“When a new Sheriff is in town, impunity goes away, laxity gives way to diligence, disorder gives way to order. Procrastination automatically disappears. The bird of the homestead tells the one in the bush that there will be no unnecessary chirping and dropping on the roof of the palace because a new sheriff has come in town, ” Femi Adesina once wrote in 2015.
Ours had been a tale of local council totally and completely relegated, utterly abandoned and gravely punished with paucity and deficit of infrastructure across every sphere of human development.
At a point, some of our youths began to question the status of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, in a state where we are comfortably recognized as the ‘agricultural hub and food basket’ of the state. Those youths were not wrong in their frustration as it is only human to fight back when one is pushed to the wall.
But we have since moved from such obscurity to the sublime, where both the state and the local government authority under His Excellency Rt Hon Dr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Executive Governor of Enugu State and Hon Chukwudi Celestine Nnadozie, Our passionate Council Chairman are now contesting to outwit each other in rebranding, reconstructing and resuscitating the once moribund and inaccessible large landmass.
Since March 4th, when Hon. Chukwudi Celestine Nnadozie mounted the saddle as Executive chairman of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, and for the first time in the history of our people, the state government has ‘designated’ the rural Council as project site, with several strides already in our pockets.
For the records, we already have Eziani, Ugbene-Ajima -Nimbo road, now nearing completion. We also have 55km Umulokpa to Onugbogbo road (abandoned since creation of the LGA), as well as Edem Nsukka, Nrobo, Ezikolo, Abbi Community road, now under the fangs of construction Engineers. Credits to His Excellency, our Governor.
Away from road construction, the Governor has just recently, began construction of another mouth watering project of type-three federal government rated primary health Centre, valued at 136 million naira, already sited at Uvuru/Nkpologu Border, to be completed in three months.
According to the Commissioner for Works in the state, Sir Greg Nnaji, the design of the ultra modern health Centre will include among others, quarters for Doctors and Nurses, Clinics, Wards and provision for regular supply of water through motorized bore-hole, steady power supply and twenty four hour medical care.
This is in addition to the revamping and revival of Umulokpa cottage hospital (Abandoned for 33 years in decrepit), which has reached an advanced stage, following over 24 million naira largesse, handed over to the council by the Governor of Enugu State, Rt Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Indeed, Chief Gabriel Ezugwu, lecturer who taught me international Relations was right when he told us that the type of leader a local government is bequeathed, determines the kind of respect it is accorded in the state, country and world politics.
However, in the past four months, notwithstanding the lockdown in world economy and lockdown in social activities, Hon Chukwudi Nnadozie became the first LG chairman across the state to construct and Asphalt over 2. 8 Kilometre road, which starts from Uzo Uwani secondary school junction to ENTRACO junction, Adani.
His other strides included Grading/lateriting of the road from site road junction to Asaba/Igga road junction, purchasing of 3000KVA Transformer for Nkume community, an ultra modern security post for the Neighborhood Watch, already at completion stage at Nkpologu, Distribution of food items, face masks, sanitizers, soap, washing hand buckets, financial Aid to the police and civil defence, immunization programs etc.
In the past four months, the Council boss has intervened and quelled uprisings and tensions, following land disputes and leadership tussles in rural communities such as Uwenu/Uwani in Umulokpa, Ogurugu, Igga and Ojor communities to the admiration of others, with a view of laying them to rest before the expiration of his term in office.
Going forward, Hon. Nnadozie has given assurances to prioritize Good roads, pipe born water, Sanitation, Health care delivery, power supply and quality education, among others as soon as the biting effects of the lockdown directive, following coronavirus Outbreak is eased off.
Above all, the best of Hon Chukwudi Celestine Nnadozie is his accessibility at all times. Unlike in the past, anybody with genuine or even tactless complaints and ideas on how to move Uzo-Uwani LGA to the next level, can now easily reach him on phone or meet him in the office as the case maybe.
Conclusively, Hon. Nnadozie is a calm, simple, intelligent, brilliant, creative, urbane and innovative young leader. Our only prayer is that God will continue to give him good health and more wisdom to continue to steer the ship of our great council.
Gwiyi Solomon is Special Adviser on Media to Hon. Nnadozie, he writes from Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State.