The Commissioner for Abakaliki Capital City Development Authority, Ebonyi State, Barr. Onyekachi Nwebonyi, Wednesday stated that Ndigbo must connect to the politics at the Centre to be able to realize their aspiration of producing the next Nigerian President of Igbo extraction.
Nwebonyi who is former State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ebonyi State added that “as Igbo, we should see a reason to connect to the party at the centre because as a minority in Nigeria we cannot afford to play opposition politics.”
The Commissioner stated this at Mbeke in Ishieke community of Ebonyi Local Government Area of the State while dolling out empowerment items to indigent youths, widows and other less privileged members of the community.
The Ebonyi Commissioner who further added that Governor David Umahi was suitably qualified to run for the position of the President added that the Governor would bring about infrastructural development of the country if given the opportunity.
Nwebonyi who is also a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC awarded university scholarships to 50 students from Mbeke, Ishieke Community, gave out motorcycles to indigent youths and a Toyota Corolla to the Chairman of APC in Ebonyi LGA of the State.
While presenting cheques and empowerment items to the beneficiaries, Nwebonyi urged them to make judicious use of the items given to them to enhance their economic status.
He advised the beneficiaries of the scholarship grants to shun illicit activities that could derail their academic programmes and admonished them to study hard to make good academic grades.
“I want to advise beneficiaries to make judicious use of every opportunity that I have provided for them. The students that I have given scholarships should study hard to bring hope to their families while those that I have given motorcycles should make good use of them.
“I can recall that somebody that I gave one motorcycle last year now has two showing that the empowerment is yielding good result,” Nwebonyi said.
Nwebonyi further noted that he was spurred to embark on the empowerment programme in order to reduce the poverty level and the rate of criminality in the community.
“Before now, there is a high level of criminality in this area occasioned by poverty. But, I discovered that there is a gap between the leaders and the led particularly the youths who are idle.
“So, as a leader, I felt that we should make provisions for other people’s children; we just can’t be providing for our own children because our children are not safe if the other children are not properly engaged.
“That is the essence of what I do annually. Since 2016 I became the state chairman of a party and now as Commissioner, with what I have given today; I have given a total of 484 motorcycles, I have built houses for 37 families and a Toyota Corolla car.
“I have produced more than 20 graduates under our scholarship scheme with 30 students still pursuing various academic degree programmes in different Nigerian universities. This is a way of appreciating God and also in keeping with the philosophy of our master, Gov Umahi,” he added.
Mr Anselem Iziuogo and Miss Nkiruka Ogbaga on behalf of the beneficiaries thanked the benefactor for the gesture saying that the scholarship grant has assisted students from the area in their academic programme.
Some of the beneficiaries received N100,000 while others got N50,000 as scholarships grants.
