Assessing The Ebonyi People’s Charter Of Needs Agenda

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the next national election cycle is set to commence in January 2027. Given that timeline, political office holders, especially those seeking re-election, are busy advertising their achievements in the soon-to-expire four-year term. The intention is to give the people, the electorate, reasons to allow them, through the ballot box, another four years to conclude what they had started.

In Ebonyi State, the governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, in his campaign trail, has continued to highlight his achievements that cuts across the socio-economic strata of the state.

For instance, to enhance the working conditions of judicial officers in the state and to facilitate the justice delivery system, the governor has, over the last four years, undertaken the rehabilitation, refurbishment, equipping, and digitisation of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice. This is in addition to the recruitment of 100 Judicial Officers into the state Judicial service system.

To enable information dissemination and public enlightenment, the governor rehabilitated, re-equipped and digitized Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC Salt FM and Salt TV)

To ensure that Chuba Okadigbo International Airport contributes its quota to the economic development of Ebonyi State, the administration of Governor Nwifuru constructed a new runway just as he rehabilitated and equipped the facilities required to enhance its viability.

Ebonyi State had had its fair share of communal clashes and border conflicts. The governor approached the issue with single-minded determination to restore peace, without which economic development will be hampered

To this extent, therefore, total peace has been restored in places like Ohankwu/Amanna in Ikwo/Ezza South, Ezza/Ezillo in Ishielu Local Government LGAs, Effium/Ezza Effium in Ohaukwu LGA and Isinkwo/Abamoge in Onicha Local Government Area.

Governor Nwifuru is aware that these conflicts are a manifestation of gaps in the state’s internal security system. To bridge these gaps, he procured and distributed 37 Hilux vehicles to the Security agencies and procured three security surveillance drones.

In the area of infrastructure, the Nwifuru administration has several kilometres of road projects – completed and ongoing to show to the people of the state.

In addition to providing infrastructure, the present administration has deployed enormous resources to generate employment, develop human capital, advance education, eradicate poverty, provide housing, support agriculture, improve health, and more, in line with the People’s Charter of needs agenda.

In the area of basic education, the administration has recruited 2,000 teachers into primary and secondary schools in the state, constructed 57 new classroom blocks in basic education schools, constructed one-storey buildings with 12 classrooms in 39 basic education schools, and rehabilitated dilapidated school buildings in 28 primary schools.

In the housing sector, the governor has constructed modern duplexes for all traditional rulers in the state as well as 140 duplexes at Chief Chris Nwankwo Civil and Public Servants’ Estate,in Abakaliki, onstructed 300 units of 3-bedroom bungalows in Amanze and Izzo Autonomous Communities in Ishielu, 26 units of 3-bedroom bungalows for 26 indigent widows, 65 units of 3-bedroom bungalows for 65 indigent widows across the State, totalling 91 units.

To address the environmental challenges in the state, the administration procured and installed a municipal waste plant at Enyim Umuoghara, Ezza North. The government also procured excavators to facilitate the easy evacuation of waste from various dumpsites in the state.

The pulverisation Plant at Umuoghara has commenced producing cellophane from waste.

To ease transportation in the state, the administration established the EBOCAB Transport System and equipped it with 24 SUV Cars, 60 Renault Standard Mini Hulix vehicles, 12 tricycles. The government also procured 40 air-conditioned buses for EBOTRANS as well as four CNG buses for the People’s Charter of Needs Programme.

In the area of social welfare and empowerment, the administration of Nwifuru has paid pensions and gratuities to retired civil servants of the state from 2015 to date.

He has also paid pensions and gratuities to retired staff of Ebonyi State Local Government System from 1996 to date.

His road construction policy is impactful as several of such projects, across the state, have either been completed or are ongoing. He hopes that, with another four years in office, he will see to the actualisation of those projects.

The government’s water resource policy has witnessed the reactivation, rehabilitation of Ezillo Water Scheme which has restored water supply from Ezillo to Abakaliki Urban and reconnected Ezillo Water Scheme to the National Grid. This is in addition to the repair of the Main Water Supply Line from Ezillo to Abakaliki, addressing pipe rust, leakages, and illegal structures on water lines.

Within the past four years the governor has executed community projects across the state valued at over N81.255

So far, 102 communities have benefitted. Also 1,700 persons across the state have been trained and funded for grassroots development projects. Similarly, 2,040 Ebonyi people have been empowered.

180,000 each under the first batch of NG- CARES Labour Intensive Public Works Programme.

A second batch empowerment of another 2,040 beneficiaries with additional 180,000 each, bringing total support to N360,000 per beneficiary. (In Partnership with the federal government.

Under youth and entrepreneurship empowerment, the government has profiled over 3,000 Ebonyi youths across the 13 LGAs for empowerment opportunities.

The government has empowered 1,500 Ebonyi youths with N1 million each across the state, 50 with N2 million each to support businesses and livelihoods, and 51 Amnesty Programme beneficiaries with N2 million each. Two hundred Ebonyi people were sponsored for agricultural training at CSS Farms, Nasarawa State, with representation from every political ward

To provide electricity to the people, the government has installed stand-alone solar streetlights at Unwana Street Extension, House of Assembly Bypass, Police Post Road, and Okwase Street, Abakaliki.

The administration has revived the Federal Government/World Bank-assisted programmes in Ebonyi State, including: GEEP, CCT, N-Power, SOCU, School Feeding Programme.

Within the period under review, the government initiated and implemented the State Social Register, qualifying Ebonyi for multiple Federal/World Bank interventions.

The government also trained and evaluated school vendors handling the school feeding programme, attracted NCC network gadgets and digital infrastructure to the International market.

A USA-based GFP Team is currently building a Welding School at Ebonyi State University.

Perhaps, it is in the health sector that the governor has made a mark with the establishment of Drugs and Medical (Nursing and Midwifery Commodities Management Agency, enrolling all the civil and public servants officers in charge of PHCs into health insurance scheme, immunisation coverage, establishing Emergency Medical Services, revitalising 171 PHCs in the state and ambulance System.

The administration, as part of its humanitarian services, paid hospital bills of indigent patients. The governor also approved funds for repair of RT-PCR machine for Lassa Fever diagnosis. The government also upgraded general hospital Nwofe to a Ebonyi State College of Nursing Sciences.

Furthermore, the administration of Governor Nwifuru offered full master’s and Ph.D scholarships and automatic postgraduate scholarships for 1,400 Ebonyi first-class graduates to universities in the United Kingdom.

To aid human capital development, the government paid for and distributed debit cards to over 17,000 beneficiaries across the 13 LGAs, increased Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT).

In the civil and public service sector, the government recruited 1,700 Ebonyians and paid the 2020-2023 Promotion Arrears

The government also paid full pension and gratuity.

The government commenced fertiliser production at the Abakaliki Fertiliser Factory and distributed equipment to farmers and cooperatives.

With this record, which is essentially a summary of his programmes and policies for the period, it is up to the electorate to decide if he should be given another four years.