Vice President Kashim Shettima has praised Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, for his efforts in restoring peace following the Oso-Edda/Amasiri crisis in the state, describing the governor’s approach as mature and unbiased.
Shettima expressed confidence that Governor Nwifuru’s handling of the crisis would lead to lasting peace in the affected communities.
The Vice President spoke at the Vision 2050 South-East Stakeholders’ Forum, themed “Charting a Shared Vision for Sustainable Prosperity for the South-East,” held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu.
According to Shettima, Governor Nwifuru demonstrated leadership and fairness in managing the crisis, qualities he said were essential for sustainable peace and development.
Beyond security, the Vice President called on the people of the South-East to leverage the region’s vast solid mineral resources to drive industrialisation. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the region’s development, stressing that national policies, resources, and political will are being aligned to support the South-East Vision 2050.
Shettima noted that the South-East occupies a strategic position in the Federal Government’s development agenda due to its strong entrepreneurial culture. He urged political and community leaders in the region to rally support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to fully unlock the region’s economic potential.
Speaking on the topic, “Feeding and Building the South-East Region for Agro- and Solid Minerals–Led Industrialisation,” Governor Nwifuru said Ebonyi State is deliberately positioning itself to harness its abundant mineral resources to drive development within the state, the South-East, and the nation at large.
The governor expressed appreciation for President Tinubu’s vision for inclusive development, particularly the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), which he described as a clear demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to the region.
“Ebonyi State is richly endowed with lead, zinc, limestone, salt, and granite. Under a reform-oriented approach, we will shift emphasis towards formal licensing, investor screening, community engagement, and the explicit goal of linking extraction to local processing,” Nwifuru said.
He disclosed that the state’s industrial roadmap includes plans to establish at least two cement factories, leveraging Ebonyi’s proximity to key raw materials such as limestone and gypsum.
Governor Nwifuru added that the state is also working towards processing lead and zinc to support metal fabrication industries, as well as developing its salt resources to meet the needs of the food processing and chemical sectors.
He commended the organisers of the Vision 2050 forum and called on governors across the South-East to collectively support the full implementation of the agenda to ensure sustainable prosperity for the region.
