Be the change you wish to see in the world
– Mahatma Gandhi
SIR: Attaining development requires deliberate planning and careful implementation, sustained over a period of time. The vision must be shared by some strategic members no matter how few, and simultaneously accepted by a significant population. These strategic members are the custodians of the developmental vision and the main drivers of change, while the entire community is the recipient.
Okija, a renowned town in Anambra State, is taking remarkable steps in ensuring that its indigenes are at the centre of its development targets. Although with focused groups such as the Obijackson Foundation, Okija In-Home Club, Daniel Erinne Foundation, among others, as well as some charitable individuals from the town, the goal to attain a developed society is on course.
As a result of the efforts made by groups and individuals working together, Okija has been earmarked for a landmark ICT project by the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat), the first communications satellite operator in the pan-African region. This will make Okija a hub for information and communication technology-based activities and programmes, including training, manpower development, organizational support, cheaper and easier access to the Internet, and importantly, making Okija to have a prometric centre for vital courses and examinations that can be taken online such as JAMB/UTME, NOUN-based exams, CCNA and numerous certification courses.
The town has also attracted the presence of Diamond Bank, a top tier financial institution, to set up a branch. Young graduates from Okija have been employed to administer affairs of the new branch, and natives have been engaged in other departments, down to the security personnel, providing employment across various classes in the town.
Another highlight is the return of community-based support for brilliant but indigent students. This laudable development is a confirmation of the resolve by the present generation to restore the old virtues and systems that made great societies to collectively prosper. Many leading lights in Anambra today were trained by the community, as their school fees were paid by collective contribution from indigenes. Giving back to society is one thing some of these now accomplished persons have not forgotten, with many, in turn, training others.
Projects with direct impact on the entire town include the sustained effort to rebrand the town and give it a new image, through the Face of Okija initiative and related programmes. In the area of electricity supply, Century Power Generation Limited has fostered the construction of a 1,500 MW power plant which when completed, will provide power to Okija and to the rest of Anambra State, and with a potential to be expanded to 5,000 MW in the future. Companies are intensifying road and other construction activities within the town, while the health sector is receiving attention, with a structured healthcare project being conceived, and medical care is being provided at greatly subsidized cost, in some cases, free for the people. Notably, the companies and groups embarking on these laudable projects, are owned and run by Okija indigenes. This exemplifies the English saying that, ‘Charity begins at home.’ Every able Okija person should support the development and transformation, taking place in the famous community. A call is also made to the government; at state and at federal levels, to increase the level and incidence of support to projects and programmes in the town.
The Igbo saying: ‘Onye agha na nwanne ya,’ is not just an assertion, but a very welcome practice in Okija.
• Gabriel Nwanze,
Lagos
