Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji, in this interview, speaks on governance in the state, issues of security and how Governor Dave Umahi’s programmes would be sustained. FELIX NWANERI reportS



The politics of 2023 is gathering momentum across the country. Some groups are of the view that there should be zoning, while others are opposed to it. What is Governor Dave Umahi’s position on this?



We have a charter of equity, even if it is not justiciablle. But it is morally justifiable that in Ebonyi State, the first governor came from the North Senatorial District and had his eight years.
The second governor came from the Central Senatorial District and had his eight years. By divine intervention and God’s providence, the third governor came from the South Senatorial District.



Therefore, it is only equitable that it goes back to those that have been there before. But whether it is going to the North or Central, it is left between God and the governor, but he is actually looking beyond this to get the best hands.
Governor Umahi is looking at the best hands that will get the support of God and the capacity to deliver because succession is very critical in ensuring sustainability in his programmes.



He is looking at ensuring that equity is made permanent in the polity of Ebonyi State. That is why whatever appointment he is making, he is looking at equity and equality.. Even at the local government level, he makes sure that it is zoned equitably. So, he believes in zoning.



*Many believe that the governor has so far done well, especially in terms of infrastructure. What is he doing to reduce unemployment among youths of the state?*



The governor is conscious of the fact that youths constitute the majority of the population and their issues must be addressed for us to have peace and development in the state.

So, currently he rolled out recruitment opportunity for 5,000 civil servants; 2,000 at the local government level and 3,000 at the state level. A committee was set up on August 13, to really fine-tune the modalities for equitable distribution of the job opportunities to the various local government areas. It is an opportunity for young Ebonyians from the ages of 18 to 35 years to be employed in the civil service.



That is going to help a lot in injecting more young blood into the civil service. But beyond this, the governor thinks that white collar jobs is not all there is for our young youths really needs to develop themselves.



It is really empowerment that they need; there is mental financial, moral and emotional empowerment. Mental empowerment in the sense that the youths needs quite a lot of capacity through formal education, from primary to university and non-formal education like vocational training.



That is why our governor privatised some schools, by giving it to missionaries to handle. This is in line with our policy of partnering with the private sector for quality education and participation. Through this means, we have quite a lot of vocational colleges handed over to the Catholic mission for them to handle. Of course, we know the importance of that.



We will ensure quality education, discipline and teachers that are separated from this problem of incessant strikes here and there. We are pretty sure that this measure will add value to the education system in Ebonyi State.



But beyond this, the governor thinks that those that could not have opportunity of going to school but have got some vocational activities, like craftsmen, artisans and technicians, they should have the opportunity of formalising their trainings through certifications after a training of between two to four years.



That is why the vocational college is established. It is now running and training artisans, craftsmen and even those in entrepreneurship programmes, so that they can have the certificate to go for financial empowerment that will come from state government, development partners like the Bank of Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other donor agencies.



*The issue of security is a major one to almost every state in Nigeria; how has Ebonyi State been able to manage the situation?*



Honestly, it is because of the proactive engagement processes of the governor through his engagement with critical stakeholders across the various local government areas. When #EndSARS came and issues of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) agitation came, leading to serious violence across the state, the governor felt he has to do something differently.



One is to pray because everything depends on God. So, he declared some weeks of fasting and prayers to seek the face of God in the situation of violence we found ourselves and secondly, he now had to go to the various rural communities to engage the stakeholders, town union leaders, the traditional rulers, the religious leaders and all former and present office holders, no matter their political affiliations, and that is really beginning to yield veritable results.



But more importantly, the governor is holding office holders in various communities accountable. If anything happens in your community and there is no pr o a c t ive measure or action taken by the office holders, then they have to answer for it.



That is why you will hear that we are having some discipline issues. We have in recent times suspended some office holders and others disciplined in one way or the other for refusing or neglecting to tame the issues of insecurity, violence and agitations in their various communities. As I speak with you, there is no community that we have any communal disturbances.



