The Coordinator of the Echiaba Development Centre in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Prince Friday Oketa has embarked on the rural infrastructure development in the villages and communities within the area of his jurisdiction.
The Coordinator in his assumption of the office re-roofed the dilapidated building roofs of the Development Centre.
He moved ahead with the renovation and painting of the Development Centre's buildings including the security post and gates.
Oketa has also embarked on grading and latrating the rural roads cutting across the villages in the Echiaba Development Centre. Currently, the road grading has got to the five villages including Oterufe, Ojianya, Ndukabia, Enyibuchiri and Ozibo villages.
Our newsmen who visited the area learnt that the deplorable nature of the rural roads in the villages demanded urgent intervention by the government in power.
The Echiaba Development Centre Boss has ushered in power supply in the Centre and further expressed his readiness to ensure full electrification of every village and community in the development centre.
In his effort to ensure potable water remains accessible to the residents of the Echiaba Development Centre, he embarked on drilling and repairing boreholes in the area.
He has drilled a borehole at Oterufe village while demonstrating commitment towards the advancement of every hook and cranny of the Development Centre, especially on bringing social amenities to the area.
Oketa maintained that he would continue to step down the policies and programmes of Governor Francis Nwifuru's government anchored on the Peoples Charter of Needs in the Echiaba Development Centre.
"Our main reason to embark on these projects is to step down to the hinterlands, the policies and programs of our Governor and the leader of Ebonyi State, His Excellency Rt Hon Builder Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are only urging the beneficiaries of these projects to guide them against vandalization, and be very supportive to the government on board because more dividends of democracy are coming," he said.
It could be recalled that on the 15th of January, 2024, Prince Friday Oketa was sworn in as the Coordinator of the Echiaba Development Center by Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State.
Also, recall Prince Oketa's inaugural speech, he vowed to transform the Development Centre, saying that he was ready to replicate Governor Nwifuru's good governance at the Development Centre level.
The benefitting villages who spoke to our newsmen through their leaders, Sylvanus Nwojiji - the Oterufe Village Councilor, and his counterpart of Ndukabia, Mr Chukwuma Imebe, among others described the gestures as the best of its kind in the history of their villages.
They noted that the graded roads, boreholes and water drainages would drastically reduce their suffering, especially in the area of waterborne diseases and evacuation of their farm produce to the urban cities. They appreciated the government of Governor Francis Nwifuru and Echiaba Development Coordinator, Prince Friday Oketa for the uncommon provisions to the communities in their shortest stay in their offices.
Meanwhile, the Head of Personnel Management in the Development Centre - Prince Emeka Akputa and the Head of the Works Department in the Centre, Deacon Ndubuisi Ogodo have commended the people for appreciating the projects and assured them of their timely completion.
Also, the Ward Development Centre Chairman in the area, Onwe Sunday alongside the Councillor representing Enyiburuchi Ward 2 in Ebony LGA, Chukwuma Ekene, Nwigube Friday and Mr Festus Ojemba - a former leader in the legislative council in Ebonyi Council Area of Ebonyi State, among other stakeholders upheld that the projects would reduce rural-urban migration.
The stakeholders described Prince Oketa as a God-sent Coordinator to Echiaba Development Centre, saying his agenda and programmes since assumed office have been the people-oriented ones.
"Prince Friday Oketa believes in embarking on life-touching projects. For instance, as a way of touching people's lives positively, in just one month in office, he immediately embarked on
grading and latrating major rural roads across five villages in Echiaba Development, drilling the borehole in Oterufe village, re-roofing the dilapidated Development Centre building roof and restoring electricity in the Development Centre headquarters.
"The Coordinator renovated the Development Centre Complex and these projects are the first of its kind in the history of our villages," one of the stakeholders said.
