The Chairman, Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr Uchenna Ogalla, has said that his administration is doing a lot to guarantee the security of lives and property of the people.
Ogalla said this in his office yesterday while interacting with the Executive Committee members of the Nsukka Journalists Forum (NJF) who visited the local government headquarters in Ogrute, Enugu Ezike.
He said that the council was leaving no stone unturned to ensure a peaceful and secured Igboeze North, inline with Gov. Peter Mbah’s vision for a secure and peaceful Enugu State.
The chairman said that the area which is the gateway to the North part of the country, had become prone to all manners of criminalities due to cross-border activities.
He urged the people of the LGA to cooperate with his administration in the implementation of adequate security measures to accelerate development of the area.
Ogalla debunked recent propaganda by some people in the area that the council was asking people to pay tax before organising events.
“Security is costly but it is cheaper than insecurity.”
He said that before his administration, the people were used to paying some forms of security levies to some security outfits in the area.
“It is a practice that is older than me as an Enugu Ezike person.
“We surveyed everywhere and discovered that it was a common practice.
“So, we decided to harmonise it by asking people to pay more to make the system more active based on the current socio-economic realities,” Ogalla said.
According to him, traditional rulers, presidents general of town unions and other stakeholders reached a compromise before the security levy was introduced.