Governor Hope Uzodimma at the weekend honoured the late Sen. Francis Arthur Nzeribe, a great son of Imo State and Nigeria of Oguta extraction as he named the newly inaugurated 42 bed General Hospital in Oguta after the maverick politician.
The governor also appealed to the traditional rulers and stakeholders from the area to ensure that the facility in protected.
According to a statement by Uzodimma’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Oguwike Nwachuku, besides naming the hospital Senator Arthur Nzeribe Memorial General Hospital, Oguta, the Governor also used the opportunity of the inauguration to commission a bridge linking the Oguta community to the late politician’s house as part of the honour done him.
In an elaborate ceremony at the old Oguta General hospital where the brand new one established by the Governor is sitting, Governor Uzodimma said honouring past heroes of Imo State like Senator Arthur Nzeribe became necessary since he “showed the way and others followed.”
Addressing the crowd that graced the occasion, the Governor expressed joy that “for once the three Local Governments Oil Producing areas of Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru East are having General hospitals built through the 13% oil derivation as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic as amended.”
The Governor regretted that instead of the 13% Oil derivation money becoming a blessing to the communities, “the reverse is the case, as more often than not, the inhabitants of oil producing areas are not well taken care of.”
He decried the fact that for more than 24 years of the birth of the 13% oil derivation law “evidence has shown that in all the years, nothing in terms of development of the environment and the people is pointed at anywhere, rather the people are allowed to suffer and the youths blackmailed and neglected and even tagged criminals.”
“As a result of the neglect of the youths, all we get from the areas are thuggery, banditry, and nobody bothers to know the root cause of the bad behaviours of the young men. Instead of the leaders in the areas coming out clean and being vocal to give reasonable answers on the bad behaviours of the youth, they hide under the peanuts they receive from the oil companies to deny their people their rights. Any nation that is not interested to provide sufficient welfare for her youths upbringing and development, that nation is doomed to fail.”
He reiterated that when he became Governor of Imo State in 2020, he looked at the parlous situation and vowed that the narrative must change, insisting that “our young men and women must be carried along and the oil producing communities deserving of the best and must get it.”
Uzodimma said that to achieve common good it occurred to him that “the only way to provide a proper welfare package to the oil producing youths, men and women is by teaching them how to fish and not by dashing them fish.”
