Senator Stella Oduah has called on all Igbos especially the wealthy ones, to invest their wealth in human capital development in the South East. In a New Year message issued by Oduah, she stressed that the only way to grow the Igbo Land was through prosperity sharing. The senator who represents Anambra North in the National Assembly insisted that no Igbo man or woman could claim to be wealthy when there were still millions of poor Igbo people in their communities. She stressed that empowering the poor was also the best way to ensure political participation and end vote buying, adding that an empowered youth would not be interested in selling his or her vote.
“It is my philosophy that prosperity must be consciously shared for an equitable society.
“The Igbo nation is blessed with many financially successful people, but we still have millions of poor people among us. The truth is, we cannot lay claim to wealth when millions of our people in rural communities and in the cities are poor and hungry.
“This underscores my passion for human capital development/empowerment – prosperity-sharing is the panacea for an organic and holistic growth of the Igbo nation.
“As a matter of fact, mainstreaming empowerment is essential for the participation of our youths in politics.
“Only an empowered young person can stand to demand accountability from the government without compromise, and only an empowered young person can be involved in the politics of the day because his basic needs, food, shelter, clothing, are no longer an encumbrance,” she said.
The senator who sponsored the Bill recently passed by the Senate for the establishment of the South East Development Commission, warned that the nation could not afford to be nonchalant about the decadent retrogression of the youths.
She pointed out that the spate at which the youths were delving into the vortex of destructive get-rich-quick schemes and drug abuse could not be overlooked.
She called on the Igbos to join in building a better and more prosperous Igbo nation by growing more entrepreneurs and innovators.
“That is the way we can make progress. Imagine, if more Igbo sons and daughters with the means to empower the youths of their communities do so, hunger and poverty will certainly beat a retreat.
“We must share prosperity this New Year. Let “sharing prosperity” be our mantra in 2019 and beyond.
“And we must commit to ensure that the mantra becomes an incontestable tradition and truth of the Igbo.
“More so, to make this admonition a quicker reality, it is imperative that every empowered and established Igbo daughter and son live consistently in the consciousness that the economic inclusion of every Igbo is not a burden or tedious task but as a divine duty that will solidify the place of the Igbos on the global map as a people of great vision, unity, remarkable achievements and prosperous communities.
“Umu nne m (my siblings), we must share prosperity for the holistic growth of our people.
“I, Senator Stella Oduah, is strongly committed to sharing prosperity maka oganiru ndi Igbo (for the growth/advancemnet of Igbo people).
“I wish you all a happy New Year. May 2019 be the continuation of progress and good things for Anambra North, and may it be the beginning of a renaissance in Igbo-land,” she said. 
Photo Credit: Getty
