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By Madu Obi
IT was tributes galore for the late former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme at Oko, Orumba North local government area of Anambra State, as the multimillion naira civic center built in his honour was commissioned by the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.
The project was jointly executed by the Igwe -in - Council, Oko Progressive Union and Ide Memorial Group, which was put together after the passing of Dr. Ekwueme in 20017.
While commissioning the edifice and unveiling of Ekwueme's statue at the center, Soludo tasked Oko people not to let the spirit of development of the former Vice President die.
The governor said: "I know about 25 people in Oko who can donate N500 million each for continued development of infrastructure in this community to sustain what Ekwueme was doing. We should not be waiting for government to do everything for us because in this era, the emphasis should be what we can do for our various communities."
"My question is, since Dr Alex Ekwueme had done his bit and left, where are the new Alex Ekwuemes in Oko?"
"We need to dialogue for the future of our communities because our future does not lie in acquiring property in Lagos or Abuja or elsewhere, as we will definitely leave them behind when returning to our state."
"It was, indeed, the spirit of think home that made Ekwueme to execute all the projects in Oko, which helped to turn the once rural community into an urban town."
"We cannot write the history of Oko without Ekwueme. Let us, therefore, ensure that his ideals will never die."
According to the governor, Ekwueme had an unfinished project that was very dear to his heart and that is how to combat the gully erosion menace in Oko and other neighbouring communities.
He added: "This gully erosion was one of the issues that the late Ekwueme tried to tackle when he was the Vice President and unfortunately even with the threat to houses, many people still embark on sand digging which helps the menace to grow."
"The erosion in Oko is such that even if we channel all the resources of the state to fight it, the problem won't be solved, which is why we need to change our attitudes."
"To show how serious we are, our government has decided to form a task force comprising of representatives of the five communities of Oko, Awgbu, Ekwulobia, Nanka and Amaokpala."
"By next week, I will sign an executive order that will empower the task force to impound vehicles used for digging sand and they will be detained for one year because if we don't act fast,we will risk losing these communities to erosion in the next 50 - 60 years."
The coordinator of Ide Memorial Group, Chief Handel Okoli said apart from the Alex Ekwueme Civic Center, there are other projects in the pipeline for the community.
"We shall explore the possibility of using the same platform to initiate the needed interventions in areas of social, educational and physical development of Oko, following the footsteps of Dr Alex Ekwueme", he said.
According to him, the group would be raising N500 million for the proposed interventions, adding that a committee would work out the details.
Ekwueme's daughter, Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, who was the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last election in Anambra State, commended the people of Oko for remembering the role played by their father in the development of the town.
She said that the family would continue to support every move aimed at moving the community forward, even as she called for continued peace and unity in the town.
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