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By Iheanyi Chukwudi
Excited Ogurugu community in Uzo Uwani Local Government of Enugu State has promised to donate their land and give other necessary support for the proposed Naval Base and its operations in their area.
The traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Emmanuel Egwuaba, and stakeholders of the area made the promise on Sunday when a joint committee set up by both the federal and the state governments paid a working visit to the Ogurugu.
Igwe Egwuaba who expressed his people’s happiness over the government’s intervention in the community, stressed if and when sited, the naval base would boost the economy of the area through the attraction of investors and other social amenities such as hospital, school and market.
The committee led by Rear Admiral Chijioke Onyemaobi and the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai, for the Federal and Enugu State governments respectively, was given a rousing welcomed by the jubilant members of the community.
The royal father disclosed that the community had earlier resolved to cooperate and support the government by ceding their land and ensure successful execution of the project.
He said, “All of us in Ogurugu Community have resolved to support this project, and we want to assure the government that whatever is required from us, we will make it available. We have equally told them that we have large hectares of land and we are ready to give out our land for this project.
“This project will have many positive impacts on the lives of our people and the general economy of this place. You know we are dominantly into agriculture and we produce food staples such as rice, cassava, maize, among other agricultural produce.
So, this proposed base by the Nigerian Navy will open up our area and expand the economy. We can easily move our farm produce to the market through the waterways.
“Ogurugu community is made up of 9 villages and we all share the same communal land. We have agreed that whatever the government is planning here in Ogurugu we’re ready to support it. We have pledged to give our land for the project because it’s all about the development of our community.
Corroborating him, a former chairman of the local government and stakeholder from the community, Chief James Ademu, disclosed that they had held several meetings among themselves in anticipation of the committee and arrived at a conclusion that they were ready to donate any part of the community the Nigerian Navy chooses for the project,
“This project is going to help our people, empower us economically, and we will not take it for granted.”
Speaking earlier, Rear Admiral Onyemaobi said the committee had visited the Igwe’s palace to pay homage and also seek the support and cooperation of the people in making sure the naval base operations were actualized.
He appealed to the people to work in synergy with the military personnel who would be visiting the area from time to time, by assisting them with required support and information.
Addressing newsmen shortly after conducting a survey on the river, the Naval Chief stated that "the water has all the requirements for the establishment of the naval base and other naval facilities, stressing that it’s “navigable, wide and strategic.”
Work he assured would soon commence on the project which according to him would assist in keeping the area safe for the citizens.
On his part, the Deputy Governor assured that the security and economic benefits of the naval base would serve the country as a whole, adding that Ogurugu was strategic to the country’s economic growth during colonial era.
He revealed that their visit was necessitated by the desire of the Nigerian Navy to commence the project immediately, adding that the success of the project would depend on how Ogurugu, Iga, Asagba, and the entire Uzo Uwani Council area give their support to the Navy.
Ossai, who said the naval establishment would include designated area for building offices, training ground and residence, maintained that the state government under Governor Peter Mbah would soon commence the process of acquiring land for the project.
“This project is going to secure your inland waterway. It’s going to trigger economic benefits for Ogurugu. It’s going to provide the much desperately needed security so that we can go back to our farms, our commercial agriculture and begin to witness the same export Ogurugu had done in the 1930s and 1940s.
What we expect is the maximum cooperation of everybody in the community and the local government to ensure speedy and immediate completion of the project,” he state.
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