Faced with anti-zonal neighbourhood aggression, a developmental initiative, Eastern Nigeria Development New Jerusalem City Project, has inaugurated steering committees for the development of the Igbo-speaking south east, south south and middle belt areas of the country.
Addressing the occasion, the convener, Vincent Anthony Ubani said the occasion was “to commence the journey to redeem and re-invent the place of the Igbos and every single ethnic nationality who are co-habitants and or, original owners of this great Eastern Nigeria, by this enviable project in view”.
“This move is long over due, although certainly, some steps had been taken towards this direction in the past, but sincerely, not much was achieved. Fortunately and unfortunately somehow, these trending urgly senarios of this dispensation have clearly shown us that until we become more committed and devoted in liberating ndi Igbo and all our sister ethnic nationalities that form this Eastern Nigerian States, from this embarrassment of incessant humiliations and insinuations from our presumed fellow citizens, precisely, the Northerners and the Westerners of our country, even without any noticeable provocation as a matter of fact”, he said
“By this gathering which is the first of its kind, we are about taking our very bold first steps by unreservedly inserting all our resources, our potentials and every God given prowess as Ndi Igbo and the entire South South tribes for, to lay a consolidated and enduring foundation of brotherhood and co habitation with this project.
“The inauguration of these working committees and their sub committees is to give them power to carry on their day to day responsibilities to meet the goal and target of this project, to rescue our people’s lives, their movable properties, businesses and investments back home to rebuild our economy by building such great new cities in our fatherlands just like we immensely contributed unreservedly on building such in many different states in Nigeria, more particularly, Abuja and Lagos.
“To make this rescue mission realisable, we have resorted with this project, to build a Mega City named: the New Jerusalem City. That is to say that we are focusing on raising up new modern and standard infrastructural objects, railway and road networks, in all the South East and South South zones of the Nigeria territory, standard and magnificent buildings of world taste, International Airports, world class seaports, world class hospitals, standard schools, industries, prayer houses, banks and shopping malls and plazas, world class International stadiums, games villages, etc. As a matter of fact we are anticipating to have a Mega City second to none in our African continent or, an annex of Dubai in the world rating.
“We believe that rather than whine every day, our people should sit down and study our history, (economic history too), take a look at the growth plans that got scuttled in 1967 and see how we can work together to pick up the pieces that remained and start rebuilding again from scratch. The earlier we start doing this, the better.
“I personally believe that we have been called to defend and protect ourselves. This is no longer a surprise nor sudden, as it has been there for decades, just to avoid saying from onset. Yes, I mean these humiliations, intimidations, abject marginalization of our people that even led to the unfortunate massacre of our people in a dastardly civil war. Therefore, whether our son, brother and father succeeds in his case and bid for the supreme magistral seat of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or not, we must be going ahead with this relocation plans as a matter of urgency, considering the reality on ground today in Lagos, for example.
“Our going ahead with the plans to getting our people saved from political extinction, ethnic profiling and ethnic cleansing by setting up this homeward integration and consolidation plan, ought not be over emphasized any longer among us. Enough of the insults, enough of this intimidations, molestations, marginalization and physical confrontation on the Igbos and Easterners in general. In as much as we have what it would take to rely economically on our own and with the Almighty on our side, my people, why would our people and their businesses be delibrately shattered innocently for jealousy.
“We are counting on having this as a Public/Private Project wherein we must partner with all our SE/SS state governments and their governors as Principal Stakeholders”, he further disclosed, stating that already foreign investors have mapped out over $800 million for the project, while a known commercial bank in the country is the project’s major financial partner.
Also speaking during the occasion, a former spokesperson of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Chucks Ibegbu expressed his belief in one Nigeria, but with the need for South East businessmen to also invest at home.
“We do not advocate for the division of the country or for Ndigbo to leave Lagos or Abuja, but for them to also invest at home”, he said pointing out, “our leaders are also giving us problems and should partner us with the development with there resources and security votes “, he said.
