The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a seaport in the South East to boost trade and economic activities in the region.
Kalu made the appeal at the weekend during a reception held at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba, Abia State, in honour of President Tinubu after he inaugurated several projects in the state.
‘Mr President, we want to thank you for what you are doing in our state through our governor and what you are doing around the South East. But I must say it is about time that we had another sea port in the South East; South Easterners are mainly traders and we need a sea port to enhance our trading’, Kalu said.
The Deputy Speaker also lamented the demolition of property belonging to Igbo residents in Lagos.
‘The destruction and the demolition of the houses, the offices of our brothers in Lagos makes our hearts bleed’, he said, urging the president to intervene with the Lagos State governor to allow affected persons regularise their documents instead of facing further demolitions.
He stressed that ‘destruction at this time of hardship makes the hearts of victims bleed’, noting the need for amicable solutions rather than demolitions.
Highlighting the importance of synergy in governance, Kalu said: ‘Governance is about partnership hence the state must partner the federal government and the federal government must partner the state’.
Although a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kalu pledged to support Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to ensure the state’s success.
‘I have gone with him from the morning, visiting all the projects till this evening and I have seen the state’s projects carried out by the governor and for that we commend him. But as a member and citizen of this state, I request, like Oliver Twist, that the governor should do more’, he said.
Kalu also thanked President Tinubu for supporting Abia projects and urged the Abia Information Commissioner and local media to give the president due credit. He argued that acknowledging President Tinubu’s contributions would encourage him to do more for the state and the South East, “which he had shown love to’.
