By Emma Nnadozie

The Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area, Hon. Patrick Omeje has disclosed his administration’s determination to establish a Press centre around the council area.

•Hon. Patrick Chukwuemeka Omeje, executive chairman, Nsukka Local Government Area

Chief Omeje made this disclosure at Adada House while unveiling the blueprint of his developmental plans during a parley with a segment of the Nsukka press as part of the programme marking his 100 days in office recently.

He said that establishing a press centre would be a real podium for social, economic and political expression and that people who have something to say will readily find voice, rather than travelling long distances, adding that, from one part of the Nsukka cultural zone to another, the people will be massively mobilised and moved to an unprecedented level of awareness on programmes of the government at various levels.

The local council boss further mentioned other tasks that are dear to his heart and which he is pursuing with relentless resolve. They cut across building of more health centres with Nru Health Centre on-going, effective collaboration with FADAMA to empower youths in agriculture and construction of ICT centre to engage the youths in skills acquisition. Others are: distribution of transformers to various communities and energising those who already have transformers, construction of legislative building, building of chairman’s office, amongst other subsisting challenges desperately seeking attention.

On his account of stewardship for the 100 days in office, Chief Omeje expresssed reluctance and quipped “it is not in my character to blow my own trumpet , and certainly, I have not called you here this evening to do that.” He however, assured that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, has duly motivated and assisted the council to accomplish so much, including the grading and lateriting of several kilometers of roads in various communities of the local government.

According to him, “most of those roads were hitherto unpassable , especially the perennial Eha-Ndiagu road.” Continuing, he listed opening up of the long abandoned Aku Road market, thereby decongesting the Ogige Market and reducing human and vehicular traffic along Enugu Road, revamping of the health sector with provision of free medical services at the various health centres/ posts in the local government, modification and rehabilitation of Adada House, dealing substantially with the ghost worker syndrome in a recent personnel audit and adequate machinery being put in place to avoid future occurrence , inauguration of Nsukka Environmental Marshals for enhanced aesthetic value, ensure a clean/healthy Nsukka metropolis and galvanising support for the seamless re-election of the governor of Enugu State come 2019, amongst others.

He appealed to the press to always crosscheck both pro-council and anti-council stories and be guided by the age-long journalistic dictum “when in doubt do not publish” as the era of “publish and perish “ have since gone.

“We want the press to assist, inform and enlighten the people on genuine efforts and activities going on here towards reaping more of the low hanging fruits of democracy and why all hands must be on deck to midwife them,” Omeje concluded.