Delta Council Chairman  exceeds  performance benchmarks?.

By Jonathan Onwuka

The last one year has been quite intense with dutiful engagements by Engr. Jerry Ehiwarior, who assumed office on July 15, 2024, as Executive Chairman of Ika South Local Government.

Within the period, Engr. Ehiwarior has demonstrated that age alone does not determine good leadership and capacity to manage human and material resources. With positive selfless focus and commitment, a lot more can be achieved in the delivery of projects and programmes that benefit the people.

With the work experience garnered as an aide to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Student Matters, between 2015 and 2023, and later, Commissioner for Power and Energy under Governor Sheriff Oborevwori between August, 2023 and 2024, it was clear that he had been reasonably prepared for the current assignment as Chairman, Ika South Local Government (LG).

Ehiwarior was adjudged among the best performing LG chairmen in the country by Rootswatch Magazine at a ceremony held in Abuja earlier this year.

He was specifically awarded the ‘Best Performing Local Government Chairman in Infrastructure and Rural Integration’. This honour, which was a product of painstaking assessment by an independent panel, clearly attests to his deliberate efforts to boost infrastructure and create a conducive environment for enhanced and sustainable socio-economic activities of residents.

The impacts of the administration in the last one year have been far-reaching, with different people-focused projects already executed, and others nearing completion.

Among the standout projects under his leadership are the well-celebrated 1.15 kilometre Abude Street and the Alihame Modern Market, both of which were commissioned by the Delta State Governor, represented by his deputy, Sir. Monday Onyeme, a few months ago.

The two projects are strategic for many reasons. The Alihame Market, for instance, has not only provided a vibrant space for commerce, but also significantly upgraded the local economy. The community provides residence for the majority of the students of the University of Delta(Unidel), Agbor. With the nuclear settlement structure, the market opens late into the night without likelihood of nefarious activities. It further provides opportunities for beneficiaries of the various government’s skill acquisition and entrepreneurial development programmes to begin their trades.

The construction of Abude Street with culverts on both sides remains a source of public discourse and elation. For over fifteen years, no local administration ever ventured into the paving of roads as a result of huge capital requirement. Ehiwarior was, therefore, very audacious in his decision to embark on the project with many residents, especially cynical political opponents, raising insinuations of the likelihood to abandon it midway.

Today, the cynics have been beaten to their game by the dogged determination of the Chairman.This is because the LG boss didn’t only prove skeptics wrong but he ensured that the job was completed in record time. As a result of this singular feat, the market value of the property in the area has gone up and the hitherto lull in commerce has been reversed, with business tempo astronomically high, too. Now, for good cause, Abude Street has now joined the highbrow district of Agbor metropolis.

But that is not all.

Realizing the difficulties in providing white-collar jobs for the youth, Engr. Ehiwarior felt it was necessary to provide opportunities for them to create jobs for themselves. In doing this, he built shops at the entrance of Edike Street where fruits and other groceries are sold. The grocery market is fitted with bore-hole water as well as toilets and other conveniences. While some youths operate from this market, others saw the need to go into farming as there are now retail outlets for their products. The agribusiness has now jerked in the local government area.

That the new administration rehabilitated the roadside market in Alifekede is no longer news; it is a fact well established in reality.
As a boundary town with Edo State where travellers and commuters stop to shop for farm produce, it is vital to provide the market with toilet facilities and a water borehole. The absence of these facilities had been a source of agitation by the people who felt neglected by successive administrations. This accounts for the loud celebration not just by the traders but customers and residents, when, against the grain of their experience, the LG, under the abhe watch of Ehiwarior, delivered, fair and square, to meet their expectations. Today, the market has a bright, brand new face, boasting facilities that meet the basic demands of patrons and traders.

Another project worthy of mention is the completed Orogodo Bridge that links Edike Street with Okoh and other adjoining streets. The vital project features a dual side drainage system and solar-powered streetlights, ensuring durability, safety and night-time visibility. It stands out as a major step forward in connecting communities , improving mobility, and propensity for commercial activities at Edike Market and its environs.

The Ekuku-Agbor Modern Market which boasts of over 490 open shops and lock-up stores, is at an advanced stage of completion. Considering the economic importance of that axis, which include palm oil processing, petroleum exploration, and crops and animal husbandry, it is expedient to provide a large modern market in the community. The facility, when completed, will also serve neighbouring towns in Ika North-East, Ndokwa West and Aniocha South Local Government Areas.

The Abavo axis is having it’s share in the provision of facilities. The Abavo Civic Centre located at Abavo Central is receiving a total makeover. The centre will have several facilities befitting of the agrarian Kingdom. In addition, a new health centre to cater to the medical needs of the residents is under construction.

With the elevated development standard which the Engr. Ehiwarior -led government has entrenched, it has become trivial to mention the various communities provided with electricity transformers. I am aware that in some local government areas, the provision of water borehole and transformers are commissioned with pomp and pageantry.
That is not bad. But Ika South LG has left that level and broken new Frontiers, thanks to Engr. Jerry Ehiwarior.

In the coming year, emphasis will be placed on human capital development without necessarily turning away from the provision of urgent infrastructural facilities.

The rate of kidnapping has dropped due to collaborative efforts among stakeholders.

Ofcourse, there will certainly be increased efforts to clean the streets, especially in the urban communities.

Engr. Ehiwarior’s steadfast dedication to his call to service, and the consequent high tempo of progress of Ika South LG under his watch, attest to his genuine desire to advancing the fortune of the local government area. It also reflects his unwavering commitment to addressing basic infrastructure deficit, and promoting the well-being of residents.