BY RITA OYIBOKA
The Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Area, Chief Innocent Esewezie, has emphasised the need to expose children to leadership roles and responsibilities from an early age, describing it as vital to shaping future leaders.
He made this call during a special mock plenary of the Legislative Arm, which brought together pupils from primary and secondary schools across the local government to mark the first anniversary of the assembly and current administration.
Addressing the gathering in the council chambers, Chief Esewezie praised the House leadership for organising what he called an innovative and timely programme.
Esewezie, speaking further, described the current seventh assembly as “the most organised and peaceful” so far, praising their experience and commitment.
He explained that bye-laws passed by the Assembly have directly benefited residents, citing the decline in land grabbing since the enactment of protective laws.
The Chairman also praised the synergy between the executive and legislative arms, noting it had made it easier to approve budgets and appointments, ultimately helping governance run smoothly.
He also announced that in the first week of August, pupils would have another opportunity to meet directly with the Executive Arm to ask questions and learn more about governance.
Speaking to journalists, the Leader of the Legislative Arm, Hon. Chris Nwagbor, reflected on a year he described as “truly enormous” in achievements. He credited God’s guidance and praised the legislative team for monitoring the Executive Arm’s projects, which include many completed and ongoing works.
Explaining the purpose of the mock plenary, Hon. Nwagbor said it was created to tackle the negative message that “education is a scam” by letting children see first-hand how governance works and why education matters.
“We want to catch them young, to let them know, now, that education is the key to life,” he noted.
During the plenary session itself, the temporary Leader of the House, King Esewezie, welcomed everyone and praised Chief Esewezie for his dedication to people-oriented projects.
Among achievements highlighted were the completion of the Ebu modern market with standard facilities, nearing completion of a cottage hospital at Okpanam, and a 14-day free medical outreach that offered surgeries, eyeglasses, lab tests and medications to residents.
The Leader also spoke about the enactment of bye-laws protecting public and private properties, which he said had brought “sanity” and reduced land grabbing across the local government.
Additionally, he mentioned ongoing work to pass a library bill to encourage education.
