By Juliana Nwachukwu
The Mayor of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Hon. Chief Emeka Orji, on September 23, commissioned a N3,900,980 culvert built by High Chief Nwabueze Umeh, Chairman of God First Logistics Company.
The culvert, located on Ochanja/Louis Mbanefo Street, popularly known as Monkey Ebiliekwe area, was constructed as part of the Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP) launched by Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration.
The Mayor, who spoke through the Local Government Secretary, Paul Onuachalla Esq. commended Umeh for the partnership, noting that the culvert will reduce flooding and enhance human and vehicular movement in the area.
According to him, It is a welcome development, the Council wanted to do it before God First Logistics Company led by Nwabueze Umeh popularly known as Ofiafuluego, opted to do it.
“I have to be there for the commissioning not because of the size of the project but also it will encourage others to do same, if anybody tries to do same, I am willing to attend, I have to be there this morning because I want others to emulate Umeh”s good approach.
An Igbo adage says, ‘Ebe onye bi ka o na- awachi’, here must be ok for you to have a good return in your investment, all the mansions we are building and all that, if the place is not habitable, your investment is a waste of hard earned resources,” Orji posited.
He encouraged other well-spirited, captains of industries, businessmen, to come up to assist in anyway they can, emphasizing the importance of investing in Onitsha South’s infrastructure.
Umeh, who built the culvert as a humanitarian gesture, emphasized the need for public-private partnerships to drive development, saying, “We cannot leave everything to the government.”
He warned those sampling their goods on the culvert to desist from it to enable free movement as it is now wider and will contain three vehicles at a ago, adding that this showed that the road was wider but was blocked by the traders.
He also appealed for the opening of the completed Ochanja Oduigbo Market to enable traders to vacate the roads.
Juliana is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
