By Abdul Aji with Omede Samuel.
In an era of political failures, societal hardships and bewilderments culminated with corrupt practices among leaders in the country, one woman stands out worthy of emulation in grassroots development and administrative excellence in a local government council in Kogi State. Deaconess Rachael Ukwo John, the Director of Local Government/Head of Service, Ofu Local Government Council, is a seasoned administrator who has achieved much in a short period of time. Her amiable and sound leadership qualities coupled with her diligence and humane disposition with which she performs her official duties as Acting Chairman of Ofu Local Government Council is an eloquent testimony that has really proved this woman of destiny a leader to be reckoned with.
According to Omede Idoko Samuel, Principal Information Officer, Ofu Local Government Council, immediately upon assumption of office as the Acting Chairman of the Council, Ukwo John, committed the security agents and vigilante groups into getting more serious with crime prevention. She assisted them with financially and materially supports, geared towards promoting peace and security in the area.
Deaconess Rachael believes in team work, and so she carries all the staff of the Council along in the scheme of things, and her management team ensures that the members of staff come to work promptly and perform their duties with efficiency deserved to move the Local Government forward.
Deaconess Ukwo John, on the directive of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, prioritized the staff welfare, majorly in the payment of salaries, allowances, leave grants and personal claims incurred in the course of performing their official duties.
She also placed the principal officers of the Council on impress to enable them run their respective offices with effectiveness, and she also engages some capable hands on auxiliary capacity to complement the insufficient personnel in the Local Government, who received their stipend monthly.
As a health officer, Ukwo John regularly, and jointly funded state and Local Government health programmes to ensure that health sector is given high priority in Ofu Local Government area.
Under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, she constantly assists community-based development associations to either commence or complete the development projects in their respective communities.
Ofu Local Government is not indebted to any individual, contractor or organization; a very rare feat she has accomplished. She laboured tirelessly to bring the Local Government “accounts garnishing” case to a permanent close.
In the area of education, the Local Government has been giving financial assistance to the students in schools and colleges in the area; and payment of basic education teachers salaries are done as at when due without stress.
The Local Government frequently assists and supports the programmes of the less privileged in the Council. Her ingenuity and diligence in handling sensitive matters is something to write home about.
The administration is involved in the construction and rehabilitation of the roads leading to the Local Government Staff Quarters as well as the ones that led to the Secretariat. She has also undergone some roads rehabilitation within the secretariat; she constructed a bus stop at the frontage of the Local Government Secretariat, Ugwolawo in collaboration with NULGE Executives.
As a result of her outstanding performance, Ukwo John received a good number of awards that includes: An Award of Excellent Performance by the Ofu Local Government branch of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, An award of Excellence in Administration by the Association of Women Workers, AWW, in Ofu Local Government, an award of Humanitarian Services by the branch of Ofu Local Government Health and Medical Workers Union of Nigeria (HMWUN); among others.
Deaconess Ukwo John is a leader with a great passion and vision to transform the rural area. Without doubt, she is an administrator per excellence, a philanthropist to reckon with. To those who knew Ukwo John from cradle and college life in Ugwolawo town, through service to humanity at Ofu Local Government Council, she is known for self-discipline and dedication to doing things according to its perspective. She abhors corruption; selfish manipulations in government service and anything that tends to undermine the interest of less privileged in the society. This outstanding human quality, no doubt, brought her to leadership limelight in the local council.
She started as a health officer; having attended School of Health Technology Idah. She promptly grew in her career through further studies and eventually became an administrator in the local government council. She is the first health officer in the council to move from health officer career to become a local government manager.
