₦airaland Forum

LAGOS STATE AND THE IGBOS- The untold story

Those who contributed to the Development of LAGOS:

The economy of the former Eastern Region was planned from the ground up by the US consulting firm Arthur D. Little

Dr. Azikiwe brought them and they worked with M I Okpara at first, then with Sam Otti and later Eluwa who headed the Civil Service, and later with Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu who at the time was the Chairman of the Eastern Nigerian Development Corporation (ENDC) and also the Chairman of the Eastern Nigeria Commodities Board (ENCB)

Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu also sat as Chairman of 15 multinational companies at the time - John Holt, PZ, Michelin, Costain, Thomas Wyatt, Guinness, GB Ollivant, etc

He was so rich that he single-handedly funded the establishment of the Lagos Stock Exchange but refused to list his company there for fear of losing control

His photo still hangs proudly on the floor of that exchange as its first chairman

Arthur D Little also worked with a coterie of young Eastern Nigerian economists at the time - Pius Okigbo (PhD Northwestern), Ukwu I. Ukwu (PhD Cambridge), Chukwu Sunday Okongwu (PhD Harvard). These young men in their early twenties worked with Arthur D Little to plan our economy from scratch

I know this because Ukwu I Ukwu taught me at Nsukka and I also worked in Dr Chu SP Okongwu's economic planning firm right during and after grad school in Nigeria.

Arthur D. Little recommended the setting up of a university in the East to produce key skills needed to drive economic growth as most of those skills were not being taught in Ibadan at the time

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe sent Dr Akpabio (MA Columbia) who at the time was the East's Minister of Education on an extended tour to universities in Michigan and New York for collaboration in key fields like medicine, engineering, surveying, and photogrammetry, and business administration.

UNN was the first school in Nigeria to offer many of these courses. Ibadan at the time taught mostly Classics, General Science, and later Medicine

Palm oil, Palm Kernel, Coal, Cocoa (from Ikom), Coffee from Obudu, and later petroleum from firstly Izombe - Oguta area and later from Oloibiri in Ijaw land drove the economy of the East

In terms of development, the East started late, compared to the West.

Development and education had started in Lagos and Abeokuta right after Beecroft occupied Lagos in the 1850s and made it a British colony. Lagos and the SW thus had more than a 70-year headstart over the East in terms of total gross capital formation and the platform that it gave for growth.

But after the implementation of Arthur D Little's recommended growth plan, the East's economy grew at more than 9.2%, starting from 1958 till 1967 when the war began

At over 9%, the Eastern Region in this period, had the fastest growing economy on earth consistently for 9 years and wast estimated to equal Western Nigeria by 1978 (in terms of total gross capital formation) and then overtake the Western Region after that.

The civil war truncated that momentum and the East never recovered after that.

Louis Philip Odumegwu Ojukwu brought his industrial influence to bear on the growth plan as he single-handedly pushed for the establishment of not just industrial estates but industrial corridors in the region.

An industrial estate is located. An industrial corridor joins two or more industrial estates to form an industrial conurbation.

Industrial estates sprang up across the East
TransAmadi in PH.

Aba for light industries.

Umuahia for biotechnology.

Emene in Enugu for steel and industrial automation.

Nkalagu, PH, and Calabar for cement and building materials.

Onitsha is an emporium to drive retail trading.

Obudu in Cross River for dairy, holidaying, and corporate meetings.

Because he was the chairman of 15 multinational companies at the time, he used his influence to compel many of them to buy into the East's industrialization plan.

Okpara also partnered with Israel for the setting up of industrial farms and plantations - seedling production, extension services, assistance to farmers, etc.

So plantations (cashew nuts, palm kernel, cocoa, coffee, timber, etc) sprang up in Oghe (Enugu State), Okigwe (Abia State), Obudu, Itumbenuzor, Akamkpa all in Cross River state, and in various parts of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Abia, etc.

Okpara personally delivered some of the seedlings himself by driving behind the trucks that did the delivery.

Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu pushed for the establishment of 3 major cement plants in the region - Nkalagu, Eastern Bulkcem in PH, and Calabar cement factory in Calabar.

Nkalagu and PH opened before the war started in 1967. Everything for the take off of the Calabar cement factory was purchased but the war truncated its take off.

In 1970, Governor Esuene of the newly-created Cross River State opened the Calcemco plant to the applause of many.

