My Vision Is To Make Isuochi A 21st Century Urban, Industrial Centre—–Orji
The new President General of Isuochi Development Union, IDU, Chief Ochi Orji and his executives were inaugurated for a four-year term at the Isuochi Town Hall on March 30, 2024 after a keenly contested general election held on January 3, this year. The new President General spoke with journalists after the ceremony where he promised to unify all the villages in Isuochi community and also highlighted some of his programmes for the development of the Ancient Community that prides in Cashew nuts.
Excepts from the interview.
Ques: Can you briefly tell us what motivated you to contest the election to become the President General of Isuochi Development Union, IDU?
My motivation to become the President General of Isuochi Development Union is borne out of my desire to contribute to the development of Isuochi through providing capable and adaptive leadership from the top. Over the years, we have capable leadership that steered the course of development in Isuochi and to be honest with you, they have all done their best.
My stepping into the fray does not mean that I am better than the previous leaders, but I do understand that there is room for improvement in whatever they have done in the past. My most important aspiration is to work to promote the unity of all the villages in Isuochi so that we can always speak with one voice in matters that concern us within the community and in our interactions with outsiders. Secondly, the dynamics of society and the dictates of new thinking in technology requires that we do things differently in this dispensation to be abreast with what is happening in other parts of the world.
The world has made progress in different areas of life like health, education, security, infrastructure, urban development and renewal as well as business, and conventional wisdom demands that we, as a people and a community should be a part of this forward movement in the progress of mankind. Being a part of this trend would enable us to bequeath a sustainable and 21st-century-compliant Isuochi to our younger generations and the ones yet unborn, so that they would not have to struggle to realise their full potential in the world they live in.
That in a nutshell is what motivated me to contest the election and I thank the good people of Isuochi for giving me the mandate to lead them in the next four years and I promise that I would not disappoint them. Above all, I am also lucky to have a group of wonderful people as members of the executive team and we are determined to give Isuochi the best we can give.
Ques: How do you react to the allegation that the process that led to your emergence as the new President General of Isuochi Development Union was flawed as some people say that it wasn’t free and fair and that you used your deep pockets to influence the outcome of the election?
This is the first time I have heard that people complained that the election was not free and fair. The time table was set by the electoral body and each of the contestants was given an opportunity to campaign and canvass for votes. I did canvass for votes as others did and reached out to groups and individuals. The election itself was conducted in the full glare of the public and in a very peaceful atmosphere.
There was no thuggery, no ballot box stuffing or snatching, no violence and no monetary inducements. I do not understand what you mean by having deep pockets because I am a man of very modest means. I worked in an organisation from where I retired before I set up a private business which I am running now.
The President General of Isuochi Development Union is not meant for money bags and if it was meant for people with deep pockets as you said, someone like me would not dare to go near where they are talking about the PG of Isuochi. So in all respects, the election was transparent, free and fair and the people of Isuochi are very happy with the outcome of the election.
In trying to rally the good people towards community-level unity, have you reached out to the people you defeated in the election and what plans do you have to co-opt their ideas into your plans of making Isuochi a better place for all to live in peace and harmony?
My understanding of good leadership is one that emphasises cooperation above competition, consensus in place of majority and working to always have a win-win situation in any challenge that confronts one. Since after the election, we have reached out to many groups, individuals, traditional rulers, business people and several stakeholders of what I call the Isuochi Project.
To buttress the fact that we have reached out to many including fellow contestants, in our desire to run an all inclusive administration, many of them are already serving in various committees we have set up to realise our dream of a peaceful Isuochi. The emphasis on unity is key because we, by we, I mean the executive members, clearly understand that no meaningful economic development can take place in an atmosphere that is rancorous and devoid of peace. In that regard, our topmost priority is to galvanize the people towards a peaceful Isuochi that would create a fertile ground for the massive economic development we envisage for Isuochi.
To that extent, we have started consultations in ernest to make sure that the biennial Isuochi Nwalowa which is billed to take place in December 2025 is very well organised to achieve its topmost priority; the unity of Isuochi, through a cultural renaissance, more like a cultural rebirth, which goes back in history to show that all the villages in Isuochi are one and the same people.
We have already constituted a 25-man 2025 Isuochi Nwalowa Steering Committee that is charged with the responsibility of making the festival a resounding success and they have also started the work of the Committee. The task of the Committee is enormous but I trust in the capacity of the calibre of men who are members of the Committee and I am sure that we would have a beautiful festival that gives the desired outcome -the unity of Isuochi.
Ques: Talking about plans to develop Isuochi economically, can you be more elaborate on how you intend to achieve that in broad terms?
Our plans for the economic development of Isuochi are huge. In one simple sentence, let me tell you that we want to build Isuochi as an economic hub in the South East through massive industrialization of Isuochi.
If you look at the Isuochi ecosystem, you will discover that we are truly blessed to be at the centre of convergence of Igboland. Isuochi and the neighbouring communities share boundaries with all the five states of the South East and that is a unique opportunity of geography that should be translated into an economic advantage to spur real growth within Isuochi and the South East.
If you aggregate the opportunities offered by the geographic location, the resources in the land, the creative ingenuity and resilience of the people, the air infrastructure of five (human and cargo) airports in Asaba, Aguleri, Enugu, Abakaliki and Owerri which fall within 120 km radius from Isuochi, you will understand that we want to build Isuochi as a vibrant economic hub in the South East.
