Obi of Onitsha asks Ndigbo to invest at home

The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, has asked wealthy Igbo sons and daughters to diversify their investments by bringing them to their fatherland so as to make Igboland economic and industrial power house.

The Monarch who spoke Monday at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Conference Centre, in Awka, the Anambra State capital, said  Ndigbo would not be respected if all their  wealth are outside the shores of Igbo land.

He said that irrespective of the policies of the Federal Government, Ndigbo should not fold their hands but strive to survive against all odds.

The traditional ruler stressed the need for Ndigbo to always think home in the midst of their prosperity outside Igbo land, saying that without a strong home base other people would not respect them.

Agbogidi  said that the Jews did not earn the respect of the world without a homeland, until they became a sovereign nation in 1948 in spite of their successes in different field of  human endeavours.

He called on the political class in Igbo land to be united irrespective of political learnings for the common interest of Igbo race, urging them to eschew   individual competiveness prevalent in Igbo land.

The traditional ruler  said   solid education, food sufficiency, employment creation among others should be the goals of governments in the South East zone..

He thanked Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State for creating conducive security environment that has made it possible for investors to come into  the state, saying that efforts should be made to make Onitsha – Nnewi axis industrial  hub  with the river port.

The monarch also called on various state governments in the South East  to create enabling environment, laws, land reforms to attract  businessmen and women in  the Zone,  stressing  that Ndigbo have limitless opportunities to have giant industrial, economic and even political leap  like the Jews, India and China but they must put their acts together.

Present at the lecture were former Vice-president, Dr. Alex Shume, former deputy governor of the state, Dame Virgy Etiaba, the Speaker of the Anambra state Governor, Mrs. Rita Maduagwu, who represented Governor Obiano, former national chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the chairman and managing director of Daily Times Newspapers, Chief  Fidelis  Anosike among others.