By Jennifer John
Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and current Director of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala has urged South East 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 this advice in her keynote speech during the South East Economic and Security Summit, put together by the five South East Governors, under the leadership of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and held at Landmark event center, Owerri, the Imo State capital.
She Said Igbos are highly educated scattered across the world, contributing to the economic growth of the countries where they reside, even as they are willing and ready to contribute to the economic growth of the South East.
She said during her time as finance minister, Nigeria generated a diaspora fund of $200m, even as the World Bank has 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, the federal and state governments will have to improve the macroeconomic management, which will enable the country to attract domestic and foreign investments.
She expressed her optimism in the economic reengineering of the South East, as according to her, the coming together of the South East Governors at this point shows that they are passionate about the development of the zone.
In his address, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma described the summit as a new down in the South East, as according to him, it was such gatherings that were used to initiate most of the self-help developmental efforts that the South East is known for.
He noted that Igbos were in the high echelon development in Nigeria in both the pre-colonial and immediate post-colonial era, wondering why Igbos could achieve much then when Igbos recorded many firsts.
He however traced the problem to a lack of unity, as Igbos no longer speak in one voice, even as some Igbo refuse 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, to penetrate the rural areas, with the preaching for 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 properties have become the order of the day in the region.
He insisted that the zone must work together in many ways to handle the insecurity challenge, adding that “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 nonstate actors.
The Imo State Governor made it clear that Nigeria is the only country we can call our own, as according to him, Igbos need Nigeria as much as the country needs the Igbos
Some recommendations made by the governor to the summit organizing committee included;
To adopt the summit as an annual meeting of Southeast East leaders and stakeholders,
Need to reinvigorate the Igbo spirit of Onyeaghalanwanneya.
Earlier in his address, chairman of day 1 of the summit, former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (AGF), Senator Pius Anyim acknowledged that Ndigbo, just like other segments of Nigeria is facing serious economic and security challenges.
“We are here to show our collective will, our determination, and our solidarity in the search for solutions 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 to be more effective in contributing to the search for national consensus on equity, peace and development”.
Also in her speech earlier, the chairperson, of the planning committee of the summit, Senator Chris Anyanwu said the insecurity in the land has impacted so negatively on the lives of the people and the once bubbling economy of the South East region.
She said the summit was not for lamentations, but to jointly search for solutions, as according to her, the committee was able to gather a formidable of certified experts, intellectuals, high-level technocrats, and professionals in revered fields from across the world who 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 South East.
