Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has tasked Igbos of the Southeast Geopolitical zone to leverage on their comparative advantage and God-given potentials to better the lot of the zone, as there is no alternative to the survival and future of Ndi Igbo.
Governor Ikpeazu who was speaking at the Okezie Victor Ikpeazu leadership Colloquium with the theme: “Socio-Economic Future of Ndigbo, Setting The Agenda”, as part of activities to mark his 58th birthday celebration held at his country home, Umuobiakwa, Obingwa, noted that Ndi Igbo must go the extra mile to overcome factors such as insecurity and other challenges which have hampered the development of the region.
He stated that beyond having a united and enlightened group agenda, people of the region have done well through hardwork and enterprise but are yet to play big in the Nigerian project.
Ikpeazu who stressed the need for Ndi Igbo to develop a philosophy that will serve as guide in all their dealings as a people regretted that lack of belief in themselves and absence of an Igbo philosophy have held the region down.
In his words: “Two things impede the advancement of Ndi Igbo. The first is that we don’t have a philosophy for anything we do, no philosophy for politics, no philosophy for developmental agenda, no philosophy for investment, no philosophy for security, no philosophy for anything.
“The second one is lack of belief, we don’t believe in ourselves yet we are the greatest people”Ikpeazu said.
Governor Ikpeazu who said he would want to remembered for his intervention in the Enyimba Economic City project and the Geometric Power Project,called on the Igbo business community to invest in the region.
In their contributions, some panelists, including the National President of NACCIMA,Ide John Udeagbala , the CEO of Geometric Power Professor Bath Nnaji,Chief Daal Uzu and Professor Gabriel Okenwa said that it is time for Igbo business men to be deliberate about investing in Igboland and called on Ndi Igbo to be united in order to achieve uninterrupted development in Igboland.
