Imo Newspaper Publisher Inducted As Fellow Institute Of Policy Development

N

*Calls for policy action to end depression, suicide*

 Publisher | CEO Nigerian Newsguide, Chidi  Emeagi has been inducted as Fellow Institute of Policy Management Development ( IPMD).

At a well attended induction ceremony held at Owerri  Hotel Plaza, Owerri, Imo State, recently, Emeagi was admitted into the prestigious hall of Policy Development Experts alongside 14 others after they had been examined, assessed and certified by the Governing Council of the Institute. They are by this development empowered to affix‘FIPMD’ after their names.

Speaking during a lecture that preceded the official Induction, Chidi Emeagi who is also a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Corporate Administration decried high rate of suicide deaths and its attendant cause clinked to depression. He noted that Nigeria had in past one year lost hundreds of her young people to death via suicide, regretting that the potentials of these able- bodied youth who took their lives could be an advantage to some critical sectors of our economy if they had remained alive.

Emeagi described the recent case of a certain Pastor in Abuja who took his live over an alleged reason that he was unable to pay his house rent as ridiculous and shameful to his Church and government.

He therefore called on policy formulators and government at all levels to come up with policies aimed at tackling depression and its direct consequence which is usually suicide in order to save youths.

“In most cases these suicide missionists drop notes before the dastardly acts but those indicted in the sad notes are not often investigated and prosecuted. Again drug abuse is very high now, outside NDLEA, other agencies of government could be empowered to either help reduce the abuse or rehabilitate those addicts who have already signed their death warrants due to depression.  The harsh economy is also a factor, in this case social security policy is therefore needed to give hope to most Nigerians who are jobless particularly unemployed graduated- Emeagi  stressed.        

Chairman of the induction ceremony and Professor of Financial Management at Federal University of Technology, Owerri Prof. Ezeji Chigbu used the occasion to congratulate the newly inducted Fellows even as he urged them to remain good ambassadors of Institute of Policy Management Development. According to him, the Institute is a creation of the law which is into mandatory professional education programme in the area of policy formulation and implementation having well over 1,000 policy experts as members and fellows. Prof Chigbu called on those in authority particularly the incoming administrations across Nigeria to always seek the counsel of Policy Development experts so as to be guided in policy formulation and implementation to ensure that the yearning and aspirations of the Nigerian masses are addressed.

          Guest Speaker and Representative of the President of the Institute Mr. Okey Nwaoru in his lecture blamed successive governments and Nigerians too for being too externally oriented to the extent that any product produced in Nigeria is always seen as sub-standard. He lamented that Nigeria which has one  of the largest deposits of mineral resources in the world outside the black gold, ought to have developed farther than all African nations competing with America and Europe regretted however that the country is still crawling behind in the comity of undeveloped nations due to greed, corruption and absence patriotism. Nwaoru submitted that with the continued refining of Nigeria’s crude oil abroad, the nation will continue to gasp for air in terms of development.

He accordingly therefore called on the inductees to feel free to contribute their quota by coming up with policies and bills that could help advance the country.Assoc. Prof. Okechukwu Akaogu of IMSU Owerri,  Dr. Obasi Oko of Federal Poly Nekede and Dr. Iyke Njoku former Commissioner for Economic Planning Imo State were among those inducted. Nigerian Newsguide Publisher Mr. Chidi Emeagi it could be noted was the only Media Executive inducted at the grand event.