… Says it’s his annual Social Contract with the people, for the past 10 years
The member representing Okigwe South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Deacon Chike Okafor PhD on Friday 17th February 2023 paid registration fees for Students sitting for the May/June 2023 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams, across the three Local Government Areas that make up the Federal constituency he represents, being Ehime-Mbano, Ihitte-Uboma and Obowo Federal Constituency.
The occasion which took place 1,000 capacity WAEC hall he also built in Okenanlogho Technical Secondary School, Obowo, which was commissioned in November last year, was witnessed by religious leaders, including Very Rev. Fr. Bob Chukwu, a trained captain of the US Navy, Traditional rulers including the Okeh 1 of Umuokeh, His Royal Highness, Eze Ifeanyichukwu Okafor-Ibeh, PhD, the Chairman Obowo council of Traditional rulers, Nlogho, His Royal Majesty Eze Uwalaka, and the Traditional ruler of Amainyi-Nta, Ihitte-Uboma.
The occasion also had the political class, including the member representing Obowo State Constituency, Hon. Barr. Kennedy Ibeh, the Sole Administrator of Obowo LGA, Hon. Pius Uwaleme (Chupo), a former House of Assembly member for Ihitte-Uboma LGA and Director General of Hon. Ndubueze Patrick C Senatorial Campaign Organization, Hon. Greg Owuamanam, Engr. Alex Mbakwe, the first son of Obowo born former Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe, PhD, Governor’s Liaison Officers in the area, Presidents General from Ehime-Mbano, Ihitte-Uboma and Obowo LGAs, party leaders among others.
The students from the three LGAs were accompanied to the event by their Principals, led by the host principal, Mrs. F.C Igwe, who presented an address of welcome. In her speech, she traced the earliest origins of the annual WAEC payment program, which dates back to 2012. She stated that asides paying the WAEC Fees, Hon. Deacon Chike Okafor has continued to ensure a conducive learning environment for schools in the Federal constituency, through intervention projects. She decried vandalism as the bane of the projects, as Hon. Chike Okafor has so far sunk 3 water boreholes in Okenanlogho Technical Secondary School, Obowo, but they had been vandalized and the water pumps, popularly known as SUMO, exhumed and stolen.
In his speech, Hon. Chike Chronicled the number of students he had so far paid their fees, in the past years, and it ran into thousands of beneficiary. He expressed happiness that in 2022, a 2014 beneficiary of the annual WAEC payment, now based in USA had reached him to indicate interest and support for the scheme, and subsequently donated 300,000 thousand Naira for the 2022 payment.
This year’s payment for over 300 students, at 25,000 per candidate amounted to a total of Eight Million, four hundred thousand Naira (N8,400,000) and the cheques were immediately presented to the various principal there present.
Hon. Chike Okafor urged to students to take their studies seriously, as the only way to motivate him to sustain the program.