Former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum E. Orji, popularly known as Ikuku, has reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South, saying his desire to serve the communities predates the current political season.
Orji stated this in a post on his official Facebook handle, where he reflected on his years of engagement with the people of the constituency and highlighted various interventions he said were undertaken during his years of public service.
“My desire to continue working for Ndi Ikwuano/Umuahia did not begin with this election, and it is not driven by the politics of the moment,” Orji wrote.
He said his commitment was driven by his longstanding relationship with the communities and his understanding of the challenges confronting families across Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South.
According to him, his grassroots engagement influenced a number of interventions, including road reconstruction, water projects, school renovations, transformer and electrification projects, mini stadiums and health-related programmes.
He also listed scholarships for indigent students, support for young entrepreneurs, provision of work tools and equipment for small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, free ICT training, medical and eye-care outreaches, as well as vehicles and tricycles provided as part of empowerment initiatives.
“These are not promises for tomorrow. They are part of a record that already exists,” he stated.
Orji said the projects and beneficiaries could be independently verified, noting that the roads, water projects, schools, transformers and mini stadiums were located within identifiable communities, while beneficiaries of the various empowerment and scholarship programmes remained members of the communities.
He further urged the people of Ikwuano/Umuahia to consider the records of aspirants when assessing campaign promises during the election season.
“I believe our people should also examine what each of us has done with the opportunities we have previously been given to serve,” he said.
The former Speaker acknowledged that there was still more work to be done across the constituency, stressing that he did not claim that every challenge had been resolved.
“There is still much more to be done. I do not claim that every problem has been solved,” Orji wrote.
He nevertheless reaffirmed his commitment to the constituency, saying that wherever he was given an opportunity to serve, his desire would remain to work for the people and communities of Ikwuano/Umuahia.
“This is about our people. This is about our communities. This is about the future of Ikwuano/Umuahia,” he concluded.
