The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organization Worldwide professor Augustine Onyeozu has reiterated his administrations determination to tackle all challenges facing the ethnic nationality.
Speaking at the organizations convention held at Omerelu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State last Sunday, Professor Onyeozu who identified challenges confronting Ogbakor Ikwerre to include lack of adequate financial resources, false impression on culture of violence of Ikwerre ethnic nationality, disunity among Ikwerre people, deface of Obiri Ikwerre land stressed the need to tackle these problems.
The erudite professor who lauded the past administration led by Chief S. O Agbaru for doing their best in confronting the challenges with the available resources said such has been a stepping stone upon which the present administration would consolidate.
Professor Onyeozu who described finance as critical for the implementation of projects recalled, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s comment during a visit by the newly elected executive of Ogbakor Ikwerre in his office, that the organization need private investments to generate its own fund.
According to him, Prof. Onyeozu “we can embark on property development venutres, we can establish transport business, we can expand Obiri Ikwerre to includes business area where apartment can be rented out for small scale business entrepreneurs. On the growing false impression that Ikwerre culture is that of violence or disorderliness, he debunked such insinuation pointing out that the behaviour of touts and criminals along motor-ways around and within Port Harcourt is helping to promote such impression saying that these is crucial need to change it through gradual and consistent process of discipline and rebranding in everything we do, particularly as we relate to others”.
According to him, “we can plan an orientation programme for Ikwerre youth at the grassroot level, discouraging street fighting among others.
Professor Onyeozu further assured the people of his administration’s determination to ensure harmony among the Ikwerre’s and protection of lives and properties in Ikwerre land.
In an address presented by the people of Omerelu community read by Mr. Basil Didia noted that the people of Omerelu are not lacking in human resources as they have produced professors, lawyers, engineers, doctors, magistrate, teachers among others but expressed dismay that most Ikwerre personalities who hold salient positions do not remember the people of the community for important position. They expressed their profound gratitude to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for his integrity, pragmatice approach and magnity in making Omerelu feel the presence of government and dividends of democracy stressing that he is sensitive to the plight of the governed hence he has upgraded the Omerelu maternity to health centre, restructured their primary school and provided network roads from neighbouring towns though some are yet to be completed, thanked the governor for the appointment of their son Barr. Ezemonye Ezikiel Amadi, as Commissioner for Land and Survey.
The people who noted that the address will be incomplete without mentioning impediments to the growth of the town, enumerated some of the problems which includes absence of portable drinking water, renovation of secondary school, provision of transformers and stand-by generator for the health centre and appealed to the state government to assist them as to improve their living standard.
In a chat with journalists shortly after the ceremony Ambassador Anosike Orduwa the vice Chairman, River State Petroleum Monitoring Committee described the ceremony as a huge success due to the quality of personalities present at the ceremony adding that all the issues raised by the president general of Ogbakor Ikwerre were excellent.
Amb. Orduwa who was represented by Barr. Uche Okwukwu the former Chairman of ACN in Rivers State in a media chat noted that the people of Ikwerre are in the committee of Niger Delta and advised them not to relent in the Niger Delta struggle as to move the zone forward.
Others who spoke at the ceremony were Hon. Andrew Uchendu lawmaker representing Ikwerre/Emohua in the Federal House of Representative, Chief Tony Okocha, Chief of Staff Government House Rivers State, and Gift Worukwo stressed the need to tackle unemployment problem among the youths as to rid off criminality and other bad tendencies against them, in the state. ####
