Institute builds market for Abia women as lawmaker provides borehole, transformer

Monarch seeks greater relevance for traditional institution in governance

Women of Obuohia Obi-Ibere Community in Ikwuano Council of Abia State, who are mainly peasant farmers, have commenced selling of their farm produce at the capacity market built by Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Commending the institute for building the market, they also applauded representative of Umuahia/Ikwuano Federal Constituency, Sam Onuigbo, who they said, not only facilitated the project, but also sunk a borehole and provided electricity transformer in the area.

The women, who spoke through their Deputy President-General, Mrs. Glory Oruh, disclosed that the lawmaker facilitated the projects when they urged him to do the needful to motivate them into engaging in productive and lucrative farming activities.

While commissioning the market, Onuigbo whose wife, Pastor Chinyere Onuigbo, is the President-General of the Women Wing of Obuohia Obi-Ibere Development Union (ODU), said: “Of all the things I had attracted to Obuohia, the 40 market stalls and borehole are the closest to my heart, because they were direct requests from our mothers and wives including my late mother, Madam Yaa Mary Onuigbo.”

He said his efforts to impact his constituents positively were not because he had money but out of love for the community in line with the motto of his Odozi Obodo Foundation, which is service to humanity, adding that his focus is to affect lives in his community and beyond.

Speaking, Deputy President General of ODU, Elder Sunday Otuuh and his women wing counterpart, Oruh, said the constituency and Obuohia Obi-Ibere Community had improved remarkably since Onuigbo was elected into the House of Representatives, adding that he had attracted several projects to the area.

MEANWHILE, Chairman of Umuahia North Traditional Rulers Council in Abia State, Eze John Ibezim of Amuzukwu Ibeku has charged government at all levels to accord traditional rulers more relevance in the governance of the country.

He stated this yesterday, while speaking with The Guardian in his palace, saying that the vacuum created by the abolition of House of Chiefs, was a disadvantage to good governance, political stability and robust democratic process.

He decried the practice in some states where traditional rulers were sanctioned by their state governments for granting audience to elective political office seekers, who are not members of the ruling party in the state.

“Aspirants should be at liberty to visit their traditional rulers to sell their candidacy, while the traditional rulers should not shun their visits for fear of sanctions from the state government,” he said.