By Ikenna Osuoha
Dr MacDonald Ebere, immediate past Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Imo Chapter, says he is sponsoring 100 communities to join the state’s One Business One Kindred Initiative (OKOBI) to lift them out of poverty
Ebere, the immediate past Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Imo Chapter, said he was facilitating the registration of the communities` business entities with the Corporate Affairs Commission ahead of their participation in OKOBI.
Ebere told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that the 100 slot would be shared equally across Imo State’s three senatorial zones of Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe.
OKOBI is a programme of Gov. Hope Uzodimma. It is being executed through the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the State Government.
It is a model for group-based entrepreneurship, encouraging each kindred or autonomous community to build a business collectively.
“This commitment was first announced during OKOBI Town Hall meeting organised recently in Owerri.
“The event was organised by the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to His Excellency and the emphasis was for many communities to key into this very important programme,” he said.
He promised that no zone would be left behind.
“I will be working with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser, which runs the OKOBI process to identify eligible communities through their usual public call. Selection will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
“I want this to be transparent and merit-based, rewarding communities that organise themselves quickly, not communities that know the right people,” he said.
Ebere, the current Board Chairman, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos, described autonomous communities as foundational units of social and cultural organisation.
“What drew me to back OKOBI specifically is how it converts existing kindred structures into an economic engine, rather than creating something new and unfamiliar.
“Alongside flagship initiatives like the Orashi Special Energy Free Trade Zone and Skill Up Imo, OKOBI extends that same growth story down to the community level.
“That is where ordinary people become direct stakeholders rather than distant beneficiaries.
“My decision to personally sponsor the formal registration of 100 communities is that the model has proven track record of lifting people out of poverty,” he said.
Ebere said it was also a reflection of how naturally it fits within Gov. Uzodimma’s 3R Agenda — Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery,” he said.
“Government has done its part by providing the policy framework and the infrastructure that makes community enterprise possible.
“I see my role as helping translate that framework into something communities can actually own and run,” Ebere said.
He said that he expected the impact of the programme to be economic empowerment and community regeneration.
Ebere, added that government’s policy framework alone would sustain these enterprises long-term.
“That is why I have also called on commercial banks, corporate organisations and private investors to provide financial backing, market linkages and technical support.
“I call on stakeholders, financial institutions, and development partners to invest in these community-owned businesses to transform local enterprises into engines of prosperity,” he told NAN.
NAN recalls that the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, recently visited Imo and applauded the OKOBI initiative among other programmes of Uzodimma-led administration as viable foundation towards stronger socio-economic growth.(NAN)
IMO/FEO/KUA
===========
Edited by Francis Onyeukwu/Uche Anunne
Comments