The people of the South-East should use their rich mineral resources to propel the country’s industrialisation, according to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
During Wednesday’s Vision 2050 South-East Stakeholders Forum, the Vice President delivered the following remarks. The forum’s topic was “Charting a Shared Vision for Sustainable Prosperity for South-East Nigeria,” and it was held at the International Conference Centre in Enugu.
He went on to say that the Southeast Vision 2050 is the cornerstone of federal policy, resources, and political will’s commitment to regional development.
The South and East are vital to federal development programs, says the Vice President, because of the region’s entrepreneurial drive. The regional leaders should rally around President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he urged.
At the event, Vice President Shettima praised Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru for mediating the peace talks between the Amasiri and Oso Edda communities.
He was certain that Governor Nwifuru’s approach would bring lasting peace to the area and praised his maturity and impartiality in handling the problem.
During his speech on the topic of “Feeding and Building the South-East Region for Agro- and Solid Minerals-Led Industrialisation,” Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State stated that the state is actively attempting to utilise its abundant mineral resources to propel national development, with a focus on the South-East region.
The formation of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) was a direct result of the President’s plan to improve the federating units, and Governor Nwifuru was very appreciative of this.
Ebonyi State has an abundance of granite, salt, limestone, zinc, and lead. The focus will move from informal licensing to formal licensing, screening investors, community engagement, and the direct objective of connecting extraction to local processing under a reform-oriented strategy.
The long-term goal of building two cement factories is the bedrock of our strategy. Our closeness to limestone, gypsum, and cement raw materials allows us to realise this ambition.
“Meanwhile, we’re aiming to exploit salt resources to supply the food processing and chemical industries, as well as process lead and zinc to feed metal fabrication industries.”
Aiming for the initiative’s complete realisation, the governor praised the committee and urged his colleagues governors to do the same.