By Clementina Wewele
ASABA/Nigeria: The Chairman of Ethiope West Local Government Council, Hon. Oghenedoro Owoso, and his Ukwuani counterpart, Hon Solomon Ajede, will on Thursday May 12, 2022 be at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to receive the Local Government Chairmen Merit Award.
The award would be conferred on the duo of council chairmen, by the Rootswatch Magazine during the occasion of its 20th edition of Local Government Chairmen Merit Award ceremony in Abuja, as published by Daily Sun Newspaper on Tuesday April 26, 2022.
The National Coordinator of the award, Bayode Ojo, noted that the award was organized annually by the Rootswatch Magazine with a view to honouring performing council chairmen in Nigeria and showcasing their outstanding achievements in office for posterity.
He added that only 10 local governments in Nigeria would be featured in this year’s edition.
In order to determine this number, he said that members of the public were asked to vote online for the 774 local governments in Nigeria, by sending chairmen’s names, local governments and states to two phone numbers made available by Rootswatch Magazine.
Ojo said that areas considered by members of the public during the online voting were agriculture, education, rural electrification, housing, poverty alleviation, transportation, security, women empowerment, roads/rural integration and potable water supply.
At the end of the first stage of the online voting, it would be recalled that out of 774 local governments in Nigeria that were voted for, only 143 local governments including Ethiope West and Ukwuani, were shortlisted and were then published by DailySun Newspaper on Tuesday January 18, 2022, page 5.
However, only Hon Solomon Ajede of Ukwuani and Hon Oghenedoro Owoso of Ethiope West Local Governments respectively, made the final list to be among the first 10 most performed local governments and chairmen qualified to receive the award, out of five local governments shortlisted from Delta State, and 774 across the country.
Qualified council chairmen also stand the chance to win 10-seater bus, refrigerators, generators and other prizes.
It should be recalled that barely two months ago, Hon Owoso was also honoured by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Abuja, for ranking the 2nd most performed council chairman in Delta State.
