By : OHIMAI ESEZOBOR | Chief Editor, Owan Today | IBN News
The planned commissioning of the Uzebba Shopping Mall Complex and the remodelled modern motor park in Afuze on Saturday, November 14, has brought renewed attention to the constituency development activities of the Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere, across Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas of Edo State.
Ihonvbere, who represents Owan Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, is expected to commission the two facilities in Uzebba, Iuleha, Owan West, according to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Akhanieme Samson.
The shopping mall is described in the statement as a major commercial facility located in the heart of Uzebba. It was reportedly completed by the federal lawmaker after the project had remained abandoned for several years under successive administrations in the local government area.
The remodelled motor park will also be commissioned during the ceremony, providing another transport-related facility for the community.
Beyond these two projects, available records of Ihonvbere’s constituency interventions and activities show a range of initiatives covering education, healthcare, vocational training, youth and women empowerment, electricity, water supply and community infrastructure.
Education and school infrastructure
Education is one of the major areas highlighted in the lawmaker’s constituency project records.
Projects listed on his official website include the renovation and construction of classroom blocks in several communities across the two local government areas.
In Owan West, the listed interventions include classroom construction at Eguaoje Primary School, Oah-Okpuje; Owato Primary School, Oke Old; Awaika Primary School, Ivbiughulu; Oemen Primary School, Ugborbighan, Erah; and Eshioriri Community Primary School, Erah.
Other listed projects include renovation works at Umende Primary School, Avbiosi Old Site; Obe Primary School, Sabongida-Ora; Cocoa Research Institute Primary School, Uhonmora; Iloje Primary School, Okpuje; and St. Eugene Primary School, Sobe.
In Owan East, the projects include classroom renovation at Ubgevboje Primary School, Warrake; Ake Primary School; Inumai Primary School, Ikao; and Eteye Primary School, Emai.
The lawmaker’s project records also list the renovation of Edeki Grammar School, including a 10-classroom block, staff room, principal’s quarters and a 5,000-gallon water storage facility.
Beyond physical infrastructure, his office has listed the distribution of educational and instructional materials to schools, including Uzebba Grammar School, Olegauma Primary School, Ihievbe Grammar School, Holy Trinity Grammar School, Sabongida-Ora, St. James Grammar School, Afuze-Emai, St. Stephen’s Primary School, Sobe, and other institutions.
A report published in February 2021 by Uptown Press also documented the distribution of 100 chairs and tables, 1,000 Mathematics textbooks and workbooks, 1,000 English textbooks, 3,050 notebooks and two science toolboxes to Uzebba Grammar School.
The report said other schools in Owan East and West also received instructional materials.
Scholarships and educational support
Ihonvbere’s constituency project records also include scholarship support for 50 students from Owan Federal Constituency studying in different tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The programmes listed by his office include educational support for students, essay competitions for secondary school pupils and the provision of learning materials to schools.
A profile of his constituency programmes also identifies scholarships, bursaries and support for students from less-privileged backgrounds as part of his broader education intervention agenda.
These initiatives are intended to support access to education and reduce some of the financial challenges facing students and their families.
Youth and women empowerment
Another major area of intervention is vocational training and economic empowerment.
According to the skills acquisition section of Ihonvbere’s official website, his office has organised training programmes for youths and women in different vocational and entrepreneurial fields.
The listed programmes include training in leather works in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria; poultry and fish production in partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science; and agricultural entrepreneurship in collaboration with the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority.
His office also lists vocational training in shoe and bag production, website design, desktop publishing and information technology.
A separate project entry records vocational and skills training for 135 youths in Owan East and Owan West in collaboration with Heritage and Sports Colony International.
The Guardian reported in June 2019 that at least 70 Owan youths participated in a free practical training programme in shoe and Ankara bag production organised by Ihonvbere in collaboration with the same organisation at Ihonvbere House in Uzebba.
The lawmaker’s project records also list the distribution of empowerment equipment to 650 youths and women in the constituency in collaboration with the Border Communities Development Agency.