Three industrial corridors were also planned for the East

The Emene-Nkalagu Industrial corridor which was to focus on automobiles, building materials, and industrial automation. Kaiser Motors in the US at the time (it has since been acquired) had agreed to build a car plant in Emen and a plant for car engines. That corridor was to stretch for almost 100 miles

The second industrial corridor was to stretch between PH and Aba. So industrial centers were set up in Trans Amadi and Aba and over a ten to 15-year period, these two centers were to be linked by many feeder industries that would be located on the highway joining both cities.

Okpara had hoped that over time, the PH-Aba industrial corridor would follow the old road between Port Harcourt and Enugu and join with the Emene-Nkalagu industrial corridor to create a massive industrial conurbation that almost imitates the almost 200 kilometer Ruhr Industrial Valley in Germany built under Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck

Onitsha was to drive the East's Retail economy and so the market was built there as an Emporium...to attract buyers from all over Nigeria and West and Central Africa so they could come spend their money in the East.

Dubai would copy this same model 50 years later and implement it successfully but on a global scale. Onitsha market achieved its purpose by 1958, two years after the East achieved self-government. It became the preferred destination for retail and bulk shoppers from over West Africa and even Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo. This gave the Anambra Igbo a head start in retail trading...an advantage that they enjoy to date.

All of these development and growth projects were centrally driven by the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation - ENDC and the revenues were centrally aggregated into the account of the Eastern Nigerian Commodities Board (ENCB). Both groups were headed by Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu

Funds for development came mostly from 3 sources.

1. Local revenues from the export of cocoa(Ikom and Itumbenuzor), coffee (Obudu and Arochukwu), timber (Akamkpa) Coal (Enugu-Udi), Palm oil (Rivers, Imo, Abia), Palm kernel (Rivers, Imo, Abia)

2. Direct Foreign Investments

3. Loans from Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC)

Umuahia was to midwife the East's biotechnology industries which explains why Golden Guinea Brewery and the Root Crop Research Institute were established there.

Obudu because of its pristine hills and its fresh weather was to be a holiday resort for many as well as a primary center for a dairy industry that just started before the war commenced. Obudu Cattle Ranch was the first in a series of investments that got scuttled in Obudu by the war.

Lastly, oil was discovered late. Chief Nwodo, Eastern Nigeria's first Minister for Trade (father to the past Ohaneze Chairman) negotiated the first contracts with Shell on a 50-50 investment and sharing basis.

Virtually all of the East's oil assets were seized by the Federal Government under Gowon with no compensation paid to date. The Federal Government simply inherited the East's 50% slot and paid nothing for it. Today everyone profits from it

Most of the catalytic cracking and downstream refineries that NNPC would later build were in the plans that the Eastern Regional Government had for the region.

Today, some of those plants are located in faraway Kaduna, and no mention is ever made of the East.

Every Nigerian today depends on that oil to survive including states that claim that they can survive from internally-generated revenues.

I believe that rather than whine every day, we Igbos should sit down and learn our history...take a look at the growth plans that got scuttled in 1967 and see how we can work together to pick up the pieces and build again from scratch


L

All this big big epistle just because Nigerians rejected your land grabbing indigenous bill and have insisted on preserving their Ethnic indigenous Heritage ,History and Homelands just as you are already doing in your own corner of the Jungle

You have nothing to show as progress in your South East. You are priding yourself with Lagos. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣



Imagine Oyo State alone getting the allocation of 5states altogether to build Oyo State. Wouldn't the development in Oyo State make a great difference in the whole of Nigeria so much that the indigenes of Oyo State will be so proud of themselves bearing their state of indigene and doing as much as possible to remain at home?

The whole of South East equals Oyo State and with 5 Governors. I wonder why that region is what it is that people are not happy to claim their region except being obsessed with Lagos? Nothing to show! For a small region with so much collective allocation. So wetin happen?

christistruth01:
All this big epistle because Nigerians rejected your land grabbing indigenous bill and have insisted on preserving their Ethnic indigenous Heritage and Homelands just as you are already doing.im your own corner of the Jungle

I read Estate management and I can say it succinctly that u don't know anything,because if u do,u won't say igbos were into land grabbing in Lagos or yoruba states.

So,if I buy a land in Lagos or ibadan to u,it's called land grabbing ?

U need to change ur thinking and change ur life,if not u will not achieve anything with this mentality.

Hatred beget hatred...don't continue in this,else u will produce children with similar mentality.

This epistle changes nothing .
Nobody cares about what you wrote Nwanne.
I stopped reading when you said eastern economy rivaled western economy in 1978. There was nothing like eastern region in 1978 to start with .

