This is a Communiqe issued by the State Presidents and Youth Leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide at a Two-days emergency meeting held in Owerri the Imo State Capital.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide State Presidents Forum and Youth Leaders of the seven Igbo Speaking States held an emergency meeting on the 13th and 14th days of July 2026 in Owerri the Imo State Capital.
The Communiqe issued thereafter reads as follows:
1. We hail our dear President, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the road infrastructure intervention so far in the South-East while we demand for increased Federal government dedicated action towards establishing Free Trade zones,
functional, federally operated Seaports, major cargo airports among others. We demand that Mr. President should urgently address the unfair exclusion of key South-East routes from the National Rail Masterplan and to ensure the revival of local industrial clusters (such as the Onitsha/Aba manufacturing hubs etc), while attending to the severe ecological degradation challenges in the zone.
2. We offer to work closely with the South-East Governors/State Governments and other stakeholders towards the eradication of insecurity in the geopolitical zone. We also propose to the South-East Governors Forum to urgently initiate a Special Security Trust Fund to support the security infrastructure in Ala-Igbo.
3. We specially commend President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the establishment of the South-East Development Commission SEDC which is a key step towards addressing the development gaps on region. Our charge is that the Commission under the watch of the youthful Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SEDC, Mr. Mark Okoye II, must perform productively beyond expectation and be accountable to Ndigbo because we own this Commission as we seek proper funding of the SEDC, robust stakeholder management system with Ndigbo among others.
4. We make a clarion call on Igbos all over the world never to take the back seats in the politics of Nigeria but they should actively participate in the current and future political dispensation because it provides for Ndigbo the latitude to determine their political prospects and negotiate their development.
5. The meeting proposed a regional collaboration among the Igbo speaking states particularly the South-East State Governors, built on a partnership aimed at driving the economic development and industrialization of Ala-Igbo.
6. The meeting also raised concerns over energy infrastructure neglect in view of the massive Gas deposit in the South-East estimated at more than 200 Trillion cubic feet, which accounts for about 33% of Africa’s gas reserves, the highest in the Continent with an additional potential of 600 TCF. We therefore demand that all Multinational Oil and Gas Companies operating in the geopolitical zone should immediately situate their headquarters in Ala-Igbo to prove their commitment towards our economic prosperity.
7. We offer our unflinching support to the Governors of the South-East States and commend them for their development strides so far in their respective States. We urge His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State to double his efforts as Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum along with the serving Ministers including Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Engr. Dave Nweze Umahi, the Minister of Works, Hon. Kingsley Udeh SAN, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, others to ensure that the zone gains more political traction to pursue its future and speedy development.
Signed:
Livingstone Wechie Esq.
Chairman, State Presidents Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu
Acting National Youth Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and
Convener of Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly
Nze Barr. Chris Obialor
President, Imo State chapter
Dr. Chukwuemeka Okwuonu
President, Abia State chapter
Barr. Justice Okoha
President, Ebonyi State chapter
Chief. Benjamin Igumbor
President, Delta State chapter
High Chief Uche Obisi
President, Enugu State chapter
Raymond Ahanonu
Coordinator, State Youth Leaders Forum
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide