Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has charged traders from the South-East region of Nigeria to invest in manufacturing to boost economic development of the region.
He urged them to think beyond the traditional buying and selling, which according to him, has become endangered by current economic realities.
The Governor stated this on Monday at Government House Umuahia, while inaugurating a seven-man Exploratory Committee for the setting up of University of Science and Technology in Aba, with eminent Nigerian Anya O Anya, a professor, as chairman.
He charged the members to conceptualize and deliver a 21st-century University of Science and Technology to help feed the manpower needs of companies and industries coming up in Aba, Abia State and the South East.
He explained that the university will form the fulcrum that would open new vista of development in the South-East and Nigeria at large.
The Governor enjoined the Committee members to leverage on the advantages of small and medium (SME) manufacturing and availability of massive equipment and resources at the Meteorological Complex in Aba, to drive home the vision of establishing the university.
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Governor Ikpeazu, who described the Committee members as individuals with capacity to drive the vision of building a University of Science and Technology, expressed confidence that the Committee would do a good job.
This is as he urged them to do whatever they thought was needful to achieve the goals of the committee.
According to Ikpeazu, “the essence of the University is to produce manpower that will assist in the economic development of Ndi Igbo, as the position of Ndi Igbo in trade and commerce is been threatened and need to be salvaged, through aggressive technology in its economic development”.
The terms of reference given to the Committee included exploring viability of siting the university in Aba, giving options for funding, leveraging commercial and SME activities around Aba, to drive the university, look at the rich human capital of Ndi Igbo and finding options of collaboration with development partners
Anya.O. Anya, chairman of the Committee, commended the Governor for setting up the committee to develop a university Ndi Igbo and Nigerians at large, would be proud of.
He observed that there could not be an effective Enyimba Economic City without a Science and Technology base and assured that the Committee, would do everything within its powers to achieve the Governor’s vision of building a university Ndi Igbo and Nigeria would be proud of.
He told the Governor that by having the courage to start this, he has initiated a process that would change the course of the State’s development.
Other members of the committee are; Isaac Nnadi, Uwaoma Olewengwa, Benjamin Ozumba, a former Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, John Ogunji and Nduka Okere, while Ikechi Mgbeoji, also a professor, will serve as secretary of the Committee.
