Our personality this week is a gentleman, committed to positively touching the lives of his people through the instrumentality of Gov Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E Agenda, and has sustained this commitment since he resumed office as the Executive Chairman, Uvwie Local Government Area. He is Hon Anthony Ofoni.
When he assumed office as Council Chairman on July 18, 2024, he clearly defined his vision saying: “I came into office as the Executive Chairman of Uvwie Local Government and as the light of Uvwie. I want the common man on the street to feel the impact of democracy and, using my office, I want to make my people, my Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori and family proud. By the grace of God who made it possible for me to become the Council Chairman, together with my lawmakers, staff, the good people of Uvwie and prayer, we shall make things work for the good of all”.
Information in the public domain about him says, since he came on board as the Council Chairman says, he has kept his vision and committedly worked day and night to impact on the socio-economic and educational life of the Uvwie people.
Little wonder, therefore, when he marked his 100 days in office last week, evidence of his good works, and how he has kept his vision and promise to positively impact the lives of Uvwie people and those living in the Council area is there for all to see.
In his humility and submission to God, he began his 100 days in office celebration with a thanksgiving mass in appreciation to God for his protection and direction at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Ugbomro. Thereafter, hw proceeded with his entourage to Alegbo Primary School, his Alma Mata, where he gave Scholarship Awards to three best pupils up to secondary education. The three best pupils were identified as Appeal Godwin in primary six, Blessing and Emmanuel in primary five. And, in the words of the Council Chairman, the Scholarship Award was in recognition of the excellent academic performance of the pupils. He also gave cash rewards of fifty thousand naira each to the Head teacher of the school, Mrs Otevwehi Kehinde and two other teachers for punctuality and dedication to work.
Thereafter, he proceeded to the Effurun Market, where he gave cash token of 50,000 naira to each petty trader, involved in the sales of Vegetables, Pepper, Okro and Crayfish. He also went on the inspection of the renovation work on the failed portions at the Refinery Road, where he insisted on quality and professionally done work that would guarantee durable road at the end of the completion of the work.
It is on good record that Hon Ofoni has shown his commitment to the welfare of the Council staff, which informed his administration’s purchase of a brand new Toyota Sienna space bus for the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Uvwie Chapter; and the payment of welfare claims to 500 staff of the Council area.
And, in keeping with his vision to keep Uvwie and its environs clean, the Council, under his watch embarked on the clearing and evacuation of refuse heaps, cleared drainages at Effurun Roundabout and engaged the services of 150 women to sweep major roads in the local government. This is in addition to rehabilitating failed portions of Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) road, Enerhen road and Jakpa road.
Not leaving anything to chance, the Council under his watch has taken some critical steps to ensure the safety of passersby and traders by erecting a 736.6 meters of perimeter fence at the Effurun Market. This was followed by the purchase of 72,200 square meters of land for the construction of a Cottage Hospital at Iterigbe Community.
Realizing the importance of peace and security for the proper development of Uvwie Local Government, Hon Ofoni has engaged youths and other stakeholders to quell restiveness in Ekpan Community, and pushed for synergy amongst security agents. Added to this is his establishment of a solid traffic management Task Force to check the excesses of road users.
Perhaps, it would be worthwhile to listen to this workerholic Council Chairman as he expresses his commitment to prioritize education in the Uvwie Local Government as he says: “When I see the plight of these children, many of them roaming the streets, I often ask some of them, “Why are you not in school, young man?” And the answer I usually get is, “I don’t have a uniform.” When you consider the cost of a uniform, it’s just around three to five thousand naira, yet that’s enough to keep them out of school. So, I came back, called for a meeting with my team, and we deliberated extensively on the matter, and at the end, we agreed that we must get these children back to school. That’s why we launched the ‘Back to School’ program. Through this programme, we provide the pupils with the basic materials they need to be in school like uniforms, writing materials, and bags.
I also made it clear that, I don’t want money to be an obstacle to any child in this local government to go back to school. All the necessary materials are handled by the Council. We saw this as something the Council could do because, if we don’t invest in these children now, it will come back to affect us in the future. Hence, we initiated the ‘Back to School’ programme.
During the programme on October 1st, 2024 at the palace of the Ovie of Uvwie, we encountered a very intelligent little girl. She was standing near my Royal Father and recited a poem. It was incredible. This child attends Amide Primary School, but she didn’t even have her own uniform; it was borrowed. She had to walk to the event in that borrowed uniform. The girl is a Fulani, and right there, we decided that we would sponsor her education from primary school through to University. They brought the child to me, and I requested to meet her parents. I spoke to them, told them that this child is a gift from God and that, even though she is not an indigene of Uvwie community, we would take responsibility for her education. My Royal Father and I made a commitment to fund her schooling, and I gave them money for their immediate needs. We also provided two new uniforms, sandals, and books for the child.
If we don’t help these children now, they will become a burden to the community in the future. That’s why we have taken this initiative. Money should not prevent our children from going to school. To ensure this, we’ve set up an education committee, headed by the Supervisory Councilor for Education and the Head of Department of Education. Their task is to go round the local government to identify any child facing difficulties, whether due to lack of money, books, or uniforms and address the issue promptly. We are implementing plans to ensure that every child in this local government has access to education.
And on Hon Anthony Ofoni’s commitment to the Gov Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E Agenda, and how the Agenda has become the roadmap for the development of Uvwie, he has this to say: “All the 25 Local Government Areas in Delta State have keyed into the M.O.R.E Agenda. I want to emphasize two key components of the MORE agenda—Meaningful development and Opportunity for all. When I say “Opportunity for all,” I mean, what benefits my good people of Uvwie can get from my administration through the agenda.
Take, for example, the repair of the deteriorated roads and the improvement of traffic flow. As I mentioned before, I borrowed the principles of Meaningful development and Opportunity for all from the Gov Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E Agenda. The Meaningful development that people can see includes, projects like the Cottage Hospital we are currently working on and the Market, where we recently held a groundbreaking ceremony. The ‘Back to School’ initiative is another example, these are visible, tangible things that people can see as achievements through the M.O.R.E Agenda. I can assure you that we are all working to make sure that Uvwie people/ residents benefit from this Agenda .
On the Opportunity for all, one clear example is the improved flow of traffic in areas like the Japa Junction, which used to have major issues with Bus Stops, causing traffic congestion. We have completed the project to smoothen the traffic flow in that area, and the results are evident to everyone. These are just some of our accomplishments under the M.O.R.E Agenda.
As the Chairman of Uvwie Local Government, my administration has fully embraced the M.O.R.E Agenda, particularly the components of Meaningful development and Opportunity for all.
