By NewsCritic Reporters
The President General Ohuhu Welfare Union Worldwide, High Chief Obi Aguocha has promised that the leadership of the union would do its best to see that the abandoned Federal Medical Centre Annex, Afugiri-Umuahia is brought back to life within the shortest possible time.
Sir Aguocha told journalists after an inspection visit to the dilapidated federal medical centre annex and other abandoned federal government projects in Ohuhu, that he is surprised that the facilities were allowed to waste, saying that the medical centre provided both primary and secondary health care services to people in the communities in the past.
The President-General of the Ohuhu Welfare Union regretted that apart from the medical services that was being provided by the FMC Annex, it also provided employment opportunities for Abians and others, and wondered why such a medical facility located at Ohuhu should be allowed to waste to the extent that the whole facilities have been vandalised.
Aguocha stressed that the union is going to make enquiries to ascertain the current status of the medical centre, and to know if it is still being funded by the federal government in a bid to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to see how best to bring it back to operation.
NewsCritic reports that the Federal Medical Centre Annex, Umuakam-Afugiri was established around 1981 with the help of the late Chief Ogbonna Ukelonu, a leader of the defunct NPN in the South East region and one-time chairman of the Federal Mortgage Bank. The centre was designed to serve as an annex of the FMC Umuahia to enable people in the rural communities have access to quality health care.
However, it was gathered that over the years the facilities were allowed to depreciate and all the doors and windows vandalised by criminal elements. Aguocha promised to liaise with the FMC Umuahia and ministry of health to ensure the place is revived.
In a related development, the leadership of OWU has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to abandon the multi-million Naira Zonal INEC ICT Centre under construction at Amaogwugwu Ohuhu-Umuahia by the expressway.
The PG OWU, Aguocha during his inspection tour of government projects in Ohuhu also visited the INEC office complex which appears to have been abandoned by the contractor handling the project over the years.
Aguocha said the uncompleted building now serve as hide-out for criminals and urged INEC to take control of the building and secure it against the use of criminals. Other abandoned projects that were inspected by the OWU leadership is the National Open University campus, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, project; the Ministry of Labour Industrial Institute and the Ohuhu Welfare Union Ultra-Modern Civic Centre, which foundation ceremony was performed by former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
Some of the highlight of the projects inspection was the visit to the traditional ruler of Umuegwu Obiohuru Afugiri Autonomous community Afugiri, HRM Eze Chionye Ngwuli, the Oba of Ekeoba, chief Patty Ukaogo, Chief Eze Ukelonu and the visit to the Director World Bank Project at his Amaogwugwu country home among others.
