ENUGU—former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed delight with the commitment being displayed by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State towards the socio-economic development of the South East region, saying that the governor has “surprised me.”

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

Speaking when he led a delegation of Brenthurst Foundation to the Government House, Enugu, Chief Obasanjo, recalled that during the South East Security and Economic Summit in Enugu, last December, Gov. Ugwuanyi made a wonderful planning that saw to the success of the programme.

He said: “That exercise from that day, took a life of its own and I thought we need to give you (Ugwuanyi)    a highest commendation for that”.

The former President also noted that the success of the summit gave birth to the South East Region Development Company (SEREDEC).

He applauded the South East Governors for working together for the development of the zone, stressing the importance of education, economy and social welfare of the people as the basic ingredients of such growth.

Brenthurst Foundation, which has Chief Obasanjo as its chairman and Dr. Greg Mills as the Chief Executive, is a brainchild of the Oppenheimer Family of South Africa, initiated for the economic development of Africa.

The foundation was recently invited by the South East Governors’ Forum to explore the region’s potentials for economic integration and development of the zone.

He disclosed that the Foundation’s vision was to assess the needs of the people of the zone in the areas of economy, infrastructure, transportation, power, housing, agriculture, among others, and think of how to impact positively on what is already being done in the region, bearing in mind the federal government plans.

The former President said that the foundation is not into politics, but that its focus is purely to assist in the development of Africa.