Worried by the dearth of industries and economic development of the Owerri Senatorial Zone (Imo East), Owerri People’s Assembly (OPA), an apex socio-cultural organisation, has said it would no longer fold its arms seeing poverty and underdevelopment ravaging the zone which hosts the capital of Imo State.
It therefore, wants to initiate a programme of rural and economic development of the zone where people of means would be advised to build some industries, and those whose factories and industries are domiciled outside the zone would either relocate or open branches within the zone.
The President-General of the Assembly, a renowned politician and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, said this during the commissioning of a 40- member committee of OPA to look into various ways to achieve massive economic development of the zone in Owerri.
The committee inaugurated composed of men and women who are versed in various fields of life and drawn from the nine local government areas that made up the zone. Iwuanyanwu regretted that the zone has not been given its fair share for the past 16 years by the state and Federal Government, even though the zone hosts the state capital.
“We have not been in government for a long time but we should not fold our hands and allow this to continue. Today, we are ageing, the younger ones will definitely take over from us and we should lay a solid foundation for them”, Iwuanyanwu said.
According to him, “Owerri People’s Assembly will protect the interest of its people, but we are not going to be in opposition to the government but friendly to government.”
Responding on behalf of the 40-man committee, Henry Njoku, a professor and deputy chairman, who spoke on behalf of Sam Obaji, the chairman, thanked the governing council.
He pledged that those appointed would do their utmost best to initiate policies and progammes that will ensure that “we live in harmony with others from Orlu and Okigwe zones.”
SABY ELEMBA, OWERRI