Items reportedly provided to beneficiaries included industrial sewing machines, generators, electrical sterilizers, towel warmers, hand dryers, standing dryers and barbing clippers.
Other interventions listed include the provision of generators and deep freezers to groups and associations, support for small businesses and the distribution of equipment to individual beneficiaries.
The official records also identify the employment of 26 ward legislative assistants across the 22 wards in the federal constituency.
In February 2021, Uptown Press reported that two constituents, Samson Agbai and Demola Victor, received a tricycle and a motorcycle respectively as empowerment items.
The lawmaker’s office has also documented support for individual beneficiaries, including assistance to a vocational training graduate, Miss Blessing Samuel, to establish a small-scale business after completing training in fashion and accessories production.
Healthcare and medical outreach
Healthcare is another area covered by the constituency interventions and the activities of the Ihonvbere Foundation.
The foundation’s project records identify the renovation of Uzebba General Hospital and the Iloje Maternity and Health Centre in Owan West as part of its healthcare interventions.
According to the foundation, the projects were commissioned and opened by former Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo.
The lawmaker’s constituency project website also lists free eye-care medical outreach programmes for residents of Owan Federal Constituency.
The programmes are part of a wider health-support agenda identified by his office, which includes periodic free healthcare services for constituents.
Water, electricity and community infrastructure
The constituency project records also include interventions aimed at improving access to basic infrastructure.
One of the listed projects is the provision of a 300KVA electricity transformer to Ovbiokhuan-Ora in Owan West.
The records also identify the construction of a motorised borehole with a generator in Ozalla, Owan West, to support access to water.
Other infrastructure interventions include the construction and renovation of classrooms, improvements to school facilities and community-related projects.
The Ihonvbere Foundation separately lists community beautification initiatives, including road renovation, drainage construction and improvements to public structures.
Its records also document the renovation of the Uzebba Police Station and barracks, alongside the donation of a vehicle to the police in the locality to support their operations.
The Federal University of Sports, Afuze
One of the major federal projects associated with Ihonvbere’s legislative activities is the Federal University of Sports, Afuze, in Owan East.
The lawmaker sponsored the Federal University of Sports, Afuze, Edo State (Establishment) Bill, 2019, which passed its third reading in the House of Representatives in 2021.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria published by The Punch on July 21, 2021, Ihonvbere said the proposed institution would help develop Nigerian athletes, sports administrators and coaches, while creating opportunities for employment and investment in the sports sector.
The university project is particularly significant to Afuze because of the town’s existing sports facilities and its history as a centre for sports training.
The proposed institution is expected to build on that foundation and expand the educational and sporting opportunities available in the area.
Digital skills, agriculture and employment opportunities
Ihonvbere’s listed programmes also extend to digital skills and agricultural development.
His office records training in website design and desktop publishing in collaboration with the National Biosafety Management Agency, with participating trainees reportedly presented with HP laptops.
Other programmes include agricultural entrepreneurship, agribusiness management, poultry production and fish farming.
The constituency project website also records 60 job opportunities for youths from Owan East and West under the first batch of the National Directorate of Employment’s Special Public Works Programme.
These interventions reflect an approach that combines vocational training with access to equipment, employment opportunities and support for small businesses.
A broader development agenda for Owan
Ihonvbere’s constituency activities, as documented on his official website and the Ihonvbere Foundation’s project records, span several communities in both Owan East and Owan West.
The initiatives cover education, healthcare, economic empowerment, electricity, water supply, vocational training and community infrastructure.
However, the projects listed on the websites include interventions from different periods. Their publication does not by itself establish that every project is currently operational, recently completed or fully functional. Independent verification of the present condition, delivery status and impact of individual projects remains important.
The commissioning of the Uzebba Shopping Mall and the remodelled modern motor park on November 14 will add two more facilities to the list of developments associated with the lawmaker’s work in the area.
For residents and stakeholders across Owan, attention will also remain on the completion, maintenance and effective utilisation of these facilities, as well as the delivery of other projects capable of improving livelihoods, education, healthcare, commerce and infrastructure across the constituency.
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