UGOCHUKWU EKE
The member representing Umuahia central Constituency,and Majority leader in the Abia State House of Assembly, Engr Chinedum Orji who has the Chieftaincy title of Ikuku during his electioneering campaign in 22015 had promised to give Primary and Secondary Schools in his constituency a facelift if he was elected, twoyears after his election.
It is now two years since the campaign promised were made and some journalists took a tour of the schools in his Umuahia Central state constituency to see if he had kept to his campaign promises, verify them and feel the pulse of his constituents on the renovation embarked upon in some schools.
It is a known fact that most politicians fund it difficult to fulfill their campaign promises and as new entrant into politics it would be pertinent to find out if he has done what he promised to his constituents during his campaign pr if he has reneged like others before him.
It is important to know that Hon Orji’s emergence was filled with disbelieve not because he is not qualified to vie for the position he was aspiring then, but because he is the son of the immediate past governor of the state and the fear was that he will only ride on the back of his father and will be elected only to go there and sleep.
His performance since he was inaugurated with his colleagues into the Abia House of Assembly has been an eye opener to all that in some cases what people expects turn out not to be so as he has not only kept his promises but has surpassed what he promised during his campaign.
On a visit to most of the schools within the constituency, it was observed that while some of the projects have been completed and others are still ongoing and that where there is need for electric transformer, Hon Orji the member representing Umuahia Central state constituency who is also the house majority leader has not been found wanting including sinking of water boreholes.
At the World Bank Model Primary School 1, Umuahia, the headmistress Mrs Okoroafor Mary Oluchi listed some of the projects being embarked upon by the Majority Leader in the school to include the provision of reading chairs for the pupils and Sitting Chairs and tables for the teachers, drilling of a borehole that is already functional.
Mrs Okoroafor disclosed that Hon Orji during his visit to the school promised to build and equip modern library for the school, “What he is doing has been part of our challenges, as he has succeeded in putting smiles on the faces of the pupils, we can not fail to thank him for his gesture especially in the development of education”.
In her own contribution, Mrs Salome Ebere Otagburuagu who is the Headmistress of World Bank Primary School 2 also thanked the honorable member for providing conducive environment for learning and has also helped to increase the school enrollment.
“If you can see what out schools has been like before he came here with his Midas touch, the entire environment was bushy with grasses but he brought people who came and cleared the premises even ourschool football pitch and playing ground have all been cleared, I can say that he has fulfilled some of his promises he made to the school”.
At urban Mission Nursery and Primary School,Umuahia, the new face of the school as evidenced by the School headmistress, Mrs Nwakuba Chidinma who disclosed that the infrastructural decay in the school before the intervention of Engr Orji had forced parents to withdraw their wards from the School.
Mrs Nwakuba said, “In the past the school was in a total disrepair, the roof of the school building and doors were removed by miscreants who turned it into their hideout for smoking of Indian hemp, but with the intervention from Hon Orji three classroom blocks are currently been renovated”.
“Before this time, we had gone to the host community for their assistance which we could not get, our worry now is on how to fence the school to prevent these hoodlums from coming into the school to damage what Engr. Orji has done in the area of bringing our school back to life”.
For the Headmistresses of Ugwunchara Primary Schools 1 and 11 Deaconess Peace Nwankwo and Mrs Ngozi Ogbokiri both said that when they assumed duties in the school, they met decayed classroom blocks which were in a state of total decay and unworthy to be called classrooms where meaningful learning exercise could take place.
In the words of Mrs Nnwankwo, “Hon Orji has renovated two classroom blocks and promised to provide reading desks for the pupils. These were some of his campaign promises and he has fulfilled them”. He is Ekwueme meaning that he promises and keeps to his promises.
For Mrs Ngozi Ogbukiri, “In the past, no elected political office holder had remembered this school, Hon Orji may God bless you, we will vote for you come 2019, unless he says he will not be contesting, in that case will look for a politician like him to vote for”.
At the Amuzukwu Girls Secondary School 11, the principal Lady Ngozi
Alighili described Hon Orji as man who matches wordswith actions, stressing that since she joined the teaching profession that she has never seen a politician like Hon Orji who promises and keep them to the letter.
Lady Alighili who is newly posted to the school said the house member has started the renovation of a storey building in the school, drilled a borehole and constructed separate conveniences (Toilet facility) for teachers and the students.
“These things were done for the comfort of both the teachers and students, I want to use this opportunity to thank Hon Orji for his quality representation and wished him well in his second term bid, I am not a politician but I think that second tenure should be for those who have performed well” .
In Urban 2 primary School, Umuahia, the story is notdifferent. The school building were in all in disrepair. The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Priscilla Egu said, “I have stayed in this school for two years, the buildings in the school was nothing to talk about as they were in deplorable condition not favorable for learning because
of leaking roofs andbroken doors and windows”.
Mrs Egu said, “Succor however came our way when Hon Orji started renovating the affected classroom blocks, which has made the school look like a place where pupils can come to learn and he has plans to build toilet facilities and to drill a borehole for the school”.
She continued, “On behalf of the school, I want to thank Hon. Orji for this wonderful gesture and at the end of this ongoing renovation, the teachers and pupils will be happy to study in a conducive environment”.
“After the renovation of these school blocks, it will increase the enrollment of more pupils into theSchool next session.,For doing all these things for us, we will support his reelection in 2019, God will bless him”.
The Nation recalls that during the 2015, campaign, Engr. Orji emphasized that his focus will be on education sector especially the renovation of dilapidated school buildings and he has done what he promised which included the renovation of some schools, providing toilet facilities and sinking of boreholes.
He has not only renovated classrooms in schools but has donated and installed transformers to Urban Ward 111 by Palm Lane Extension and Amuzukwu community.
Hon Orji the State House of Assembly Majority leader has also awarded contract and graded Road 5 in Low Cost Housing Estate which has not been accessible by residents in the past and today residents of this area are happy.
