On behalf of the WOPC Executive Committee, it is my pleasure to share with you our collective vision. My colleagues and I hope that you will buy into this idea and support this initiative.

The Vision:  Case For Owerri Convention Center

Early last year (2010) the WOPC Executive Committee unanimously agreed that building a magnificent convention center at Owerri is an idea whose time is long overdue. The executive committee believes that the realization of this goal will have tremendous economic impact on the local economy.

We hope that you, our members, will agree with this assessment and help us make it a reality. Building a convention center at Owerri will not be an easy task and will cost a significant amount of money. The executive committee is aware of the enormity of the task but believes that the benefits of doing so far outweigh the difficulties inherent in undertaking this project.

The executive committee of the World Owerri People’s Congress (WOPC) harbors no illusions about the enormity of the task ahead. And as is customary, the Board of Directors of the WOPC was informed of this vision at the February 27, 2010 face-to-face board meeting. The Board of Directors agreed with the vision. This vision, however, was overtaken by events leading up to the 2010 Sugarland convention where a formal presentation had been planned. We do intend to make this presentation at the 2011 Philadelphia convention.

The WOPC executive committee has calculated it will require the  effort of all our people contributing their expertise and resources as best as they can to accomplish this task. But, just as other people and nations have taken on big challenges of their own and resolved them for themselves, we believe that a significant convention center project at Owerri is a challenge that we too must resolve for ourselves and for posterity. We are convinced that it can be done if we decide to take on the challenge and we believe that we will.

An Owerre Convention Center edifice in Owerri will no doubt become the creative economic engine that will significantly impact the lives of our people in positive ways. This is basically what convention centers do and has done for cities across the globe. It is simply a transformational asset; a positive game changer, which is why every major city in the world has it. Building an Owerri Convention and Civic Center will be simply a statement that Nde~Owerre are serious and are open for business.  Below are some of the benefits that will flow from building a convention and civic center at Owerri:

The Benefits

Employment:

A convention center with the capacity of seating 2,500 to 5,000 people will without a shred of doubt create immediate employment for up to 250 – 500 people. It will be much more when the multiplier effect is considered and factored in. This employment estimate is conservative and is based on having one attendant per one hundred people. The employed individuals will be our brothers and sisters who will now have the opportunity at a better life. By being off the streets, the dangers inherent in the idle enterprise will be seriously mitigated if not completely curtailed.

Boost to the Local Economy:

The Owerri Convention Center will interact with all sectors of the local economy in ways that no other engine of economic development has thus far done. As the city's premier gathering place, it is where local meetings, banquets, educational, cultural, religious and social functions are held on behalf of all members of the community. By providing meeting spaces for the gathering of large numbers of people from all parts of the country, it will guarantee that the hospitality and tourism sectors of the local economy will be humming and flush with business.

Hotel rooms will be filled and new hotels may even spring up in response to rising demand. Brisk business may force hotels to add staff to their workforce and, or, to expand their capacity which in turn will create additional employment for our people. Hotels will buy more and more foods thereby creating markets for the food and agriculture sectors of the local economy.

The transportation sector of the local economy will benefit enormously as well. Airlines will find it very profitable flying more people to Owerri to attend political, economic or social events. Increased airline traffic at the Owerri airport might have the unintended consequence of upgrading the airport and creating more jobs.

Taxis will proliferate to accommodate rising demand for their services which means that more people will be off the streets as they will now have a stable source of livelihood. Cleaner airport and local taxis might even result as competition grows.

Revenue Base:

The State,  Owerri Municipal, and adjoining villages and towns will be able to generate additional revenue by way of hotel tax and transportation permits and fees. Money realized from hotel tax and transportation permit and fees will be used for basic city services such as street maintenance, security, sanitation, parks, museums, and libraries thereby reducing the tax burden on the taxpayers. The provision and maintenance of these city services means that more of our brothers and sisters will be on the payroll and off the street.

Revenue for the Congress:

The WOPC as an instrument for good and its collaborative partners will be able to re-coup their investment over time given that money will be charged for the use of the facility. It will become a significant income stream for the Congress and by extension, our people.

Socio-Cultural Benefits:

Not only will the convention center serve as the main hub for economic activity for the region, it will provide socio-cultural benefits such as elaborate weddings, burials, ceremonies, political party gatherings, and share-holder meetings for corporations, banquets, and other social events as well as become the peoples’ rallying ground for resisting injustices and tyranny whenever manifested. Currently these events are held at church facilities with limited capacities and at private homes with even smaller capacities.

Pride of Place:

A magnificent Owerri Convention Center will be enormously fulfilling for every Owerri person everywhere. It will bring people from all walks of life to the city. These people will spend their money in the city which will in turn boost the local economy. These people will also experience our Owerri hospitality.  Local foods will be prepared and served. Some of these visitors might even be convinced that Owerri will be a good place to relocate or cite their business. Visitors will have first-hand knowledge of our people, our easy-going, warm and charming personality. Simply put, Nde~Owerre, their lives and culture will be show-cased to the world through the convention center.

The Plan

A). The immediate plan is to get the buy-in of all well meaning Owerre people everywhere to work with the WOPC in a collaborative way with the goal of achieving the stated objective. As with all plans in every political and democratic society, the people will be called upon to approve this vision at the 2011 Philadelphia Convention.

B). WOPC will need our people who have the  relevant expertise and advice on how to go about achieving the stated objective to volunteer their expert services and in instances where they absolutely cannot, to mitigate their charges while delivering the same quality services. If we can receive a healthy donation of intellectual resources and the exertion of political credit and goodwill from our well connected sons and daughters, it will significantly save our people and the WOPC money and reduce the overall costs of the project.

C). Because the cost of actualizing the stated objective is high, WOPC will be asking every true Owerre man or woman regardless of their current residence, political party or religious affiliation, whether they are members of the WOPC or not, to make obligatory annual financial donation to the Owerri Convention Center campaign fund when established and until finished. WOPC will solicit funds from every Owerre son or daughter and from our friends, both abroad and at home.

WOPC will continue to reach out to our brothers and sisters everywhere who may wish to come and help with the kick-off of the convention center fundraising campaign. We want everyone who can come to come whether invited or not. I can assure you that we will be delighted to have you. Please do not feel less important or disrespected in anyway because you have not been specially invited or that your name was omitted in error. It is not within our capacity to specially invite everybody.

D). WOPC will begin exploratory discussions with all stakeholders on how to procure the significant parcels of land that will be needed for the project after the Philadelphia Convention. Thereafter, a commission for actual implementation of the project will be set up and announced. If you can assist in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact me at 717-577-9765 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We look forward to your blessing and support of this vision to enable the successful take-off of this project.

 

Long Live Nde Owerre

Long Live WOPC

 

 

Sincerely,

Eddy Eberegbulam Abakporo
WOPC President