Diamond Fitness Club of Nigeria has donated a pick-up van fitted with classy security gadgets together with a N7 million cash to the Anambra State Government as part of its support to Governor Willie Obiano’s efforts to eliminate criminals from the state.

A delegation of the Lagos-based club, whose membership is drawn from the Igbo-speaking states of the country, recently presented the car and cash to the governor at the Governor’s Lodge in Awka. The club called on Obiano to allocate land to it for the construction of the proposed Diamond Estate in the state capital.

The donation was done in fulfillment of the club’s promise to Governor Obiano during the launching of the Anambra security fund in Lagos and in response to the governor’s call to Anambra people all over the world to invest at home, especially in security matters.

Chief Jude Onyebuchi, leader of the delegation and president of the club, also made a personal donation of N3 million to the state security trust fund, while the grand patron of the club, Chief Chigozie Nwolisa, and its vice president, Chief Ben Amuta, donated N2 million each.

Earlier in his address, the secretary general of the club, Chief Vincent Ananti, said that their main objective was to perform their social responsibility to one of their home states. He said they were encouraged by Governor Obiano’s resolve to stamp out crime, kidnapping and other ills that made Anambra a state of disorder in the past.

Ananti stressed that in their burning desire to contribute towards the development of the state, they need some hectares of land for the development of an estate.

According to him, the proposed estate would have a centre for Igbo Language and culture, with befitting hostels for the children of Anambra people in Diaspora, to enable them learn Igbo Language and culture. The estate, according to him, would also have a recreational facility, a guest house, a lawn tennis court, table tennis, swimming pool, volley ball, among other facilities.

He disclosed that the estate will equally have a medical laboratory and diagnostic centre which will be open to the public adding that if the land is provided in a good location in Awka, the club would be willing to pay all the required fees, adding that their target is for the projects to be ready for commissioning by the governor in the next two to three years.

Governor Obiano in his response thanked the club for the donation, assuring them that all the criminals driven out of Anambra State would never return as the state has become a no go area for them.

The governor further expressed his administration’s willingness to allocate land to the club for development purposes.

He explained that as the smallest state in the country in terms of landmass, deliberate efforts were being made to ensure that every piece of land was put to maximum use.

His words: “When I came in, I decided that we should not be allocating land indiscriminately. For this reason, you should liaise with the newly established Anambra State Investment and Promotion Agency (ANSIPA), which will decide where your kind of project will be best sited.

“In addition, you should come up with a design of the project as government is not prepared to allocate land to people who will share them into plots for personal use after getting it.”

•Photo shows Obiano with the Diamond Club delegation.

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