Group photograph with the community leaders and the entourage of Hon. Ifunanya Nwanegwo, the Executive Chairman of Mbaitoli LGA ( in the middle wearing designers) by his right is Dr. Chisomaga Ezeocha (cap on his head) followed by elder sister of Dr. Obinna Oleribe. Pix by Everest Ezihe
… As LG Chairman commission school building, water borehole
From Everest Ezihe, Abazu Ogwa
It was a historical pomp and pageantry as Abazu Ogwa community in the proposed Alaoma Ogwa autonomous community of Imo State witnessed harvest of developmental projects built through the collaborative partnership of their illustrious but philanthropic sons, Dr. Chisomaga Ezeocha, Dr. Obinna Oleribe and Dr. Kelechi Ononuju Okereke.
The projects which include multi million Naira ultra modern 6 classroom block with administrative offices, toilets for staff and pupils and borehole with standing overhead 500 gallon GP tanks built at Community Primary School, Abazu Ogwa and was commissioned by Hon. Ifunanya Nwanegwo, the Executive Chairman of Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State who came with litany of his powerful aides that included Hon. Sopuruchi Nwaokoro, Councillor representing Ogwa Ward 1, Hon. Frank Onyeje, the Leader of the Legislative Council, Hon. Onyekachi Ogwuruike, Deputy Leader, Hon. Hellen Ofurum, Hon. Chibuzo Uwandu, Secretary to the Local Government Council and Hon. Boniface Ojinkeonye, Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman.
In his welcome speech, Chief Henry Ogojiaku, the Chairman of occasion and a patriotic son of the community welcomed the Council Chairman and his entourage for gracing the ceremony as well as other eminent personalities in attendance.
Ogojiaku commended the donors for making the community proud and for philanthropically lifting their alma mater as part of their commitments in appreciating the school,the society and touching the lives of teachers and pupils of the government owned primary school.
While extolling the donors for their philanthropic gestures, he noted that what they did is not easy in view of the nation’s socioeconomic crunches and prayed for God’s abundant blessings upon their lives and families.
Ogojiaku who is also the Life Patron of Abazu Progressive Union, Ogwa advised the teachers and the community leaders on the need for them to protect the infrastructures by instituting sustainable but regular maintenance culture.
Contributing, Chief Obinna Asi, the Traditional Prime Minister, TPM of the proposed autonomous community thanked the Council’s Executive Chairman who inadvertently was the Special Guest of Honour for his prompt arrival with his entourage and assured them of the community hospitality.
Asi equally prayed to God for His infinite goodness and mercies upon the donors and members of the community noting that the proposed autonomous community is abundantly blessed with God’s goodness and favour.
In his well read welcome address, Dr. Sidney Okereke, the President General of Abazu Progressive Union,Ogwa while thanking their 3 noble sons for their patriotism, sacrifices and unwavering commitments towards transformation of the community, described the projects as significant milestone in their strategic collective efforts of improving educational infrastructures and welfare of their children.
Okereke recalled the age long deplorable conditions of school saying that their generosity have turned their despair into hope.
He further opined that, as the community celebrates for the infrastructural developments, that they should be mindful that development is an ongoing process and that their community still faces critical challenges that required accelerated attention and appealed to the Executive Chairman, government agencies and philanthropic individuals for their rescue.
Among the problems facing the community he demanded to be addressed immediately are; construction and rehabilitation of Ekeoha Abazu Oboro road, energizing of their 500 KVA transformer with settlement of over 2.5m Naira the community owed EEDC, enhanced security and posting of more teachers to the school.
Responding, Hon. Ifunanya Nwanegwo who commissioned the projects by cutting the tapes amidst uncontrollable emotional happiness and joy , also dedicated the projects to God and for the benefits of humanity noting the donors as good children of teachers like him.
Nwanegwo further expressed happiness over the self help historical projects and contributions of the community during his election, he advised the community leaders on the need for brother love, peace and unity of purpose and reassured them of his administration’s dividends of democracy.
He passionately thanked Dr. Chisomaga Ezeocha and Dr. Obinna Alaribe for philanthropically given back to their indigenous alma mater by building the ultra modern school cum administrative block, and also Dr. Kelechi Ononuju Okereke for supporting and enhancing the building project with the reticulated borehole, as well as other people that contributed to the success of the projects.
The Executive Chairman also informed leaders of the community of his administration’s advanced plans to soon inaugurate their vigilantee security outfit.
In her speech, Mrs. Chika Anyanwu, the Education Secretary Mbaitoli LGA expressed gratitude to the donors for their philanthropic gestures towards upliftment of education in the Council area and the State at large.
Anyanwu passionately appealed to the community on the need to ensure boosting the enrollment strengths of the school as well as adequate protection of the building, borehole and its infrastructures.
Mr. Beruck Ajuruche who is the immediate past President of the community and inadvertently the representative of Dr. Kelechi Okereke, the donor of the functional borehole with overhead tanks also expressed happiness for the realization of the project in his life time informing that the projects started during his administration.
He described members of the community as silent achievers even as he blamed the nation’s socioeconomic woes for the delay in commissioning the project.
According to Dr. Kelechi Ononuju Okereke in an address read on his behalf by Beruck, “it’s with immense pleasure that I stand before you today to officially hand over this completed borehole and overhead tank stand with two 500 gallon GP tanks.
” This project represents a significant step forward in my resolved to give back to my Alma mater, so as to improve the quality of life of teachers and pupils of Abazu Community Primary School.
” For long, accessing clean and reliable water has been a challenge, impacting on our daily lives, our health, and the well being of our children.
” Today, that challenge has been addressed, and we have taken crucial step towards a greater future for our community primary school, as it is a symbol of our commitments towards providing basic necessity, decent life for all. It will impact on health, improving sanitation and hygiene, there by reducing the burden of waterborne diseases.
