BY RITA OYIBOKA
AS part of activities to mark the first anniversary of the Oshimili North Local Government administration, its legislative arm has held a mock plenary session, drawing students from primary and secondary schools across the local government area.
The event, held at the Oshimili North Local Government Council Secretariat in Akwukwu Igbo, Delta State, aimed to educate and inspire young people about the workings of government.
Speaking at the occasion, the Local Government Chairman, Innocent Esewezie, praised the leadership of the House for organising what he described as an innovative and timely programme.
“The theme of today’s programme is very key and important: Education is not a scam. If we hadn’t gone to school, we wouldn’t be here today. The reason I stand before you as Chairman is because I went to school. And you can see from the Majority Leader and the newly elected leadership of the House that education is not a scam,” he said.
Esewezie urged the pupils to embrace education wholeheartedly, stressing that a commitment to their studies could one day lead them to become chairmen, governors, or even the president.
“What you see them do here today is exactly what happens at the National Assembly and the State Assembly,” he explained, adding that the mock plenary mirrored real law-making processes.
Speaking to journalists, the Leader of the Legislative Arm, Chris Nwagbor, reflected on what he described as a truly enormous year in terms of achievements.
He credited divine guidance and praised the legislative team for their efforts in monitoring projects by the Executive Arm, which include several completed and ongoing works, including a seminar organised for local youths on the dangers of drug abuse, and plans to pass a by-law to establish a library for primary school pupils to foster reading and education.
Nwagbor explained that the mock plenary aimed to tackle the growing perception that “education is a scam” by giving children first-hand exposure to governance and its processes.
“We want to catch them young, to let them know, now, that education is the key to life,” he said.
During the plenary session, the temporary Leader of the House, King Esewezie, welcomed guests and praised the local government chairman for his commitment to people-oriented projects.
Among the achievements highlighted were the completion of the Ebu modern market with standard facilities, the near completion of a cottage hospital at Okpanam, and a 14-day free medical outreach that provided surgeries, eyeglasses, laboratory tests, and medications to residents.
He also spoke of bye-laws enacted to protect public and private properties, which he said had brought “sanity” and curbed land grabbing in the area.
The event also included the donation of educational materials to the students who attended.
