Ebonyi Lawmaker working had to making laws to empower Council Chairmen own football clubs
By Ngwuta Chinedu, Abakaliki
The member representing Abakaliki North state Constituency in the Ebonyi state House of Assembly, chief Chidi Nwoke revealed that he is working on a bill that would mandate the thirteen council Area Chairmen in the state to own and sponsor football clubs to save the state from the impending danger of buying football club from other states with tax proceeds of Ebonyi people.
Nwoke who is the chairman House committee on Youths and Sports in Ebonyi state made the revelation while filing questions from newsmen in his Abakaliki residence.
He informed that when the bill is passed into law the state government will have no choice to buy football clubs from individuals whose components are made of players outside the state adding by the time he is done foreigners will no longer Play for the state.
Nwoke also expressed displeasure on the high rate of illiteracy in his Constituency occasioned by Financial incapacitation and proximity of some of the higher institutions in the state.
He noted that his decision to attract sponsorship center of National Teachers’ institute Kaduna to his Constituency was to enable his Constituents have access to institutions that would offer them the opportunity to Walk from the comfort of their homes and acquire sound education which also spur him pay the school fees of fifty students including their models.
He emphasized the need for the Youths to be engaged meaningfully as that would disabuse their minds from indulging in hard drugs, restiveness, rape and other social vices that would impose negative impact in their future.
He added that he has been able to secure some federal and state jobs for constituents. He explained that those who vote for him during the election are being carried along in all areas
“Actually, my Constituency, my communities are under developed because of financial incapacitation and so many young people are out of school. some of them has gotten married and schools are not close by, They travel far and wide, that is why I have to go a long way to bring the National Teachers’ Institute and even award scholarship to them. The center is located at Izzi Unohu high school”
“I did it so that people can easily walk to the centre. Those who want to further their education can still do that. I have to pay for everything including their models so that they can make themselves available for studies. I have also attracted some facilitators amongst holders of MSCs, Phds that is going to ensure these people are upgraded to get BSc, once they get BSc msc, from there they can get other things”
“I have no intention of enrolling these particular people for higher studies. we have to bring other people to help them improve in their businesses. This can help them to fund their Msc and PhDs. I have discussed with the National Teachers’ institute those of our brothers who have attended higher institutions to partner us so we pay for other interested persons”
“Right, now his Excellency Rt Hon. Builder Francis Nwifuru has given waver for people to be employed into secondary education board. So, we don’t have enough people with certificates to enroll that is why I had to bring the center so that when the governor will give another waver for employment our people can be employed massively”
” I believe when they are staffed in the system. They will also work hard to develop themselves. What is expected of them is to read their books, anyone who doesn’t understand what the facilitators thought them should ask their facilitators to explain to them”
“I want to commend his Excellency once again for giving us positions I will not say we don’t deserve, but out of his own magnanimity he gave us the Commissioner for works, SSA to the governor on youths mobilisation and SSA to the Governor on project monitoring. We have organized symposium in this community where we talked to the Youths to end Youths restiveness.Those who have no skill are now acquiring skills, I have also talked to them on how to develop themselves despite challenges”
“As I enroll 50, another person should also enroll 50 into the sponsorship program, when they do this the number of illiteracy will be reduced drastically. The Commissioner for works Lebechi Mbam has awarded scholarships to 30 undergraduates, I commend him, I also urge him to come let us partner, sponsor another phase so, from there we kill illiteracy in the community, because it is idleness that metamorphosis to drug abuse and other social vices”
“once every body are engaged, you will see a drastic reduction in crime. when we do that will savour dividends of good governance of the present administration in the community and the state at large.So, once every Youths are working it would help his Excellency to achieve his goals. So it’s going to be a collective responsibilities of those in power”
“we’re partnering ourselves. Actually, I have a bill I am sponsoring any moment from now I will float it in the hallow chambers, when that is done all the local government Chairmen should have a standard football club they will be sponsoring, so that we will not go to buy a team outside the state. those playing for the state will not be foreigners.We have those who can play well for the state and every where. Once the 13 council Area Chairmen have their team and sponsor it, have their coaches from there it will be easy for us as government hire those talented boys that can play for us and Nigeria at large.
That’s one of the bills and so many others on the pipeline. I also have bills in the environment”
“Why Governor Nwifuru named Ebonyi state football club, De Rice boys football club of Abakaliki which our brothers from Southern part of the state has kicked against, that it does not represent the entire state but one bloc out of many others. But in as much as the state Capital is located in Abakaliki, there’s nothing wrong with the name. And there is no way to remove Abakaliki from Ebonyi. Once anybody says I am from Abakaliki, that person automatically is from Ebonyi state and there’re no two ways about it”
My advise to those Youths is that they should desist from engaging in drug abuse is that they should remain focused, they should be goal getters, they should know what they want in life, they should be able to know, because what makes a man is integrity, once you are not stable automatically you are going nowhere. Take for example, you should remember when I contested the election and you know whom I contested with and you know what happened, assuming I have been partnering with those people that sell land, those that abuse drugs, those that rapes women, those that assault people automatically it won’t be like this”
” You remember the whole state prayed for me including those that are not in my party. Some of them don’t know me. Every body worked for me just to make sure they fix me there. I am a good example to all the youths. That you are not remembered today does not mean that you are not going to be remembered again”
“Don’t be faster than your shadow. One thing is that once you make a good step you will know; you remain focused on your target, because when you are playing a football your eyes should be on the ball. If you are playing football and you are not watching the ball automatically you cannot score a goal to your opponent, you will even pass it to your opponent and probably score yourself”
“As much as possible they are not being faster than their shadows.let me tell the Youths they say when you graduate from the university and become an applicant, that shows you didn’t pass well. If you go to the university and pass out with first class that is when you have decided not to look at girls, that is when you have decided not to be drinking in a beer parlor. From your year one, from your GST courses you are likely going to make high GPs, from there you come out in flying colors, with first class automatically the institution you pass through will employ you while other universities will also be jostling to employ you and you will be having scholarships from everywhere, automatically you are already a Big man. But when you go to the university and mess up yourself that doesn’t mean you will not be a big man but not as when you meticulously planned it”
“If Rt Hon builder Francis Nwifuru was not one hundred percent loyal to the former Governor of Ebonyi state how do you think today he will be like this. Am urging all the youths when you are serving a master make sure you do not outshine him. If for any reason you cannot continue to serve him kindly say please, let me go and pursue greener pasture elsewhere and don’t go to speak against him outside, because if you go about gossiping or say he doesn’t give you money remember other masters are watching you nobody will take you serious again, that is the end of your life, you remain a beger in your entire life”
“The lawmaker however warned that everything is not all about money, even if I bring my salary to the table it wouldn’t be enough for them to share in one polling unit till the end of my tenure, but I know I have been able to offer so many of my constituents jobs. At the Ebonyi state hatchery so many of them are working there, though they got the jobs on merit through the help of commissioner for Agriculture. The same applies in the judiciary, and even the current recruitment in the state secondary education board my people will be captured. Similarly, I played a role amongst the people who traveled overseas for scholarship through my friend Chinedu Oga and Nkemu Nkama Nkama who also helped me to secure Federal jobs in the ongoing federal government recruitment”
“Last year January, I taught the students from my Constituency how to apply for foreign scholarships. In this David Umahi university I have also recommended 30 persons for jobs”