Chief Obi Ochije-Muodilim, the Special Assistant to Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra on Community Liaisons, has advised the state residents to protect government facilities in their areas to ensure development.
Ochije-Muodilim gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.
He said that the call was necessary because there was need for people to join hands with the government to maintain projects executed in their various communities, especially roads.
The governor’s aide said that the state government had spent huge sums of money in building basic facilities for the development and benefits of citizens.
“Government uses the taxpayers’ money to develop the state; people should know that destroying facilities built by government for any reason, was detrimental to their benefits.
“When a project is completed and handed over to the communities, it is right that people should complement the efforts of the government to safeguard them from vandals.
“On a daily basis, public facilities are being vandalised din spite of all the awareness the government creates on protection of its facilities; money that should be voted for a new project are being used for repairs.
“We complained of inaccessible roads, yet, the ones built are being destroyed by people through burning of tyres on tarred roads and the vandalism of electrical cables and other essential facilities every day,” he said.
The governor’s aide noted that people had refused to cultivate the habit of proper refuse dumping, adding that dumping of refuse into the flood channels had remained an unchanged habit.
Ochije-Muodilim urged the Presidents-General of various communities in the state to set up surveillance team to monitor activities of people, with a view to safeguarding government’s projects.
He said that people should take advantage of the rainy season to comply with the proper dumping of refuse in the designated areas, and to always clear the drainage channels in front of their homes and offices.
Ochije-Muodilim noted that anyone found vandalising government’s property henceforth in the state would be prosecuted.
He said that the COVID-19 was real, urging people to observe the protocols, including regular washing of hands with soap under clean running water, maintaining social distancing and wearing of face masks.
