From: OKEY SAMPSON, Aba
Governor Okezie Ikpeazzu of Abia State has said that the Abia Export
Processing Zone, which is aimed at putting the economy of the state on a sound pedestal and create employment for her teeming youths, would soon come up stream.
Governor Ikpeazu stated this in Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State, during a town hall meeting with stakeholders and land donors for the Abia Export Processing zone.
He said one of the economic benefits of the project to the state was enormous.
The governor said when completed, the project located at the boarders
of three local governments of the state, Ukwa East, Ukwa West and
Ugwunagbo and which will sit atop several hectares of land would give
many people employment and fast track the development of the area.
“I will be happy to see the project come to fruition soon as it will
be beneficial to not only the people today, but to generations to come
and I assure you that land donors for the project will not in anyway
be short changed.”
Ikpeazu said the area where the project was sited remains the best in
the state as apart from its centrality to states in the South East and
South South geo-political zones, it is also near two seaports, two
airports and a railway line which runs from South to the Northern part
of the country.
Governor Ikpeazu said already N20m has been made available for the
provision of electricity to the projects’ land donor communities which
hitherto had none and stated this was sign of good things to come.
Chief Uche Ihediwa, commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical
Planning assured the land donors that the project would ensure a
generational shift from the old ways of land acquisition which striped
the donor of his means of livelihood forever.
He said the project which was being designed by a firm from Singapore,
would be financed by local and international investors.