By Desmond Ayogu Ekeh
In Enugu State, Mayor Uche Michael Ogalla, Executive Chairman of Igbo-Eze North LGA is making a positive impact on governance just within 100 days in office. He is at home with the immortal words of Jackie Robinson who said that “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”.
Ogalla is in a hurry to deliver on the promises he made to the people of Igbo-Eze North LGA. He has internalized the words of Les Brown who said that “In every day, there are 1,440 minutes, that means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact”
To him, leadership is not about title or a designation, it’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results while influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work.
Ogalla represents both impact and influence in its most positive form and the people are happy for this development. Prelude to the campaigns for the local government election in Enugu State, Ogalla released a governance blueprint and commitment document to the people of Igbo-Eze North encapsulated in the acronym JETA which stands for Justice, Equity, Transparency and Accountability.
He has kept faith with the policy document since assumption of office following his swearing in on Monday 30th September, 2024 alongside 16 other elected council chairmen of local governments by the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah.
Ogalla has also kept faith with the charge handed over to them by the Governor to relocate to their respective LGAs and not run the affairs of the local government from outside. He also embraced and implements to the letters, the charge from the governor for them to key into the Enugu Government’s Smart Green School, rural infrastructure projects , agriculture among others, all geared towards fighting crime and creating opportunities and brighter future for Enugu Children and youth.
Ogalla in line with the Governor’s directive has internalised inclusive governance in Igbo-Eze North LGA where the people have been made the centerpiece of governance thereby banishing the feelings of alienation of any sort from among the people of the area.
Within 100 days in office, the Igbo-Eze North Council Mayor has implemented various transformative development projects cutting across infrastructural development, security, renovation of council facilities among others. He is deeply committed in rural road development to the extent that his administration has completed the grading and expansion of major roads in the 20 political wards that make up the Umunano and Ozzi in Igbo-Eze North thereby enhancing connectivity between villages and facilitating easy mobility
To solidify his development agenda for the council area, Mayor Ogalla through the 2025 budget already before the legislative council titled “Budget of Grassroots Transformation,” has given assurance of the administration’s unwavering commitment to transforming the local government into a thriving and prosperous community where every citizen enjoys a high quality of life.
The Mayor has disclosed that the 2025 budget is not merely a financial document but a roadmap for progress, meticulously aligned with the council area’s Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) for 2025-2029 developed with support from UNICEF and the State Government
He further explained that the budget prioritized key developmental areas like Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, Infrastructure, Market Development, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Good Governance and Security.
The MTDP, together with the Activity Action Plan and Results Framework, is a product of extensive stakeholder consultations and rigorous analysis, thus providing a comprehensive framework for achieving the long-term development goals of the administration.
The 2025 budget of Igbo-Eze North LGA under the watch of Mayor Uche Ogalla is oriented on inclusion, economic sustenance and social progress guided by his Manifesto and informed by the evolving needs of the community as captured in the Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP)”.
Ogalla has also disclosed the ultimate ambition of the administration to explore collaboration with the State Government to convert the Enugu-Ezike District Hospital to a College of Nursing and Dental Therapy to provide opportunities to the people living in the urban and hinterland as well as adjourning states of Kogi and Benue to gain access to health education and employment opportunities.
On Agriculture, he said that in collaboration with the State Government on the 200 Hectares Farm Estate Programme, his administration is on course to support the state in securing at least 600 hectares in Ette, Aguibeje, and Umuogbo Agu communities for large scale commercial agriculture.
To complement this initiative, he said the administration shall also earmark 3 to 6 hectares in remaining Wards for crop farming and integrated animal husbandry. This measure he said will reverse the long-term trend in unemployment in the local government, boost income growth and reduce crime.
On Infrastructure Development, he said the administration has already started and will consolidate the ongoing improvement in road infrastructure, including the extensive rehabilitation of existing roads and the construction of new roads to enhance connectivity and facilitate economic activity.
The administration of Uche Ogalla came on board with a human face in Igbo-Eze North, and as such has continued to strengthen its governance institutions and security formations by enhancing transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance processes.
Today, the administration is already taking drastic steps to enhance security measures to protect lives and property through the installation of high Surveillance Security Cameras across strategic security flash points identified in within communities in the local government area.
His footprints in the sands of governance in the last 100 days have been reassuring, inspiring and impressive. Enugu state is blessed to have Mbah as governor at this point in history, likewise, the people of Igbo-Eze North are in high spirits because good governance has been demystified with Ogalla as Mayor. A toast to focus-driven and result oriented administration in Enugu state. Indeed, Tommorow is Here!
• Ekeh, Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman of Igbo-Eze North writes from Enugu-Ezike, Enugu State