All the communities are very calm and they have come to realise that never again will they shed blood on issue of land ownership. But don’t forget that we are an agrarian state and as the governor continued to develop the nooks and cranny of the state, the people had to show consciousness on land ownership and that would from time to time result to clash.



However, orientation and sensitisation are massively going on and that has really brought down the scourge of clashes and violence in some parts of the state.



*Less than two years to go, what is the Umahi administration doing to ensure that it completes the various projects that are ongoing?*



The governor is going to complete all the projects that he initiated. Do not forget that so many have already been completed but the governor does not believe that it is all about commissioning of projects but ensuring that dividends of democracy are made available to people.



The governor has done over 1,500 kilometres of state road and over 500 kilometres of federal road. He has done the light tunnel, the biggest in Africa; he has done the shopping mall that is the biggest in Africa; he has done the international market that is the biggest in South-East.



The Ebonyi International Airport is almost completed and the governor believes that an aircraft will land at the airport before the end of next year.



The governor has also promised that the stadium would be completed before he bows out in 2023. We have 13 flyovers and out of the number, eight have been completed. The remaining ones that are under construction will also be completed.



We need to appreciate the importance of flyovers in any town. In the next 50 years, we will not have the problem of traffic, where investors will go to because the environment has been properly designated. We see a situation that Ebonyi State will be the economic hub of the South-East.



There is also financial empowerment that would be given to our teaming women and youths in the area of agriculture and entrepreneurship. In the area of employment, the College of Medicine that I failed to mention earlier is going to trigger more than 10,000 jobs.



The shopping mall is also going to provide more than 10,000 direct and direct jobs. These are things that will bring economic development. And what is the difference between economic development and economic growth? It is when individuals in the state have something to do to fend for themselves and be self-reliant and self-sufficient.



When there is less emphasis on white-collar jobs and emphasis on green-collar jobs is the time you can you can say that a state or society has attained a high level of economic development.

That is the attainment the governor wants to have for Ebonyi State before he bows out in 2023. And I think that the efforts of the governor have started yielding positive results as we can see from the recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the state-by-state assessment of economic impact by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which say that Ebonyi State has the lowest debt profile among the states of the South-East and the highest prudence level in the area of management of resources.

In the area of job creation and empowerment, the same NBS said that Ebonyi State empowerment and job creation initiative is the second best in the South-East.



A World Bank report on state-by-state health index or what they call maternal mortality index shows that Ebonyi State has above average in terms of performance in the area of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. It will also interest you to know that the Federal Ministry of Finance has equally given us a clean bill on the issue of debt.



That is why for any grant that is to be assessed by the states; we will be among the first to do that. One of the governor’s secrets is the spirit of prudence; fiscal responsibility is his watch word and he has zero tolerance for waste of taxpayers’ money.



Again, the governor takes advantage of every opportunity provided by the Federal Government, donor agencies and development partners, whether national or international. Above all, the governor believes that after election, comes governance that is all inclusive.



That was why even though he was in PDP during his first term; he was able to take advantage of every opportunity provided by the Federal Government, including the Central Bank of Nigeria Anchor Borrowers Funding Programme, Commercial Agriculture Funding Programme, NPower programme as well as World Bank’s agricultural programmes like FADAMA III.



The governor took advantage of these programmes to recreate the economy of Ebonyi State as well as to create the enabling environment for the growth of the economy of the state.

Good governance = Gov Dave Umahi.

Apart from the fact that this guy Umahi is working to develop his state, the state can't surpass Anambra, Abia or even Enugu in economic terms. These states mentioned above are machines.

Are you normal?

MACEO:
Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji, in this interview, speaks on governance in the state, issues of security and how Governor Dave Umahi’s programmes would be sustained. FELIX NWANERI reportS



The politics of 2023 is gathering momentum across the country. Some groups are of the view that there should be zoning, while others are opposed to it. What is Governor Dave Umahi’s position on this?



