There are feelers that the open letter addressed to the people of Mbaike by Hon Uche Ogbuagu, the immediate past Majority Leader and member for Ikeduru State constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly has rattled Hon Akarachi Amadi, representing Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives.
Ogbuagu who contested the Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal constituency seat with Akarachi gave a graphic account of Akarachi’s alleged collosal failure and the humongous amount that Akarachi has allegedly diverted, misappropriated or frittered away in the past 2 years.
Uche, fondly called Ogbuagu Mbaike in view of the ground breaking achievements he recorded within 2 years in office contrary to Akarachi’s zero performance within the same time frame.
When contacted, a close source to Akarachi said they are waiting for their principal to react to the weighty allegations that Uche Ogbuagu made, pointing out that it is unfair for them to hold brief for him. “As a matter of fact, Uche Ogbuagu raised a lot of serious issues that border on fraudulent diversion of funds that only Akarachi can address or counter with facts and figures. On the issue of Akarachi not being accessible, that, to an extent is true, especially since he ditched his first wife and got involved with a Spanish woman”.
It was gathered that Akarachi’s first wife whose father was a top management staff of NDDC was instrumental to most of the projects with which Akarachi laundered his image at the early stage.
“But unfortunately when the father of his first wife had issues that warranted his arraignment in court, Akarachi distanced himself from him and his daughter and got entangled with a Spanish woman. Hence, all the NNDC projects which Akarachi claimed to be executing have been kept in abeyance because he was not the sponsor.
But the first wife’s father has bounced back. He has been reappointed at the instance of a top government official but the damage has already been done in Akarachi’s marriage tohis first wife.”
Recall that Uche Ogbuagu, in an open letter he addressed to the people of Mbaike, said in part, “For two years, we have been represented by impostors, who see public office as a personal ATM rather than a sacred trust. While our people suffer, they feast. While our roads collapse, they are building and buying mansions at home and choice cities. While our children sit on bare floors in dilapidated classrooms, they gallivant from one night club to another squandering our common wealth.
A cursory look at his scorecard so far, you will agree that there has been a downturn in Mbaike. There is a consensus in Mbaike and even in Imo State at large that Akarachi Amadi has failed, woefully!! We have never had it this abysmal in the history of Mbaike.
With all modesty, humility and gratitude to the Almighty God and Ikeduru nwem, testimonies and records attest to the fact that our sincere and modest efforts in the House of Assembly, substantially impacted, positively the lives of Ndi Ikeduru and Mbaitoli. We witnessed what it means to truly represent a people, a feat I was ready to replicate and even surpass at the House of Representatives.
In fact, my approach to legislative representation and delivering democratic dividends became a challenge to my colleagues, even pressuring federal lawmakers to replicate my strides in their own constituencies.
Questions are begging for answers:
1. Where is the N1 billion annual constituency allowance as recently revealed by a Representative from South West Nigeria while addressing his constituents in a recent viral video?
~ Vanished into a private pocket, with no single project to show. Even if it’s not up to #1b Naira, How much is it and where is it? This is where Probity, Transparency and Accountability should come to play not on Campaign Billboards.
2. Where are the empowerment programmes?
~ Apparently diverted and replaced with empty promises and deception
3. *Where is the federal presence?*
~ Nowhere, because our so-called representative has no voice where it matters.
Regrettably, nobody talks about rebuilding Markets, Schools, Health Centers, or Sports facilities.
No scholarships. No deliberate effort to attract projects or even ask questions.
So, what was the point of all those brigandage, noise, thuggery, lies, deceits, intimidation and huge dollars spent only to snatch a mandate freely given to me by the people?
Was it just to grab power to abandon the common people of Mbaike? Your guess is as good as mine.
If justice had prevailed, if our votes had counted, Mbaike would have been a shining example of what true representation means. This is because our team had already conducted a needs assessment for Mbaike, with short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans, aimed to provoke rapid development.
In just two years, we would have done the following:*
1. Education Revolution:
– 20 fully renovated school blocks
– 200 scholarships for bright but indigent students across all 24 wards.
– A special Mbaike Education Endowment Fund to ensure no child is left behind, not just playing to the gallery by dumping them with a few copies of #10,000 JAMB Forms*, but also preparing them for the examinations and eventually seeing them through tertiary education.
2. Healthcare for all codenamed (OGBUAGU MBAIKE CARES):
– Upgraded health centers with steady electricity
– A mobile clinic program to reach remote villages.
– Free surgeries and medical outreaches quarterly for the sick and elderly.
3. Infrastructure & Economic Boom:
– Rehabilitation of roads with proper drainage to alleviate the suffering of our people
– Solar-powered streetlights to enhance security and commerce.
– A multi-million-naira creative, tech, agro-industrial hub to create jobs and empower our youths and farmers.
4. Security & Social Welfare:
– Patrol vehicles, motor bikes and drones for local vigilantes to combat crime.
– Monthly stipends for the elderly so no elder in Mbaike goes to bed hungry.
– A 24-hour constituency telephone hotline where every complaint is heard and addressed.
Each time I pass through our dilapidated roads, every time I see our children studying under leaking roofs, every time I hear the cries of a mother, who lost her child to a preventable disease, I am haunted by the thought: This suffering was Avoidable!
It is on record that within my first 80 days as a House of Assembly member, I built and commissioned 7 people-oriented projects.
Visible, tangible results were the order of the day.
