ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The chairman of Oji River Local Government Area in Enugu State, Hon Chinedu Onyeagba, has voiced his distress regarding the security issues plaguing the region, attributing them to suspected kidnappers.
He further emphasized that these security challenges made it difficult for residents to go about their daily activities without fear of being kidnapped, and also hampered the completion of several projects.
In his words, “For about one year plus, we did not experience rest and peace, movements were restricted, people don’t come out, due to kidnapping. To fight this, we brought in some army officials, gave them two Hilux, gave them accommodation, feed them and also pay them till date, to make sure peace and security is restored. And as God helped, kidnappers left our communities, and now people can come out to do their businesses.
“A time came we were doing burial in Abuja and Lagos. You can’t come here. It was at the peak of that kidnapping period that former Commissioner was killed along side his brother on the same day, here in Oji River. So, due to this security change, we could not achieve much apart from fighting kidnappers.”
The Chairman’s remarks were conveyed by his deputy, Hon Onyebuchi Sopuluibe, during a good governance tour organized by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Civil Society Organisations (CSO), in Oji on Friday.
The primary objective of the tripartite tour was to assess the number of projects initiated by the current administration, as well as ongoing projects in the area.
Chairman Onyeagba listed some of the projects, including the Civic Center, which is still under construction, a fish pond, borehole installations, solar street lights, a transformer, road grading, and substantial support to security personnel in response to the prevailing insecurity.
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He also emphasized their commitment to further projects and job creation, stating, “We engage a lot of people in tailoring, welding work, and POP. Many people in the community have benefited from our initiatives.
“You have seen the civic hall, the borehole, the fish pond, the solar street lights and the transformer, grading of road, almost 45 per cent in police station at Oji River, we consulted the Nigerian Army because of the insecurity we are having here, bought two Hilux for the army, bought one Sienna car for the civil defence, one Sienna car and eight motorcycles for neighborhood watch, and equipped the forest guide with what they need in order to carry out their duty accordingly.
“Also, we have a borehole at Ama-Etiti, Achi, planning to build health centre at that place. After meeting with the ecological fund, other projects will start. These are the ones we have done already.”
On the side of education, Onyeagba explained, “We renovated approximately two primary schools, provided them with numerous books, as well as three secondary schools.
“The benefited schools are Primary School Ama-Etiti, Girls Secondary School Achi, Isikwe Girls Secondary School, Ozegu Primary School Inyi and Boys Secondary School Ugwuoba.”
Furthermore, the Chairman addressed the need for a dedicated civic center, expressing plans to create a conducive environment for meetings and gatherings, as well as the intention to diversify activities by expanding into poultry and piggery projects.
He concluded by saying that Onyeagba’s administration aims to provide economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for the people of Oji River Local Government, despite the security challenges they have faced.