We have a charter of equity, even if it is not justiciablle. But it is morally justifiable that in Ebonyi State, the first governor came from the North Senatorial District and had his eight years.
The second governor came from the Central Senatorial District and had his eight years. By divine intervention and God’s providence, the third governor came from the South Senatorial District.



Therefore, it is only equitable that it goes back to those that have been there before. But whether it is going to the North or Central, it is left between God and the governor, but he is actually looking beyond this to get the best hands.
Governor Umahi is looking at the best hands that will get the support of God and the capacity to deliver because succession is very critical in ensuring sustainability in his programmes.



He is looking at ensuring that equity is made permanent in the polity of Ebonyi State. That is why whatever appointment he is making, he is looking at equity and equality.. Even at the local government level, he makes sure that it is zoned equitably. So, he believes in zoning.



*Many believe that the governor has so far done well, especially in terms of infrastructure. What is he doing to reduce unemployment among youths of the state?*



The governor is conscious of the fact that youths constitute the majority of the population and their issues must be addressed for us to have peace and development in the state.

So, currently he rolled out recruitment opportunity for 5,000 civil servants; 2,000 at the local government level and 3,000 at the state level. A committee was set up on August 13, to really fine-tune the modalities for equitable distribution of the job opportunities to the various local government areas. It is an opportunity for young Ebonyians from the ages of 18 to 35 years to be employed in the civil service.



That is going to help a lot in injecting more young blood into the civil service. But beyond this, the governor thinks that white collar jobs is not all there is for our young youths really needs to develop themselves.



It is really empowerment that they need; there is mental financial, moral and emotional empowerment. Mental empowerment in the sense that the youths needs quite a lot of capacity through formal education, from primary to university and non-formal education like vocational training.



That is why our governor privatised some schools, by giving it to missionaries to handle. This is in line with our policy of partnering with the private sector for quality education and participation. Through this means, we have quite a lot of vocational colleges handed over to the Catholic mission for them to handle. Of course, we know the importance of that.



We will ensure quality education, discipline and teachers that are separated from this problem of incessant strikes here and there. We are pretty sure that this measure will add value to the education system in Ebonyi State.



But beyond this, the governor thinks that those that could not have opportunity of going to school but have got some vocational activities, like craftsmen, artisans and technicians, they should have the opportunity of formalising their trainings through certifications after a training of between two to four years.



That is why the vocational college is established. It is now running and training artisans, craftsmen and even those in entrepreneurship programmes, so that they can have the certificate to go for financial empowerment that will come from state government, development partners like the Bank of Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other donor agencies.



*The issue of security is a major one to almost every state in Nigeria; how has Ebonyi State been able to manage the situation?*



Honestly, it is because of the proactive engagement processes of the governor through his engagement with critical stakeholders across the various local government areas. When #EndSARS came and issues of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) agitation came, leading to serious violence across the state, the governor felt he has to do something differently.



One is to pray because everything depends on God. So, he declared some weeks of fasting and prayers to seek the face of God in the situation of violence we found ourselves and secondly, he now had to go to the various rural communities to engage the stakeholders, town union leaders, the traditional rulers, the religious leaders and all former and present office holders, no matter their political affiliations, and that is really beginning to yield veritable results.



But more importantly, the governor is holding office holders in various communities accountable. If anything happens in your community and there is no pr o a c t ive measure or action taken by the office holders, then they have to answer for it.



That is why you will hear that we are having some discipline issues. We have in recent times suspended some office holders and others disciplined in one way or the other for refusing or neglecting to tame the issues of insecurity, violence and agitations in their various communities. As I speak with you, there is no community that we have any communal disturbances.



All the communities are very calm and they have come to realise that never again will they shed blood on issue of land ownership. But don’t forget that we are an agrarian state and as the governor continued to develop the nooks and cranny of the state, the people had to show consciousness on land ownership and that would from time to time result to clash.



