Meanwhile the Deputy speaker House of the Representatives Hon Benjamin Kalu, has called on the south east region to decisively align with the federal government to secure greater political and economic benefits. He made the appeal in Umuahia, Abia State, while unveiling the renewed hope partners (rhp), a multipurpose platform aimed at supporting president bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Hon Kalu noted that the initiative would help translate the national achievements of the Tinubu administration into tangible regional benefits. highlighting the president’s achievements in the last two years, Kalu listed proposed investments worth $50.8 billion, a revenue increase to ₦9.1 trillion in h1 2024, 3.4% gdp growth, and a 61.1% rise in foreign remittances, valued at $23.4 billion.
He emphasized the recommencement of the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri corridor, which will link aba and Onitsha hubs to northern markets, unlocking an estimated ₦50 billion in annual trade. He also underscored the importance of the newly established south east development commission (sedc), with its ‘triple-r’ mandate for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and reintegration, and its recent mou with undp for an integrated development master plan.
To extend the administration’s gains to the grassroots, Kalu announced the creation of renewed hope councils in all south east local government areas, linked to sedc outreach teams, aligning the president’s seven-point agenda with local town-hall campaigns.
Other highlighted projects include the construction of 3,112 housing units in karsana, part of a broader plan to deliver over 100,000 homes nationwide, alongside fertilizer distribution and provision of mechanized equipment for farmers. Kalu urged the federal government to prioritize high-impact projects in the south east, such as expanding gas pipeline infrastructure, supporting industrial capacity at the ahl and anoh plants in imo state, and dredging the Onitsha River to boost trade and industrialization in the region.
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