The Enugu State governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, Wednesday, commissioned a number of projects which included the 1.8 kilometers Afia Nine, Onuato, Onyiuke roads, Independence Layout, 270 modern shopping complex, Akwatta, and new secretariat/administrative complex in Enugu North local government area of the state.
The governor, while commending the executive chairman of the council area, Hon Emeka Onunze, for his investments in critical infrastructure in line with the focus of his administration, said the newly constructed roads and the Akwatta shopping complex would not only create job opportunities for the people, facilitate ease of doing business, they would also assist in driving the economy.
“What we are witnessing today is in line with the plans of this government; to constantly keep making investments in critical infrastructure needed to create opportunities for our people and needed to drive the economy of our people. And when you invest in road network, it is a moment for our people because our economy is essentially road driven. Both goods and services are road driven. So, any investment in road has a multiplier effect for services and goods. In that way we keep lifting our people out of poverty, we keep increasing our GDP because for all those people who sell on this road, for the time lost before this road was constructed, you are going to see a reduction in that time,” he said.
Represented by the State Deputy Governor, Barr Ifeanyi Ossai, the governor expressed delight over the current trend in the local government administration in the state, saying they had started giving priority to capital and other meaningful projects that would grow the economy of the state and add value to the lives of the people they were meant to serve.
According to him: “We are happy that the councils in Enugu State are beginning to do infrastructures that are sustainable; they are beginning to migrate from councils of recurrent activities, to a place where councils act in manners that trigger economic development. Of course, they are taking a cue from the leadership of Governor Peter Mbah. If you look around our state, most of our councils, especially those outside the urban cities are huge investors in agriculture currently, and are synergizing with the State Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization in programmes like Special Agro-Processing Zones (SAPZ).”
Noting that local government is an independent component of the federal system of government, the governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to partner with the third tier in areas of development, economic growth, human capital asset, and eradication of poverty by supporting their programmes with resources for the benefit of the citizens.
“You must also recognize that the councils are independent arm of government; so what we can do with them is partnership. We encourage them, and the economic commission is working with them on projects they invest their resources, and we support them to ensure that the will of the government and the benefit of our government get to our people,” he added.
He, however, charged local government chairmen and those working with them to look inward, be more creative, share experiences and learn from their colleagues in order to boost their productivity, add value to the society, and invest in projects that would improve the standards of living of their people, enjoining them to emulate the Enugu North council chairman and speed up development.
Speaking earlier, Onunze appreciated the governor for the opportunity and support his administration had been receiving from the state government throughout the period of projects lasted.
He said the projects were initiated to complement the efforts of the state government to reposition the state and make it a hub of investment, maintain that the shopping complex would boost the presence of economic activities in the area, and also generate revenue for the state.
“I want to thank the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah for the opportunity to serve the people and for the conducive environment for us to thrive. All these projects couldn’t have been possible without his encouragement and support.
“The governor has become an inspiration and enabler to us in the third tier. Within the few months of his administration, we have started seeing huge changes in terms of performance and productivity, infrastructure, water, empowerment, security, and general growth,” the chairman noted.
He said the administrative office was named after the governor because of his good governance metrics and impact across the state, even as he assured that the established maintenance culture in the system will ensure that completed projects and those under construction will not be abandoned.
Recall that the state government announced on September 6, 2023 that it would partner with local government areas in the state to fund development and other human capital projects across the local councils by providing 60 percent of the fund needed for the designated projects.
