In continuation of its social responsibility in the state, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has, in partnership with the Enugu State Government, donated boreholes to Ibenda community of Udenu local government area of Enugu State and Obinagu community of Udi local government area of the state.
Commissioning the project at Ibenda autonomous community, Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s office, Lolo Chioma Ugwu, commended the members of the church for the donation.
She said, ” We are here to commission the water project built by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the LDS charities and Enugu State government.
“This is clean water. I am very happy to see a generating set. It is one of the requirements to power the water”, she expressed.
She urged the community to connect an electric line to the borehole and sell the water with a little amount for them to use the money realised from the sales to maintain the borehole.
The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Dr Chimaroke Udechi, said that water is very important in human lives and that the church knew the importance, that’s why the church sank the borehole.
He said that ,”the governor approved that the project be supported with N500, 000″.
The president added that the community was supposed to contribute N200,000 to fix any item spoilt, for maintenance.
Udechi told them that the water is not free, that they should sell it for one year so that they could save money for maintenance of the equipment. He also informed the community that a water committee was set up to manage the project.
He, therefore, urged members of the community to safeguard the borehole, appealing to the traditional ruler to approve the deployment of security personnel (vigilante group) to provide security at the place.
Speaking at the event, the traditional ruler of Ibenda autonomous community, HRH Igwe Remiginus Ogbuichi, thanked the Enugu State government for providing the project.
He said that water is very important to human beings and that what they had was a shallow well and the State government with the Church had given the community clean water
Those who spoke at the event were the President General of the community, Chief Titus Nnamchi and the councillor representing Obollo Eke ward, Honorable Kevin Agbo.
In their separate speeches, they thanked the state government and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
They promised that the borehole will be protected and will not be vandalised.
Similarly, the deputy governor commissioned another borehole sunk by the Latter Day Saints Charities and the State government at Obinagu in Udi local government area of Enugu State.
The Deputy Governor thanked the Church for providing clean water for the community. She urged the community to protect the facility and sell the water so as to save money for it’s maintenance.
In his remarks, the president of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , Dr Chimaroke Udechi, said that the Church had donated four boreholes to Obinagu community.
“Obinagu has four water projects commissioned,two in December, 2019, one this year. There is no community that has benefitted like that . They commissioned a clinic this year”
He told the members of the community that the facility is for them to come, fetch water and go, “You should not wash clothes there, you should not process cassava, you only fetch water and go, ” he said.
Udechi said that the community was supposed to contribute N200,000 to fix any item spoilt, for maintenance., but the Governor had approved a sum of Five hundred thousand to support the community.
He told them that the water is not free, that a water committee was formed to oversee the project and that they will decide on what price to be fixed for any gallon.
The president urged the community to safeguard the facility.
In a vote of thanks, the Igwe Obinagu representative, Chief Innocent Ezenwaba, thanked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the Deputy Governor and the Latter Day Saints church for the project.
Earlier, in his welcome address, chairman of the water committee of the community, Ike Igwenagu, who represented the president general, Felix Chimagelu, thanked the Church and Enugu State government “for the dividend of democracy” given to the community.
