Development, call for collective responsibility
Andoni Local Government Area is one of the riverine Councils in Rivers State, it is made up of 11 Wards with headquarters located in Ngo. The spoken language is called ‘Obolo,’ the traditional occupation is fishing, the area also harbours the largest fishing port in West Africa, called ‘Oyorokoto Fishing Port.’ The area consists of some major towns, amongst which are; Ngo, Ekede, Ikuru, Asarama, Ataba, Samanga. Unyeada, Unyangala, as well as other towns and villages.
Andoni Local Government Area as one of the lower tier administration was created to bring the government nearer to the people at the grassroots level and to create opportunity for the development of the area. A writer wrote on Andoni: “The Andoni Tourism hub has the potential to compete with the top-rated tourist attractions of the world, create a viable alternative source of revenue for Rivers State and turn around the economic fortunes of Andoni to join the league of economically buoyant local government areas in Nigeria.”
These are some of the legacies that the people of Andoni would like to be sustained by the elected government and appointed persons in the forthcoming administration.
The people of Andoni will never forget June 2021 when Mr Erastus Awortu took over the mantle of leadership of the Local Government and went ahead to rebrand political consciousness and drove development to the grassroots.
Prior to the Awortu’s administration, the area had struggled with various crises that led to economic instability and insecurity in most of the communities. That’s why the people celebrate the emergence of Awortu as a political switch in the right direction.
His administration has so far recorded commendable success as it directly targeted the ‘needs’ of the people, giving priority to peace and security ,which in the past had eluded the area and hindered development.
The Local Government boss also targeted infrastructural development like roads, water, educational and entrepreneurial support for small businesses, youth empowerment, no doubt, his landmark achievements in less than 24 months has attracted commendation from far and near.
Awortu has truly set a development precedence that should be sustained through collaboration with the political and other operating business interest groups with a view to harnessing tourism and other natural potentials in the area.
It is therefore, imperative for incoming administrations at the state level to look inward for competent persons of good characters to occupy positions of trust in the State Executive Council to complement development in local communities.
As the country recovers from the general elections, all hands must be on deck in the healing process to ensure that the right pegs are placed in the right holes to address the yearnings and aspirations of the electorate.
On that note, elected lawmakers in the area should not be left out on the mission. There is a need for them to forge an unprecedented synergy with the Local Government Council Chairman, Awortu as he positively pilots development at the grassroots.
As the country looks forward to the ‘Tenth Assembly,’ Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency and Andoni State Constituency should not be left out in the area of quality representation.
Apart from membership at the floor of the Green Chamber, ‘Constituency projects’ are landmarks of Federal Government’s presence at the grassroots, they are legacies of the Federal Government.
Constituency projects should be able to complement the ideals of the federal government,especially in terms of quality while also addressing the needs of the people.
In line with the renewed political consciousness in Andoni, it is expected that lawmakers will put the people first when nominating their constituency projects ,bearing in mind the ‘NEEDS’ of the people and also bearing in mind that Constituency projects are not mere artifacts but signature projects.
The country and Andoni in particular look forward to vibrant and selfless Tenth Assembly lawmakers and other political appointees whose services will positively impact the people at the grassroots.
(Lizzy Ikuru of News Agency of Nigeria writes from Port Harcourt).
