Ekweremadu: A champion of rural transformation

By MAZI BISMARCK OJI

My heart lights up each time I recall the events of that bright Tuesday, November 26, 2012, afternoon at Ugwu Tank, Okpome, Agbada and Nenwe in Enugu State. It was the day Ekwerema­du flagged-off the construction of the N12 Billion Nenwe-Odume-Uburu federal road project. The ecstasy of the jubilant mammoth crowd demonstrated that something out of the ordinary; something they had given up hope on, was happening in their lives.
Oduma in Enugu and Uburu in Ebonyi State are two great agrarian communities, which seemed to have been cut off from civilization owing to the menace of impassable roads. Before the advent of colonialism, these towns were renowned as home to men of valour and long distance traders. In fact, historical trade routes passed through these towns to Bende and Arochukwu in Abia State, Itu in present day Akwa Ibom State, and thence to Calabar, Cross River State.
The Oduma and Uburu towns have since had the misfortune of isolation from the centres of development. As such, successive govern­ments, both federal and state had hitherto over­looked the construction of this vital road that would traverse Nenwe in order to link the two towns up with the Enugu-Port Harcourt Ex­pressway and thence to the outside world.

Owing to the overriding importance of roads in rural development, both towns suffered se­vere economic misfortunes. Apart from their agrarian capacity, these towns are endowed with minerals and other natural resources. For instance, there is limestone and kaolin deposits in Oduma and salt deposits in Uburu. In fact, Ebonyi State earned the sobriquet –“Salt of the nation” on account of the Uburu salt lakes (Umahi), which also has great tourist poten­tials. Naturally, the lack of access road led to a downturn in all other developmental and socio-economic indices in the area. In the absence of rural infrastructure, especially roads, for in­stance, it is difficult to attract or retain qualified healthworkers and even NYSC members.
Everybody that knows the swampy and dif­ficult topography of Nenwe and Oduma would understand why successive state and federal governments refused to look that way despite endless promises until our Senator Ekwer­emadu came into the scene. Only the strongest of SUVs could be in one piece after driving through the Nenwe-Odume-Uburu road in the rainy season.
Now, things are changing fast, thanks to Ekweremadu’s quality representation. In a country where projects are often abandoned after loud flag-offs, the quality and speed at which the road project is being delivered is most heart-warming. By this singular act, Pres­ident Jonathan’s administration, has through Ikeoha Ndigbo, opened a door, which will lead our people into the 21st century.
The ongoing construction of the Nenwe- Odume-Uburu road will open up one of the food baskets of the South East region leading to easy evacuation of agricultural products. This area, known for rice farming, stretches from Nenwe to Oduma and other parts of Aninri into Nomeh, Ugbawka axis in Nkanu East LGA as well as Ishiagu, Okposi and Uburu in Ebonyi State. Certainly, Senator Ekweremadu’s attrac­tion of the National Rice Milling Centre to Mpu within this rice belt is very strategic. With the Federal Government’s impending ban on the importation of rice, the Aninri-Nkanu East- Ohaozara rice belt shall play a vital role in food security and agro-based industries. This same road shall make all these possible.
The superlative joy of the affected communi­ties and environs is also hinged on other life-transforming projects that had been attracted to their area by Ikeoha. There is also the Ogbom­bara Spring and reticulation project at Ndiag­bo. What of the Nenwe-Ogugu Water Scheme through the Anambra/Imo River Basin Devel­opment Authority? Or the construction of bore­holes which he had attracted as well through the MDGs office? Today, preventable water borne diseases like hook worm and guinea worm which had become endemic in the area had be­come things of the past.
In the area of education, both students and parents jubilantly recite the litany of projects Ekweremadu has attracted in that sector. In Ne­nwe, there is the library project at Community Secondary School, Emudo-Nenwe. In Odume, he constructed and furnished three classroom blocks at Community High School, Agugwu, Ohafia-Oduma. In Ndiagbo, three classroom blocks with VIP toilets and borehole at Onun­weke Ezza, readily comes to mind. Okpanku is not left behind as they also sing Ikeoha’s praises for the construction of three classroom blocks with VIP toilets and borehole at Ihuibe.
His other interventions in pursuit of friendly and well equipped learning environments traverses the entire senatorial zone. They in­clude the construction and furnishing of three classroom blocks (with VIP toilets) at Central School, Ituku; Community Unity School, Ihe Achi; Community Secondary School, Umu­lumgbe and Aguobu Owa High School. There are also MDGs library projects at Boys High School, Agbogugu, Girls High School, Inyi and Community Secondary School, Obeleagu- Umana as well as fully-equipped ICT centres at Community Primary School, Ukana and Community Secondary School, Ugbo to name just a few. All these are apart from the Ikeoha Scholarship Scheme, Ikeoha Adult Literacy Programme, and Ikeoha Annnual Quiz Com­petition
The people of the area, especially the youths would never forget the Senator’s efforts in rural electrification. Enugu West Senatorial District is also the only senatorial district in Nigeria with national youth development centres in all the local governments under it, courtesy of Ekweremadu’s foresight. Owing to his efforts in this regard, many youths in the area, espe­cially those who fled from the North due to Boko Haram have now settled in the area and are engaged in various economic activities. The ongoing Ivo General Purpose Dam in Okpanku is triggering agricultural revolution and will help check rural-urban migration, while also raising the economic profile of towns in the area.
However, the Nenwe-Odume-Uburu road is actually a tip of the iceberg in Ikeoha’s gigan­tic step in rural transformation in Enugu West. There are currently about 54 completed or on­going road construction projects in Enugu West courtesy of the quality representation by this man of the people. Ikeoha’s wind of rural trans­formation blows beyond his senatorial district. The construction of an auditorium at Federal School of Dental Health; Umuibeji road, Abia State; Umudire Ezifor Exit Water Scheme, Imo State; Ezenaja-Amada-Oraukwu Water and Electricity project, Anambra State; Ogbodik­wu-Amaekpe road, Abia State; Umukogu Exit Water Scheme, Ebonyi State; Obimo Nsukka Water Project; Ikwoka-Amagu-Ajuno-Obimo Road Project in Enugu North Senatorial Dis­trict and the Adoration road project in Nike, Enugu East Senatorial are just a few examples.
Surely, the name Ike Ekweremadu has be­come synonymous with rural transformation and the masses of Aninri would never be un­grateful to Ikeoha Ndigbo.
•Mazi Ikechukwu Bismarck Oji (B.Eng.), former National Chairman of Ohaneze Youth Wing, hails from Nenwe, Awgu LGA of Enu­gu State. 

Credit / The Sun