Igboeze South LGA Under Gov Ugwuanyi: The Journey So Far

Igboeze South is indeed among the fortunate local government areas in Enugu State under Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration. From May 29 2015 till date, Gov Ugwuanyi tremendously affected the people of the area both infrastructurally and direct interventions.

The Ugwuanyi administration constructed some strategic road projects and public buildings that were in a dire need of intervention before he came on board. They include the first phase of the 1km Iheaka-Ibagwa-Alor Agu road; five classroom blocks at Uhunowere which were destroyed by a windstorm; 2km road between Ibagwa and Ichi as second phase of Iheaka-Ibagwa-Alor Agu road; provided two Toyota Siena buses and several motorcycles for effective security; supplied drugs to all the health centres in the area; created an autonomous community at Ichi; donated N20m to Ichi community to rebuild their health centre and gave N5m development grants to every community in the area. These in addition to employments and apppointments, among others, given to the people of the area make Gov Ugwuanyi’s administration the most impactful in the annal of Igboeze South LGA.

One of the greatest legacies the Ugwuanyi administration again bequeathed to Igboeze South LGA is by putting a round peg in a round hole at the helm of the council. His relationship with the council chairman, Dr Fidelis Okonkwo Odo, Ezudo, is that of father-son compact. Dr Odo, who began as a transition committee chairman, and later elected executive chairman, has religiously adopted the template of the Ugwuanyi administration in all his dealings, making him wear the regalia of a servant-leader. He runs an open-door administration, listens to everybody, empowers the youths and gives everybody a sense of belonging. He has never failed to acknowledge that whenever he looks at Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s style of leadership, he feels hollow becuase it is like a herculean task for him to accomplish in his council.

These philosophies of his gave him the title of Ezudo. Both as a transition committee chairman and executive chairman, Dr Odo has changed the face of the local government area, making Igboeze South the most united, peaceful and adventurous in the state and among the best in the country.

Dr Odo hit the track on assumption of office. He graded and laterited the 1.45km Ngwo-Iheakpu Awka road, involving full dual drainage channels measuring 900cm by 900cm with stone base asphalt; constructed an ultra-modern chairman’s official residence, tagged Legacy Lodge; carried out a comprehensive fumigation of all health centres in the area; constructed the Office of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps; ensured absolute peace in the area through consultations with relevant stakeholders; renovated Central Primary School III, Ichi, as well as Ekete Development Centre secretariat. Doctor Odo also constructed and equipped the office of the Citizens’ Rights and Mediation Centre at the council headquarters; fenced Ibagwa-Aka police station; embarked on aggressive market development at Ibagwa, Unadu and Iheaka; established many primary and secondary non-formal schools, and also encourages ante-natal programmes by gifts of wrappers to mothers that patronise the council’s health centres, courtesy of his foundation. His administration also provided succour to victims of windstorms at Nkalagu ward by distributing building materials to them; reconstructed damaged roofs at Central Primary School, Uhunowere, and St Mary’s Church after a windstorm. It also intervened in the rural electricition project at Uhunowere; facilitated the inclusion of Adada Stream, Ibagwa, and Aki Cave at Nkalagu Obukpa in the world heritage and sites map through the Ministry of Tourism, among others.  

Probably one area Dr Odo has excelled is in mobilization. He charismatically meanders through every ward in the local government. It is therefore not surprising that the LGA, during the last voter registration, recorded an unprecedented number of registered voters, and capped it up by proportionally recording the highest voter turnout in the state in last general elections with over 110% increment from the preceding one. Precisely Igboeze South rose from about 18, 000 voting strenght in 2015 to well 38,326 in 2019, making it the highest in the country in terms of mobilization as attested to by some reputable democracy advocates. The Odo administration is also up-to-date in staff salaries, allowances and overheads. All glories to Rt Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the Teacher.  

As Gov Ugwuanyi begins his second term in office, the people of Igboeze South LGA pray for sustained relationship with his administration as well as the construction of the Iheaka-Ibagwa-Alor Agu road to open up the local government area for economic activities.

Aroh wrote from Enugu

_
Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.