Igbo red cap chiefs

The World Igbo Summit Group (WISG) has adopted the resolutions of its 2016 meeting and called for the immediate implementation of the 50-year visioning plan.

The group took the decision at a post-summit meeting of the group held at the Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) in Abia on Saturday. 22, usoditah

The resolution articulates short term, mid-term and long term strategic ‘plans to “comprehensively tackle the development of Igboland”  and promote the wellbeing of the people.

It also strives to persuade Igbo entrepreneurs and investors in Nigeria and Diaspora to think-home and invest in Igboland.

The motion for the adoption of the document was moved by the Director-General of the group, Dr Ifedi Okwenna, seconded by a  former governor of Anambra,  Dr Chukwuemaka Ezeife.

Prominent Igbo citizens at the meeting included the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, a former Gov. of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo.

Others at the meeting were former President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof. Joe Irukwu, and former Secretary-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Joe Achuzie as well as a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri.

Others in attendance were former ministers of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and, Dr Ihechukwu Maduike, former Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr George Obiozor, and retired Maj-Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, who chaired the meeting.

They said that Ndigbo had held enough conferences and summits on how to achieve economic prosperity and that it was time to put the recommendations and road maps into concrete action.

They stressed the need for Igbo entrepreneurs and investors in other parts of the country and other parts of the world to come home and invest.

They said such a measure would boost the current struggle to achieve economic power for the Igbo nation.

The meeting expressed gratitude to the facilitator of WISG and chancellor of GUU for his untiring efforts in galvanising the group with a view to moving the Igbo nation to the next level.

In her contribution, Onwuliri called for collective effort to save Igbo Language from dying.

She pointed out the preference of Igbo people for other Nigerian languages and English Language to Igbo Language further endangered the language.

Onwuliri called for concerted efforts by wealthy Igbo people to invest in education by establishing universities and other higher institutions of learning in the Southeast.

She expressed worry that although youths of the area ranked tops in the number of candidates seeking university admission annually, the zone had the lowest number of federal, state and private universities.

The Chancellor of GUU, Dr Gregory Ibe, underscored the need for the zone to encourage the study of engineering courses in higher institutions of learning.

Ibe said that most state polytechnics had ceased to offer engineering courses and as such the students opted more for the social sciences and business courses.

He said that the trend portend a bleak future for the envisioned technological development of the area, if urgent steps were not taken to reverse the situation.

The Obi of Onitsha, Achebe, advocated the formulation of a strategic framework for the development of future leaders for Ndigbo.

He urged the summit to articulate a conscious module on how to evolve transformational leaders for the sustainable development of the Igboland.

The President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Nwodo, advocated the use of diplomacy rather than violence in the pursuit of the Igbo agenda.

He called for unity of purpose and commitment to the cause of a united and prosperous Igbo ethnic nationality among various pan-Igbo organisations at home and in Diaspora.

He decried the continued harassment, attacks and massacre of unarmed agitators for the Igbo cause by security agents.

A former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih, remarked that the present Igbo leadership was gradually bowing out of the stage and admonished the youth to begin to prepare themselves to take over the mantle of leadership.