Besides the airport facilities, there are plans to open the Southeastern Seaport at the Niger River in Onitsha and the Abia State government is planning to build a dry seaport in Isiala Ngwa and a full seaport at Owaza in Ukwa part of Abia State. These are the low hanging fruits which we plan to harvest and be part of the chain that would drive the development of the South East and Nigeria in the nearest future.
Specifically, we want to create an industrial layout in a large expanse of land and provide all the necessary amenities like motorable roads, water, electricity, housing and other facilities required for smooth business operations so that manufacturing companies, including those from overseas can come and build factories and start manufacturing locally. You know that Isuochi and the environs are blessed with many natural and mineral resources like cashew nuts, palm nuts, cassava, kaolin, granite and others that would form the raw material bases for the industries.
The opportunities here in Isuochi are limitless and that is what we want to convert into tangibles and project the community. For one, making Isuochi an economic hub would transform the city into an urban centre that would attract more businesses like banking, technology, insurance and other companies. It would also create employment opportunities for the teeming youths of Isuochi and above all reduce the insecurity within that axis by engaging the youths productively.
Ques: Do you think that turning Isuochi into an economic hub in the South East is possible, considering that Isuochi is a small community without government presence?
Isuochi is not a small community. There are nine villages in Isuochi and the industrialisation effort we envisage is not for Isuochi alone; it is for the entire South East and Nigeria because when those companies start operations, they would pay taxes not to Isuochi Development Union but to the Abia State and Federal governments through Excise Duties, Value Added Taxes and other forms of taxes as time goes on. And talking about government presence, I don’t know what you mean by that.
The headquarters of Umunneochi LGA is in Nkwoagu Isuochi, we have a federal polytechnic that is taking off very soon. There are also two private-owned tertiary institutions; Ihechukwu Madubuike Polytechnic and Sprinter University and all of that, and these are also putting pressure on the housing needs of Isuochi.
Consequently, private hostels, hotels and commercial housing are springing up here and there and these are the things that spur economic development. Governments don’t run businesses, what they do is to provide an enabling government for private businesses to thrive.
The question, I think you should have asked, is what we would do to partner with the government in driving the industrial layout to ensure that it is productive and does not turn into a white elephant project. And in that regard, we are consulting with appropriate authorities to ensure that we have the support of both the State and Federal governments in providing the necessary amenities required for the industrial layout.
And don’t forget that Isuochi used to have pipe borne water in the not-too-far past and we would work with the government to reticulate the water corporation and make it serve both the people and the commercial needs.
Ques: How soon do you think you can realise the plan to make Isuochi an economic hub?
Development itself is always a work in progress. The Industrialisation project is long term and we are creating a 20-Year Development Plan which would be reviewed frequently by succeeding administrations. We would start by creating the legal frameworks that secure its sustainability over time.
There would be a high-powered Committee of eminent sons and daughters of Isuochi who are also devoted to this cause and want to see it come alive in their lifetime. To that extent, it is possible to see this begin to manifest from five years upwards with improvements as the project matures.
Ques: What other plans do you have to promote Isuochi beyond the massive industrialisation you talked about, especially as some of your cultures and traditions are fast giving way to Western cultures.
I quite agree with you that our culture is under serious assault by the Western culture and Isuochi is not alone in this affront. The entire Africa was assaulted culturally and the only way we can revive and retain our culture and push back the Western influence is to embark on a cultural rebirth at the continental level.
Thankfully, one of the pillars of this administration is to prompt a cultural rebirth that would emphasise the importance of transferring our cultural values to the younger generation.
To lift the plan on paper and put it to practice, the 2025 Nwalowa Isuochi Festival would be a bouquet of Isuochi cultural heritage, to be displayed in the cuisine, cultural dances, dresses, language and sensibilities of the people. The festival to be held in December 2025 promises to be grandiose as sons and daughters of Isuochi from all parts of the world would be present and active partakers in all the ceremonies.
It would be an opportunity to promote the rich cultural heritage of Isuochi people which was handed down to us from generation to generation and which we must not allow to die in our own time. It is a relay that would never end as we would also hand over the baton to the next generation to continue from where we stopped.
Ques: If you were to look into the future with the power of foresight, where do you see Isuochi in the next 30 years?
I understand that the only way to predict the future is to create it today by laying a plan to actualise it and that is what we are doing right now. I see an Isuochi where all the villages would be united and speak with one voice.
I see an Isuochi that would be fully urbanised and one of the strongest centres of commerce in the South East in the next 30 years because of the strong foundation we are putting down today.
I see an Isuochi where the youth unemployment in the next 30 years would be below 2 percent and that would be because of the time between leaving school and getting engaged by one of the numerous companies that dot the Isuochi Industrial Layout and the time between switching from one job to another.
I see an Isuochi where the issue of insecurity would be non-existent because the youths that are easily recruited into criminality have all been productively engaged. I see an Isuochi where every Isuochi man, no matter where he leaves can conduct a conversation in our native language.
All these possibilities are within our command and I urge the good people of Isuochi wherever they are to be a part of this great movement to redefine the true meaning of our existence by taking our destinies in our hands.
