Commissioner for Capital City and Planning, Ebonyi, Chief Sunday Inyima has said that the replacement of water fountain at the popular Udensi roundabout with a man carrying hoe on the newly constructed tower on the roundabout was to showcase Ebonyi as an agrarian State.
The Commissioner disclosed this to journalists giving details of the construction changes within the Abakaliki capital city.
Recall that the man carrying hoe on a tower was at the same roundabout before the former Governor David Umahi emerged the governor of the State in 2015 and demolished it to build the water fountain to meet up with the digital era.
Reacting, the Commissioner said the reason for bringing back the tower was for historical purposes.
The commissioner also gave reason why the water fountains built within the capital city by the former Governor David Umahi are not functional since he existed office and commended Governor Francis Nwifuru for approving the rehabilitation and repair of the fountains which he said will become functional in a few days to come.
Inyima, however, called on Ebonyi residents to cooperate with the government of Governor Nwifuru to make the State Capital a smart city.
His words; “Within this state, we do not have what we call a tower no matter how high or minimal it is. We want to bring up and return the man Ekumenyi. There is something that the Abakaliki man is known for. The hoe and a man showing his strength and doing his farm work. So no matter the development, we do not want to forget that history.
“Normally civilisation will be that why not bring tractor and put there, but we want our children’s children to still remember that this is where we are coming from. We are bringing the man back in a very shortwhile but I promise you a man with a beautiful environment, beautiful body and not the dusty man that you used to know. He is coming with his hoe”.
He further added; “Most of our generators were abandoned, but as I speak to you now, they have been fixed and before the end of tomorrow, we are going to hand them over to the person in charge of the street light, who is also in charge of the fueling of generator so that we can appoint operators who will be in charge of the fountain locations. Apart from the ones we are doing major construction, every other location is expected to be functional as far as there is gas in the generator.
“I heard this morning His Excellency giving a direct charge to my colleague commissioner of the Ministry of Environment that he should ensure that people properly dispose of their waste at government-designated points which is very key to it.
“I will also want to add that residents of this capital city, especially the urban core of Abakaliki and Ebonyi local government areas. It is a culture and a norm. People should learn it. People can buy nylon bags and bag their waste and drop them within the hours permitted by the ministry of environment. By the time we finish our recycling plants, people will begin to sell their waste. That is the truth of the matter. I am happy that His Excellency is interested in the neatness of the capital City. That is the essence of the smart city we are talking about. When environment is clean, power is working and the traffic is working too. Before December, we will start the installation of traffic lights in all the areas of the city”.
However, the commissioner who noted that the ministry’s core mandate is to regulate the building code, control and ensure that people comply with whatever they bring in terms of building drawing that is approved, urged residents of the State to report anyone from his ministry demanding cash payment. According to him, the person or group of people will be arrested and persecuted accordingly.
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