By Raymond Ozoji, Awka
Transparency and accountability are two cardinal principles of public administration and good governance especially at the third tier of government. Also the deployment of public funds for public good especially when such funds address the most pressing and fundamental needs of the people with direct positive impacts on their living conditions, exemplifies presence of government in the lives of the citizens.
This is the situation in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where the reelected Chairman and Mayor, Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako has deployed public funds for public good as evident in the plethora of projects and programmes that have direct positive impacts on the living conditions of Ihiala people.
Anayo Orjiako in this report showcased his first term achievements as Ihiala Local Government Chairman with concrete projects at verifiable locations across the 20 political wards in the council area coupled with testimonies and evidences of the functionality of the projects and problems they addressed.
This journalist who was conducted round the local government by the Supervisory Councillor for Works Hon. Jerry Obiokoye to enable him obtain firsthand information from the people about how the projects are beneficial to them, found out that the Chairman is systematically transforming the council area with projects and programmes in tandem with the felt needs of the people.
These transformations began from the Local Government Headquarters where the Chairman has constructed a befitting new office complex for the chairman which is one-storey building while renovating the old office building. A gigantic multi-purpose hall has equally been built by the Chairman in the council headquarters to replace the existing miniature hall being used by the public coupled with the installation of solar-powered borehole water facility inside the secretariat complex.
High court in Ihiala Local Government Area is equally a beneficiary of the transformative leadership of Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako as he installed another solar-powered borehole water facility in the court premises to address the problem of acute water scarcity and distance they had to travel to find water.
The Director in charge of the Court, who didn’t want her name in print confirmed to this journalist that the water provided by the local government authority has been very helpful to them contrary to the excruciating experience they suffered due to lack of water facility in the court premises.
Umuarugwu Uzoakwa is another beneficiary of Anayo Orjiako’s first term developmental projects where he executed water project to enable the villagers have access to clean portable water. Eke-Agbagba New Model Market in Uli axis of Ihiala was not left out in the distribution of developmental projects as the Chairman built over 300 market stalls and an ultramodern digital abattoir for butchers in the market.
The Chairman of Eke-Agbagba New Model Market Butchers’ Association, Mr. Ambrose Eze-ekunie recounted their ordeals with the old abattoir, saying that the place is a complete mess because it is in the open and it is always a horrific situation whenever it rained. But he expressed profound joy with the construction of a new technologically-driven slaughter house by the local government chairman with all the paraphernalia of a modern abattoir.
Meanwhile traders at Nkwo-Ndiumeraku market Umuoma Uli equally were thankful to the Executive Chairman, Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako, who sung a solar-powered borehole water facility in the market to alleviate their sufferings and hardships as they used to buy water at N200 each time they did.
Mrs. Ngozi Nebo who is a trader at Nkwo-Ndiumeraku market Uii, told this journalist that the water provided for them by the local government chairman is beneficial to them because they have suffered unimaginable hardships from buying water at the rates of N200 and N500 respectively.
She said since the Mayor provided water for them; they no longer buy water from vendors instead they get it free of charge directly from the one provided by the Anayo Orjiako administration, adding that students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University in Uli campus also fetched water from the same source.
Another legacy project this journalist toured was the new Ihiala Ultramodern Central Motor Park currently under construction. The very massive central park which citizens described as a welcome development, is expected to add to the aesthetics of the council area.
A commercial bus driver, Mr. Ejike Ezeonu who spoke to this journalist in the course of the tour, said that the park wasn’t organized before the advent of the new one. He said that they used to park on the road to offload and scout for passengers but the modernisation of the park has brought sanity and orderliness in their transport business.
Mr. Ezeonu therefore commended the local government chairman and the governor for providing such a place for them, noting that everybody in Ihiala Local Government is a beneficiary in the park.
Furthermore, Hon. Jerry Obiokoye, who is the Supervisory Councillor for Works in Ihiala Local Government noted that the previous park was nothing to write home about as motorcycle mechanics and other artisans wreaked havock in the park causing massive environmental devastations.
According to him, the Chairman saw the menace generated from the park and decided to intervene with the construction of a more befitting motor park together with other facilities., adding that Ihiala Local Government will wear a new look with the new central park under construction.
The Ihiala Local Government Chairman, Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako, who addressed this journalist through his Supervisor for Works, maintained that his first term achievements were a tip of the iceberg because he has bigger and better development plans for Ihiala Local Government Area as he begins his second term in October this year.
Orjiako disclosed that Lilu community which used to be the den of unknown gunmen terrorising citizens of Ihiala, has finally regained freedom from captivity and hostage as the local government authority has instituted new structures therein coupled with the deployment of over N500 soldiers and other security operatives to guarantee watertight security and safety in the hitherto troubled community.
He said Amamputu Uli, Amorka, Osumoghu, Okija, Azia Mbosi, Ubuluisiuzo, Isekke, and other parts of Ihiala Local Government have benefitted from his first term project executions and will also benefit more as he begins his second term in office this October.
He was however of the opinion that criminal insurgents dealt a devastating blow on Ihiala Local Government and caused unimaginable damages and destructions as many fled from Ihiala and sought refuge elsewhere.
Orjiako who thanked Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo for his countless interventions in Ihiala Local Government especially as it concerns security of lives and properties, noted that Ihiala is safe now and those who ran away are running home. That the place is conducive now for living due to the presence of various security personnel ranging from the DSS, Udogachi, Agunechemba and over 700 troop of soldiers deployed to guarantee adequate security and safety for the people as they live their normal lives devoid of unnecessary threats from criminal elements.
