Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating an environment that will be conducive for sustained transformation of the rural economy.
Ugwuanyi said this at Ohom-Orba community in Udenu Local Government Area of the state during the inauguration of a World Bank-assisted Civic and Skill Acquisition Centre worth more than N10 million.
“My administration will continue to put smiles on the faces of the masses especially at the rural areas through people-oriented economic development programmes,’’ the governor said on Monday.
Ugwuanyi, who was represented by the Chairman of the local government, Chief Frank Ugwu, said that his administration had improved the lives of the people through its people-oriented programmes and policies in the past three years.
“The state government has provided an enabling environment for sustenance of developmental projects in the urban and rural communities in the state.
“The state had no problem in keying into the World Bank projects because it is one of the four-point agenda of my administration for the development of the state.
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“The Community Social Development Projects (CSDP) and World Bank assisted projects had touched the lives of many rural communities and dwellers; and it is not like elephant projects that have no direct impact on the people.
“Even as the projects embarked by CSDP are of high quality and always completed on time,’’ he said.
Earlier, the General Manager, CSDP, Dr Maximus Asogwa, said that 75 World Bank supported community-driven micro-projects were completed in 2017.
Asogwa said that in the current phase, 32 communities had benefited from the projects so far, while 10 of the communities were recently given the first tranche of the more than N10 million funding to begin the implementation of the projects approved for them.
The 10 communities are Ikem-Etiti, Isu Ehaagu, Ogbodu, Ugwu-Attama, Owelli-Court, Mmaku-Agbo, Umuogbo-Agu, Aguibeji, Isigwe-Ugbakwa, and Akpugo-Ezedike.
Responding, the traditional ruler of Ohom-Orba community, Igwe Everestus Onah, said that the project was started in 2010, but was abandoned before Ugwuanyi came to the community’s rescue with a counter-part funding of N1 million.
Onah, who spoke on behalf of his community, said: “I thank God that this project is being commissioned in my lifetime.
“I commend our son, Governor Ugwaunyi, the World Bank, and the management of CSDP, led by its General Manager, Asogwa, for enhancing our life through this project.
“I pray God to continue to bestow upon our son, Ugwuanyi, His divine wisdom and to strengthen him as he carries out the onerous task of governing Enugu State.’’ he said. (NAN)
