By NewsBits.
Director of World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala has urged Southeast Governors to work as a team and do some financial engineering by creating diaspora point of funds to capture some diaspora remittances and channel them towards financing some development priorities of the zone..
Iweala gave the advice in her keynote speech at the Southeast Economic and Security Summit held at Landmark Event Center, Owerri, Imo State capital. The meeting was put together by the five South East Governors under the chairmanship of Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State..
The former Minister of Finance in Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo administration said Igbo are highly educated scattered across the world, contributing to the economic growth of the countries where they reside, adding that they are ready to contribute to the economic growth of the Southeast geo-political zone..
She said during her time as Finance Minister, Nigeria generated a diaspora fund of $200m, pointing out that World Bank currently recorded almost $21b diaspora remittance in 2022, the largest remittance rate in Africa, which a significant amount comes from South Easterners in the diaspora..
The WTO boss said for most of the economic opportunities she enumerated to be fully harnessed, urging the Federal and state governments to improve the macroeconomic management which would enable the country to attract domestic and foreign investments.
She expressed optimism in the economic reengineering of the Southeast, as according to her, the coming together of the Southeast Governors at this point shows that they are passionate about the development of the zone. In his address, Governor Uzodimma described the summit as a new dawn in the Southeast, stressing that such gatherings were used to initiate most of the self-help developmental efforts, which the Southeast zone was known for.
He however traced the problem to lack of unity, as Igbo no longer speak in one voice even as some Igbo refused to properly identify themselves with the Igbo race. For the solution, the governor said, “We need to start telling ourselves some bitter home truths. We need to return to the golden era of Igbo State Unions. I am not calling for the rebirth of the Igbo State Union, but the reinvention of the spirit, since Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is now filling the vacuum”.
Uzodimma expressed the need for Igbo sons and daughters to support Ohanaeze Ndigbo by penetrating the rural areas with preaching of good morals among the youths. On security, the governor noted that the zone was witnessing a very uncommon time in its history as killing, maiming and destruction of property have become the order of the day in the region.
He insisted that the zone must work together in many ways than one to handle the insecurity challenge, adding, “We must rise from this summit with a clear roadmap to ensure that our people must work, carry out their economic activities every day of the week without any inhibition from non-state actors.
The host governor made it clear that Nigeria is the only country we can call our own as Igbo need Nigeria as much as the country needs the Igbo. Some recommendations made by the governor to the summit organizing committee included; “To adopt the summit as an annual meeting of South East leaders and stakeholders, Need to reinvigorate the Igbo spirit of Onyeaghalanwanneya.”
Earlier in his address, chairman of the Summit Day 1, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim acknowledged that Ndigbo just like other segments of Nigeria are facing serious economic and security challenges.
The former President of the Senate and Secretary of Government of the Federation (SGF) explained, “We are here to show our collective will, our determination and our solidarity in the search for solution to our challenges. Above all, we are here to send a clear message to our people, at home and abroad, and to our fellow Nigerians that the Igbo nation strives to become more visible in order to be more effective in contributing in the search for national consensus on equity, peace and development.”
Also, in her speech earlier, the chairperson, planning committee of the Summit, Senator Chris Anyanwu said that the insecurity in the land had impacted so negatively in the lives of the people and the once bubbling economy of the Southeast region. She said the summit was not for lamentations but to jointly search for solution as the committee was able to gather formidable experts, intellectuals, high level technocrats and professionals in revered fields across the world.
They worked intensively for over three months, sacrificing their time and talent to study the problem of insecurity and its impact on the economy and designing a way forward for the Southeast zone.
