Abiriba Communal Improvement Union (ACIU) speech

By admin on March, 9 2015

WELCOME ADDRESS PRESENTED BY THE GENERAL PRESIDENT OF THE ABIRIBA COMMUNAL IMPROVEMENT UNION (ACIU), CHIEF/DR JONA EZIKPE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE HANDING-OVER CEREMONY AND COMMISSIONING OF ABIRIBA HIGH COURT COMPLEX BY HIS EXCELLENCY CHIEF T.A ORJI (OCHENDO) CON, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE, HOLDING ON SATURDAY THE 7^TH DAY OF MARCH, 2015

Your Excellency, The Executive Governor of Abia State, Chief T.A Orji (Ochendo) CON (The Ogbo-Ogu of Abiriba)

The Honourable Speaker Abia State House of Assembly, The Rt. Hon Ude Oko Chukwu

The Hon Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abia State, Chief (Barr.) Umeh Kalu

The Chief Judge of Abia State, Hon. Justice T. U. Uzokwe, and all other distinguished Judges Present

The Secretary to Abia State Government, Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa

The Chairman of this Occasion and our own legal luminary, Chief Barr K.K. Ogba

All Hon Commissioners and Special Advisers Present

Chairman Abia State Advisory Council, Ezeogo (Dr.) Anagha Ezikpe

The Pro-Chancellor – Federal University of Agriculture Umudike and Chairman Board of Trustees of ACIU, Prof Anya O. Anya CFR

The Chairman Ohafia L.G.A Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Eze K. K. Ogbu, The Enachioken of Abiriba

The Vice Presidents of ACIU, present

Other distinguished members of Abiriba Community represented

My Lords – both Temporal and Spiritual

Learned Gentlemen from various Branches of NBA

All members of Abiriba Age Grades Present

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!

On behalf of the entire Abiriba Community and the Enachioken in Council, the Abiriba Communal Improvement Union (the Umbrella Development Union of all Abiriba People), - I sincerely welcome everyone to this unique occasion of the handing-over ceremony to Abia State Judiciary and the official commissioning of the Abiriba High Court Complex by His Excellency, Chief T. A. Orji (Ochendo) CON.

Abiriba as a community is built on a tradition of hard work and the willingness of her organized traditional age grades to pull resources together to provide for required infrastructure and social amenities to serve our people. These for ages have been our people’s way of supporting all Government Administrations in the sustenance of peace, security and welfare of citizens. This High Court Complex we commission today is one of such efforts and was commenced by the Ojighiri Ndu Age Grade, and now completed by Erinma Age Grade.

Our people are very appreciative of what His Excellency, Governor T. A. Orji has been doing in Abia State to promote peace, justice and equity, especially his role in lifting the fortunes of Abia Judiciary through the building of befitting edifices of Justice and rehabilitating many others. We see the completion of this Abiriba High Court, especially at this time, as Abiriba’s contribution in supporting our dear Governor’s efforts, and a further addition to the Judiciary’s many good fortunes under his leadership

We are therefore grateful to His Excellency Chief T.A. Orji (Ochendo) Executive Governor of Abia State for finding time to be here to witness this epoch making event of handing-over of the Abiriba High Court Complex to Abia State Judiciary, and to personally commission this project. For us, this is the completion of the circle of events in the restoration of peace in our community that was for a period torn apart by crises, and the new movement towards equitable justice through the established law court.

The people of Abiriba will never forget how Your Excellency, championed the restoration of normalcy and the sustenance of peace and security in Abiriba - which earned you the Chieftaincy title ‘Ogbo- Ogu’ of Abiriba. We pledge to continue to support your Government in all ways possible, including all other in-coming Administrations in the State. We will do these through our famed community driven projects, which rhymes with our community’s belief that ‘SELF HELP IS THE SUREST PATH TO PROGRESS’

It is on record that Abiriba has executed many laudable projects through community efforts, and these include: Enuda College, Egwuena Girls Sec. Sch. Onarubi Sec. Tech. Sch., Akahaba Gen. Hospital, Ekpankuma Health Centre, Akahaba Central Stadium, Akahaba Sports Complex, Egwuena Model Primary Sch, Akanu Library e.t.c. Most of these projects were handed over to Government to optimize the use, and sometimes the expectations were not realized.

It is therefore our fervent wish that the Abiriba High Court Complex which we hand over today to the State Judiciary and for your commissioning will be fully deployed and optimized by the Abia State Judiciary in no distant date, so that it will serve the purpose, the vision and expectations of our citizens. We are very confident that the growing urban population of our community and the many legal professionals from our area will work to support the growth and development of Abiriba High Court as a mega Court of Justice.

I will not close this speech without commending the Ojighiri Ndu Age Grade and the Erinma Age Grade for keeping alive the spirit of self help in Abiriba which requires an age grade to execute a visible project before retirement from active community service (Igwa Mang). Your labour of love and commitments to community service will remain a beacon of light to new generations of Abiriba people,

I will also thank His Excellency Chief T. A. Orji (Ochendo) for your lessons in public service and for being an Icon of peace, security and equity, from where projects like the Abiriba High Court Complex drew inspirations.

And for the Chief Judge of Abia State, we pledge to work with you to do more to make the Abiriba High Court a pleasant experience for any Judge and officials that work in this community.

On this note, I thank everyone that found time to make it to this ceremony. May God bless you, abundantly!

Thank you,

Dr. Jona N. Ezikpe

General President

Abiriba Communal Improvement Union (ACIU)

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