By Chimaobi Nwaiwu
NNEWI — Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidioka, has called on South-East governors and the organised private sector to work together to restore Onitsha’s status as the commercial hub of the old Eastern Region by attracting banks to establish their headquarters in the city.
Chidioka made the call during the investiture of Sir Chinedu Nwogu as the 16th President of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA) and the inauguration of the chamber’s 2025–2027 council held in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who chaired the event, said the absence of bank headquarters in the South-East had limited access to credit for businesses despite the region’s significant contribution to bank deposits.
He urged state governments to use incentives such as tax rebates to encourage financial institutions to relocate their headquarters to the region, particularly Onitsha.
