…charges new Orhionmwon LG ward devt c’ttees on project monitoring
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has released N700 million counterpart fund for the Niger Delta Support Programme (NSDP) water project, to be extended to Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode Local Government Areas of the state.
Obaseki disclosed this during the inauguration of the Ward Development Committees (WDCs) in Abudu, the administrative headquarters of Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
He said the WDCs would work with the state government to identify communities, where the water project would be sited based on need and after the establishment of water associations in the communities.
He noted that the state government has reached an agreement with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the construction of the Benin-Abraka Road.
“I have reached an agreement with NDDC. In the next few weeks, the contractor will be mobilised to site for the construction work to commence,” he said.
He added that the state government will introduce the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo -BEST) programme and the Federal Government school feeding programme to all schools in the council.
On the school feeding programme, he said members of the WDC would drive the process, noting, “The members of these committees will make the decision on what school to be constructed and would sign agreement with the state government before any school is constructed in the area.”
On provision of electricity in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Obaseki said arrangement has been made to include communities in the council in the Federal Government solar power programme.
“Since the Federal Government has a programme on the use of solar power for providing power in rural communities, our plan is to see how to include rural communities to benefit from the programme,” he explained.
“We have so many programmes like the conditional cash transfer for the poor and micro finance loan to assist traders. These are some of the programmes through which the state would assist you,” he said.
Secretary to State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., said the committees inaugurated would be the eyes of government in their various wards and furnish government with information relating to primary schools, teachers, primary healthcare centres, roads, markets, agriculture, school feeding programme and the N-Power programmes.
Ogie urged the committees to hold weekly meetings at the ward level and a monthly meeting at the local council level, while report should be submitted to the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Matters.
Earlier, Chairman of Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Hon. Sylvester Okoro, pledged to support the vision of the governor for the council.
