From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Arinzechukwu Awogu is the House of Representatives candidate for Ogbaru Federal Constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He was former Chairman of Ogbaru local government area, former SSA on Political Matters to Obiano and Deputy DG of Soludo Support Group for 2021 governorship election. In this interview, Awogu spoke on various issues.
Why do you want to contest for House of Reps?
I want to go and represent my people at the House of Reps due to the misrepresentation our area has suffered over the years. There is no Federal Government presence in Ogbaru; look at our roads, look at what flood did to my people and we have not seen the efforts of the Federal Government to help my people. Somebody from this area has been in the House of Reps for 12 years but did nothing and wants to return again in an area we have 16 communities but my people are saying no; that they need another person who they trust, who is a dogged fighter and who the welfare of the people is his priority. They beaconed on me to go and represent them due to my track records as former Council Chairman and aide to former governor.
Some people defected to APGA recently, what were their reasons?
Yes, some opposition political party members, about 2300 of them defected to APGA just because of me and what I stand for and because of my numerous achievements. They are people from PDP, APC, LP, and other parties. They said they cannot compare light with darkness, they have moved from an environment shrouded in secrecy, darkness, and stuffy to an environment that is conducive, impactful and human-oriented. APGA is a movement, it is a party of one family and friendship and that they have joined association of positive people and together, they will help in redefining political architecture of Ogbaru federal constituency and which will in turn bring about practical development. Ogbaru LGA has issues of environmental degradation, infrastructural decay and health care and these things we are going to concentrate on and to ensure that our people feel the impact of good dividends of democracy. So, they have moved from the wrong parties to right party which is APGA and they are assured of guaranteed future.
What are your achievements as Council Chairman of Ogbaru?
My achievement as council chairman is in pictorial form. It is huge that I may not exhaust it within this interview limit. But I can just point out few of them. Ogbaru local government area is viewed as one road local government; within the period of my stay in the local government, I singlehandedly maintained the road until I left office. The local government is viewed to be an oil producing local government yet nobody knew when and where the oil was being mined from before I came in. I took up the challenges and risk of going to discover where the oil wells are in Ogbaru LGA. At a point, I wanted to make a move and I was told not to go there because people don’t go there but I said no, I will go there to find out who and who are behind mining of the Ogbaru oil. I moved with about 21 men and our vehicles got stuck at a place called Etuakanta along Osamalla-Ogwuanaocha road, then I had to arrange for eleven motorbikes. Among the eleven motorbikes, only five could make it to the oil field, six motorbikes broke down because of the muddy nature of the pathway. When we got to the oil field, it was a vast expanse of land covering about five football fields put together and there was a great deal going on there. We saw oil company in full operation. We saw their helipad where they parked their helicopters, we saw the rig, the drilling machines, we saw pipes crossing the whole of the environment. We saw caravans about 35 of them, we saw full staff of expatriates working there and I approached them and I said to them, this is Ogbaru in Anambra State but they said no that I was the first official from Anambra State to come and say the place belong to the state. I told them very clearly that where you are operating, the land is in Umunzarabe and Umunzarabe is under Umungasi and Umungasi is under Ogwuanaocha community and the community is under Ogbaru LGA while the LGA is under Anambra State, Nigeria. So, I told them to regularize their operations with Anambra State. I came back and told the governor and we went to so many places including the National Assembly and at the end of the day, Anambra State was confirmed an oil producing state on the basis of eleven oil wells out of which, eight are in Ogbaru. But these were oil wells hitherto credited to Delta and Imo states prior to my coming in. And today, the eight oil wells in Ogbaru churn out no few than 500 barrels of crude oil every day and today Anambra earns close to N300 million in a month from the derivation. Something happened, when the oil company saw that the heat was much coming from me, they requested for a negotiation and I said to them, there is nothing you will give me that will equal what my people and the people of Anambra will benefit if we become an oil producing state. I said that if we become an oil producing state, NDDC will come to develop our place by building roads, hospitals and building Jetties along the waterways, building schools and give scholarship and the company will provide CSR which all put together will be for the betterment of Ogbaru LGA and Anambra State in general. I maintained my ground and today Anambra is an oil producing state due to my effort as council chairman of Ogbaru LGA.
Then, again, I ensured that toilets were created in the markets in Ogbaru, I ensured that Ogbaru fruit and vegetable market was remodeled and ensured that the number of schools received renovation from me and I ensured that I fenced a number of schools. And aside that human capital development was my priority, I was able to empower people. So, within the period I was in the local government, I maintained peace among the communities and also ensured that the name of our place is seen in distant lands through the creation of Ogbaru Mass Transit system that in any part of the country, you will see the vehicle plying. I also attracted appointments and jobs for my people.
What is the solution to the devastating flooding in the country, your area inclusive?
The flood is very, very devastating and we witness yearly occurrence of flood. We need stronger political will, probably more robust legislation to enable the Federal Government to do what is very, very crucial. We have three solutions to the problem; one is for the Federal Government to build a buffer zone by way of dams to accommodate excess water from the Cameroon and gradually release it to our water borders; it will halt the level of flooding and devastation that we face yearly from the release of water from Cameroon.
Then, secondly, the River Niger is very young, it is not as old as River Nile, it is a very young river that still traces its routes and from time to time, it moves sand from Sahara and deposits it in our region towards emptying it into the Atlantic ocean. River Niger has become so shallow and has no depth such that it does not accommodate the volume of water that is release to it. So, there is need for the river Niger to be truly dredged and also all the tributaries so that when they release the excess water, it will find spaces to be accommodated. The, third, which is borrowing a leaf from the Japanese and the Netherlands, the countries recorded to be below sea levels. Dams should be built to wage the water from getting to people’s houses and farms. The dam will serve as an irrigation and it will be used to generate electricity. So, it is time to elect the visionary leaders who can sit down to plan for the future for the betterment of the country.