Chief Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Aja (Dike 1 of Ishiagu), Executive Chairman, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi
Chief Emmanuel Aja, Chairman of Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State, has knocked the President of Ishiagu Community Development Union (ICDU), Chief David Ajah over a false claim that he spent N400million to provide electricity in the mineral rich community.
The community leader had told journalists during the recently conducted Amaeze Development Union Election in Ishiagu that he has restored light in Ishiagu which has been in darkness for years with N400million spent on the electricity project. But the Chairman of Ivo local government, Ajah, who is from Ishiagu described the ICDU President’s claim as blatant lies and challenged him to show projects.
Ajah while addressing members of Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State Council, who paid him a courtesy visit in his ALGON office in Abakaliki, alleged that the ICDU President has not spent up to N30 million on the electricity project.
“In three years, you got about N900 million as ICDU President.
“He said he did N400million electricity project in Ishiagu, we see the project, where are the projects, where are they? I am ready to pay for inspection of the electricity project in Ishiagu.
“He was the Chairman of electricity project to bring light from Awgu junction to our place, Ishiagu town and he said he has spent N400million. I can count the poles he mounted and I will set up a committee to do that. It is not up to N30million that he has spent. Who is he deceiving?
“This is someday that if allocation comes in, he will share the money without any single project. This is the major problem in Ishiagu.
“Allocation will come in, he will take it to somebody that is causing problem in the entire Ishiagu and they will share the money without any project for the community” he stated. He noted that he has made difference as Chairman of Ivo local government which he said was verifiable.
“I have made a difference in Ivo local government. In terms of security, I have made difference and I have returned normalcy, in terms of infrastructure I have also made a difference. “I asked my predecessors why they didn’t bring soldiers to the local government to help tackle security challenges and they said it was difficult to do so. But I have brought soldiers in three checkpoints in the local government.
“The three checkpoints are; Akaeze, Mile 2 and Ojukwu Bus Stop. I also have 25 Mobile Policemen at the place where an INEC official was killed. I take adequate care of them to ensure good security, I spend a lot on security.
“I have built a very fine Magistrate Court in the local government. We had no Magistrate Court before, our people used to go to Ohaozara before for cases relating to Magistrate Court, but, I have built a befitting Magistrate Court to save them from the stress they pass through in going to Magistrate Court.
“This brand new Magistrate Court I built will be commissioned this month.
“In human empowerment, I have about 50 Special Assistants and I have about 25 youths and women that I gave N500,000 to make them self reliant to reduce unemployment. I have 100 widows that I pay monthly.
“I am the only local government Chairman in this local government that has paid bursary twice this year within my one year in office as the Chairman and it has never been like this before.
“I have also given all the ward councillors in the local government culverts to build and no council Chairman in the state has done this,” Ajah said.