However, orientation and sensitisation are massively going on and that has really brought down the scourge of clashes and violence in some parts of the state.



*Less than two years to go, what is the Umahi administration doing to ensure that it completes the various projects that are ongoing?*



The governor is going to complete all the projects that he initiated. Do not forget that so many have already been completed but the governor does not believe that it is all about commissioning of projects but ensuring that dividends of democracy are made available to people.



The governor has done over 1,500 kilometres of state road and over 500 kilometres of federal road. He has done the light tunnel, the biggest in Africa; he has done the shopping mall that is the biggest in Africa; he has done the international market that is the biggest in South-East.



The Ebonyi International Airport is almost completed and the governor believes that an aircraft will land at the airport before the end of next year.



The governor has also promised that the stadium would be completed before he bows out in 2023. We have 13 flyovers and out of the number, eight have been completed. The remaining ones that are under construction will also be completed.



We need to appreciate the importance of flyovers in any town. In the next 50 years, we will not have the problem of traffic, where investors will go to because the environment has been properly designated. We see a situation that Ebonyi State will be the economic hub of the South-East.



There is also financial empowerment that would be given to our teaming women and youths in the area of agriculture and entrepreneurship. In the area of employment, the College of Medicine that I failed to mention earlier is going to trigger more than 10,000 jobs.



The shopping mall is also going to provide more than 10,000 direct and direct jobs. These are things that will bring economic development. And what is the difference between economic development and economic growth? It is when individuals in the state have something to do to fend for themselves and be self-reliant and self-sufficient.



When there is less emphasis on white-collar jobs and emphasis on green-collar jobs is the time you can you can say that a state or society has attained a high level of economic development.

That is the attainment the governor wants to have for Ebonyi State before he bows out in 2023. And I think that the efforts of the governor have started yielding positive results as we can see from the recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the state-by-state assessment of economic impact by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which say that Ebonyi State has the lowest debt profile among the states of the South-East and the highest prudence level in the area of management of resources.

In the area of job creation and empowerment, the same NBS said that Ebonyi State empowerment and job creation initiative is the second best in the South-East.



A World Bank report on state-by-state health index or what they call maternal mortality index shows that Ebonyi State has above average in terms of performance in the area of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. It will also interest you to know that the Federal Ministry of Finance has equally given us a clean bill on the issue of debt.



That is why for any grant that is to be assessed by the states; we will be among the first to do that. One of the governor’s secrets is the spirit of prudence; fiscal responsibility is his watch word and he has zero tolerance for waste of taxpayers’ money.



Again, the governor takes advantage of every opportunity provided by the Federal Government, donor agencies and development partners, whether national or international. Above all, the governor believes that after election, comes governance that is all inclusive.



That was why even though he was in PDP during his first term; he was able to take advantage of every opportunity provided by the Federal Government, including the Central Bank of Nigeria Anchor Borrowers Funding Programme, Commercial Agriculture Funding Programme, NPower programme as well as World Bank’s agricultural programmes like FADAMA III.



The governor took advantage of these programmes to recreate the economy of Ebonyi State as well as to create the enabling environment for the growth of the economy of the state.

He tried for infrastructure but sense na zero. Selling his people for political relevance

Pls Ebonyi people how much is a plot of land in a good place.

Ebonyi is growing.

Infrastructure wise, Ebony is better to abia

centoke30:
Apart from the fact that this guy Umahi is working to develop his state, the state can't surpass Anambra, Abia or even Enugu in economic terms. These states mentioned above are machines.

The most foolish statement made by the world most stupid person

uglyafonja:


The most foolish statement made by the world most stupid person

You are indeed a dummy.. A thread was created and a comment was made, is it that your ancestors never knew how to express themselves or you are just from a lineage of frustrated people that makes people's ish theirs? I doubt you are a southeastener. That been said, you can go and dance naked