Politics
Ebunwana Autonomous Community in Afikpo-South Local Government Area of Ebonyi has appealed to the Federal Government over difficulty in accessing potable water.
The traditional ruler of the community, Ezeogo Charles Azuenya, made the appeal in Afikpo on Thursday during an inspection of an E-Library in the area.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the verification was carried out by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with its team on project tracking exercise.
According to Azuenya, access to potable water in the area is a major developmental challenge.
The monarch, also Chairman, Afikpo South Traditional Rulers Council and Chairman, Ebonyi South Senatorial District, said that households still relied on water from a dam for drinking and other domestic purposes.
He said that in pursuit of the challenge, legislators representing the constituents and the community had made several efforts to solve the problem but all efforts were not successful.
“It is a Federal Government project and about 3km away from the town. We plead for assistance,” the monarch said.
He was satisfied with the projects situated in the area and thanked the Federal Government for adding more value and improving the quality of education in the community.
Azuenya also appreciated Sen. Sonni Ogbuoji for attracting an E-Library project among other enterprises to the area and promised to bring children close to the venture to make impact.
The monarch, however, commended the Chairman of the ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye for the initiative on project- tracking exercise and educating citizens on their role in monitoring their constituency projects.
“I see beauty, prospects and big achievements for the future in these constituencies’ projects to the community and country at large,” Azuenya said.
The Chairman of Ebunwana Welfare Union (EWU), Dr Amaaka Udu and Secretary General of the union, Nwaeze Ibiam in their separate speeches, decried same challenge and appreciated the noble projects by the Federal Government.
They applauded the Federal Government for providing the completed E-library, construction of a diagnostic centre and modular theatre both at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI) and a community outpost in the area.
Another resident and a retired teacher of Ebunwana Girls Junior Secondary School, Mrs Patricia Obo and Mrs Nkamaka Enyidiya, a Teacher at Ebunwana Model Secondary School, called on the Federal Government to address the water challenge faced by the community.
They complained that: “Water from the dam is our only source for drinking, cooking and other purposes while we suffer distance and more during rainy season because it changes colour.”
The Leader of the Team and Head, Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Group (CEPTG) Enugu, Mr Tanko Abdullahi, said constituents must be involved, monitor and even take ownership of constituency projects in their own interests.
Abdullahi explained that the constituency projects were ventures that were selected by legislators and provided for in the budgets of government ministries and agencies for execution.
The Vice-Chancellor of AE-FUNAI, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, who was on a visit to the traditional ruler’s palace, told the tracking team and cabinet members of Ezeogo that the two community health outposts were established in accordance with the directives given by the Medical Council of Nigeria (MDN).
“Ebonyi-South and Ebonyi-North Senatorial zones respectively were chosen for the community health outposts, following the fact that the university is in Ebonyi-Central zone,” Nwajiuba said.
The Manager, Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against the Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C project), ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Newton Otsemaye, said its agency was supporting ICPC on the exercise with grants.
Otsemaye explained that the grants were provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) to ensure success of the tracking exercises.
The E-library was attracted in 2016 by Sen. Ogbuoji while the project had been completed and ready for use.
The exercise was in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Neighbourhood Environmental Watch Foundation, Divine Era Development and Social Right Initiative (DEDASRI-Africa). (NAN)
– Jul. 9, 2020 @ 13:39 GMT |
Tags: Ebonyi community seeks FG’s assistance for potable water lauds constituency projects
