Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has appealed to local and international investors to take advantage of the geographical location of Aba and its large population of artisans and invest in the commercial city.
Ikpeazu in his address at the just concluded Aba Urban Development Summit, held in Aba, described Aba as a confluence city linked to all the states in the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria.
The governor revealed that the dream of his administration is to establish a megacity that would not only have a seaport, but also industrial clusters that can converge Port-Harcourt and Aba into a mega-industrial hub, which the Obuaku city project is envisaging.
He observed that power, which is seen as a major challenge to industrialists in Nigeria and Aba, in particular, could be overcome if the cluster concept is implemented in the country, stressing that such arrangement would attract more investments in power.
“I want to assure us that our greatest challenge is not power, it is because we have not done enough, even in the face of industrialisation. I asked somebody one day, which one is more important, power to drive industries or industries to attract power?
“And I am of the considered opinion that the power we seek is probably power for us to watch television and home video and enjoy our air conditions. Power vendors, who invest in power for purposes of profit, care less about those who use power to watch television because this group of people can’t pay.
“Those who can pay for power are those who have industries and I know that if you put 15 to 16 industries in one place, a power vendor will volunteer and come to that location, because he knows that those companies can pay for power, if it is provided in a regular way,” he said.
He urged Ndi Igbo at home and in Diaspora to begin to invest at home, stating that Aba is one of the best places to invest.
According to him, “There is no business that has come to Aba and failed, and I have tried to analyse it and part of my findings is that the geography of Aba favours progress in this region.
“Aba is at a confluence, just about 40 minutes away from Ikot-Ekpene, Port Harcourt, Umuahia, Owerri, among others. And that is why when we are thinking about Abia State, my dream for Abia is that in our time; we will begin a steady and concerted match towards a megacity that will have not only a sea port, but also, industrial clusters and all kinds of things that can converge Port-Harcourt and Aba into a mega-industrial hub.
“And that is what the Obuaku city project is envisaging, because within that contraption, there will be a mini Dubai and a mini Singapore. I say this because that is the language that has gained currency, otherwise my thoughts are that no two cities should be the same.
“Every city should evolve from its socio-cultural circumstance, such that in Singapore they will say that they want to be like Obuaku, it is possible, “he said.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
