By Jude Michael
A group of Igbo indigenes living in Abuja, under the umbrella of Igbo Community Association, FCT, has commended the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for his courage in appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a seaport and railway infrastructure in the Southeast.
Soludo, while addressing President Tinubu, during a state visit by the latter on Thursday, May 8, had told the President that putting together such infrastructure would eliminate structured developmental gaps in the zone.
Soludo had said: ‘We must eliminate the structured developmental gap that has long marginalized the Southeast. A seaport in Onitsha, coupled with robust rail connectivity, will transform our region into a hub of commerce and opportunity.’
Reacting to the call, the President General of the group, Mr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, in a press statement he signed on behalf of the group, said Soludo should be commended for the courage to raise the conversation and that Tinubu should also address it to give the Southeast a sense of belonging in Nigeria.
The statement read: ‘The Igbo Community Association, FCT, applauded the call. For too long, the Southeast has lagged behind in federal infrastructure investment.
‘While other regions boast seaports and extensive rail systems, our communities still contend with limited access to these critical arteries of development. We therefore respectfully urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the call.
‘We charge Tinubu do a green-light feasibility studies for the construction of a modern seaport in Onitsha, leveraging its strategic location on the River Niger and its role as a commercial epicenter.
‘We also call on him to commission the rehabilitation and expansion of existing rail corridors—particularly the Eastern Line—to link Onitsha, Enugu, Owerri, and Port Harcourt, thereby fostering intra-regional mobility and attracting private sector investment.’
The group also called for the prioritization of equitable federal allocation toward Southeast infrastructure projects in the 2026 budget, ensuring that the region’s developmental needs were met and at par with other geo-political zones.
It praised Soludo for what it described as his leadership and foresight, saying it stood ready to collaborate with his government, other state governments within the region and the federal government, to make these transformative projects a reality.
