Rolls Out 25-year Development Plan

Worried by the rising spate of youth restiveness and underdevelopment in the Southeast geopolitical zone, a group – Ala Igbo Development Agenda (AIDA), has debuted to address the socio-economic issues in the geopolitical zone.

During the launch, held at the weekend in Owerri, Imo State, the Convener of group, Chief Sam Anokam, said the group had drawn a 25-year blue print, which would be sent to all the governors in the zone – Imo, Abia, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states, for their attention, to compliment the governors’ development oriented mandate.

According to Anokam, the body, consisting of intelligentsia and captains of industry in the area, had identified the deficit of social amenities, employment opportunities and lack of desired enabling environment as the main causes of exodus of the young ones in the zone to high brow cities like Lagos and Abuja, in search of enhanced living opportunities.

He assured that with the rolling plan, starting almost immediately, the issues that cascaded into insecurity and all forms of agitation, including agitation for Biafra republic, would be addressed and reduced drastically to their barest minimum.

The convener said, already, assemblage of the committed membership of persons to the aspiration, had begun, informing that a Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), would be put in place to address the process, noting that the infrastructure to be put in place would not deter the governors in the zone from providing theirs in line with their mandate.

Anokam pointed out that the body was partly, among others, propelled to carry out the 25-year project, due to the recent embarrassing issue in which Igbo people residing in Lagos were asked to go back to their homes in the Southeast before and after the general elections.

The convener added that the composition of those to handle the development strategy to move the zone to another enviable height consist intelligentsia who are ready to sacrifice their time and resources to traverse the growth of the five states in a sincere manner.

Anokam, said: “We will give ourselves a 25-year development plan which will give us a better Southeast zone. This will stop our young sons and daughters to stop travelling to Lagos and Abuja to look for jobs. With this development initiative, if we develop the zone, the young ones will find those things they look for in Lagos, Abuja and other cities outside the Southeast. It was embarrassing recently when the Igbo people resident in Lagos were asked to go back to their land.

“We will give the blueprint to the governors in the zone. If the governors don’t have time, they should delegate their deputies to join us while we engage the intelligentsia and economic gurus and professionals in the zone to handle the agenda.” (The Guardian)

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