 |
| Governor Okorocha receiving a gift from the Consul-General of China, Mr Liu Khan when he paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Owerri. |
Governor Rochas Okorocha
has called on the government of China to review the cases of Nigerians imprisoned
in that country to ensure that innocent ones were not punished for offences they
did not commit.
He made the call yesterday
when the Consul-General of China, Mr Liu Khan paid him a courtesy visit at the
Government House, Owerri.
According to him, many
Nigerians including Imo people have been languishing in jail in China
following reports by some international media outfits. He urged the
Chinese government to revisit the cases with a view to releasing the innocent
ones.
In his words, “The
report we get from the Internet and CNN show that there are so many Nigerians
today languishing in jail of China. I am concerned about Nigerians
particularly the people from Imo State and I want to have a working
relationship with you to revisit the cases of those imprisoned especially those
from my State to make sure the innocent ones are not punished for offences they
never committed”
Speaking further during the
occasion, Governor Okorocha said that his administration was determined to
transform Imo into the China of Nigeria and also approved a business tour for
100 Imo businessmen and industrialists to China for partnership that would
enhance the industrial sector of the State. Said he; “We shall be
raising the first 100 businessmen which I will forward through my
Liason Office to your office. One hundred [100] businessmen that I
personally as a governor will sign and guarantee for their business to enable
them go to China and do business and come back and go again. In that
case, we begin the gradual technological transfer to our country”.
He said China remains
the best partner for the industrialization programme of his administration, and
expressed optimism that Imo will succeed as China has excelled in the
industrial sector of the economy.
The governor told the
Consul-General that Imo State is highly blessed with fertile soil, large
quantity of gas deposit and other natural resources coupled with hardworking
citizens but lacks the technological know-how to harness such resources to
their optimum.
He stressed that Imo has
the highest gas deposit in Nigeria with vast fertile soil but needs modern
technological equipment to improve on agriculture. “‘Imo is a special State
with the highest gas deposit in Nigeria, abundant human resources and education
as the key industry, we want to succeed with you in industrialization, we want
to know the technological know-how and develop the resources of our
land. Imo people are your best partners in business,” the governor
explained.
He also called on the
Chinese investors to help develop the Oguta Lake and other areas to boost tourism
and industrialization and thanked the Chinese Consul for his willingness to
grant China Visa to Nigerians on business trips.
Earlier, the Chinese
Consul-General to Nigeria, Mr Liu Khan said his visit to Imo State was to
interact with the governor and Imo business group to explore areas of
partnership with Imo State and China.
Mr Khan who expressed
willingness to encourage bilateral ties between Imo investors and Chinese
businessmen, noted that statistics from the Chinese visa office showed
that most visa applicants are Igbo people and pointed out that Igbo people
have made great contributions to the development of Nigeria.
“The Igbos are not only
eager to explore but are inclined to learning and sharing experiences with
others” Mr Khan remarked.
The Consul-General
recalled that China and Nigeria established diplomatic relationship in 1971 and
in 2001 both countries established strategic partnership which has yielded
great economic dividends to both countries. He therefore encouraged
Imo people interested in doing business with the Chinese to feel free to apply
for China Visas as his office will give necessary assistance to facilitate
their trip
No comments:
Post a Comment
..