Ebonyi former governor decries abandonment of billions of naira mega water project immediately he left office.

Jacob Ogodo Abakaliki

The former governor of Ebonyi state, Chief Martin Elechi has lamented that the multi – billion naira Oferekpe water scheme which he completed, test ran for three weeks and was commissioned by the former Minister under President Good luck Jonathan’ s administration, Prof. Nebo was destroyed and abandoned immediately he left office.

Elechi made this disclosure while addressing a mammoth crowd who attended his 83rd birthday celebration at St Theresa’s Catholic cathedral, Abakaliki.

The former governor  was reacting to the call made by the Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki, Bishop Peter Chukwu Nworie urging the Governor of Ebonyi state to please repair Oferekpe water scheme to enable Ebonyi people have water to drink.

He disclosed that he wept the day he was moving towards PRESCO junction in Abakaliki and saw caterpillar vandalizing the pipes used to reticulate water from the Oferekpe water scheme to different parts of the state.

Recal that as a result of great deficit in potable water supply, guinea worm was endemic, especially in the Abakaliki bloc of the state.

This made Chief Elechi on assumption of office to embark on a  mega water Scheme which gulped over N30 billion at Oferekpe in Ikwo local government area to solve the perennial water problem which has followed the state for years.

The giant water scheme has a production capacity of 100,000 M3 per day and is said to be the largest water scheme east of the Niger.

In his remarks, the immediate past governor of the state, Chief David Umahi eulogized Chief Martin Elechi and described him as a man of many parts and a man that saw it all from the struggle for the creation of Ebonyi State to the governance of the state.

Umahi said that there is no competence in governance in that every political leader comes up to do his own beat and leave the stage for another to continue from where he stopped since government is a continuum .

He noted that he fought  lots  of battles as a leader as a result of the exigencies of the office he was occupying and requested that all those he offended should please find a place in their hearts and forgive him.

The highlight of the event was decorating and conferring the Chief celebrant, Chief Martin Elechi with a title, ” Grand Commander of our Hall of Fame”.