that awaits
them.
“I dare say that Ndigbo are the greatest stakeholders in the
Nigerian project. Half of Abuja is owned by Ndigbo. Half of the population of
Lagos, is largely made up of Ndigbo.
“There is hardly any place in this country you will not see
Ndigbo. If you don’t see them, you better run away from that place.
“The Federal Government stands ready to support Imo State,
in this investment areas. Our role is to work with you, to unlock opportunities
and to ensure that development gets to all communities.
“Imo is open for business. Nigeria is open for business.
This government stands as your partner in progress.”
Continuing, Tinubu said that the world has moved beyond the
economy that stands solely on natural resources.
He said: “The most competitive nation’s today, are those
that invest in technology and place innovation at the centre of their
development agenda. Innovation must define the next chapter of economic
expansion.
“Nation’s will not rise because one of the corners of the
country ascends, while the others remain dormant. Nation’s rise when every part
of it discovers its promise, lights up its strength and takes up its
responsibilities and economic direction.
“The promise of Imo State and its potentials are unmistaken
and their possibilities ahead should command our attention.
“There is no greater accelerator of national growth than the
deliberate effort than to see that each state steers towards it’s areas of
absolute and comparative advantage.
“The promise of Imo State, should be the promise of
abundance. Across Imo State, we also see the development of digital
infrastructure that attracts ICT funds and fuels modern information economy.
“All these possibilities converge to remind us us that Imo
is not just ready for investment, Imo is primed for transformation.”
Governor Uzodimma
Welcoming me participants earlier, Governor Hope Uzodimma
said that the unique and strategic location of the state comes with
immeasurable commercial opportunities.
His words: “In the next two months, Imo State will be 50
years old. What this means is that it has come of age. It has witnessed
unprecedented prosperity in these years.
“We have also produced the best entrepreneurs and
entertainers all around Nigeria and the world. Yet the state that birthed these
highly successful people is still grappling with challenges of primitive
industrialisation.
“Our economy is still weak, largely agrarian, and
underdeveloped. This explains why, in all these years, we could ill afford to
host an economic and investment summit of this nature and calibre.
“Part of the problem is that, for nearly five decades, Imo
State, like many Nigerian states, pursued development through a flawed model.
“We attempted to incubate economic activity whilst standing
on a foundation crippled by weak infrastructure, unreliable energy, and a land
administration system so manual and prone to fraud that actively discouraged
investment. That model was destined to fail, and it failed.
“So, when we came into
office, we decided to go back to basics: to stop trying to do what the
government cannot do well.
“To focus instead on what the government must do, and that
is to create the perfect enabling environment for investment and development to
thrive.
“I can proudly
declare, without fear of contradiction, that almost six years down the road,
the foundation for investment has been laid by providing basic safety nets,
which embody infrastructure, power, security, and stability.”
While saying that “infrastructure is the backbone of
commerce. Uzodimma also his administration ha constructed over 120 strategic
and economically important roads and bridges that link our 27 local government
areas and neighbouring states, stressing that this “doubles as our trading partners”.
He said: “Our current focus is on the link roads leading to
rural communities to further expand human and commercial mobility across the
entire state.
“A good road network
is fundamental for trade and economic development. They connect the markets and
reduce logistics costs. In most cases, they also reflect the seriousness of the
government in creating the enabling environment for business and development.
“For these reasons and more, we have given road
infrastructure all the seriousness it deserves.
“But, like security,
roads alone are not enough. You still need to address the single biggest
bottleneck to industrialization in Nigeria: power or energy, as some people
prefer to call it.
“You can have the best location, the best workforce, the
best market access, and the best roads, but without reliable electricity, you
will stagnate.
“It is common knowledge that industrial operators in Nigeria
spend more on power generation than they do on salaries. That is not
sustainable.”
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