By Prince Osuagwu

Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has explained that the reason he asked Igbo leaders to jettison all other agitations and concentrate on the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was because his release holds the key to security challenges in the south East.

He said the only way the region could attract the rapid development and investment opportunities it deserved was to  restore security.

Recall that at the just concluded South-East Summit on Economy and Security in Owerri, the Imo State, Ekeh charged the five Governors of the South-East to take up the release of Nnamdi Kanu, as a one-point agenda to President Bola Tinubu, noting that a positive outcome will quell the restiveness in the region and usher in sustainable prosperity.

Addressing the gathering, Ekeh,‘‘the average Igbo youth is smart, energetic and imbued with a dose of spirituality. Equipped with the necessary tools in an enabling environment, these qualities can transform our youths into world beaters and global champions. We also have quality leaders as Governors in the five South East states with the confidence to transform the region. Working together, I believe we can cite a centralized digital hub in the region which will produce certified billionaires in the next few years.

‘‘However, we must first take steps to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu as this will instantly bring about a measure of calm and sanity in the region. Kanu is a critical factor in the security issues of the South-East. President Bola Tinubu is not a stubborn or inconsiderate leader. I am sure he will listen. When he was Governor of Lagos State, he took the advice of some of us to include deserving Igbos in his cabinet and this was how Ben Akabueze emerged,’’

Ekeh, whose speech drew a standing ovation and a rapturous reaction from the audience, submitted that the South-East is a huge economy waiting to happen, and added that the region is blessed with an abundance of human capital, a new breed of outstanding leaders and willing investors ready to turn its fortunes around for good.

He however feared that no concrete investment or development can take place in an atmosphere of tension and insecurity. Consequently, he urged the governors to put aside party affiliations and forge a common front to press for the release of the pro-Biafra agitator, Kanu