By Special Correspondent

… Set December 2025 deadline to end open defecation

The Enugu State Economic Planning Commission rose from its first meeting in 2025 with a resolution to pursue the governor’s vision to create farm estates in all the 17 Local Government Areas of the state.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, which was held at Government House Enugu, Thursday, the trio of the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, as well as the Chairman of Igbo Etiti LGA, Hon. Eric Odo, and his Udenu LGA counterpart, Hon. Aka Eze Aka, said the meeting also set a December 2025 deadline to end open defecation in all parts of the state.

Edeh, who is also the Chairman of Nkanu East LGA said, “We had fruitful deliberations on several issues and came to conclusions. One of them is farm estate where the governor has decided to open up farm estates in the 260 wards. He is doing 260 Smart Schools and 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres, PHCs. So, he is also fully charged to do 260 farm estates. The essence of it is to effectively govern our spaces and equally fight insecurity through food security.

“An example is what we are doing at Ekpofu in Nkanu East where we have 200 hectares well-fenced and we have farm warehouse and mini house for farmers and people coming to work there. So, it is going to be a modernised farm where everything you need to farm will be there.

“Also, after the discussion, we all agreed that we were going to our local governments to look for available land to start the clearing so as to bring this dream to fruition.”

He explained that the meeting also reached a resolution demanding the council chairmen to construct access roads to the farm estates, noting that Governor Mbah reiterated his administration’s readiness to assist the local governments beyond the 60 per cent state counterpart funding for capital development projects embarked on by the councils.

On his part, the Council Chairman of Igbo-Etiti, Dr. Odo, announced the meeting’s decision to end open defecation in the state by the end of 2025 and steps to decentralise refuse collection.

“At the end of the meeting, it was expected that every local government area by the 31st of December, 2025 should be declared as ODF in Enugu State. We are happy that we are taking the lead in the South East.”

He added the meeting resolved to engender more collaboration between the Enugu Waste Management Agency, ESWAMA, and the local government councils that would see the councils play more roles in the efficient collection and evacuation of refuse.

Hon. Aka Eze Aka, also briefed Government House correspondents about the resolution to pave all roads leading to all the Smart Schools and PHCs.

“The Local Government Chairmen have been charged to construct paved roads to every Smart Green Schooland Primary Healthcare Centres in their areas. This is one of the important decisions reached,” Aka said.