We were so active that people from Mbaitoli began reaching out for assistance, which inspired my donation of transformers, Abattoirs and Market Construction Projects in Mbaitolu LGA.
*For clarity, here is a Profile of some of my projects while in the IMHA:*
*OGBUAGU MBAIKE’S PROJECTS (2019-2023)*
1. Donated a 500 kva Transformer to Iho Dimeze
2. Rehabilitated Ngugo Comprehensive Secondary School water scheme.
3. Built a modern lavatory at Ngugo Comprehensive Secondary School for students and Teachers.
4. Construction of Abattoir and Cold room at Orie Akabo Market Ikeduru (80 percent completed).
5.Constructed the New Orie-Okwu market in Okwu- Eziama-Ugirike Ward Ikeduru.
6. Constructed the New Nkwo- Imo market in Amaimo lkeduru Ancient Kingdom.
7. Constructed the New Orie-Umueze Market in Ezenomi, Uzoagba Ikeduru.
8. Constructed the New Orie Akabo Market.
9. Rebuilt the mmiri Onuomah bridge in Okwu-Eziama-Ugirike Ward, lkeduru abandoned since 1981.
10. Constructed the New Rt. Hon. Bethel Amadi’s
Memorial 5-Classroom block at Akabo High School and equipped the same with modern learning furniture
11. Interlocked Two And Half Kilometers Amii-Akabo Roads.
12. Tarred 2 Kilometers Umuobiara ring roads, Amii Akabo
13. Built player’s and official’s dressing rooms fully
Air-conditioned with in built convenience at
Ikeduru Stadium Iho and another four Room modern Convenience Block for Male and Female Guests at the Stadium.
14. Constructed a 1000 Capacity Spectator Seats at Ikeduru Stadium, Iho
15. Constructed a VIP Stand, fully Air-conditioned with 2 convenience rooms at the Ikeduru Stadium, Iho.
16. Donated a 60 kva Sound Proof Mikano Lister to the Ikeduru Stadium.
17. Built and Equipped a Mordern Children’s Recreation Park at the lkeduru Stadium Iho.
18. Installed 96 units Solar lights on English Galvanized Pipe-Stands at the Ikeduru stadium.
19. For the first time in Ikeduru, I Linked the Stadium to the public Power supply.
20. Sunk a 5000 litres capacity water borehole with heavy duty H-beam iron stanchion at the Ikeduru Stadium.
21. Donated patrol van, power bikes and Communication Gadgets to the Nigerian Police.
22. During the longest ASUU Strike in our history, I Organised and Sponsored a 3- week Training Programmes for Ikeduru tertiary Undergraduates in Leather/Garment making and thereafter, donated Industrial Sewing Machines to them for take off.
23. Sponsored Ikeduru Youths in Vocational Training Programmes and Equipped the candidates thereafter with modern bakery and confectioneries machines and tools.
24. Played Guarantor roles in the Empowerment of select market women recommended by their market leaders across Ikeduru with wares on wholesales, supplied on credit and comfortable repayment plan thus grew a lot of businesses.
25. Monthly check ups and Hospital bills subsidy for the indigent in Ikeduru and beyond.
26. Sponsored 16 Ikeduru Indigenes to travel abroad for Greener pastures.
27. Sustained Provision Of Monthly Welfare Package for 146 Special Citizens and underprivileged persons in Ikeduru for 4 years in office.
28. Built A Smart Abattoir at Nkwo-Orodo Market Mbaitoli LGA with Water system.
29. Drilled a borehole at Eziama Obi-Orodo
30. Constructed the New 155 Open Stalls at Afor-Nneudo Market Mbieri, Mbaitolu.
31. Donated 300kva Transformer to Azara in Umunoha ward, Mbaitolu LGA.
32. Empowered lkeduru Indigenes with both Public and Private employment opportunities within and outside Imo State.
33. Daily distribution of 14,000 loaves of Century21 Special Bread to Ikeduru homes and other numerous palliatives items, all through Covid 19 lockdown Period.
33. Shared over 200 wheelchairs, 400 bags of rice, 1000 cartons of Noodles, Clothes, etc annually on Birthdays while in Office.
33. Quarterly and random Payment of hospital bills for Ikeduruans trapped at various hospitals and Maternity homes.
34. Constructed village hall and equipped same with high quality furniture for Umuobiara, Ami-Ákabo
35. Sponsored Ikeduru indigenes to NDDC Aqua Ping empowerment scheme.
36. Secured football clubs to deserving lkeduru football talents, locally and abroad.
37. Donated several posh cars, SUVs and Mini Buses to deserving lkeduru and Mbaitoli indigenes.
38. Drilled a borehole at Iho Dimeze lkeduru.
39. Drilled a borehole at Umudim/ Inyishi ward Ikeduru.
40. Drilled water borehole at Ebikoro Uzoagba
41. Drilled a borehole at Orie Akabo.
42. Drilled a borehole at Abazu Ikeduru.
43. Drilled a borehole at Avuvu lkeduru
44. Supported Ikeduru Students in Higher Institutions with quarterly bursary for 4 years while in office via UCHE OGBUAGU LOVENDAR FOUNDATION.
45. Introduced and Facilitated an interest free loan scheme for Mbaike students in higher institutions and defrayed total costs for defaulters.
46. Drilled a borehole at Amakohia lkeduru
47. Drilled a borehole at Atta ward 2.
48. Drilled a borehole at Atta ward 1 Ikeduru among others”.
