Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, has said that no responsible Nigerian should be happy over how things have turned out in the country. He made the observation on Wednesday in Onitsha during the installation of Pharm Chris Ukachukwu as the new President of Onitsha Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA).
Obi called on Nigerians to continue to have faith in the country with assurances that by their active participation, good governance would one day be enthroned.
The immediate past governor of Anambra State regretted total lack of confidence in essential infrastructure in the country, especially health infrastructure. He called on government to pay attention to basic infrastructure and restore hope in the country.
Using himself as an example, Obi said it was because of his conviction that Nigeria could do well that made him support the rebuilding of health infrastructure, among others, when he was the Governor.
“Since I left government, apart from attending events at Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country, I live here in Onitsha. I confidently make use of Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha, because when I was the Governor, I supported the rebuilding of the hospital as well as many others in different parts of the state. When I read about complex heart operations taking place at St. Joseph Hospital Adazi-Nnukwu I feel happy I was part of it.
“There is one thing our people do not know – when one serves the people very well, which is not about making money, one will feel a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment which is far more precious than money because it is priceless,” Obi said.
He advised the newly installed OCCIMA President to always be alive to his responsibilities, especially in the area of restoring Onitsha to a business-friendly town it used to be.
In his own remarks, Pharm Ukachukwu said he was overwhelmed by the calibre of people that attended his installation and promised not to disappoint the people of the state. He said the thrust of his leadership would be the sustained improvement of the business climate at
Onitsha.
The new OCCIMA President assured that his office would also concentrate on capacity building and restoration of faith in Onitsha as housing the biggest market in West Africa.
He also said that they had visited the burnt Ochanja market at Onitsha assured they were working with the market leadership to ensure that compensation gets to the right people.