— Says His Achievement In Office Is A Product Of Sacrifice
God Gave Us Chidi Lloyd, Says Mary Kekwaru
The chairman of Emohua local government area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, says he is very impressed with the achievements of his administration within three years, stating that he will be bowing out with high shoulders at the end of his tenure, as one who has impacted greatly in the development of Emohua local government area.
Speaking at the official commissioning of the Emohua council pavilion built by his administration and named after the local government brand ambassador, Mary Ngozi Kekwaru, at a ceremony held at the council secretariat complex on Thursday, Dr. Lloyd attributed the achievements of his administration to the selflessness and patriotism of members of his team.
He said, “If I bow out tomorrow, I will bow out with my shoulders very high, not because of what I have achieved but because I have people in my team who can follow up.
“There is nobody that is working with me here that cannot chair this council because they didn’t come for what they will gain; if it were monetary, all of these men you see here will not work with me because all our achievements are based on sacrifice.
“I make bold to say that when I assumed office in June 2021, they told me that my wife is entitled to a monthly salary of two million, but I told them not to mention my wife’s name again because she’s not a staff of the council. I have a vice chairman who is a woman, so whatever my wife is supposed to do, let my vice chairman do it because my wife was not elected and she didn’t receive any entitlement whatsoever from the local government because I didn’t approve it.
“I have spent close to three years in office as chairman; I have not bought an official vehicle of my own; I am still using the old cars that I came with when I assumed office in 2021.
“I didn’t come to hear a poor man; you all know that, and I didn’t also come here to enrich myself, but I had one clear vision: not to shame our leaders who believed in me and entrusted the council to me. That’s why we have to sacrifice our official entitlements and other benefits to ensure that we change the narrative about our LGA, and I am happy we did.
“They handed over newspapers inside a file to me, but today, if we’re leaving, we will be handing over files of our achievements in the office to whoever will come after us.”
Reacting to speculations about his second tenure ambition, Dr. Lloyd said he never contemplated a second term and was yet to consult his family and the leadership of Emohua LGA, upon whose nomination and support he was elected in 2021.
“For those talking about the second term, I haven’t told anybody that I want to run. I need to talk with my family; my wife and my children. I need to talk with those who sent me here in the first place.”
Dr. Lloyd asserted that his administration had broken the jinx of performance in local government administration in Emohua LGA, stressing that the days when people believed that local government administration couldn’t make an impact in Emohua LGA were over.
“The days when people thought that local government could not do anything are over, we have broken that jinx because we didn’t come here for personal aggrandizement.
“The truth is that local government administration can perform if we eschew greed and avarice, and that’s what we have done.”
He said he feels fulfilled with the ovation and salutation he receives each time he visits communities where his administration has registered its presence with infrastructure projects.
“We have broken the jinx; people thought local government could not perform; it’s a lie. If you eschew greed and avarice, you will perform.
“The other day I was in Rundele, and little children were running after me, calling me ‘Papa Ukeli because of the 1.5-kilometer Uke-Eli road we constructed in the Rundele community.
“At Evekwu community, where we gave the community the first asphalted road, the last time I visited there, they were running after my vehicle, calling me Chidi Lloyd, it was as if they were singing. That’s what matters the most to me
He added that his administration succeeded in righting the wrongs in the narrative of the local government area because of the caliber of people in his team, emphasizing that the political power of the local government area was still in the hands of the political family, through which he became the chairman of Emohua LGA in 2021.
Speaking on the naming of the council pavilion after the local government brand ambassador, Mary Ngozi Kekwaru, Dr. Lloyd said his administration decided to honor her to appreciate the new narrative her singular act of honesty has brought to Emohua LGA.
He said the local government pavilion was named after Mary Ngozi Kekwaru to also encourage other youths of the LGA to be of good conduct and attract good names to their families and the LGA at large.
The special guest and brand ambassador of Emohua LGA, Miss Mary Ngozi Kekwaru, who performed the commissioning ceremony, lauded Dr. Lloyd’s developmental strides across the Emohua local government area, describing the council chairman as a God-sent to the people.
She particularly thanked Dr. Lloyd for the construction of the Uke-Eli road in Rundele, her community, recalling the bad state of the road before the intervention of the council chairman.
“I want to say that God gave us the honorable Chidi Lloyd. Our chairman has done well, and he has changed the narrative about our LGA.
“As a child, I grew up seeing the road in front of my father’s house (Uke-Eli Road) in very bad shape, but the last time I visited my community, when the local government honored me, I was overwhelmed with the construction of the road by Dr. Lloyd.
“I want to thank you, sir, on behalf of the people of Rundele, for what you have done for us, and may God bless you.
Kekwaru urged the youths of Emohua LGA to be of good conduct, stressing that there is a reward for good deeds.
She also suggested that the local government periodically organize youth summits to sensitize youths in the area on the benefits of living an exemplary life and the dangers of going into crime and criminality.
The Emohua LGA brand ambassador further urged the people of the area to remember the council chairman and the entire LGA in their prayers, for God to sustain the new narrative about the LGA.
The well-attended ceremony had the leader of the Emohua PDP caucus, Eze Paul Wonodi; the deputy chairman of the party in the LGA, Dr. Jim Morrison; and other members of the party’s caucus in attendance.
Members of the Emohua legislative assembly led by Hon. Love Nyenke; and political appointees led by the council secretary, Chief Vincent Chukwu, all joined the council chairman at the ceremony.
Dr. Lloyd was accompanied by his wife, Lady Divine Adanma Chidi-Lloyd.
Bright Jossy-Elendu
Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Emohua Local Government Area.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
