Chairman of Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Hon. Michael Uche Ogala, says the administration of the Enugu state Governor, Dr Peter Mbah has transformed the Local Government through massive investments in education, healthcare and security.
Ogala, who made this known in a chat with newsmen on Saturday in Enugu, spoke on the development trajectory of the state and the local government. He said the provision of 21 Smart schools, 20 Type-2 primary healthcare centres and a modern Government Technical College had laid the foundation for a new Igboeze North.
According to him, the governor’s reforms had also addressed some of the major factors responsible for out-of-school children by making education in the state’s Smart schools free.
” Pupils in the smart schools are provided with essential academic needs, including uniforms, removing financial barriers that previously forced some children out of school,” he said..
“We don’t allow any child outside school during school hours. It is a law that we have started enforcing. If you are of school age, you must go to school,” Ogala said.
He added that the reforms had eliminated complaints over examination fees and other charges that previously discouraged parents from sending their children to school.
Igboeze North Local Government Chairman,Hon Ogala
On security, the chairman said Igboeze North had witnessed a significant improvement, particularly along areas that were previously affected by kidnapping.
He added that the establishment of a joint military operational base, with about 100 soldiers, had strengthened security operations in previously difficult-to-access areas.
Ogala recalled that the Ogbadigbo axis had previously been prone to kidnapping, but said the situation had substantially improved following intensified security operations.
He also disclosed that security operatives had rescued about 12 kidnap victims from a criminal hideout in one operation and subsequently rescued three others.
According to him, the security intervention had made kidnapping increasingly difficult for criminals operating in the area.
Ogala spoke on the development in Igboeze- North
“Since the establishment of this force in that forest, ungoverned area, the base has received the full feeling of the government,” he said, adding that several communities and areas, including Igbize, Umuho, Amache and Izibu, had received increased security attention.
The chairman also called for greater community involvement in tackling early marriage, particularly cases involving girls below 18 years.
He disclosed that he personally intervened in a case involving an SS2 student who was reportedly being prepared for marriage, after the matter was brought to his attention.
He urged residents to provide timely information to authorities whenever such cases occur, stressing that government intervention would be difficult if communities concealed them.
On the state government’s revenue reforms, he said residents should understand that taxes were necessary to fund development, noting that the people were already benefiting from government investments.
“His Excellency is ready to transform the state completely, but he’s not getting it from his father’s farmyard. It’s the taxpayers’ money that we all jointly combine and use it to transform our state,” he said.
He dismissed resistance to some of the government’s policies as natural reactions to change, arguing that reforms should not be abandoned simply because some people initially oppose them.
According to him, the pains associated with some reforms today would translate into greater benefits for the people in the future.
Ogala also expressed confidence in the forthcoming local government election, saying Igboeze North remained firmly behind the All Progressives Congress and would support candidates aligned with the party.
He urged residents to support the governor’s administration, particularly as Governor Mbah prepares to seek a second term.
The council chairman asked residents to compare the security and development situation in Igboeze North before the present administration with the current situation, saying the difference should guide their decision at the next general election.
“Remember where Enugu was before His Excellency Peter Mbah and remember where we are today. And do what? Appreciate him by just a single vote,” Ogala said.
