A one-time Chairman of Warri North Local Government Area, Dr. Godwin Ebosa, has charged the newly sworn-in Boss of the Council to prioritise education, health and promotion of wealth creation among women and youths for the peace and security prevalent in the Council to be sustained.
Ebosa gave the charge in an address at an event in the Council Headquarters to welcome the new Chairman, Hon. Festus Ashima, after he was sworn-in alongside 24 others. He also listed environmental issues and infrastructural development as areas that should be focused on.
“Your government should ensure schools in our riverine rural communities are closely monitored and that effective teaching and learning take place throughout the length and breadth of Primary Schools in our LGA.
“In my time as LG Chairman, I did set up Education Monitoring Committee to achieve this. I encourage your government to do same.
“Also ensure all our Primary Health Centres are provided with sufficient drugs, nurses and doctors to take care of the health of our people especially in our rural communities”, Ebosa stated.
On environment, he noted climate change and global warming have led to significant rise in global temperatures due to the increasing concentrations of Greenhouse gases in the Atmosphere, the resultant negative effect in the area, characterized by rising water levels often result in floods in some communities.
“Your government should monitor and share weather forecasts alerts from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to our communities that are prone to flooding in order to minimize losses that may occur when natural disaster such as flooding happens”, Ebosa told Ashima.
As former Chairman of the Council, Ebosa said he built on the existing unity between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris who are the two major ethnic nationalities in the Local Government Area.
“I was reliably informed that both you the Chairman and your Vice have both Itsekiri and Ijaw blood flowing in you.
“My expectation is that you will leverage heavily on this blood relationship to bond the two nationalities closer together for effective development of the entire Local Government Area.
“The peace that we have over the past years must continue”, The former Chairman said.
Similarly, Ashima was reminded that security is key to governance, as no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of crisis.
Ebosa urged him to “identify and work with all critical stakeholders to ensure that the network of crude oil pipelines and other structures in your sphere of control are well protected and secure.”
Security agencies such as the Police, Army, Navy, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other stakeholders are to be consulted and carried along in order to guarantee the safety and security of our people and oil installations in our area.
“The waterways must be safe for travelers, traders and fishermen/women. During my tenure as Warri North LGC Chairman, there was no single incident of pipeline vandalism and I expect your government to copy from that template.”
Urging him to workout ways of empowering the people, especially youth and women, Ebosa said “physical infrastructure without stomach infrastructure will not be good enough.
The economy is very challenging at this time and the burden should not be left only for the State Government, our people should feel the positive impact of governance at the Council level through appointments into various committees to be set up by you in different sectors of our Council”.
He also identified the need for the new Chairman to maintain a healthy and collaborative relationship with the Legislative Arm.
“For your government to succeed, you must work closely with the Legislative Arm of the Council by ensuring that you carry them along in all that you want to do for the Council.
As you are aware, without their approval of Budget, you cannot spend a dime from funds of the Council and without their passing of bye-laws your policies and programmes for the Council will not be achieved.
Do not forget their constituencies in Projects distribution so as to avoid conflict in the Council”, Ebosa said.
He told Ashima “it will be gratifying to me if within your term in office, you are able to surpass the records of all the Chairmen that had served our Council in the past in terms of physical and visible infrastructure.
Infrastructural development must be evenly distributed across all wards in the LGA within the limits of budgetary provisions.
Ebosa said the people will be pleased if the Chairman can execute Projects impactful enough on the people, to make the Governor come to commission them.
