Francis Igata 

As the clock chimes towards the Local Government Area elections in Enugu State come February 29, expectations have reached a feverish pitch as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate at the poll, Engr. Uchenna Nwobodo, throws his hat into ring for an epic contest as the Council boss.

The outcome, which certainly will change the socio-economic paradigms of the agrarian council area, promises to reflect the yearnings and aspirations of the people gasping for breath from long years of managerial strangulation from successive administrations before the advent of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

Nkanu-East, with a population of about 207,300 people going by National Population Commission, NPC, report of 2006, also sprawls on an Area of 795 km². As the saying goes that all politics is local, Engr. Uchenna Nwobodo, has kicked started his election campaigns in Ugbawka,Nara,Nkerefi,Nomeh,Mburubu,Ihuokpara,Amagunze,Orukwu,Ubahu,Akpofu,Amechi-idodo,Ankanu,Ubahu,Owo wards that constitute the council area.

Bordering Ebonyi State to the East and with its headquarters located at Amagunze, there are tales in this 21st century where movements in and out of most of the communities are either by foot or bicycle for those who can afford them. Horrifying discoveries emerged then that in one of the communities of Amankanu, the people still convey pregnant women in labour to where they could be delivered of their babies using wheelbarrows.

Lack of connecting bridges across many rivers in the area is one of the greatest challenges of the people that make them lament that they live in different worlds even when they are just few kilometers apart.

For instance a man that lives at Amankanu, Owo, Ubahu or Amechi-Idodo who wants to visit the council headquarters Amagunze would have to travel westward to Enugu first, a distance of about 30 kilometres before detouring by bus to Amangunze, a distance of another 30 kilometres, before accessing the headquarters. Ordinarily, the journey would have taken just few hours to cover the 23 kilometres to Amagunze from Amaechi-Idodo community. The roundabout movement is as a result of lack of accessible road and bridges to cross the Inyaba and other rivers that separate Amagunze community from the rest of Nkanu East communities.

But, respite is afoot as the electorate troops out enmasse to vote in Engr. Uchenna Nwobodo, whose track record of performance is eloquent from the time, he served as the councils’ Deputy Chairman between 2003-2007. History will be kind to him haven commenced the construction of the council Secretariat in 2017 when he served as the Transition Chairman for three months. Findings showed before he commenced the construction of the council secretariat that Nkanu-East council area was the only, without a befitting administrative structure out of the 17 council areas in Enugu State.

Related News

Now that a new regulation on local government funds issued by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, has come on stream, the administration of Uchenna Nwobodo is poised to actualize its 3-point agenda which targets qualitative Education, accessible and affordable healthcare services and basic infrastructural for development.

According to the National President, Nkanu Youth Assembly, Comrade Ikenna Ugochukwu, who revealed that, “the administration of Uchenna Nwobdo, places premium on Primary Health Care because it is usually the first port of call especially during emergencies.  His administration will ensure social protection programmes and measures aimed at removing financial barriers preventing access to health care services and protecting poor and vulnerable populations

from the impoverishing effects of medical expenditures”. Continuing on Education, Comrade Ugochukwu said, “Uchenna Nwobodo believes that an essential function of Primary Education is for effective communication skills that will enable the pupils to be relevant to the social and economic development of the nation. These subjects are necessary in other for Nigerian children to be successful at the secondary and higher levels of education”.

“We are about to witness the provision of infrastructure services to meet the demands of business, household and other users is one of the major challenges of economic development.

“Uchenna Nwobodo reckons that the provision of economic infrastructure expands the productive capacity of Nkanu-East economy.  Nwobodo’s administration knows that the transformation curve or the production possibility frontier would shift with the expansion of the economic infrastructural base, thereby accelerating the rate of economic development and enhancing the pace of socio-economic development.

We will witness a better management of economic infrastructure that would impact directly on the poor, thus reducing poverty.  Culverts and bridges that have made accessibility to locations will be a thing of the past.  “With his emergence, we are poised to witness another round of rapid development in our council area. Last time he had a stint as Transition Chairman of Nkanu-East council area which lasted for three months, he was able to build the council secretariat, cottage hospitals, renovation of schools, construction of broken down culverts.

Our people are anxious to troop out en masse and vote him in at the council polls. We cannot thank Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi enough for the level playing ground he established that led to this level of inclusiveness and participation in determining who becomes the party’s flag bearer at the upcoming council polls” Comarade Ugochukwu assured.

Igata writes from Enugu