It was all commendation and praise by the people for the Chairman of Igbo-Etiti local government area as he kicked off a programme dubbed ‘Igbo-Etiti Citizens Project Evaluation Tours,’ Igbo-Etiti PET.
Under the initiative, ordinary citizens, mostly those who had never had any close dealings with the government, some of whom were farmers, full time housewives, petty traders, drivers, Keke and Okada riders, youths, students, palm wine tappers, artisans, etc, were randomly selected for participation.
The programme designed to involve these ordinary citizens from the twenty wards of the local government, cutting across the four development centres in the council area, kicked off with forty persons from the first four wards of Aku Ward 3, Ekwegbe Ward, Ukehe Ward 4 and Ohodo Ward respectively. The next rounds will also comprise of same number of people and wards until the whole twenty wards in the local government have participated.
The idea of a lean assemblage was to make it more closely interactive as the chairman was determined to have these citizens experience a very close and personal experience with him.
After arriving at the council headquarters in Ogbede where the chairman, Hon. Ikenna Nwodo personally received and welcomed them, and before they proceeded with the tours of the project sites, he addressed and told them why he thought it very necessary that they came to see what his government was doing.
He said “we are here today because you placed your trust in us, to preside over the affairs of the local government on your behalf. We are on an errand you sent us. It is therefore natural that we give account of our stewardship to you. As you sent us to the market, it is the correct thing to do by showing you how we have fared with your resources. We will also hear from you in the true spirit of democracy so that you would have also had the opportunity to contribute to how you want to be governed.”
Nwodo told them that he would take them to see as many projects as they were ready to see during which they were free to ask questions pertaining to the costs, the necessity of such projects, and of course why it was located where it was sited. He also told them that after they had returned to his office, they were free to engage him further in any area just as they were free to make their project requests, as his administration in its citizen-based governance model, and having put the people at the centre of policies and projects is determined to take cues from the people.
The Chairman said, “I want to make it clear to you that this engagement is for you, the people, the real people in our villages, communities and towns, who most of the time have no access to presenting their views to those in government. We want a change for good, and this time, we are coming together in a non-partisan and political gathering, just as citizens of Igbo-Etiti, to rub minds together. So, it is not a party thing. It is a people’s affair. Just the ordinary folks who for long have been denied access to those in power with their voices unheard if not suppressed. So, make the most of it today.”
Thereafter the tours commenced. The first port of call was the local government ICT Center where the youths and indeed anyone interested were being taught and equipped with the knowledge and skills to be a player in the digital economy of the world. The Mayor told them that at the moment, at least eighty Igbo-Etiti sons and daughters were attending training at the facility free of charge, four times a week.
Although most of those around were probably seeing a computer desktop system for the first time in their lives, as they sat awestruck on the rows of desks with computers and watched as images of some of the projects they were going to see were projected on a huge screen. It was not hard to see that even when many of them were not literate, they were all the same connected with the full potential of the good intentions the government had for their children and fellow citizens.
The next port of call was the sprawling Ogbede main market. They were shown the general rehabilitation the market had undergone under the current administration, with a beautiful perimeter fence and arched entrance and exit gates, to secure the entire area. They saw the extensive containment system put in place to effectively checkmate the perennial floodings ravaging the market and environs.
From there they proceeded to the ultra-modern building market under construction nearby, which apart from shops upon completion, would also have other facilities like halls for meetings and other social activities like weddings. The team was also at Aku to see the extensive erosion, flood control, borehole drilling, and rehabilitation, as well as road rehabilitation works the council was undertaking. On the whole, they visited about fifteen locations where they also saw more water, road projects, and power transformers supplying light to many communities which the Nwodo administration had installed.
The team retired to the chairman’s office only after the people complained of fatigue, having spent nearly four hours touring these locations. Many expressed their delight at what they saw, commending the chairman and his government for the many projects he had done across the local government area and as they had seen, with their strong impacts on the lives of the people. While some made requests for new projects and rehabilitation of existing ones that were moribund in their areas, others raised concerns on the proper management of existing ones, to optimally serve the people.
On his part, Ozor Michael Okeigwe, who came from Ndinwara in Ukehe Ward Four said “What the chairman has done is more than unusual. I commend him for his good work. He did so much and that is why he was confident to call us to see. Such boldness can only come from performance. And even though I have seen a lot, I will also ask the chairman to look at our direction as we in Obletiti Nwankwo area of Ukehe, have not been reasonably remembered by the government in the past.”
Mrs. Augustina Agali, from Umuagwani in Ohodo ward, raised some concerns about the habit of commercializing water boreholes provided by the government by some community management committees, and people. According to her, “The people find it quite uncomfortable that after a borehole is provided by the government, some people in the communities would use some means to start collecting money from the people. When you complain, they say it is for maintenance. Yet, when they break down, it is the government that will repair them as the Chairman is doing in some of the places we saw today. Chairman, please look into this.”
