Ahead of the May 8 2008, maiden edition of annual lecture series on Onitsha mega city, the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA) has commenced courtesy visits on formidable member companies and other corporate organizations to down up awareness about the plan to upgrade the commercial and industrial sector of the economy in the commercial city of Onitsha and its environs.

The lecture series which is being organized by ONICCIMA, in collaboration with The Sun Newspapers, is expected to have as chairman the former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, while Governor Peter Obi will be the Chief Guest of Honour.

Other special invitees at the lecture which has its topic as ìOnitsha Perspectiveî, with a theme: ìeconomy and environment: Onitsha and the indexing of a mega cityî, are the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe who will be the royal father of the day, while Mrs. Chinyere Asika, special adviser to the president on APRM-Nigeria is the special guest of honour.

Already, a delegation of ONICCIMA, led by its president, Mr. Okey Akaneme, in conjunction with a team of The Sun staff in the Southeast zone, led by the Bureau Chief, Mr. Chidi Nnadi have visited some of the corporate organizations to intimate them of the programmes lined up by the chamber and The Sun to assist Organized Private Sector (OPS) in boosting their business activities.

When the delegation visited Pokobros Group West Africa Limited, Onitsha, the managing director/chief executive officer (CEO), Chief Dr. Paul Okonkwor (MFR), lamented the present state of economic instability in the country, which he said worsened since the advent of democracy eight years ago.
Okonkwor who is also the honourary patron of the chamber, also expressed regret that 63 percent of existing industries have been forced out of production as a result of high bank interest rates, poor electricity supply, multiple taxation, bad roads and other social amenities.

He therefore urged the chamber to work harder to raise the standard of business activities by alerting the government about their responsibilities in that regard because the industrialists are not being given audience by the government to advise on how to move forward technologically.

Also at G. N. Iheaku and Company Limited, the Managing director/CEO, Sir Dr. G. N. Iheaku, who expressed gratitude that the chamber has suddenly woken up from the doldrum by collaborating with The Sun to fashion out programmes that would help to protect the interest of the businessmen in Onitsha and environs, pledged to contribute his own quota towards the success of the lecture.
Iheaku therefore urged the chamber to approach all the banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions in such a way that they become members of the chamber, as obtained in other cities of the country and other countries of the world.

The delegation also visited Africana First Publishers Limited where the managing director/CEO, Mr. J. C. Odike and the executive director, Mr. P. C. Omabu harped on the need by the chamber to make proper planning at all times so as to succeed in their efforts to reposition the chamber and repackage the business environment.

Odike and Omabu who expressed happiness that the chamber was able to pull The Sun on their side, also pledged to assist the chamber succeed.
Chidi Nnadi, The Sun’s Bureau Chief for the Southeast assured the business community that The Sun has volunteered to help repackage business activities in the southeast zone, just as they had done in other zones of the country.