By Emmanuel Agbo, Abakaliki
The Edda Community in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, on Friday, marked its 2026 Community Day in grand style, celebrating unity, culture and progress, while honouring a distinguished son of the soil, Mr. Matthew Uguru, with an Award of Excellence for his outstanding humanitarian services to humanity.
The colourful event, held at Onuakpara-Edda Community Primary School, attracted a large crowd of traditional rulers, political leaders, business moguls, youth groups and community members from within and outside Abakaliki Local Government Area.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Chief Stephen Ebere Nwogba, commended the people of Edda for their unity, peace and collective spirit, describing the community as a model of harmony and development.
He noted that the decision to honour Mr. Uguru, who is the National Treasurer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, reflected the community’s appreciation for selfless service and philanthropy.
According to him, Mr. Uguru has made remarkable contributions to humanity across different spheres of life and truly deserved the honour, urging other communities in the council area to emulate Edda’s culture of unity and recognition of excellence.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion and Chairman of the Ebonyi State Local Government Service Commission, Chief Romanus Nwasum, described Edda as a unique and progressive community. He thanked Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for providing a peaceful and enabling environment for communities to thrive, noting that the governor’s policies had helped to end intra- and inter-communal crises in the state.
Chief Nwasum advised youths of the community to embrace formal education and skill acquisition, while shunning cultism and other social vices, stressing that discipline and hard work remain the foundation for a successful future.
In his remarks, the Coordinator of Enyida Development Centre, Hon. Ruben Ede, explained that January 17 of every year is set aside by the community to thank God for His blessings in the previous year and to seek divine guidance for the new year.
He described the 2026 celebration as special, as it was used to honour one of their illustrious sons for his selfless contributions to humanity, and called for sustained unity, love and peaceful coexistence among community members for greater development.
In separate goodwill messages, the member representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Uguru; Special Assistant to the Governor on Infrastructure Maintenance, Hon. Ben Nwovu; and Special Assistant to the Governor on Rice Mill and Manager of Ebonyi Rice World, Ikwo Branch, Hon. Abel Uzodimma Nwozaka, applauded the Edda people for their unity and peaceful coexistence.
They commended the community for recognising Mr. Uguru’s humanitarian efforts, noting that the honour would encourage more selfless service to society.
Similarly, the APC Chairman in Abakaliki LGA, Hon. Paulinus Attam; the Town Union President of Edda Community, Mr. Solomon Nwalike; and the Chairman of the 2026 Edda Day celebration, Chief Michael Udenwe, thanked God for granting the community the opportunity to witness the celebration and urged all sons and daughters of Edda to continue promoting peace, unity and development.
Responding after receiving the award, Mr. Matthew Uguru expressed gratitude to the community for the honour, describing it as a motivation to do more for humanity.
He also thanked Governor Nwifuru for appointing several sons and daughters of Edda into positions of responsibility in his administration.
He encouraged parents to invest in the education of their children and support skill acquisition programmes to ensure they grow into responsible and successful members of society.
Mr. Uguru further urged community members to actively participate in the ongoing APC membership registration and Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) exercise, while also supporting the re-election of Governor Nwifuru to enable the state enjoy more dividends of democracy.
The event featured cultural displays, music and expressions of communal pride, reinforcing Edda Community’s commitment to unity, peace and collective progress.