The chairman promised to take his time to go through all of their observations and requests and would do the needful according to the resources at the disposal of the government. The event came to an end after a light refreshment, with some tokens handed to each attendee as Fuel Subsidy Removal Palliative.
Meanwhile, below are some of the projects executed or being carried out by the Nwodo administration in Igbo-Etiti:
- 1. Rehabilitation of Water Works at Ogbede Health Centre (Completed)
- 2. Rehabilitation of Water Works at Amauwani Nkporogwu Ukehe (Completed)
- 3. Rehabilitation of Water Works at Amaedem, Ikolo (Completed)
- 4. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at Oshigo Aku (Completed)
- 5. New Borehole at Ugwuinyinya Uwelle Amokofia Ukehe (Completed)
- 6. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at Amufie Ohodo (70 % of work done, further redevelopment required)
- 7. New Borehole at Umuokwo Idoha (50% done)
- 8. Rehabilitation of Borehole at Mgboko Aku (40 % of work done)
- 9. Rehabilitation of Borehole at CSS Umunko (50% done)
- 10. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at Umuofiagu, Ukehe (Commencing)
- 11. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at CSS Ekwegbe (Commencing)
- 12. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at Diogbe 2 (Commencing)
- 13. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at Ozarra Uwellu (Commencing)
- 14. Rehabilitation of Waterworks at Ochima (Commencing)
- 15. Establishment and training of LG Water Sanitation and Hygiene (W.A.S.H) UNIT (Completed)
- 16. Establishment of 299 community-level institutions called ‘WASHCOMS’ (Completed)
- 17. Entrepreneurial training on Sanitation Marketing for TBOs (toilet business owners), and masons (Completed)
- 18. Passing of Prohibition of Open Defecation Law & establishment of a special task force on enforcement (Completed)
- 19. Supply and Commissioning of 500KVA Transformer at Uwelle Amokofia Ukehe (Completed)
- 20. Supply and Commissioning of 300KVA Transformer at Onyohor (Completed)
- 21. Supply and Commissioning of 300KVA Transformer at Ohodo (Completed) (It seems the Transformer is currently faulty; we are procuring a replacement)
- 22. Supply and Commissioning of 300KVA Transformer at Ohebe Dim (Completed)
- 23. Commissioning of Transformer and installation of distribution lines in Umuna (Completed)
- 24. Purchase and modification for security 4 Sienna Vehicles (Completed)
- 25. Purchase and modification for security 2 Hilux Vehicles (Completed)
- 26. Purchase of Computers and Printers for local police (Completed)
- 27. Purchase of security gadgets for Neighbourhood Watch, Forest Guards, and the police (Completed)
- 28. Refurbishment of seven (7) security Sienna buses for Neighbourhood Watch (Ongoing)
- 29. Establishment of Igbo-Etiti Tech Hub (Completed)
- 30. Installation of LG Secretariat-Wide WiFi (Completed)
- 31. Creation of the first ever Igbo-Etiti LG Website, and probably the only one so far in Enugu state (Completed)
- 32. Ogbede Market Upgrade (70 % Done)
- 33. Ogbede Building Material Market (40 % Done)
- 34. Ogbede Warehouse Rehabilitation Project (50 % Done)
- 35. Aku Major Drainage and Road project (20 %, Progressing)
- 36. Diogbe Drainage and Road Project (50 % Completed)
- 37. Uwelle/Ogbede LG Headquarters Drainage Works (50% Done)
- 38. Enugu-Markurdi Expressway Igbo-Etiti Portions Remedial Works (Ongoing)
- 39. Enugu-Orturkpo (Old Road) Igbo-Etiti Portions Remedial Works (Ongoing)
- 40. Medical Supplies to Various Health Centres (Ongoing)
- 41. Provision of Seedlings and Fertilizers to Farmers (Ongoing)
- 42. Scholarships Awarded to Students (Completed)
- 43. Procurement of Educational Materials for Primary and Secondary Students (Ongoing)
- 44. Infrastructural Works at Ogbede New Layout (Ongoing)
- 45. Furnishing of All Offices in the Chairman’s Office Block (Ongoing)
- 46. Renovation of Councillors Offices (Completed)
- 47. GEEP Programme (Completed)
- 48. Omenuko Adult Education and Welfare Scheme – Monthly Financial Support to over 700 indigenes)
- 49. ITF-NECA Construction and Artisanal Training in collaboration with Enugu SME (Ongoing) – Training about 10 students on 4 Month Course. Currently in the third month)
- 50. Ogbede Skills Acquisition Centre Project (Ongoing)
- 51. Supply and Commissioning of 300KVA Transformer at Umuofiagu, Ukehe (Soon to Commence)
