Ifeanyi Okechi, Enugu
The people of Oji River in Enugu state were in ecstatic mood last week, when their representative in the green chamber of the National Assembly, Toby Okechukwu stormed the area and inaugurated some projects he attracted for them. He also used the opportunity and inspected some other ongoing projects in the area.
It was indeed harvest of amenities as the lawmaker representing Oji-River, Awgu and Aninri Federal Constituency commissioned four of such projects; namely: 2000 litres deep well water tank, 1.5 km road, three classroom blocks and streetlights, to help the residents enjoy modern infrastructure.
Spokesman of the community at Agbalaenyi, Ejike Okechukwu said that Oji-River people had suffered lack of some very critical social amenities in the past; which prompted them to not only complain but prayed to God to send them someone that could get them out of the ugly condition they found themselves.
He thanked the legislator immensely for alleviating their plight in the area of water supply as the people would no longer trek long distance again in search of potable water.
The community leader however, appealed to the lawmaker to help install the transformer he had earlier donated to the community: “We are all filled with happiness because we have been in pain and we have been asking when somebody will come to our aid and give us a better life, like the water tank honourable provided for us that provides drinking water 24hours and 500kv transformer for the whole Agbalaenyi”.
While commissioning the solar mini-grid system located at the police station, Okechukwu explained that the 10kilowatts facility was for about 50 lighting points on the roads and streets of Oji River, assuring that it would be extended to other parts of the town in due course: “The community had experienced streetlight battery theft in the past; that’s why I pleaded with the police to fix this solar lighting facility in their station, for security reasons. It is just a take-off point; I am sure those that have not gotten the lighting points, we will extend to them so that Oji will look urban again”.
At Inyi/Achi Technical School, where a tape was cut for the three-classroom blocks built there, Okechukwu promised to intervene in other areas of need of the school, especially in building more classroom blocks and provision of other equipment to ensure that the school bounced back to reckoning.
On the 1.5 km road with erosion control constructed at Inyi/Achi, he noted that though it was captured in the 2019 appropriation, but he would ensure that the remaining part of the road was completed: “We are working on the road because it will save our people a lot of money to take shortcut to different destinations of their choice. We are not doing all these projects because of any election; we are working because we know the plight of the people we represent, and for the remaining part of the road, I shall make sure it enters the 2020 budget again for the full completion”.
Okechukwu, who is former Chairman, House Committee on Works, explained that the Nkwo Inyi/Ufuma/Akpugoeze road that connects Anambra and Enugu states which has been abandoned for long would get the expected attention.
He added that work on the Oji-Awgu road would be expedited after the rains just like the old Enugu-Port Harcourt road and old Enugu-Onitsha road.