Igbo-Eze North LG Chairman, Hon. UCHE MICHAEL OGALLA
Sunday this week – February 23, to be precise – the Igbo Eze North Local Government of Enugu State literally relocated to Lagos, the Centre of Excellence, for an interactive session initiated by the Chairman of the Council, Hon. Michael Uche Ogalla with Igbo-Eze North stakeholders in Lagos.
It was a convergence of politicians, business titans and top public servants of the Council area. At the colourful event, virtually all the principal officers and other key stakeholders of the LGA assembled in the nation’s business hub for a heart to heart discussion with indigenes of the area. The event which had the imprimatur of the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Nbubuisi Mbah was held at the Greatville Hotels Ltd in Surulere.
Secretary to Igbo-Eze North LGA, Onyeka Eya and representative of the Governor at the event (2nd left)during his swearing-in as SLG
Participants at the high profile event were unanimous that Governor Mbah had set the uncommon pace for a radical transformation of Enugu, the Coal City state.
In his opening remarks, Local Government Chairman, Hon. Ogalla said he considered the interactive session strategic, given the place of Lagos not only as a centre of excellence but also because of its huge investment potential in terms of the number of well-heeled indigenes of the LGA living in the megacity, and other categories of human capital resource.
He said the whole idea was to interface with the people of the Council area who were equal stakeholders in Igbo-Eze North.
In his opening remarks, Secretary to the Local Government, Onyekachi Eya, who represented the Chairman, enthused that the Council chairman has keyed into the disruptive innovation drive of the state government to ensure delivery of democracy dividends to the people of Igbo-Eze North LGA.
He assured that the Council chairman is working round the clock to surpass the expectations of people of the LGA in line with Governor Mbah’s determined efforts to engender a paradigm shift in governance geared towards transforming the state.
“In Enugu, our dear Governor has introduced what he calls disruptive innovation. In Enugu, we are witnessing the practice of ‘Politics Unusual’. There is a complete paradigm shift from the old order. To the Governor, the whole essence of governance is for the good of the people.
“And without wasting time, immediately our Council Chairman, Uche Ogalla was sworn in, he also keyed into the vision of the Governor”, the SLG said.
Eya disclosed that Ogalla’s leadership agenda is christened JETA ,which translates to Justice, Equity, Transformation and Accountability, noting that the Council chairman is an ardent believer in the people and runs an open-door policy of governance.
He wooed Igbo-Eze North stakeholders in Lagos to support the efforts of the chairman by bringing their investments home to augment the giant and developmental strides of both the State and local governments.
Speaking on Hon. Ogalla’s achievements in his first 100 days in office, the Igbo-Eze North PDP Chairman, Dr. Solomon Ogiri disclosed that the Council chairman implemented transformative development projects across key sectors, hence earning the respect and admiration of his people in his first 100 days in office.
(l-r): PDP zonal women leader, Enugu- North, Mrs. Ngozi Ezeja, Igbo-Eze North PDP Chairman, Dr. Solomon Ogiri, Igbo-Eze North PDP stakeholder and donor of 2014 Toyota Sienna bus to the party, Hon. Willy Chkwuafugo Eya and another guest…at the presentation of the Sienna bus to the party in Lagos on Sunday by Hon. Eya
He reeled out various projects executed by Ogalla including the grading and expansion of all major rural roads in the 20 political wards of Igbo-Eze North thereby enhancing transport connectivity between villages and, by extension, free movement of people.
Ogiri, who holds a PhD in engineering, highlighted several roads rehabilitated by Ogalla since assumption of office, and noted that Igbo Eze North has witnessed a revolution in road infrastructure.
He said the LG chairman also made significant strides in the area of security of life and property in Igbo Eze North and informed that the mayor has been meeting with various security outfits across the wards to ensure peace in the villages.
Currently, he said, there is an ongoing installation of security cameras in different wards to boost surveillance and deter crime in the LGA.
Dr. Ogiri said part of the measures the Council chairman has adopted is with regard to enhancing the welfare of Neighbourhood Watch members to motivate them in their critical role of maintaining community security.
He also noted that Ogalla’s administration has shown a strong commitment to supporting the people of Igbo-Eze North particularly during the holiday season.
The LG PDP chairman disclosed that the LG Chairman’s wife has also been actively involved in supporting the community, particularly women of Igbo-Eze North, describing her activities as a testament to the administration’s focus on empowering women and on community development.
Continuing, Dr Ogiri noted that the Local Government chairman has done excellently well in the provision of health instruments/drugs to Health Centres in the Council area, adding that the LG chairman has equally done well in rural electrification and agriculture.
Part of the plans of the Council chairman is to modernise the Eke Ozzi into an international daily market, asphalt the Lagos Street within the market, while completing the grading and asphalting of the Igogoro-Okpo-Amaja road.
In her own contribution, the PDP Zonal Women Leader, Enugu North zone, Mrs. Ngozi Ezeja, disclosed that the LG Chairman has approved a strategic plan by PDP Women to work with the Chairman’s wife towards value reorientation of youths in Igbo-Eze North.
She lamented that most young people in the LGA have succumbed to the lure of filthy lucre through involvement in criminal activities such as Yahoo+ and similar vices that have taken their attention away from education and other ethical pursuits.
She, however, assured that with the support already received from the Chairman and his wife, PDP Women not only in Igbo-Eze North but also in the rest of the six local government areas that constitute Enugu – North Senatorial Zone, would embark on vigorous value re-orientation campaigns that are expected to “refocus our youths”.
In his response, a business mogul and one of the major stakeholders in the LGA, Chief Chris Onyekachi Simon (Don Chris) expressed joy at the initiative by the Council chairman to interface with people in Lagos.
