20 Wards, One Development Agenda: Assessing Orjiako’s First-Term Footprint in Ihiala

By Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Transparency and accountability are two cardinal principles of public administration and good governance, especially at the third tier of government.

The deployment of public funds for the public good, particularly when such funds address the most pressing and fundamental needs of the people and have a direct positive impact on their living conditions, exemplifies the presence of government in the lives of citizens.

This is the situation in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where the re-elected Chairman and Mayor, Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako, has deployed public funds for the public good, as evidenced by the plethora of projects and programmes that have had direct positive impacts on the living conditions of the people of Ihiala.

In this report, Orjiako showcases his first-term achievements as Chairman of Ihiala Local Government Area through concrete projects located across the 20 political wards in the council area, coupled with testimonies and evidence of the functionality of the projects and the problems they were designed to address.

This journalist, who was conducted around the local government area by the Supervisory Councillor for Works, Hon. Jerry Obiokoye, to obtain firsthand information from residents about how the projects have benefited them, found that the Chairman is systematically transforming the council area with projects and programmes that are in tandem with the felt needs of the people.

The transformation begins at the Local Government Headquarters, where the Chairman has constructed a befitting new office complex for the Chairman, comprising a one-storey building, while also renovating the old office building.

A gigantic multipurpose hall has equally been constructed at the council headquarters to replace the existing miniature hall being used by the public. This is complemented by the installation of a solar-powered borehole water facility within the secretariat complex.

The High Court in Ihiala Local Government Area is equally a beneficiary of the transformative leadership of Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako. He installed another solar-powered borehole water facility within the court premises to address the problem of acute water scarcity and the long distances people had to travel in search of water.

The Director in charge of the court, who did not want her name published, confirmed to this journalist that the water provided by the local government authority has been very helpful to the court, contrary to the excruciating experience they suffered previously due to the lack of a water facility on the premises.

Umuarugwu Uzoakwa is another beneficiary of Anayo Orjiako’s first-term development projects, where he executed a water project to enable villagers to have access to clean, potable water.
Eke-Agbagba New Model Market in the Uli axis of Ihiala was not left out in the distribution of development projects, as the Chairman constructed more than 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 was a complete mess because it was in the open and became a horrific environment whenever it rained.

He, however, expressed profound joy over the construction of a new technologically driven slaughterhouse by the local government chairman, complete with the facilities and features expected of a modern abattoir.

Meanwhile, traders at Nkwo-Ndiumeraku Market, Umuoma Uli, also expressed appreciation to the Executive Chairman, Hon. Engr. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako, who sank a solar-powered borehole water facility in the market to alleviate their suffering and hardship, as they previously had to buy water for N200 each time they needed it.

Mrs. Ngozi Nebo, a trader at Nkwo-Ndiumeraku Market, Uli, told this journalist that the water provided by the local government chairman has been beneficial to them because they had suffered considerable hardship from buying water at rates ranging from N200 to N500.

She said that since the Mayor provided the water facility, they no longer buy water from vendors but instead obtain it free of charge directly from the facility provided by the Anayo Orjiako administration. She added that students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli Campus, also fetch water from the same source.

Another legacy project this journalist toured was the new Ihiala Ultramodern Central Motor Park, which is currently under construction. The massive central park, which residents 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 during the tour, said that the park was not organised before the advent of the new facility. He said they used to park on the road to offload passengers and scout for passengers, but the modernisation of the park has brought sanity and orderliness to their transport business.

Mr. Ezeonu therefore commended the local government chairman and the governor for providing such a facility, noting that everyone in Ihiala Local Government Area stands to benefit from the park.

Furthermore, Hon. Jerry Obiokoye, the Supervisory Councillor for Works in Ihiala Local Government Area, noted that the previous park was nothing to write home about, as motorcycle mechanics and other artisans had taken over the facility, causing massive environmental degradation.

According to him, the Chairman saw the menace generated from the park and decided to intervene by constructing a more befitting motor park alongside other facilities. He added that Ihiala Local Government Area would wear a new look with the completion of the new central park.

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 only a tip of the iceberg, saying that 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 a den of unknown gunmen terrorising citizens of Ihiala, has finally regained its freedom from captivity and hostage-taking, as the local government authority has instituted new structures in the area, coupled with the deployment of more than 500 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 Area benefited from his first-term project executions and would also benefit from more projects as he begins his second term in office this October.

He was, however, of the opinion that criminal insurgents dealt a devastating blow to Ihiala Local Government Area and caused unimaginable damage and destruction, forcing many residents to flee the area and seek refuge elsewhere.

Orjiako, who thanked Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo for his numerous interventions in Ihiala Local Government Area, particularly those concerning the security of lives and property, noted that Ihiala is now safe and that those who fled are returning home.

He said the area is now conducive to living due to the presence of various security personnel, including the DSS, Udogachi and Agunechemba, as well as more than 700 troops of soldiers deployed to guarantee adequate security and safety for the people as they go about their normal lives without unnecessary threats from criminal elements.