Amawbia Town Union Inaugurates New Executive, Urges Them On Collective Interest
By Regina Igwebuike
The Amawbia Community in Awka South LGA, Anambra State has officially inaugurated its new executive leadership, with Nze Chukwukadibia Odumodu as the President General. During the oath-taking ceremony, Ozo Arc. Nnaemeka Maduka, the Traditional Prime Minister (Osojeze) of Amawbia Community, emphasized the importance of prioritizing community interests over personal ones.
Maduka expressed gratitude to the electoral committee for conducting a successful election and prayed for wisdom, humility, and love among the new executive and the Igwe in Council. He also sent a strong message, warning that anyone attempting to cause discord in the community would face consequences. Maduka urged everyone to rally behind the new executive, ensuring a united and harmonious Amawbia Community.
Nze Chukwukadibia Odumodu, the newly elected PG, expressed his gratitude to God for the successful election that brought him and his team into office. In his remarks, he emphasized that his primary responsibility as PG is to implement the decisions and resolutions passed by the Amawbia Central Council/Conference.
Nze Odumodu highlighted that all age grades and Nze na Ozo are fully represented in the Council, ensuring that every segment of the community has a voice in the decision-making process, encouraging individuals with innovative ideas to attend Council meetings as observers, share their suggestions, and work collaboratively to drive progress in Amawbia.
The new PG reaffirmed his commitment to delivering on his campaign promises and urged age grades to submit names of their representatives to foster collective efforts. With a united front, Odumodu is confident that Amawbia will reach new heights.
In an interview, the outgoing President General, Rtn Engr. Godwin Aronu, reflected on his tenure, highlighting the numerous challenges his administration faced and overcame. Upon assuming office in February 2022, Aronu's team encountered several issues, including:
Lack of critical documents necessary to guide administration such as maps and court judgments, which were missing from the secretariat and scattered among individuals' homes; inefficient financial management where staffs lacked bank accounts, and salaries were paid manually, leading to a cash-based transaction system; and dysfunctional water system, saying that a 20-year-old water system had been inoperable for 17 years due to theft and neglect.
According to him, his administration addressed these challenges by establishing a centralized document system, creating a secure cabinet to store sensitive documents; implementing transparent financial management by ensuring staff members had bank accounts and promoting direct payment methods as well as rehabilitating the water system, restoring the water supply, which now serves the health centre and surrounding homes.
"This handover document is produced here in the secretariat. Before now, it would have been produced outside because the photocopier and the laptops are not functioning. ATU sensitive documents were routinely taken out but we repaired what was there and we also bought new laptops to ensure that our administrative staffs have the capacity to be able to get this done. We also employed a new financial secretary to help streamline issues around finances and provide transparency there.
"On how to bring development into Amawbia, we looked at Eke Oyibo remodelling. The last time Eke Oyibo was touched on was in 1982 under the regime of Ozo Dan Maduka as the PG Amawbia who doubled as the Supervisory Councillor of Awka LGA. It is 40 years behind time, so part of what we did was to look at a strategy we can use to bring back that market, double its capabilities to increase the revenue generating potentials, transform it into a modern market that befits the community. You also know that Amawbia is within the Awka Capital territory, so we should have a market that is befitting to all these status. In addition to that, as ATU, we made sure that we built a 16 unit stores for Amawbia to add to the revenue of Amawbia for eternity. So we have increased the revenue base in addition to securing our capacities to be able to increase our income. This became a role model for other communities- Nise, Nibo, Umuokpu, Enugwu-ukwu, all of them quickly keyed in, as I am speaking to you today, Nawfia is also trying to start their own.
"At the new Era, which was given to Amawbia far back to develop as a residential area, we saw as part of our challenges, lack of activities but I'm glad to say that we brought new energy into that place. We have laid poles consistent with the provisions of the general conference of 2022. We have also made roads, recovered humongous amount of money that people were owing from debt alone and there is scope for more to be recovered so we have set new standard in terms of increasing activities potentials there.
"We revisited the abandoned key projects attracted by our distinguished sons and daughters; Neem Organic fertilizer plant attracted by Prof Ebenezer Okonkwo abandoned in 2014 without commissioning which is looking like a shadow of itself today . We've been to the government, had some discussions with them, we have agreed on modalities on how to bring it back and we have also registered a company -ATU Integrated Company, which is a vehicle that can be used to get it to work. We expect to see a lot of activities going on there.
"The next one is the SON. With the incoming of our son again , Dr Ifeanyi Okeke as the DG of SON, we immediately and approached him and we started working together. I can say authoritatively today that the contract for that job has been awarded and we are going to have a laboratory that will serve the whole of South East, so that is going to transform the storyline around the SON project, put Amawbia firmly on the map of Nigeria , because people from all over South East will be coming there . We will establish secondary industries around there. At least the cleaners and securities as a minimum will be indigenes of Amawbia in additions to the other capabilities we have gotten there.
"On Skills Acquisition Centre brought to us by Iyom Josephine Anenih when she was the Minister of Women Affairs, this again due to the typical politics of Amawbia was a project that was abandoned without coming to fruition. As at the time we came in, people/thieves were wreaking roofs, demolishing everywhere. As I'm speaking to you, we had a lot conversation with the commissioner for Youths to take that place back and reconvert it to Skill acquisition centre that will serve not only Amawbia youths but youths in Anambra State. So, it is going to bring in a lot of energy in that space."
According to Aronu, the primary healthcare attracted to us by our son, Engr Aloysius Nzeamalu, was again abandoned but today we have rehabilitated that and we can use it temporary as a security centre while we are working toward the full rehabilitation of that space. Those are the key things we tried to do within that period, most importantly, we have re-energized, reinvigorated the surroundings, keeping our eyes on the ball. I am glad to say that what I am handing over to Nze Akalanze, who I know will take Amawbia to the next level: a comfortable financial base, comfortable secretariat that has all the documents in it, with the agenda that we set at Agụ Amawbia, the development agenda that we set at Eke Oyibo that it can only be from glory to glory and Amawbia can only move to the next level.
"We have left this administration on a firm footing and we believe by the special grace of God, in the next three years we will be talking about various industries that are opening at Agu Amawbia, putting an end finally to the issue of whether some unknown persons are doing any other thing there, see that Eke Oyibo has been fully transformed and taken to the next level, everything is in place to move Amawbia forward. I'm happy that what we agreed to do is what we did and handing Amawbia to my successor and to God to move us to the next level."
He acknowledged that he witnessed challenges because people resist changes especially when it comes to financial management, within and without but all of them were well surmounted.
"We delivered an election that is most free in recent times without any ranchour. Every leadership will always have challenges but the beauty is how you deal with it. We have challenges and we surmounted it and we are leaving Amawbia better."
He promised to support the incoming by being available to give advice /support anytime he is needed. It is our intention that Amawbia moves from glory to glory and we will always do what we can to achieve it.
The outgoing PG prayed that God will give the new PG all the enablement to succeed: courage, protection, favour and divine guidance required to succeed because leading a community like ours is most challenging task because a lot of people come in different notions and you require a PG that is courageous, steadfast and has Amawbia as number 1 in his mind in order to continue to stay focused and committed to the project.
He emphasized the importance of unity and encouraged the community to work together to achieve progress of Amawbia, praying that God be with Nze Odumodu and help him as well as have all the people and the supports, emphasizing that leadership thrives on the support of your people.
*Regina is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State.
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