By Saby Elemba, in Owerri
Investors, business enthusiasts as well as the people of Imo State are upbeat over the state government and its partners’ plans to construct an international seaport with measures already in place to dredge Orashi River and turn it into an international seaport.
The dredging of the Orashi River into an international seaport has been termed a game changer that will turn around the economy of Imo State, improve the business environment of the state, allowing businessmen and women to take advantage of the conducive environment to scale up their businesses.
The dredging of the Orashi River, located in Oguta local government area, will also enable Imo farmers to produce more, process and export their agricultural products overseas, as well as other countries in Africa.
The dredging is expected to commence soon as all arrangements have been made with the target being to further boost commerce, industrialisation, revenue generation, that will enable the government to continue to pay salaries and wages of workers as at when due.
It will further create employment opportunities in the state to absorb the growing list of unemployed graduates and secondary school leavers, said Rubby Emele, the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, in a special briefing with select journalists in her office.
Emele who revealed the cheering information said that plans were equally afoot by the state government to conduct council election which was aborted by the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, EndSars protest and heinous activities of some criminal elements in the state.
The commissioner used the briefing to also justify the several skill acquisition programmes for youths in the state, disclosing that the beneficiaries had become economically self reliant and that this has also drastically reduced idleness and malingering and crimes.
On boundary disputes between some communities which have reduced economic activities in those areas including farming, Emele said that the state government is taking steps to resolve boundary disputes between some neighbouring communities through the boundary disputes resolution committee led by the deputy governor of the state, Placid Njoku, a professor.
The commissioner noted that the state government is doing her best to make the local government areas economically active and vibrant and equally provide an enabling environment for the organised private sector (OPS) in the state to thrive well.
