The Uzodinma Support Initiative (USI), an NGO, has launched a project that would reposition the South East zone for socio-economic and political progress.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the USI is an integrated, non-partisan, socioeconomic, and sociopolitical multi-systems strategy that is focused on creating a conducive, peaceful and enviable future for all Nigerians- through the creation and sustenance of diverse people oriented programmes that are unique to each state in Nigeria.
Unveiliing the project in Enugu, the Convener of the NGO, Mr Ekene Uzodinma, said that the project, which is a non-violence movement, would be a veritable intellectual think-tank to give the South-East futuristic direction.
”The project will be a social engineering platform for intellectuals and professionals to cross-fertilise ideas on the best option of moving the South-East forward and creating a future for younger generation of the zone.
”The main aim of the project is the need to remain relevance in the country by our people producing President of South-East extraction come 2023 general election.
“Leaders in the zone must take responsibility and act intellectually to check degeneration ongoing in the South-East especially in the socio-economic and security fronts.
“There is a need for intellectuals to arise and stop the emerging challenges of the zone, which might overwhelm all of us and turn a once peaceful zone to what looks like a war zone.
“The respected people and traditional rulers in the zone on their part must wake-up and check the level degeneration even from our community levels,” Uzodinma said.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of Enugu Sports Club, Mr Henry Nwosu, urged the people of the South-East to reenact the resilience spirit in them and fight to get whosoever is due to them.
Nwosu said that time had come when the people of the zone must get fully involved in the socio-economic and political governance and control in the country.
Also speaking, Chief Chekwas Okorie, an elder statesman and politician said that the people of the zone had to leverage on the wide-spread of its people in the country to network and get other ethnic groups buying into their 2023 presidential ambition.
“For the Presidential ambition in 2023; we have to do more consultation within ourselves and other ethnic groups as most of them know that we have the success magic,” he said.
In another goodwill message, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former Governor of Anambra, thanked the organisers for the vision of repositioning the zone for greater relevance in the Nigeria nation.
Ezeife, who was represented by Chief Onuorah Nnebugwu, urged South-East intellectuals to take up the challenge of fashioning out and implementing propgrammes meant to make the zone relevant in the scheme of things.
Highlights of the event included: a lecture delivered by Igwe A.I. Ofuebe, the Traditional Ruler of Ifite Ogwari Community in Anambra, on the topic: “Role of Traditional Rulers in Repositioning of Ndi-Igbo”.
There were presentations of “Igbo Icon Awards” to Ezeife, Okorie, Ofuebe and Dr Chike Madueke, Chairman of Urban FM Radio, Enugu. (NAN)
