Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma has said the Igbo need to use diplomacy to get things done, not war. What diplomacy cannot achieve, the Governor advised, war cannot achieve.
Uzodimma spoke on Friday, when he led APC leaders from the South-east to assess the ongoing construction of the second Niger Bridge in Anambra State. The Bridge, being constructed at a whopping sum of N366 billion, when completed will be 47 kilometres. Presently, 20,000 workers have been engaged to work on the new bridge.
At the site, the leaders expressed their gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the massive infrastructural development embarked upon by the Federal Government in the region, especially the second Niger Bridge which is under construction.
They took turn to salute the courage of President Buhari over the ambitious projects.
Governor Uzodimma said that the APC leadership in the South East resolved to come as a team to inspect and take ownership of the flagship project estimated at Three Hundred and Sixty Six Billion Naira (N360billion) that will link the South East, the South South and the entire Northern Nigeria when completed.
Governor Uzodimma said: “What looked like a dream is now a reality as the second Niger Bridge has a lot of economic and human benefits to both South East and Nigeria in general.”
The Governor who painted a picture of countries whose history cannot be written without mention of a particular leader said “at the completion and commissioning of the second Niger Bridge the name of Buhari will be immortalized.”
He advised that the South East must come together and understand that the world has no place again for criminality, blackmail and pull-him-down syndrome, noting that “whatever diplomacy cannot get for Ndigbo now, war will not get it for them”.
He, therefore, commended the leadership of the ruling party, the APC at the State and National level for their commitment and involvement in ensuring the success of the gigantic project.
In his remarks, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, thanked the President and described the second Niger bridge “as a promise made and promise kept”.
The Minister for States Mines and Solid Minerals, Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah, described the second Niger Bridge as “one of the best things happening to the South East.”
Anambra APC leader, Senator Andy Uba thanked the President for the project and expressed happiness that “the second Niger Bridge is a boost to APC in the South East and Anambra State in particular.”
The Minister for State Education, Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, described the project as “a show of great love by President Muhammadu Buhari to the South East” and that “the importance of the project is shown on its funding as the project is financed from the presidential initiative funds which is outside the regular budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria”.
Contributing, the former Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, said they have come to see and have believed the reality of the project and “it is the responsibility of the South East leaders to tell our people that the second Niger Bridge is a reality.”
Receiving the Governor and the leaders earlier, the Federal Controller of Works Anambra State, Engr. Ajani explained that the bridge is about 47 kilometers and that the first phase which has reached 55 per cent completion is about 11 kilometers “and generally the project has engaged close to 20,000 workers.”
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