That said , Streets would continue to be renamed and we would continue to reject the land grabbing RUGA like settler-Indigene bill

Nice2023:
Hatred beget hatred...don't continue in this,else u will produce children with similar mentality.

https://www.nairaland.com/8489994/ibo-obidients-x-meeting-goes#136333093

This is a thread that captures Obidients Twitter live/session where they were atta-ck-ing the Y--o-rubas

Go listen to it, then compare the kinda thing they are spilling there to the comment you quoted and judge for yourself, which if these people deserve to hear this your preaching

Go now to that thread and preach to them. No be to dey come dey preach to us. Preach to your people too. Also, there's nothing ha-t-e-f-ul about his comment

All these long epistle can be summarized to the below.

Please,sir :
Can you show proof that SE was the fastest economy in the world then?
Have seen a lot of Igbo blogs (full of delusions and lies) claiming this but no proof from genuine sources.


Where is the ENDC today because Odua Investments still exists.


What proof do you have that SE rivaled SW and even overtook the SW?

In my research,there has never been anytime the SE or any other region,overtook the SW either economically or educationally even when the SW was in opposition and the SE was in bed with the North politically.


Lastly,do you know that the Western Region loaned Nigeria a lofty sum of money?


#

Nice2023:
I read Estate management and I can say it succinctly that u don't know anything,because if u do,u won't say igbos were into land grabbing in Lagos or yoruba state.

So,if I buy a land in Lagos or ibadan to u,it's called land grabbing ?

U need to change ur thinking and change ur life,if not u will not achieve anything with this mentality.

Hatred beget hatred...don't continue in this,else u will produce children with similar mentality.

Look,

Leasing.Land doesn't make you indigenous to anywhere !

You see Dangote as heavy as he has invested in Lagos if he disrespect Yorubaland or Heritage he will be shown the road back to Kano and we will hold Owambe send off party for him
another investor will takeover his investment

The Land document.you are raving over is a land lease that can be revoked anytime especially if you misbehave

The reason you are paying Land rent is because you are a TENANT on our Indigenous lands.

Next time read your documents properly so you don't start wailing if bulldozers turn up to enforce the Law

Nice thread. The ENSC was a robust plan. One can only imagine what the Eastern Region could have become if their plans weren't interrupted. It isn't over though. We can still achieve.

Hahaha, they developed everywhere so tey when it comes to develop their own region, that's when the cement finish

Labourer of the world

Ofemannnu:
Please,sir :
Can you show proof that SE was the fastest economy in the world then?
Have seen a lot of Igbo blogs (full of delusions and lies) claiming this but no proof from genuine sources.


Where is the ENDC today because Odua Investments still exist.


What proof do you have that SE rivaled SW and even overtook the SW?

In my research,there has never been anytime the SE or any other region,overtook the SW either economically or educationally even when the SW was in opposition and the SE was in bed with the North politically.


Lastly,do you know that the Western Region loaned Nigeria a lofty sum of money?


#

Its self deluding, self derision

christistruth01:
Look,

Leasing.Land doesn't make you indigenous to anywhere !

You see Dangote as heavy as he has invested in Lagos if he disrespect Yorubaland or Heritage he will be shown the road back to Kano and we will hold Owambe send off party for him
another investor will takeover his investment

The Land document.you are raving over is a land lease that can be revoked anytime especially if you misbehave

The reason you are paying Land rent is because you are a TENANT on our Indigenous lands.

Next time read your documents properly so you don't start wailing if bulldozers turn up to enforce the Law

See adult!

See 2025 mindset!!!

Chai!!!!!
Smh

Ofemannnu:
Please,sir :
Can you show proof that SE was the fastest economy in the world then?
Have seen a lot of Igbo blogs (full of delusions and lies) claiming this but no proof from genuine sources.


Where is the ENDC today because Odua Investments still exists.


What proof do you have that SE rivaled SW and even overtook the SW?

In my research,there has never been anytime the SE or any other region,overtook the SW either economically or educationally even when the SW was in opposition and the SE was in bed with the North politically.


Lastly,do you know that the Western Region loaned Nigeria a lofty sum of money?


#

Even Nigeria Houses in UK, Saudi etc belonged to Western Region. They are part of western region's assets stolen by Fed Rep of Nigeria thru Ironsi's draconian decree 34

Yujin:
Nice thread. The ENSC was a robust plan. One can only imagine what the Eastern Region could have become if their plans weren't interrupted. It isn't over though. We can still achieve.

