By Chinazaekpere Chinwendu
The Chief Whip of the Abia State House of Assembly and member representing Umuahia South State Constituency, Hon. Emeka Tommy Jacob Obioma, has reaffirmed his commitment to delivering more development projects and people-oriented interventions across the constituency, declaring that his three years in office represent only another phase in his determination to transform lives at the grassroots.
Obioma made the commitment while reflecting on the growing number of projects and interventions undertaken, facilitated or attracted across Umuahia South. His three-year scorecard cuts across education, clean water supply, healthcare, roads, community infrastructure, youth empowerment, employment and legislative interventions, with projects spread across several wards and communities in the constituency.
“We will do more,” Emeka Obioma said, stressing that his administration of representation is driven by the conviction that public office must translate into tangible benefits for the people. He noted that the projects already delivered should not be regarded as the culmination of his efforts, but as a foundation upon which further interventions would be built.
A major component of the lawmaker's intervention has been education, which has received attention through both human-capital support and physical infrastructure. His educational initiatives include UTME registration support, which assisted more than 70 candidates in 2024 before being expanded to 255 candidates in 2025. He also facilitated the renovation of Okwu Primary School, Olokoro, donated 35 desks to Amuzu Central School, Ubakala, and provided pupils' lockers and chairs, teachers' furniture and white magnetic boards to Eziatoke Primary School I and II, Umuahia South.
The lawmaker also facilitated the ongoing retrofitting of Umuopara Secondary School and attracted a new four-classroom block with office space, restrooms, a store and a science laboratory at Okokoro Boys School, Umuoparazara, Olokoro. Additional classroom infrastructure was also attracted to Eziatoke Primary School. These interventions, alongside examination registration assistance, demonstrate an approach to education that combines access to opportunities with improvement of the physical environment in which pupils learn.
Speaking on the importance of the educational interventions, Obioma said his interest is in ensuring that children from the constituency are not disadvantaged by inadequate facilities or financial limitations. “Education is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of our communities. When we support a child today, we are building the human capital that will drive our communities tomorrow,” he said.
Perhaps the most extensive aspect of Obioma's grassroots intervention has been his clean-water programme, with boreholes and water schemes delivered across different communities. The projects include water schemes at Ogbodi-Ukwu, Ohiya Omaegwu Ward, Ipupe Ubakala Ward A, Amibo Ubakala Ward B, Nsirimmo Ward, Ohiya Omaegwu and Old Umuahia Ward. Other projects include the clean-water borehole at Ebo Amizi, Olokoro, and boreholes at Umudinkwa Avodim, Ubakala Ward A, Ndi Ogbodinibe and Mgbarakuma, Ubakala.
The water interventions also include a solar-powered borehole at Umuoparata/Umuoma, Umuobutu Village, Old Umuahia Ward, as well as the Itaja Olokoro Ahia-Ukwu Ward 1 hall tiling and water project. At Ahiaukwu Olokoro Market, Obioma's intervention extended beyond water provision to the renovation of a public convenience, construction of a new fence and installation of a borehole. The projects are designed to improve access to potable water while contributing to sanitation, public health and the general wellbeing of residents.
For Hon Obioma, the clean-water initiative is about addressing a fundamental need rather than merely providing infrastructure.
“Access to clean water is a right, not a privilege. Our people deserve water that is safe, accessible and reliable, and we will continue to identify communities where this basic need requires urgent attention,” he said.
The deployment of solar-powered technology has also featured prominently in the constituency projects. Apart from solar-powered boreholes, Obioma facilitated the supply of solar-powered LED streetlights to Laguru Autonomous Community and the installation of solar-powered streetlights in Umuosu Community, Ubakala Ward A. The lighting projects are expected to improve visibility, facilitate movement at night, enhance security and support socio-economic activities within the beneficiary communities.
Infrastructure and road development constitute another important aspect of his scorecard. Projects listed in the constituency record include Agbama Estate Road, Umuahia Estate Road, Umuchine/Mbara Ogb... Road, Umuopara Ring Road and Eziama/Amuzu Road, in addition to other road projects across Amakama and Ubakala. The scorecard also records the completion of Holy Ghost Ariaria Road and the dualisation of the Tower-to-Onuimo Road, while some other projects remain ongoing.
In the area of healthcare, Obioma's interventions include efforts that contributed to the construction of a new Specialist Hospital at Amachara along the Ring Road and the attraction of a major health-centre project at Umuopara. His scorecard further records the facilitation of employment for more than 10 nurses across the Abia State University Teaching Hospital and Abia Primary Healthcare Centres, demonstrating an appreciation that healthcare infrastructure must be complemented by qualified personnel.
The lawmaker has equally invested in youth empowerment and economic development. He sponsored five youths for agribusiness training and supported human-capital development initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for young people in the constituency. In Old Umuahia, he delivered a ₦1 million SME Starter Trust Fund to youths following a town-hall engagement. The intervention was designed to support young entrepreneurs, encourage self-reliance, expand small businesses and stimulate employment opportunities within the community.
“When we invest in young people, we are investing in a stronger community and a brighter future for all,” Obioma said, underscoring the philosophy behind his youth-focused interventions. He maintained that empowerment should not be limited to temporary assistance but should create pathways through which beneficiaries can become economically productive and, eventually, provide opportunities for others.
Beyond physical projects, Obioma has maintained an active presence on the legislative front. Among the measures associated with him is a bill seeking to establish Colleges of Nursing Sciences and Faith-Based and Private Nursing Establishments in Abia State, which passed the Abia State House of Assembly. He also supported campaigns aimed at raising awareness on community issues and sponsored or co-sponsored motions and bills addressing matters including the rehabilitation of victims of rape, defilement and domestic violence, public security and kidnapping, education reform, poverty alleviation, landlord-tenant relations, anti-corruption and environmental responsibility.
The breadth of the projects has resulted in interventions reaching different dimensions of community life. From classrooms and examination registration to boreholes and public conveniences, from roads and streetlights to healthcare facilities, and from youth enterprise funding to legislative advocacy, the pattern reflects a constituency representation that seeks to respond to both immediate needs and longer-term development requirements.
Obioma has consequently described the journey as an ongoing responsibility rather than a finished assignment.
“The work is not finished. There are still communities with needs, young people who require opportunities, schools that need attention and infrastructure that must be improved. We have done a lot, but we know that more remains to be done. We will do more,” he said.
As he advances into the next phase of his representation, the Chief Whip's three-year record provides a growing catalogue of interventions across Umuahia South. The projects demonstrate an emphasis on grassroots development, human-capital investment and practical service delivery, while the promise to do more points to an agenda that seeks to consolidate existing interventions and expand their reach.
For constituents, the significance of the projects lies not merely in their number but in their direct connection to everyday needs: a child having a desk in school, a candidate gaining access to UTME registration, a community receiving potable water, a market gaining improved sanitation, a street becoming illuminated at night or a young entrepreneur receiving capital to begin a business. These are the tangible dimensions through which representation is ultimately experienced.
With three years of interventions already spanning education, water, roads, healthcare, youth empowerment, employment, community infrastructure and legislation, Obioma's message remains unequivocal: the work continues, and, in his own words, “We will do more.”
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