From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Leading Igbo Think Tank, Nzuko Umunna, has disclosed plans to drive regional economic integration in the South East and national alliances with other nationalities.
The group also said it will host more ‘Handshake across Nigeria’ conferences in different towns and cities of the country.
It, then, urged other ethnic nationalities to replicate what it is doing to further engender national cohesion, unity and peaceful co-existence.
Newly installed president of the group, Chinedu Nebo, stated this in his inaugural speech at the just held second edition of the “Handshake across Nigeria” conference in Enugu.
Nebo said the group’s major focus under his watch will be the economic integration of the South East and Igbo speaking areas.
“We will work with Ohanaeze Ndigbo to provide channels for cohesive engagement. We will do our best to do heavy lifting in areas of economic integration, health and education advocacy and sustaining national alliance with our partners.”
“Handshakes Across Nigeria is a channel for the continuous engagement of our partners in the new Nigeria project and we shall continue to oil this vehicle,” he said.
Umunna had in its bid to build bridges between the Igbo and other ethnic nationalities of Nigeria previously organised Handshake Across the Niger in 2018 and Handshake Across Nigeria 1 in 2019.
A communique from the conference issued by Nebo and Executive Secretary of Nzuko Umunna, Uju Agomoh, said: “Aware of the tremendous impact the previous handshakes and this present conference had on the leaders and people of all ethnic nationalities, mindful of the need to deepen the conversation of building a new Nigeria among Nigerians, the handshake conference resolves that more handshake conferences shall be organised and equally resolved that the handshake conference be moved to other parts of the nation as conference 1 and 2 were done in Lagos and Enugu respectively.
“Handshake conference insists that for Nigeria to be a working democracy that equity, fairness and justice must be her bedrock.
“It observed the lopsidedness in dispensation of justice, equity and fairness. Therefore, the conference insists that for Nigeria to practice the true sense of democracy, the country must operate the true tenets of democracy and abhor tribalism, nepotism, and the likes.”