*Locates constituency office at Oji River Urban
The member representing Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu, has embarked on programmes that affirms that he really wants to identify and alleviate the pains of the grassroots in his constituency, as much as possible, writes Maurice Okafor in Enugu.
The technocrat cum politician has accepted to bankroll tuition fees for three hundred constituents to improve their educational standard at National Teachers Institute [NTI]study center, Akpugoeze in Oji River local government area,Enugu state.
The scholarship programme is designed to fanour those with poor parental background and the predominantly rural farmers of the three local government areas of Aninri,Awgu and Oji River to overcome illiteracy.
The NTI Akpugoeze study center which is now renamed as Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu study center will run courses on National Certificate on Education[NCE],Bachelor of Education and Post Graduate Diploma in Education[PGDE] as well as preliminary course on NCE and NABTEB[National Business and Technical Education Board] for students who are yet to make up their Ordinary level certificates.
Emphasis is for the programme to scale down to the rural predominant rural farmers and downtrodden of his constituents who due to their poor family background are yet to get basic education.
Dr Onwuegbu expressed this passion when the NTI Coordinator in Enugu state, Mrs Amaka Onyia and the Coordinator of Akpugoeze study centre, Dr Ben Onwudinjo, paid him a courtesy visit in Enugu, requesting that the Akpugoeze center be named after him in view of his numerous contributions and service to humanity while seeking his partnership to the growth of the Akpugoeze center.
The Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal lawmaker who accepted the offer for the Akpugoeze study centre to be named after him, but called and offered to support the widening of the scope of the center to effectively reflect his representation of the people.
Dr Onwuegbu told his visitors,’ I openly accept your proposal to name the centre after me but the only thing I request from Dr Onwudinjo is to fully carry out this assignment for the programme’s success in the constituency.
‘I represent the GreaterAwgu and we cannot only have the center in Akpugoeze. We must establish centres in the 41 wards we have because the targeted people live in the rural areas. They go to the farms but also create time for learning. Let us capitalize on this project and hold it firmly. It is more important than citing projects that everyone talks about.
‘You can build roads and even hospitals but an illiterate mind is a sickness forever. Liberating an individual’s mind is far more important than any infrastructure available’ Hon. Onwuegbu explained.
In addition to paying tuition fees for 300 constituents who will be admitted into the NTI programmes, Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu also promised to pay school fess for three hundred students who will register for 2024 May/June NABTEB exams at the study center
Checks revealed that less than two months Hon.Onwuegbu volunteered to support the project, the NTI distance learning from Akpugoeze study center has been expanded and extended to designated centers across the three local government areas of Anirni, Awgu and Oji River local government areas, collectively known as ‘Greater Awgu’ represented by Hon .Onwuegbu at the lower chambers of the National Assembly.
.The approved centers for Aninri local government area are Central School Okpanku, Central School Ihuze Nenwe and Community primary school, Ezinesi Oduma. The centers for Awgu local government area are at Obodo Akpu primary School, Agbogugu, Joint School Awgu and Central School, Nmaku.
The study centers for intending students from Oji River council area are Community School Umumba[Achi Agu], St. .Mary’s primary, Achi Uno, Central School 1 Umuome Inyi,.Central School, Akpugoeze, Community primary school ,Agunkwu Ugwuoba, ,Central School Oji River Urban, and Central School, Awlaw.
The study centers has also provided opportunities for unemployed graduates in Education to secure gainful employment as teachers in the institution. Interested applicants are advised to visit the Akpigoeze coordinating office of the institution.
Dr Onwuegbu’s passion to identify with the grassroots of his constituency can also be interpreted in his vision to open one of his constituency at Oji River Urban axis of Greater Awgu. Oji River is a town discovered and developed by the British colonial administration with Thermal power station which was one of the major source of power to the defunct Eastern region. The Federal Pilot Tannery and several other institutions established and owned by defunct Eastern Nigeria etc are currently in comatose to the detriment of economic growth of Enugu West senatorial district, Enugu state and Nigeria generally.
The town currently still boasts of natural deposits and abandoned establishments that can be revived to boost Enugu state economy. In his vision for economic emancipation and advancement of Enugu state economy, the current governor of Enugu state, Dr Peter Mbah has sited the establishment of an industrial park/city that will be one of the best in Africa at Ugwuoba axis of Oji River, based on the potentials, disposition, accessibility and other natural factors, including [U1] the river and ‘wonderful water station’ that are underutilized economically.
The Home coming of Hon. Dr. Anayo Onwuegbu, who is an experienced civil engineer combined with his exposure in construction industry as the Federal lawmaker representing AninrilAwgulOji River constituency at this current quest for development is the best for the people of Oji River local government area, Greater Awgu,Enugu West senatorial district and Enugu state in general.
Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu who is the CEO/MD of ANBEEZ Services Ltd, an Abuja based indigenous construction firm with base camp in Enugu and branches in some other parts of the country will bring his experience to bear in consolidating socio economic development and representation of Greater Awgu at the National Assembly, from where his predecessor, on. Toby Okechukwu stopped.
Likewise, His harmonious political working relationship with Senator Osita Ngwu, representing Enugu West senatorial district and Governor Peter Mbah, all elected on the platform of PDP raises new hope, new ideas and expectations of development in the entire Enugu state, with more emphasis in Greater Awgu. Barely three months on the saddle, Hon. Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu is proving a point that he knows where it pinches his constituents most and will surely offer them the very best
