SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF IHITTE-UBOMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, LGA, HON. PRINCE OBIOHA NDUKWE ON THE OFFICIAL CELEBRATION OF HIS SWEARING-IN AND INAUGURATION OF COUNCILLORS AT THE LGA HEADQUARTERS, ISINWEKE

 

The Honourable Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chike Olemgbe, 

The vice chairman Barr Godson Onyema,

The Hon Commissioner for water resources Hon Barrister Ozor Obinna Ogwuegbu 

The CEO Imo State Micro Finance Bank Lady Blessing Nwoba

Leader of the council Hon. Kennedy Egeonu and all the honorable councillors

The chairman of traditional rulers and all the eze's present,

The LGA Party Chairman, Chief Innocent Chibundu 

The director of administration and general services Ihitte Uboma LGA 

The former SGI to Imo State Government Hon Engr Mark Uchendu 

Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, and all great leaders present

President-Generals of our communities, LGA Women leader, gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen...

Fellow Ihitte-Uboma citizens,

Without doubt, today's event is epoch-making and it is with great pleasure and immense gratitude to God that I address you on this great occasion as your democratically- elected executive chairman.

It is not by my power but by the grace of God Almighty that I stand before you today. To Him alone be all the power and glory. 

I also thank the Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma for his purposeful leadership and vow to continue in his footsteps in Ihitte-Uboma.

To all the good people of Ihitte-Uboma, I say, thank you very much because without you, today's event would not have been possible. 

Thank you for the privilege and honour you have given us to serve you. We know you are expecting much from us and I assure you that we won't disappoint.

Let me take this moment to appreciate our leaders, past and present, for their great sacrifices and services to the Local Government Area and the State. To them we say a very warm thank you.

I fully understand the peculiar challenges of Ihitte-Uboma and I have transformative programmes to tackle those challenges.

Let me also emphasize that there are no quick-fix solutions to the challenges of Ihitte-Uboma, but one thing certain is that we are prepared to tackle the challenges courageously.

Umunnem,  we have the resolve and we are resolute in our desire for a new Ihitte-Uboma.

 Let me reaffirm that we will summon the political will every step of the way to initiate policies and programmes that will engender peace, progress and prosperity in our land. This is a solemn commitment.

I  will be firm, but fair and just to all regardless of political or religious inclination and in all, the interest of Ihitte-Uboma remains sacrosanct.

I extend a hand of friendship to all, especially the other contestants that purchased the form, I appreciate you all, we are brothers and sisters, please join me in the quest for a new Ihitte-Uboma.

 It was Martin Luther King Jr who said that:  ‘We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,’ because we must not perish, we must unite. 

They say we are the least populated area in Imo State but our strength should be in our unity, not in our numbers. A united minority is stronger than a divided majority even the Holy Bible affirms this truism by stating that: ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’.

Welcome to a new dispensation. By the grace of God, we are starting a new journey - a journey to secure Ihitte-Uboma, a journey to unite Ihitte-Uboma and a journey to develop our Local Government Area. Our vision is to build a united, secure and prosperous Ihitte-Uboma. 

The vice Chairman, Barrister, Godson Onyema, all the elected Councillors and I, are focused on our quest to bequeath rich legacies to our successors and successive generations. Legacies that will live long in the hearts of our people. 

It is against this backdrop that we have resolved to focus on the following thematic areas, pursuant to the goal of establishing a new  paradigm in Ihitte-Uboma Local Government Area, for the enthronement of peace, justice, prosperity and sustainable socio-economic development,

1) Agriculture and food security: : We will adopt a pragmatic approach to ensure food sufficiency, food security, expanded employment generation and higher income levels for our people. We will give special attention to agricultural products in which Ihitte-Uboma LGA,  has comparative advantage, and return Ihitte-Uboma to its rightful status as the food basket of Imo State.

2) Job creation, empowerment and Infrastructure

This administration will  engage the people meaningfully through diversified production especially in agriculture and relevant skill acquisition.

Basic infrastructure like feeder roads will be constructed for easy access to and fro the farms.

The youths will be encouraged and supported to learn new skills especially Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related skills for self-employment in our technology-driven world.

3) Security 

The new administration will focus on the provision of adequate security.

4) Education and Health 

Primary healthcare delivery will be prioritized especially for children, nursing mothers and the elderly.

Equally, the education of Ihitte-Uboma youths will be given adequate attention.

In conclusion, I reaffirm my commitment to the Shared Prosperity Administration of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma and commitment to the development of Ihitte-Uboma Local Government Area. 

From Amakohia, Umuhi, Ikperejere to Lowa, Umuawuchi, Okpaetere to Abueke and all the communities, nooks and crannies of Ihitte-Uboma, the impact will be felt.

Welcome to a new Ihitte-Uboma, where peace, unity and prosperity shall reign.

God bless Ihitte-Uboma

God bless Imo State and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you.

October 15, 2024.