By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The immediate oast chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Hon. Ofem Ebri Obeten, has given reason on why he distributed 100 solar-powered street lights worth millions of naira across the 13 political wards of the local council.
Obeten stated that the solar-powered lights, which would illuminate the streets shall assist in reducing crime rate across the council area.
The former council boss gave the reasons while speaking with journalists in Calabar, shortly before he commenced distributing the electricity items to benefitting communities, stressing that the kind gesture was a way of giving back to the society which he had so beneffited from.
Obetrn said, “No sacrifice can equate what I have beneffited from my community. My community made me whatever I am today. Whatever height or stride that I had achieved is courtesy of my people.
“The same community gave me a platform which I stood upon to rise to whatever zenith I may have risen today. Let me tell you that with out my people I would have been a nobody.”
He commended Yakurr opinion moulders in the council area for availing him opportunity to serve, pledging to do whatever is neccesary to add value and drive development to the council area.
He further stressed that with solar lights at strategic places, incidence of criminality that used to occur at night will be reduced.
When asked to explain the strategic places in which he would preferred the solar lights to installed, the former council boss said, “We are lightening the health centres, called Dr. Linda Ayade Ultra-modern Health Centre in Ijom ward and its environs.
On the motive behind the installation of the solar-powered street lights, despite the fact that he has left office, Obeten said, “What happened is that, when I completed the construction of an ultra-modern health centre, and the then deputy governor, Prof. Evara Esu, visited the community to inspect the facility, the chiefs and elders of the community appealed to him that having had a health centre, they needed electricity to Illuminate the facility and the entire area, so the deputy governor asked me to apply for electrification of the project, of course, the rest is history.
“That was the last project we embarked upon before leaving the council as chairman.”
On why he refused to divert the funds into his private pocket given the fact that his tenure as council chairman elapsed on July 1, 2023, the former council boss responded, “The fact that my administration had come to an end, dosen’t mean that I can no longer reach out to my people. The integrity of our future matters a lot. I am bothered about posterity, history, they say, never forgives.
“I’m completing these projects for posterity purpose. Our future is more important than the immediate. As a grass root politician, I hardly joke with my people, because tomorrow I will need them, I don’t need anything that would count against me. It’s the reason why I like doing things appropriately.”
The former chairman who could not disclosed the exact cash used in the execution. of the project said, “Millions of naira was used in the execution of the project.
He stated that seven poles each had been distributed across the 13 political wards in the local council.
He enumerated items given to the community alongside the solar street lights to include: poles, panels and installation worth over N25 million.
He added, “We have distributed the poles, panels and other components across the 13 council wards. We agreed that every council ward should have seven stands, seven solar-powered lights, seven poles, seven installation flush, and all the components that would illuminate the area.”
Obeten appealed to residents of the beneficiary communities to see the facility as thiers, urging them to guard the facility jealously as it was their personal property so as to keep vandals at bay.
