In this interview, Elder Stephen Orogwu, Chairman Ikwo Local Government Area, Ebonyi state, tells Amarachukwu EgwuAgha in Abakaliki, how his administration would have transformed the council area in his 100 days in office, but for financial challenges worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
How has it been since your assumption in office?
Well, I thank God for this opportunity given to me to serve Ikwo people in particular and humanity by extension. The going has been very good though, we have had some few challenges, we will continue to move ahead. So it has been a successful outing so to say.
You had some targets to achieve in your first 100 days in office. Did you meet those targets?
Yes, and we have made a significant impact to meet our targets in line with the manifesto. When we were campaigning to come on board, we did promise Ikwo people an all-inclusive government where consultations will be made from time to time,to work with the stakeholders of the local government to provide the needed democracy dividends that we have had. We have consulted elders, stakeholders, traditional rulers, and quite a large segment of society including the youth and women, educating them on what we are doing. Specifically, we made mention of working towards the restoration of the lost glory of Ikwo in the area of engendering peace and unity in Ikwo as a people. That we have achieved to some extent. We have set up various committees and panels of inquiry that have delved into the various community and village disputes, these committees are doing their job by turning in very impressive reports and their reports have been accepted by the government and these reports are been used as an instrument for ensuring there is peace among the people in some areas. The reports were adjusted to strike a balance for both parties and a greater percentage of matters that came before us have been finally disposed of and peace is gradually returning to all the communities in Ikwo.
In the area of electricity, Before now, people were thrown into darkness because of either vandalization of electricity or outright damage and after doing a consultation with EEDC, we were able to rectify these faulty transformers and other facilities and power was restored. Secondly, we tried as much as possible to ensure that new transformers are powered like Ndiegu Ekpa Omaka, transformer which was commissioned by his Excellency, the Deputy Governor Dr. Kelechi Igwe on 2nd January 2021, we also have the Nsuba Ettam transformer which was powered late last year. Other rural electrification projects like that of Ndufu Echera where two transformers were repaired and energized so we now have power more regular than before, though there are still some parts of the local government that did not pay their EEDC bills regularly and that has led to cutting off of their light but generally, light is more regular now and it has been extended to areas that hitherto had no light. We were able to renovate and bring back to use Ikwo High Court and Ikwo Magistrate Court at Agubia. Before now, Court sitting was relocated to Onueke because of fire that burnt some documents there but after due consultation with the Chief Judge, the High Court has been completely renovated. We have linked the High Court to the national grid and the Magistrate Court have been completely renovated on the area of road, we have commenced work on the road from ABC farm to ECO farm leading to Ekpalu, we have done a reasonable job there. We have also done every good job at junction to Ndiechi Ekpaomaka, Ibam village, the Igboji AGUBIA road, we rehabilitated it and is now in use. Transporters are plying there freely. Then there is a bridge at Enybichiri that we want to build because the bridge almost collapsed but we have to detail our technical team to evaluate what it will take and we have repaired the bridge. We have also built some culverts along Igboji Ekpa-ibem road. In the area of empowerment, the council in collaboration with the state had assisted the youth and women by ensuring they are linked up to state programmes for the COVID-19 empowerment. We have linked the 3million youth empowerment programme, courtesy of His Excellency the governor. We have also linked the council to other national empowerment programmes which they are beneficiaries. Besides, 99% of my staff are youths ranging from my SAs, Supervisory Councilors, men and women. So the youths had their share in this particular administration.
In the area of education, we are collaborating with the Ministry of Education to provide the needed supervision and monitoring. We have school monitoring committee set up by the local government provided with mobility and logistics in terms of funding and allowances for the team to ensure that they go and monitor schools. We also charged them to evaluate dilapidated school buildings that the council may look into so that we may reconstruct them and put them to use by pupils. Then on markets, we have been able to build 10 room lock-up shop at Igboji market and this is the first phase of our project as we tend to continue to expand to change the face of the market to a modern one.
Are there challenges you encountered in these few months of your administration?
We indeed have some challenges and the greatest challenge among them is the issue of funds. You know the COVID -19 that came in 2020 affected the allocation of the state from the Federal Allocation Committee FAC. And that has dwindled our receipt and limited areas we would have gone into. We are hearing of the second wave of the outbreak and our allocation has continued to dwindle and it is affecting our plans. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak in terms of having the physical fund to embark on the project. Number two is the challenge that is inbuilt among the people. In our attempt to ensure that there is peace, we bought into the government policy that there should be no election into either town union or village leadership without express permission from the government and the government I mean is the governor David Umahi who is the chief security of the state or the local government chairman who is also the chief security of the council but this quest for power at the community and village levels has continued to hinder the implementation of this policy where there is splinter group saying they must do election, they must elect their leaders and that degenerates into crisis so it is a very big challenge. I believe with continued sensitization and advocacy, the people will buy into the policy of the government.
Another challenge we have is meeting up with our expectations in the area of rural road rehabilitation as I said. The fund that is available for the local government is very small and we cannot do much in the area of rural road rehabilitation which is very important. Nevertheless, the council is trying to put its equipment in order. The bulldozer has started and we are going to deploy it along with the grader to ensure that some of our major rural roads are put to use.
Your administration has less than two years, what do you intend to achieve in the remaining days?
What I just enumerated is a little of our plans. We plan to build a legislative building in the council. Ever since Ikwo local government was created 45 years, ago, councilors have been using the town hall for their sittings because they don’t have offices and it is our plan that we construct a legislative building which will serve as the chamber for the sitting and offices for the 20 councilors. The design has been completed as we are waiting for funds to award the project. Again, the entrance to the local government does not look modern. We intend to put a modern gate that will beautify the environment, the design is ready and awaiting award for the contractor to commence the project.
Another major project is, we inherited an incomplete agricultural department the building is not yet completed so we plan to complete that project and get it commissioned so these are few in addition to extending electricity to other places that don’t have it now. We also plan to fence Chief David Umahi Nwanoyo Stadium. we plan that project will be completed so that it will not be an open place. we will continue in our quest to enthrone peace among the people. There are Some communities their committee is still sitting like Ndiuduma Ndugu Echara, Amudu Nzashi, Orogna, and the one at Abina. So we tend to continue our quest for peace in all the communities and am very happy to inform you that the state government is very much pleased with what we’re doing No wonder the governor gave me the title of “Ogbo- Ogu 1 of Ikwo” when we visited him on Christmas homage. But the most important thing is that we make an indelible mark so that after my tenure another person will come and say when he was here this is what he did so we will continue to serve Ikwo people for the benefit of our coming generation.
How can you describe the people of your local government?
Ikwo people are well understanding people. They always take their stand in the scheme of things and ones they take their stand, it remains formidable. Immediately the governor made the move to APC, consultations were made and a greater percentage of Ikwo stakeholders came together that they are joining the governor because there is future in the defection. There is understanding that working with the national party will bring better fortunes to Ikwo people. As you can see, there is homogeneity between the old and new APC and all of them are working with one master, that is, the governor and ones he takes the lead, every other person queues behind. So Ikwo people are very unique and understanding set of people that looks far beyond the realities of what is happening today.
