February 24, (THEWILL) – The President-General of Ohanaeze World Wide, Chief (Engr) Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, CFR, has inaugurated the Committee for the establishment of Council of Igbo Business Leaders.
The inauguration was held in Enugu State on February 22, 2024.
Members of the committee, chaired by Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa OFR, a Pharmacist, industrialist and businessman, include distinguished professionals, industrialists, entrepreneurs and businessmen of Igbo extraction across the globe.
Inaugurating the Committee, Chief Iwuanyanwu charged members of the committee to work hard to establish a Council of Igbo Business Leaders with the following mandate;
“Create a united and credible voice that will speak for the business community in Igbo land; interacting and liaising with international, national, regional, state authorities and other agencies with a view to creating an enabling business environment and attracting investment to Igbo land.
“Actively promote the economic redevelopment of the Igbo nation by motivating and encouraging a conscious and deliberate investment in the homeland by Igbo businessmen & women (including sponsoring big-ticket joint ventures) with the aim of making Igbo land competitive with other regions of Nigeria and the World.
“Give recognition to Igbo businessmen and women who have taken initiatives to establish significant businesses in Igbo land thereby creating job opportunities for our people, and reducing youth unemployment and poverty in the region.
“Provide a sustainable source of financial and other support to Ohanaeze Ndigbo to help it achieve its lofty goals for the well-being and protection of Igbo people and their interests in Nigeria and the world at large and to work to create and sustain a credible image for Igbo businesses, products and services and help to stop all forms of unfair business practices in the Igbo Nation.”
He further expressed his confidence that Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, who was a one-time chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Ikeja, past president of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), past chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, former Vice Chairman of the Ohanaeze Strategy and Planning Committee and recently, a presidential aspirant in the last elections, has the requisite experience and exposure to lead this team to a successful accomplishment of the above mandate.
He emphasised that the Igbo nation is looking up to the Council to chart a kind of Igbo Economic Renaissance. He assured that he already has good communication lines with the State Governors who are anxious and ready to work jointly with Ohanaeze and the Council to achieve the lofty goals.
Responding to the charge on behalf of the Committee, Mazi Ohuabunwa thanked Chief Iwuanyanwu for finding him and his colleagues worthy to be trusted with such an important assignment at this critical time in the life of the nation.
While congratulating Chief Iwuanyanwu for his sterling leadership credentials and the great effort he and members of the Ohaneze Ndigbo National Executive Council are making to guide Ndigbo aright in this season, he pledged that they will work hard and speedily to populate the Council with the array of very great Igbo industrialists, agro-entrepreneurs and businessmen and women who already have footprints on Igboland and those who are in the process of doing so in order to fully prosecute the mandate, trusting in the help of God.
Those who attended the inaugural meeting include Mr Frank Nneji, Group MD/CEO of ABC Transport Ltd, who serves as the Secretary of the Committee; Chief Chika Okafor, Group CEO of Chicason Industries; Chief Gbazueagu N Gbazueagu, industrialist and businessman; Dr Favour Iheanacho, a serial industrialist; Arc Darl Uzu, Real estate developer and promoter of the Enyimba Economic City in ABA; and Chief Johnson Chukwu, Group MD/CEO of Cowry Asset Management ltd, an investment banker, entrepreneur and globally recognised economic analyst.
Others are Chief Henry Okolo, former CEO of Dorman Long Engineering Ltd, UTC Nigeria Ltd and Inlaks group, an Industrialist and corporate strategist; Chief Chika Okafor, Estate Surveyor and Valuer; and Dr Chidi Okpaluba, Veterinary Surgeon, and CEO of Orange Palm Co ltd, who is a serial entrepreneur and industrialist who serves as the Vice- Secretary of the Committee.
Members who were not at the inauguration included Chief Leo Stan Eke, Nigeria’s outstanding Tech Investor (Zinox, computer warehouse and Konga etc); Chief Patrick Chidolue, Executive Chairman of the Chelsea Group, a serial investor in Hospitality and Real Estate; and Mr Frank Nweke Jnr, a former Minister of the Federal Republic, who is an entrepreneur and social innovator, among many others.
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Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
