Nigeria’s Deputy President of the Senate, Dr Ike Ekweremadu has expressed concern over the non-inclusion of the South East geopolitical zone among states designated economic zones in the country.
The lawmaker, who spoke during his campaign tour of Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, however, assured that the issue would be raised in the senate before the end of the present administration with a view to addressing the imbalance.
He said that the South East deserved a free trade zone that would fast-track economic development of the area.
Ekweremadu also promised to collaborate with the incoming government in the state to find a lasting solution to the problem of perennial traffic gridlock in Ninth Mile area of Enugu State.
He recalled his sad experience in the area last December when holiday makers were held up for several hours on account of traffic gridlock caused by lack of alternatives routes for travelers.
The Deputy Senate President assured that the problem would be eliminated before the end of the year to ensure that travelers passing through the commercial town do so without hitches.
He said: “Let me say that the South East is the only zone in this country without an economic zone. Of all the 35 economic zones in the country there is none for the South East. As we go back this time, we will do everything humanly possible to bring an economic zone to the South East and it will be situated at Ninth Mile.
“We want to make sure that our people have jobs and we want to increase the economic potential of the state and increase the opportunities available to our young ones. We want to see an Enugu West and Enugu State where people will leave other states and come and reside and do business because of the available manpower, resources and skills. That is our vision in the next four years.
“We are going to develop a masterplan for Enugu West that is going to key into the masterplan of Enugu State that will make sure that our own will be a model. We hope that by the time we finished, Ninth Mile will wear a new look”, he pledged.
Ekweremadu, who earlier inspected the National Youth Development Centre at Ngwo Uno, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work so far done on the project.
He disclosed that he had held discussions with some Italian firms for a partnership that would facilitate skill acquisition training for inmates of the centre and four similar ones built in the five local government areas of Enugu West Senatorial zone. According to him, the Catholic Church is already negotiating to take the Oji River Youth Centre for effective management under its skill acquisition programme for Nigerian youths.
He, however, expressed gratitude to the people of Enugu West for their unalloyed support since he began to represent them at the National Assembly and urged them to support President Goodluck Jonathan and other Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates in the general elections.
The Deputy Senate President, who was accompanied on the campaign tour by the State PDP Deputy Governorship candidate, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze, PDP House of Representatives candidates for Awgu, Aninri and Oji River Federal Constituency, Hon. Toby Okechukwu and his Udi/Ezeagu counterpart, Mr. Dennis Amadi and the PDP chieftains, also paid a sympathy visit to the family of Chief Tony Eze, whose compound at Amokwe Udi was hit by fireworks explosion last weekend.
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