The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, at the weekend said Ndigbo would benefit from the current visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United States of America.

Speaking at Awgu, Enugu State, during a reception for an APC chieftain, Emperor Baywood Ibe, Okechukwu revealed that in the course of the US visit, the President would discuss the Eastern Corridor - Lagos-Maiduguri rail project.

According to Okechukwu, the railway will get to Aba, Umuahia and Enugu, with spur branching to Abakiliki, Awka, Owerri, to Lafia and Maiduguri, and Damaturu.

Admonishing Ndigbo, Okechukwu moved a motion for President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure to ensure the completion of this project, which would catalyze development in the South-East. The motion was seconded by retired Group Captain Joe Orji and adopted by all.

He said in addition to the infrastructure development in Igboland, President Buhari is the only person in the North who, constitutionally, has only four years to stay in power and then, it will be the turn of Ndigbo to produce a President for Nigeria.

“Since 1999, the South-West had eight years. The South-South had five years. We are the only region in the Southern geopolitical zone that has not been there since 1999. He urged Ndigbo to vote for Buhari because before you pass an exam, you must read. Any other person saying we should vote for another Northerner is deceiving you” he said.

Okechukwu noted that an Igbo man would bring hard work and entrepreneurship to conclude the foundation laid by President Buhari.

On the appointment of Emperor Baywood Ibe as Chairman, Governing Board of Nigerian Institute of Palm Research (NIFOR), Okechukwu said the President appointed him to revive the palm industry.

“Our son is in charge of the revival of the palm industry in Nigeria where the belt is in the South-East. The President will encourage Chief Ibe to revamp the industry and create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the South-East zone. It is also a way of training our children in agriculture. We thank Mr. President,” the VON DG said.

While also thanking Mr. President for the ongoing infrastructure development in the South-East, Okechukwu recalled that under the immediate past administration of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the South-East had the Secretary to Federal Government (SGF), Deputy Senate President, Ministers of Power and Finance and Chairmen of Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works and yet, our roads in the South-East collapsed.

“Today, Buhari is working on Enugu-Onitsha expressway and Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-Markurdi, Aba-Calabar, Second Niger Bridge, etc. Buhari said soon, he will revamp Enugu coal. Buhari is doing agriculture, railway, road and power. Soon, the Eastern Corridor railway will soon be revamped,” Okechukwu said.

Okechukwu later moved a motion for the endorsement of President Buhari for a second term, which was seconded by Group Captain Joe Orji (rtd) and adopted by the entire Enugu State APC at the event.

The National Vice Chairman of APC, South-East zone, Emma Eneukwu, described Baywood Ibe as a man with a Midas touch who has turned APC into gold.

Eneukwu who was represented by the Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hyacinth Ngwu, said the philanthropic gestures of this man have saved Awgu from eternal damnation.

He pleaded with Emperor Ibe to come and save Enugu State.

“They claim Enugu is in the hands of God. Enugu is not in the hands of God. It is in the hands of a few cabals,” Eneukwu said.

In his 'vote of thanks' speech, Ibe said he was not interested in any elective office but merely answering God’s call to save his people in Awgu.

Ibe, who is the leader of Save Awgu Forum Enugu (SAFE), said: “From Awgu, we will move to save Enugu. In the next one month, we will launch Save Enugu. You can see all the houses bought. We will tell the Federal Government to make sure that Ike Ekweremadu is prosecuted.”

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