By CHARLES IWUOHA

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has charged the members of the Board and Management of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) to pay attention to power as key to the economic development of the region.

Otti was speaking Thursday, March 6, when he received in audience a delegation of the Board of the South East Development Commission (SEDC). He said that investment into power is what government should do.

?These are the kind of investments that Government should make to stabilise the economy. If the Government don?t stabilize the economy, they can?t deal with unemployment and they can?t deal with poverty ravaging everybody right now.

?You are the regional development body speaking for all of us. An area that is so critical to us, a major area to pay attention is power; electricity.

?If you are talking about industrialization, within small and medium scale enterprises, a major input into virtually every effort people make in industrialization and manufacturing is power.

?So, if you solve that problem, you would have probably solved 60 percent of their problem. Gov. Otti stated.

Revealed that as part of his commitment to support SMEs for the industrialization of the State, his Government supported and assisted Geometric to come on stream, adding that discussions are on with Interstate Electrics Limited for Abia State Government to take over their equity in EEDC to enable the Government to facilitate the provision of power to the rest of the State.

He adding that Geometric has the capacity to generate about 188 megawatts of which 100 megawatts will be enough to power the Aba Ring Fence while the rest can be wheeled to the Umuahia Ring-Fence.

This is contained in statement issued on Friday by his Chief press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha.

The Governor noted that the commission was long overdue because when things like the civil war happens, a country needs to be deliberate in rebuilding the affected parts and reintegrating her into the scheme of things in the Federation but said that the South Easterners have reintegrated themselves through hard work.

?Our people have worked so hard to reintegrate themselves. That is why when you come to Abia State and any other State in South East, our economy is an economy that does not have room for palliatives; all that our people want is that you create an enabling environment and they will sort themselves out.

?We are lucky that people from this side are people who would want to do something. So, when you build road, clean the environment, provide enabling environment for their businesses to thrive, provide good hospitals, they can sort themselves out.

Governor Otti commended President Tinubu for approving the setting up of the commission, appointing and inaugurating the members. He also appreciated the National Assembly for giving the South East Development Commission Bill a speedy passage, saying that the commission would among other things provide an enabling environment and support businesses to thrive.

He expressed the commitment and readiness of his administration to collaborate with the commission for the development of the State and entire region.

Earlier, the Chairman of the commission, Dr. Emeka Wogu, acknowledged the commitment of Governor Alex Otti?s administration in developing the State as evident in many completed and ongoing infrastructural development projects and said that the commission has the mandate to deal with the developmental challenges confronting the Southeast States.

Dr. Wogu singled the Port-Harcourt Road, Ohanku Road, Obiohia Road, Eluama Road in Isiukwuato LGA, Umuahia Arochukwu Road, Ozu Abam ? Ndi Okereke ? Arochukwu Road and the recently flagged-off Omenuko Bridge as ongoing strategic projects being done by Governor Alex Otti.

He pledged the commitment of the commission to support the efforts of the Governor while bridging the development gaps caused by years of neglect as well as position the Southeast for sustainable progress through reconstruction, reconciliation, rehabilitation and in addition, reintegration.

Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the South East Development Commission, Dr. Mark Okoye while presenting the commission's road map, said that the commission has the mandate to bring back the South East economy as the fastest growing economy as it was in the 60?s and 70?s, leveraging on her technological, entrepreneurial and agricultural potentials. He applauded Governor Otti as a jinx breaker for being the first South-East Governor who brought the Construction Giant, Julius Berger to work in the Zone.

In his vote of thanks, an Executive Director of the Commission, Dr. Stanley Ohajuruka extolled the Governor?s developmental strides within 21 months on the saddle. He thanked the Governor for putting the State on the global map and his total departure from the failures of the last 24 years before him.

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