Ikechi Emenike, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State in the 2023 general elections, has promised that if elected into office, as Governor that his administration will set up specialised industrial parks in each of the three senatorial zones of the state.
This is as he also promised that every local government area (LGA) of the state, would have a business/artisan park to create jobs and boost the economy of the state.
Emenike in an interaction with newsmen, Sunday in his Ohuhu, Umuahia country home, stated that his administration would also establish a University of Science and Technology that would specialise in petroleum and gas related technology and research to support a proposed petrochemical industrial companies and projects in Ukwa East Local Government Area of the state
According to him, within Ukwa East and Ukwa West LGAs, we hope to establish modern housing schemes and complexes and market them to the oil companies operating within the Niger Delta region.
He stated that his administration, would want to attract several oil majors to set up shops in the Abia State and encourage most of the oil servicing companies to operate from the state.
This accounting to him is part his main objective to take advantage of Abia’s status as the closest Igbo State to the sea and part of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Within the Aba area, he said that his administration would set up a leatherworks and clothing industrial zone, to be complemented with the creation of the largest shopping mall in West Africa.
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“We hope to evolve a special scheme to enhance trading activities in the famed city, as well as encourage the modernisation of such activities as the manufacturing of clothes, apparels and footwear, as well as other finished leather products.
He also promised that his administration shall aggressively pursue a policy to rehabilitate all moribund industries in the State.
“It does not matter whether they are owned by the government; we shall assiduously work to put them back to work either as a government or by partnering with investors.
“If privately owned, we shall hold constructive dialogue with the owners on their challenges and if necessary, render appropriate assistance”, he stated.
He explained that the primary objective of his administration would be to get these dead Industries back to life to create employment for the teeming youth and enhance the economic activities within the State, as part of their effort in taking Abia State to greater heights.
Consequently, he stated that commercial deposit of limestone in Arochukwu, Ohafia and Bender, Kaolin in Umuahia, Umunneochi and Ikwuano, black marble in Isikwuato, as well as silicon, oil and gas in Ukwa and Ngwa areas, among many others, will no longer remain untapped, noting that if voted into office that his administration, shall honour and directly source for investors.
