… Gives Constituents Reason To Celebrate Christmas With Bags Of Rice
By Patrick Ochei
Yesterday, the Oshimili South Council Secretariat in Asaba, was agog with the influx of high calibre political functionaries in the State and beyond, who had come to witness the Local Government Chairman, Hon. Ezenyili Kelvin Obi’s #100 million cash gift to 1000 beneficiaries under the EKO Empowerment for Sheriff Oborevwori’s MORE Agenda.
It was indeed a December to remember for these 1000 petty business owners who were selected on merit across the local government without pandering towards politics, thereby signifying a regime of consistent welfarist policies of Oshimili South Local Government under the leadership of the man simply called “EKO”.
At this event, the words of the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, who was represented by his able Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme carried enormous weight to the effect that a young, dynamic and resilient political figure in the personality of EKO had emerged to take the baton of quality and selfless leadership to the highest level.
According to the Governor, “Empowerment of the people of Oshimili South has become an annual ritual for the Chairman, Hon. Ezenyili Kelvin Obi Ph.D since his entrance into leadership. I commend him for his vision and consistency in doing this kind of people-oriented empowerment every end of year. By organizing this empowerment, he has demonstrated practical commitment towards grassroots governance.
“Empowerment is not just about items as starter packs or distributing of capital, it is about economic resilience by helping people to move from job seekers to job providers. Let me state that you beneficiaries are at the heart of today’s empowerment. Please, nurture this seed for your own economic emancipation. I urge you to judiciously use the resources as made available to you, to support your families and help to create a society of our dream.
“Our administration remains committed to security and infrastructural development in order to build a Delta that works for all in terms of good governance and prosperity. Empowering every segment of people in our society is one of our cardinal objectives; and that is what EKO is replicating to the grassroots in Oshimili South. Thank you for what you do and for representing the MORE Agenda in positive light”, Governor Oborevwori maintained.
In his speech as the Executive Chairman of Oshimili South Local Government, Hon. Ezenyili Kelvin Obi Ph.D, appreciated the Governor for laying a solid foundation for him to build his dream leadership for the people of Oshimili South Local Government Area.
He said the selection process for the 1000 beneficiaries of the EKO #100 million empowerment went through rigours in partnership with leaders of various wards in the local government area.
The Chairman therefore, called on the benefitting small business owners to take advantage of the opportunity provided to buy their working tools or restock their shops, asking them not to commonize the amount by diverting it for other irrelevant purposes.
As usual, the Chairman announced the distribution of almost 500 bags of 50kg rice to the people of Oshimili South, with each of the 11 wards getting 40 bags, including the provision made for leaders and stakeholders in the local government area.
In the Chairman’s words, “Today marks another milestone of this administration as we witness a vital initiative of the EKO Empowerment programme stemmed from His Excellency’s MORE Agenda, aimed at improving the skill acquisition, job creation and poverty alleviation of the youths in Oshimili South Local Government Area.
“This event is a clear demonstration of this administration’s unwavering commitment to the uplifting of skills acquired by the youths and promotion of small scale businesses in Oshimili South Local Government Council. It is an accepted truism that no society can truly grow if the most productive segment of the population are unemployed. Financial empowerment is therefore a foundational element for a secure and prosperous business as it provides a platform for one to establish small scale businesses, which if well managed, provides a sustainable livelihood and avenue to becoming financially independent.
“I have grappled with the groaning and yearning of many entrepreneurs and small scale business owners desiring just #50,000.00 to get a new clipper, or as much as #100,000.00 to restock their shops in this festive period or assistance to meet up their financial obligations to financial institutions. This programme is no doubt a turning point for them and their businesses. This exercise is all inclusive as it cuts across the entire Local Government Area, devoid of political, ethnic or religious affiliation, with the Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo communities carried along”, Ezenyili noted.
However, political watchers believe that Hon. Ezenyili Kelvin Obi has turned Oshimili South into a construction site with several completed and ongoing projects within the Council Secretariat and other locations within Asaba, Oko, etc. The latest in the list is the construction of an Ultra Modern Plaza/Stores at the Council Secretariat to generate revenue for the Council.
Moreso, it may interest us to know that the Council has given financial assistance and grants to religious bodies, educational institutions, persons with disability, indigent and sick people to the tune of #263 million between 2024-2025.
To cap up the 2025 annual empowerment ceremony, the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), Delta State Chapter, presented Hon. Ezenyili Kelvin Obi with the Most Outstanding Local Government Chairman Award. In their rating as a grassroots watchdog and community based journalists, they affirmed that this is the first time grassroots governance is taking a new shape in terms of direct benefit of democratic dividends to the local people.
According to the group’s Chairman and publisher of Newsbreeze Newspaper, Mr. Ike Abiagom, the Best Chairman Award to Hon. Ezenyili is a clear recognition of the impact he has made in the lives of Oshimili South people, in addition to his unwavering commitment to inclusive governance, quality leadership in terms of advancing human capital development, and benchmarking standard landscape infrastructural development within Oshimili South Local Government Area.
