ABAKALIKI – Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has marked his third year in office with a comprehensive review of his administration’s achievements, highlighting significant strides in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, industrialization, and human capital development across Ebonyi State.
The achievements were contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebeh, who described the governor’s performance as a practical demonstration of the People’s Charter of Needs agenda.
According to the statement, the administration has sponsored 1,400 beneficiaries on foreign and local postgraduate scholarships, while also providing scholarships to 140 indigenous students seeking admission into the proposed ICT University, Agbaja.
“The administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has remained committed to delivering people-oriented projects and programmes that directly impact the lives of Ebonyians,” Omebeh stated.
The government said it had cleared pensions and gratuities owed to retired civil servants from 2015 to date and settled outstanding gratuities for local government retirees dating back to the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996.
In the education sector, the administration recruited 2,000 teachers, upgraded the Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo, to a degree-awarding institution, and increased the monthly subvention to Ebonyi State University to N300 million.
The statement also highlighted the recruitment of 100 judicial officers and 1,700 workers into various ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the digitization and rehabilitation of the state Ministry of Justice.
On infrastructure, the government listed the completion of the runway construction, rehabilitation, and equipping of Chuba Okadigbo International Airport, the construction of 140 duplexes for public and civil servants, and the rehabilitation of the Oferekpe Mega Water Scheme.
Several major projects are also ongoing, including the construction of the five-span Enyim Bridge linking Ebonyi and Benue states, twin flyover bridges at Vanco Junction in Abakaliki, the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, the Industrial Cluster in Ezzamgbo, and the Ishiagu Mega Water Scheme.
The administration further reported the rehabilitation and reactivation of state-owned industries, including the Ebonyi Fertilizer and Chemical Company, the Pipe Production Company, and the Building Materials Industrial Company in Ezzamgbo.
In healthcare, the government said it had revitalized 171 primary healthcare centres, rehabilitated and equipped the 13 general hospitals in the state, distributed ambulances and utility vehicles to health facilities, and established the Ebonyi State Medical Diagnostic Centre in Nwofe with MRI and CT-Scan facilities.
The statement noted that the government had also paid hospital bills for indigent patients receiving treatment in state-owned hospitals and the teaching hospital in Abakaliki.
On social welfare and empowerment, the administration disclosed that it had constructed houses for indigent widows, empowered women farmers with grants, supported students and persons living with disabilities, and provided financial assistance to beneficiaries under the Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru Empowerment Programme (FONEP).
The government further stated that 1,500 youths had been empowered with N1 million each, while over 2,000 beneficiaries received support under the NG-Cares World Bank-assisted Labour Intensive Public Works Programme.
Omebeh maintained that the administration’s achievements extend beyond infrastructure to include notable gains in employment generation, poverty reduction, healthcare delivery, agriculture, housing, and education.
“Indeed, the list is inexhaustible. More achievements are being recorded daily as Governor Nwifuru continues to implement the People’s Charter of Needs for the benefit of Ebonyi people,” he said.
The commissioner expressed optimism that ongoing projects across the state would further accelerate socio-economic development and improve the living standards of residents, the administration has sponsored 1,400 beneficiaries on foreign and local postgraduate scholarships, while also providing scholarships to 140 indigenous students seeking admission into the proposed ICT University, Agbaja.
“The administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has remained committed to delivering people-oriented projects and programmes that directly impact the lives of Ebonyians,” Omebeh stated.
The government said it had cleared pensions and gratuities owed to retired civil servants from 2015 to date and settled outstanding gratuities for local government retirees dating back to the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996.
In the education sector, the administration recruited 2,000 teachers, upgraded the Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo, to a degree-awarding institution, and increased the monthly subvention to Ebonyi State University to N300 million.
The statement also highlighted the recruitment of 100 judicial officers and 1,700 workers into various ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the digitization and rehabilitation of the state Ministry of Justice.
On infrastructure, the government listed the completion of the runway construction, rehabilitation, and equipping of Chuba Okadigbo International Airport, the construction of 140 duplexes for public and civil servants, and the rehabilitation of the Oferekpe Mega Water Scheme.
Several major projects are also ongoing, including the construction of the five-span Enyim Bridge linking Ebonyi and Benue states, twin flyover bridges at Vanco Junction in Abakaliki, the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, the Industrial Cluster in Ezzamgbo, and the Ishiagu Mega Water Scheme.
The administration further reported the rehabilitation and reactivation of state-owned industries, including the Ebonyi Fertilizer and Chemical Company, the Pipe Production Company, and the Building Materials Industrial Company in Ezzamgbo.
In healthcare, the government said it had revitalized 171 primary healthcare centres, rehabilitated and equipped the 13 general hospitals in the state, distributed ambulances and utility vehicles to health facilities, and established the Ebonyi State Medical Diagnostic Centre in Nwofe with MRI and CT-Scan facilities.
The statement noted that the government had also paid hospital bills for indigent patients receiving treatment in state-owned hospitals and the teaching hospital in Abakaliki.
On social welfare and empowerment, the administration disclosed that it had constructed houses for indigent widows, empowered women farmers with grants, supported students and persons living with disabilities, and provided financial assistance to beneficiaries under the Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru Empowerment Programme (FONEP).
The government further stated that 1,500 youths had been empowered with N1 million each, while over 2,000 beneficiaries received support under the NG-Cares World Bank-assisted Labour Intensive Public Works Programme.
Omebeh maintained that the administration’s achievements extend beyond infrastructure to include notable gains in employment generation, poverty reduction, healthcare delivery, agriculture, housing, and education.
“Indeed, the list is inexhaustible. More achievements are being recorded daily as Governor Nwifuru continues to implement the People’s Charter of Needs for the benefit of Ebonyi people,” he said.
The commissioner expressed optimism that ongoing projects across the state would further accelerate socio-economic development and improve the living standards of residents.