From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Former Governor of old Anambra State Jim Nwobodo has emphasised the need to raise the bar of infrastructure and manpower development across the country’s South East region.
Nwobodo, who spoke when he paid a friendly visit to one of the front-line governorship hopefuls in Enugu, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, at his GRA, Enugu, home, also called on the governors of the region to close ranks to pursue common goals for the zone.
The ex-senator, whose reminiscences led to some lively political discourse during the visit which he made with his wife, Pat Jim Nwobodo, their children and a retinue of political associates, talked extensively on the challenges of governance.
Going down the memory lane of his time as governor of old Anambra State, and how he was able to achieve so much in short a time span of four years in massive infrastructural development, the establishment of industries and several tertiary institutions across the vast geopolitical space of the present Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states that constituted the old Anambra State, Nwobodo said infrastructural and manpower development the zone was overdue.
Nwobodo was nostalgic about getting the whole of the South East into an industrial belt spanning through the five states as contemplated by the zone’s post-independence leaders.
He also insisted that the road network be improved and called on the South East governors to close ranks and mount pressure on the Federal government to revitalise the rail network in the South East as it was being done in the South West and other sections of the North.
Ohaa, who received Nwobodo with some of his political associates and PDP stalwarts, including former Member, House of Representatives, Ambassador Kingsley Ebenyi; former governorship aspirant, Dr John Nwokeabia from Oji River, former Enugu State Commissioner for Labour/Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Emeka Okeke; former Nkanu West Council Chairman, Henrich Okenwa and former Enugu Sports Club Chairman and member, PDP State Working Committee, Chief Onyeka Onwe, stressed that most of his successes in both the state and federal civil service were made possible due to inspiration he drew from Sen Nwobodo as his mentor.
