Emmanuel Ogbaje
The sleepy community of Eha-Etiti in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State came alive recently as His Royal Highness, Igwe Frederick Agbo Odo (Etiti 1 of Eha-Etiti), received his staff of office.
Igwe Odo is the first traditional ruler of Eha-Etiti Autonomous Community, which has waited for 16 years to get a monarch.
On the appointed day, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State came to the Igwe’s palace, Etiti House, Akwari Eha-Etiti, to personally present the staff of office to the traditional ruler.
Governor Ugwuanyi had come to the community along with other prominent citizens of the state, including the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu; the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial zone, Chuka Utazi; the Chairman of the PDP, Enugu State, Mr Augustine Nnamani while the Chairman of Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue who is the son of the Igwe, Prince Emeka Odo, was on hand to join his father to receive the dignitaries.
In his welcome address, Igwe Odo expressed gratitude to Governor Ugwuanyi for making the ceremony a reality.
He thanked the governor for the trust and confidence he reposed in the sons and daughters of the town by appointing them into the various positions in his administration.
He also commended him for the massive infrastructural transformation going on in the state, especially in the rural areas.
The traditional ruler, however, appealed to the governor to help in the construction of the road that links Ehalumona, Eha Etiti and Ehandiagu, pointing out that it was the only road connecting the three communities to other parts of the state.
Presenting the staff of office to Igwe Odo, Ugwuanyi disclosed that his administration granted autonomy to the resourceful community in line with its rural development policy, especially the need to bring government and governance closer to the doorsteps of the rural dwellers.
He assured the new traditional ruler and the people of the community that his administration would give them the needed support and attention to ensure that they benefitted fully from the rural development agenda of the state government.
The governor disclosed that the exercise for the election of the new Igwe, who he described as “a renowned elder statesman, educationist, administrator, and community leader” was transparent and supervised by the state government.
At the ceremony, Ugwuanyi was conferred with a chieftaincy title of ‘Anyanwu na Ehalumona,’ by all the traditional rulers in Ehalumona clan in recognition of his good work in the state.
Other highlights of the occasion included the presentation of chieftaincy titles to Dr. Femi Babalola, a renowned businessman; Chief (Mrs.) Mimi Orubibi Adzape, chairman of Benue State Internal Revenue Service; Chinedu Nwamba, member representing Nsukka East Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly; Chief Bola Sodipo, former special adviser (Taxation and Revenue) Lagos State, among others.