“It will improve educational opportunities, as children can focus on their studies rather than spending countless hours fetching water” he pointed out.
Okereke further said that, ” this is not the end of the projects; it’s the beginning of a journey. We need to ensure the sustainable operation and maintenance of this vital infrastructure. We need to cultivate a sense of community ownership, ensuring that this facility is respected, utilized responsibly, and maintained for generation to come” he passionately advised.
Also adding his voice, Mr.Kelechi Okoronkwo, one of the illustrious sons of the community who said he’s in attendance and spoke on behalf of Abazu Unity Movement said that he’s very much pleased to render his support for the projects and programmes of the community.
He thanked the eminent personalities in attendance especially Sir Henry Ogojiaku, Engr. Obinna Asi, Chief Melford Ekechukwu (Ome Ego), Hon Ifunanya Nwanegwo,the Executive Chairman of the Council, Hon. Sopuruchi Nwaokoro, the Councillor representing Ogwa Ward 1, Mr. Chibuzo Uwandu, the Council’s Secretary, Lady Achuko, the Head Teacher whom she described as a dependable partner and solicited that she should not be transferred in the next ten years among others.
Okoronkwo informed that his organization is committed towards the institution and sustenance of unity of purpose, brotherly love and progress in the reverred community.
He enjoined the State government representatives to dwell in making good educational policies as the community have the capacities of providing the basic needs of the school.
Okoronkwo who’s a business icon and 1993 graduate of Mass Communication of Federal Polytechnic Oko also pointed out that the community has a vision of ensuring that the school becomes a reference point in the State and even beyond
He further reiterated the commitment of the community in paying for the annual Common Entrance and First School Leaving Certificate Examinations for the pupils while also soliciting for an enabling environment that will make the school grow.
Dr. Chisomaga Ezeocha who is one of the philanthropist that built the school building under the auspices of NICER Foundation which is non governmental organization, NGO.
Ezeocha informed that the realization of the project is also a collective efforts of his siblings, and that he was inspired in 2017 when he took his children to the school just to show them his primary school alma mater and his second daughter who was barely six years old then, told him that she was naturally pressed and wanted to make use of the school toilet, unfortunately there was non and that behold to him that the school has a serious challenging problem that needs to be addressed.
Ezeocha said he also reflected and realized that all developmental projects and programmes within the community were done by his late parents generations while his youthful generation has emphatically done nothing to improve on them, at least given back to the community, more especially the school were majority of them who are successful in life today attended.
He pointed out that the kind of money his generation has can never be compared with the wealth of his parents generation but some of the things they have in common then are patriotism, brotherly love, discipline, sincerity and unity of purpose, but contrastingly his generation are engulfed with selfishness, lack of respect, dwells in envy, hatred, pettiness, jealousness, bickering and wranglings, division, gossip, falsehood, arrogance, lack of fear of God and disrespect to humanity, blackmail, propaganda, factionalization and pull him down syndrome, these he described as unfortunate and sheer wickedness and gross ingratitude and should not be tolerated.
Ezeocha also informed that he was ridiculed by some of his friends who attended his father’s burial and that his sister Akudo equally told him same by her friends that equally honoured the burial.
” Unfortunately, within a short period their mother equally died, and they the children were poised to immortalized them as reverred teachers, and they agreed to build an ultra modern classrooms with administrative offices in honour of them. The first contractor we gave money to start the building, disappointed us with series of founded and unfounded excuses. Till date, he has not refunded the money. However, whenever am ready, he will definitely payback the money.
“It was in the midst of this inhuman disappointment that, Dr. Obinna Oleribe called me and told me his philanthropic desire to have a building built for their only community school, and as a product of the school, and that he needs a partner. I just told him, I have already started, since both of us are motivated, let us build the building and hand it over to the community, and that is how we collaborated.
” Earlier before now, Ezeocha and Oleribe families have an age long mutually trusted relationship and our generation intend to sustain and improve same. We had plans to commission and hand over the project in May 2024, we were frustrated by the nation’s socioeconomic woes”.
Ezeocha further informed that NICER Foundation is an acronym for his children and relations names, that is Nesochi Ihediohanma Chisomaga Ezeocha and Relatives thus the ownership is for all and sundry in Abazu Ogwa community and even beyond, as they are desirous in putting the community in a global map through philanthropic and charity works.
He disclosed that the Foundation operates under four pillars of impactful human impacts, thus why, they are committed in offering comprehensive annual free medical services, educational empowerment through scholarships and securing of tertiary admissions, economic empowerment and evangelism.
He canvassed the need for collaborative partnership in the services of humanity and advised the community members on the need for solidarity, love and unity of purpose.
The philanthropist assured them of more progressive projects and programmes while commending other sons and daughters of the community that contributed in furnishing the school most especially, Mr.Kelechi Okoronkwo.
He passionately appealed to the Education Secretary to ensure that more teachers are posted to the school and the community school be upgraded to primary six so that the pupils will take their first school leaving certificate and common entrance examinations there noting that the donors are willing to provide all that are needed for the qualifications.
He reiterated their vision of ensuring that the school becomes an academic reference point even outside the State.
Mr. Osy Ezeocha, the most elder brother of Ezeocha’s, collaborated with his young brother’s mission and vision for the school stating that he also is a product of the Community Primary School.
Ezeocha senior attested that until his adulthood he never knew that Dr. Obinna Oleribe was not from the same parents with him as both families were lovely attached to each other and assured for the sustainability of the mutual friendship and brotherhood.
He lamented that the community has suffered alot of derogatory languages from their kiths and kin but thanked God that today, the community has become the only major route for all their surrounding communities.
