Leaders of Community Development Unions in Abia State have been advised to institute and enforce good leadership in their various communities to ensure that the right people are elected into office.
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State gave the advice while receiving in audience, a delegation of the Abia State Association of Igbo Town Unions led by George Mgbeorurukwe, its president general, in his office.
He regretted that there were some communities where people of questionable character are still occupying development union leadership.
“We won’t come out and say that we are not interested. As the chairman, you need to get interested. We don’t want thieves. We don’t want drug dealers, and we don’t want 419 people, as leaders of town unions.
“This is because, if your leader is a thief, he will teach people to steal. If he’s a drug addict, if you arrest somebody, he would want to bribe you to release him. So, the Bible says that righteousness exalts a nation,” Governor Otti stated.
Governor Otti added that his government insists that the right people should be in leadership positions.
“So, we now have to, as government, insist that we need to know, who the leadership of the town unions are. And, we will do it through you.
“So, you must put the right people in authority, just like you quoted Proverbs 29 verse 2. When the righteous is in authority, the people rejoice.
“I’m challenging you to go back and ensure that the communities have all their well-meaning people involved and produce the kind of leadership that you and I would be proud of.
“You can go and make your money, but you can’t come out to aspire to lead when we don’t know what you do. That’s who we are. That’s how our parents brought us up. So, we need to go back to those old days,” Gov. Otti stated.
He stressed the need for community union leaders to give intelligence and credible information to government and security agencies to enable them curb crime and criminality in rural communities.
“Yes, so, there are local governments and communities that today, virtually all the young people are operating under the influence of drugs. They will go and stab people, kill people, steal, kidnap, and all that.
“If the town unions are strong, they will eradicate that from their communities. And, if everybody does the same thing, this place will not be a safe haven for any of them.” Otti noted.
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The governor granted the request of the union for a piece of land to locate its office and directed Chaka Chukwumerije, State’s commissioner for Lands and Housing, and Matthew Ekwuribe, his Arts, Culture and Creative Economy counterpart, to work together to provide a parcel of land for the Abia Association of Town Unions.
He equally directed Uzor Nwachukwu, commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and Magdalene Agupusi, senior special assistant on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to get the town unions to be more effective and active by ensuring regular interface with them.
George Mgbeorurukwe, president general, Abia State Association of Igbo Town Unions, thanked Governor Otti for his achievements in the state and for making Abia people proud again and assured him of the support of the union for re-election in 2027.
Mgbeorurukwe described Governor Otti’s emergence as an answered prayer.
