PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: The President of Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative, Chief Christie Obiaruko Ndukwe, has challenged newly elected local government chairmen in Rivers State to deliver tangible development projects and real-time empowerment rather than engaging in flamboyant displays of wealth.
In a statement shared via her Facebook page, Chief Ndukwe congratulated the winners of the recently concluded elections but urged them to prove their worth by doing things differently this time around.
“The newly elected LG chairmen have to prove that it was worth the stress by doing things differently this time around! Real-time empowerment and project execution! Enough of buying cars and displaying them as projects,” she said. “Let’s see those who have something new to bring to the table with their first monthly allocation.”
She cautioned against what she described as “cosmetic projects,” such as refurbished transformers that fail to work or low-grade solar lights, insisting that boreholes should come with high-capacity tanks, proper reticulation, and sustainable solar energy to ensure constant water supply, even if residents contribute a token for usage.
Highlighting pressing needs, Ndukwe called for construction of rural access roads, provision of transportation for farmers and traders, functional health centres with emergency services, and security measures tailored to tackle insecurity in both urban and rural councils. According to her, these projects are achievable given the increased allocations from the Federal Government to states and local councils.
“What exactly are the people asking for? It is not too much to write their names in gold at the end of their tenure,” she said. “Littering your compound with SUVs translates to nothing but a flagrant display of avarice in a state of wanton lack. Security votes should be rightly deployed to tackle local insecurity, especially in cosmopolitan LGAs like Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt, Oyigbo, Etche, and Emohua.”
She also underscored the importance of water transportation, describing it as a necessity rather than a luxury, while warning against investing in ostentatious private residences that do little to impact the lives of citizens.
Ndukwe further advised the chairmen to surround themselves with capable aides who can help them achieve developmental goals rather than praise singers, adding that posterity would judge them by the projects they leave behind.
Quoting a well-known song, she reminded them: “We shall only be remembered by the works we have done.”
