. On this note, some residents of the Mariere
to Baleke axis of Imudia Street commended Jim Ovia who, has made life easy for
them by repairing their former death trap of
Imudia Street, stretching between Mariere and Baleke Street, providing
boreholes with taps at three different locations along the Street.
Speaking with Ika Weekly
correspondent who visited the area, residents and business people in the street
expressed joy, asking God to reward Mr. Ovia.Chief J.E Imudia (J.P), the
Onye-Won- Ihia of Agbor land, described Jim Ovia as a great philanthropist who
despite his wealth still takes time to know the feelings of his people at home.�His humanitarian effort cuts
across the border. He feels for the poor. He feels Agbor should not be left out
in terms of development. He sponsored extra mural classes to Ika students for
the entrance examination into his international College (James Hope College) to
enable them compete with other intending candidates coming from outside Agbor
to write the entrance exam which was concluded two weeks ago. He has also given
over 300 students nothing less than N100, 000 (One hundred thousand naira) in
his yearly MUSTE scholarship and he is never tired even when he is not a
politician or seeking for peoples vote,� he explained.He stressed that Jim Ovia has affected
lives positively both locally, nationally and internationally, praying that God
will continue to bless and keep him and his house hold in good health.
He also advised residents of
Imudia Street to handle the facilities provided by Jim Ovia with care by making
sure that the boreholes are well maintained, the drainages and the road are
well taken care of by not dumping refuse
into the gutters. He also warned that anyone found dumping waste in the gutters
will be handed over to the law enforcement agencies. He used the opportunity to
appreciate the Ika South Council boss, Engr. Andrew Obiazi for his efforts and
also appealed to him to help position officers that will monitor the
facilities. He also called on the state government to construct at least three
drainages that will control the high volume of water flowing from Emuhu to the
Aghakun River along the express.Also speaking, Mrs. Helen Odion,
a resident, expressed joy, describing what Jim Ovia has done for them as a
miracle. She described Mr. Ovia as God sent, stressing that houses that were at
the verge of collapse due to the effect of gully erosion are very safe.
�He has indeed done great job
for us and we pray that God will give him long life�, she added.
On his part, Mr. Anthony
Owuniefa, a retired military officer and a landlord in the street, thanked Jim
Ovia for coming to their rescue, adding that they never believed that Imudia
Street could look this good after waiting on the government for a long period
of time, yet nothing was done.
Mr. Abraham Omorojie, a business
man, disclosed that for five years, Imudia Street has been forgotten by the
government and was not accessible to users, but thank God for Jim Ovia, who has
now tarred the street. He added that, he has also
provided water for them, making life more comfortable for the residents.Mrs. J.B Egede, pharmacist, also
stated that the street has been abandoned by the state government, hence
leading to the packing of some residents from the street as they could no
longer bear the danger that was befalling them.
�Unexpectedly,
Jim Ovia came as God sent to put smiles on our faces by tarring our street with
solid drainages and boreholes situated at three different locations. I really
appreciate him, and the work he has done will never be forgotten,� she added.A shoe repairer who is
physically challenged and resident in the area, Mr. Sunday Ahima, expressed
joy, saying, �for almost a year I could not move out from my compound due to my
disability because I did not want to fall into the big gullies that was on the
street, but now I can move around, people can see me. I now do my shoe making
work well with customers patronizing me,� he explained.He prayed God to keep Jim Ovia
in good health.A youth representative in the
environment, Nduka Kwamu said that they now enjoy good water and good roads,
disclosing that many road users now prefer riding through the once-upon-a-time
dilapidated and life threatening Imudia Street. He thanked the philanthropist
for his good work and also encouraged him to do more for them. While revealing
that the youths are happy with Jim Ovia, he prayed God to protect him for Agbor
people.
A hotelier in the street
popularly known as Lady �M� while expressing appreciation to Jim Ovia, stated
that the tarring of the street has helped her regain back her customers who
stopped coming to patronize her when the road was bad and not motorable. She
prayed the good God to bless Jim Ovia. She advised Agbor people to always pray
for Jim Ovia as she also described him to be the dreams come through for Ika
people.
Mr. Godwin Agada, a pharmacist,
who also spoke, described the strret as the best road he has ever seen in Agbor
at the moment going by the quality job that was done on the hitherto death trap
street, he thereby advised residents to maintain and clean the drainage at all
times to avoid blockage. He also thanked Jim Ovia for the humanitarian job and
also wish him success in all his endeavours.
Most of the residents who spoke
to Ika Weekly wished to see Jim Ovia in person to enable them express their
profound gratitude for the good work he has done for them.
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