These kind of posts only serve to increase my hunger for an independent Alaigbo or Biafra Republic in which we will be in control of our own resources and destiny! The damage remaining in Nigeria has wrought on our economy, values and psyche will take almost a generation to rectify and return us back to how things were pre the Nzeogwu coup of 1966!

Raf4:
Even Nigeria Houses in UK, Saudi etc belonged to Western Region. They are part of western region's assets stolen by Fed Rep of Nigeria thru Ironsi's draconian decree 34

Sure,everybody knows but our biodas are sometimes troubled by their delusions.

Nice2023:
I read Estate management and I can say it succinctly that u don't know anything,because if u do,u won't say igbos were into land grabbing in Lagos or yoruba state.

So,if I buy a land in Lagos or ibadan to u,it's called land grabbing ?

U need to change ur thinking and change ur life,if not u will not achieve anything with this mentality.

Hatred beget hatred...don't continue in this,else u will produce children with similar mentality.

You think you bought any land in SW?

You only paid for rent and at the appropriate time the state government will revoke it that is if we haven't separate before then

Nice2023:
I read Estate management and I can say it succinctly that u don't know anything,because if u do,u won't say igbos were into land grabbing in Lagos or yoruba state.

So,if I buy a land in Lagos or ibadan to u,it's called land grabbing ?

U need to change ur thinking and change ur life,if not u will not achieve anything with this mentality.

Hatred beget hatred...don't continue in this,else u will produce children with similar mentality.

christistruth01, The bolded is a very big knockout punch to you

Raf4:
Even Nigeria Houses in UK, Saudi etc belonged to Western Region. They are part of western region's assets stolen by Fed Rep of Nigeria thru Ironsi's draconian decree 34

So also Western Broadcasting Corporation was taken and it becomes NTA, SW, SS own Nigeria followed by the North, the SE are just leeches and parasite

Mbanda:
christistruth01, The bolded is a very big knockout punch to you

You can only lease land you cannot buy it
That is why you are still paying Land rent
You are a TENANT on our Jesus given Ancestral Lands

So an igbo man founded the Lagos stock exchange

The 9% growth rate is very much possible with renewable energy and IT innovations. Abia state is currently on track with Enugu coming. Can we follow the industrial plan of those years.

Industrial estates sprang up across the East
TransAmadi in PH.

Aba for light industries.

Umuahia for biotechnology.

Emene in Enugu for steel and industrial automation.

Nkalagu, PH, and Calabar for cement and building materials.

Onitsha is an emporium to drive retail trading.

Obudu in Cross River for dairy, holidaying, and corporate meetings.

OP go soon get heart attack o...

kettykin:
So an igbo man founded the Lagos stock exchange

The 9% growth rate is very much possible with renewable energy and IT innovations. Abia state is currently on track with Enugu coming. Can we follow the industrial plan of those years.

Is this the lie they tell you under the coconut tree in alaigbo? Which igbo man founded the lagos stock exchange?

christistruth01:
You can only lease land you cannot buy it
That is why you are still paying Land rent
You are a TENANT on our Jesus given Ancestral Lands

So, your so-called tenant is now a land grabber according to what you said initially?

Can you hear yourself?
Why do you ronus enjoy making jest of yourselves?

coolitempa:
Is this the lie they tell you under the coconut tree in alaigbo? Which igbo man founded the lagos stock exchange?

Under the coconut tree ke. Hahaha you wicked oo

That's what they discussed at their last village square meeting

helinues:
Hahaha, they developed everywhere so tey when it comes to develop their own region, that's when the cement finish

Labourer of the world

The bolded reminds me of tinibu building lagos (according to una lies) but can't build Nigeria because cement don finish

Meanwhile ekiti, osun and oyo states are not developed more than any state in SE. So, I really don't know what you are saying.

Mbanda:
The bolded reminds me of tinibu building lagos (according to una lies) but can't build Nigeria because cement don finish

Meanwhile ekiti, osun and oyo states are not developed more than any state in SE. So, I really don't know what you are saying.

Stick with the topic of discussion and stop drooling

Mbanda:
So, your so-called tenant is now a land grabber according to what you said initially?

Can you hear yourself?
Why do you ronus enjoy making jest of yourselves?

Go read your indigeneship bill
It is disgustingly covetous

Every Tom, Djivk and Harry has an advice for the Ibos. Including those who can't manage their immediate nuclear family.