By Anastasia Agunwa :
As part of the strategic plan to become the pacesetting Local Government Area in Anambra state, the Nnewi Souh Transition Committee Chairman, Mr. Ikenna Oluchukwu Aniagboso said the area would blaze the trail in the deployment of adoption model for road construction.
Mr. Aniagboso who disclosed this in his office, explained that the local government has a plan to meet public spirited individuals with the financial muscles to adopt roads in the council area for construction.
He described the road model as what the late foremost industrialist, late Chief Anthony Enukeme popularly known as Tonimas Oil and Gas did in Anaocha Local Government Area where he singlehandedly adopted and constructed many roads.
Aniagboso said apart from the adoption model for road construction, the local government also intends to embark on partnerships for road construction in the area as roads were one of the most felt needs of the people.
He said the Public Private Community Partnership Model will come in handy to encourage individuals to partner government in the provision of road infrastructure which he said is a fundamental need in Nnewi-South local government area.
He said that as plans were underway to convert erosion sites to fish ponds and to grow grassroots economy through agriculture, there was need to equally create and construct access roads in the hinterlands.
According to him, this will serve as channels for the evacuation of farm produce to local and urban markets, of which Nnewi-South is indeed in dire need of road infrastructure.
The TC Chairman also noted that apart from roads, another very pivotal concern of the local government is youth development.
He pointed out that youth development programmes have been politically motivated, especially as youths were given motorcycles and a host of others which he described as not being the best.
He said while the purchase of motorcycles and in some cases vehicles were good gestures, there was need for massive re-orientation of youths to help them develop positive mindsets to life.
He disclosed that Nnewi-South is planning a youth entrepreneurship development programme where the local government council will partner the Ministry of Youth Development and Creative Economy to train youths on basic skills for economic advancement.
The Council Chairman added that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has a plan to remodel the apprenticeship system in such a way that the master’s servant problem of settlement at the end of stewardship will become a thing of the past.
He noted that Nnewi-South would support the apprenticeship system in line with the governor’s vision to ensure that inclinations to illegitimate businesses such as internet fraud, idolatry and fast lane syndrome which youths indulge in will gradually be deemphasized and their minds disabused from such vices capable of leaving them in jeopardy.
He added that youths would be mentored on how to develop sustainable business plans as well as expose them on how they could source for loans and grant opportunities.
” This will enable them build genuine business empires and contribute their own quota to national development”, he posited.