Don Chris, a member of the Organising Committee for the town-hall meeting, urged Hon. Ogalla to continue to create more enabling environment for investment in Igbo-Eze North, enjoining the people of the Council area in Lagos to always think home.
Chief CHRIS ONYEKACHI SIMON (DON CHRIS), a business mogul and major Igbo-Eze North stakeholder
Don Chris announced that through his efforts and those of partners, Enugu-Ezike, the 17-ward town that constitutes over 3/4 of the LGA, would soon have one of the best private universities in the country, informing dignitaries at the event that all relevant approvals had been secured for the take-off of the institution.
Also, Secretary to the Organising Committee of the event, Chief Festus Ayogu (Bravo) thanked the Local Government chairman and his team for initiating the interface with people of the LGA resident in Lagos, advising him to sustain such gestures as that would provide him the requisite feedback from the people.
Ayogu commended Ogalla for his open-door policy and determination to transform Igbo-Eze North.
He reminded the LG chairman that the reward for hard work is more work and cautioned that the expectations from Ndi Igbo-Eze North from him are very high and that he should ensure that he does not disappoint them.
Engr. WILLIAMD EJIKE ITODO, immediate past Chairman, Igbo-Eze North LGA
Also speaking at the event, a media consultant and member of the Organising Committee, Mr. Willy Chukwu Afugo Eya, commended the chairman for keying into the vision of Governor Mbah.
Eya, who is a PDP stakeholder, praised the LG chairman for working round the clock to improve the lives of people of the Council area.
He stressed the need for all Council chairmen in the state to complement the dogged efforts of the Governor to make Enugu the envy of all in Nigeria.
The EZIKE DIAMOND CLUB also presented a position paper to the Chairman, highlighting the importance of stakeholder engagement for governance and proposing various initiatives to improve infrastructure, economy, security and public services in the LGA.
In the paper presented by Mr. Felix Oguejiofor Abugu, a renowned media practitioner from the LGA and a member of the club, the elite organisation of professionals from Enugu-Ezike commended Hon. Ogalla for the initiative of holding consultations with the good people of Igbo-Eze North on governance issues.
The Club described the move as one in the right direction, noting that effective communication is key to good governance.
It added that democracy, being government of the people by the people and for the people, assumes that governance will be more receptive if the policies and projects of government are aligned with the wishes and aspirations of the people.
Part of the paper reads: “As a Club that has always advocated for a healthy public-private collaboration in governance, we encourage that this stakeholder engagement should continue and extend across the country where our people reside to get honest feedback and input from the people.
Engr. IFEANYI DAMIAN EZE (Ezetech), renowned industrialist and Igbo-Eze North stakeholder…was present at Lagos town-hall event
“The feedback from these engagements should be incorporated into a well-articulated needs assessment that will evaluate our infrastructure, public services, and socio-economic needs, which will be required to develop strategic planning for short- and long-term goals.”
It proposed enhancing the local government structures and administrative efficiency through training, transparency, and accountability.
The club recommended that a productive workforce would harness the potential of our LGA and will also save a lot of outsourcing costs, adding that the spirit of hard work and the love for the progress of the LGA should be inculcated into the workforce and the political appointees of the Council to drive innovation and delivery of value.
The club’s document states, among others:
“That the vision for infrastructure should be to improve transportation within the Local government area to boost trade and attract external investors, particularly in agriculture and palm produce.
“That a review of the road network in the local government is necessary to identify priority roads for rehabilitation. The Mkpamte-Igogoro-Ikpamodo-Okpo-Amaja Road and the Umuida-Aguibeje Road are crucial in complementing the ongoing Ogrute-Umuopu road project. These are major feeders that connect a lot of villages.
“Additionally, town planning activities should be heightened in the LGA – the club regretted that is developing haphazardly, with many lands and properties lacking proper access.
“That poorly planned narrow roads will lead to future traffic congestion and slum development. Rural planning should prioritize larger estate plots to reflect the availability of land resources.”
To boost the economy, the club recommended that the local government promote entrepreneurship and small business growth, saying that quick wins include supporting farming initiatives and establishing cottage industries while providing incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
It recommended that the Eke Ozzi Market should be further modernized to attract external patronage while the road-side trading especially at the Amufie road end should be discouraged due to the safety risk that the situation poses to the lives of the people.
On Public Services, the club said major achievements should focus on upgrading healthcare facilities and ensuring access to medical care in the villages.
It also noted that strengthening schools, building or modernizing libraries, and vocational training programmes will empower youth and discourage crime in the LGA.
The club, among others, recommended that to further support youth development, a skill acquisition center should be established, integrating both an ICT center of excellence and vocational training, observing that the initiative will not only serve as a training ground but also attract economic activities.
It said the Ogrute General Hospital should be made fully operational, noting that despite previous investments, it is underutilized due to doctors prioritizing their private hospitals over government service.
As security conditions improve in the LGA, the club recommended that efforts be sustained to maintain a peaceful coexistence of the people.
According to the club, the initiatives can be prioritized into immediate, medium-term and long-term goals and objectives.
Dignitaries at the event included the managing Director of Greatville Hotels, Kelvin Ayogu (Okpoko Ijike), immediate Chairman of Igbo-Eze North LGA, Engr Williams Ejike Itodo, DG of Uche Ogalla Campaign Organisation, Barrister Ifeanyi Eze and Managing Director of Ezetech Group, Engr Ifeanyi Eze.
Highlight of the Town Hall meeting was the donation of a 2014 Sienna Bus to the Igbo-Eze North PDP by a stakeholder in the Local Government, Mr Willy Chukwuafugo Eya.
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