Ugwuanyi inaugurates, warns LG chairmen

Our administration frowns seriously at absenteeism or running of your respective Councils from outside your localities; and we hope that no Council Chairman or Councilor tests our resolve in this regard. 

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State today, 2 March 2020, swore in local council chairmen who triumphed in the elections conducted on Saturday 29 February and warned them to abide by the pre-election agreement they reached.

In his address at the event which held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, he re-echoed the terms of the agreement, to the effect that elected chairmen and councilors must live and work from their respective local government areas, rather than run their councils as visitors from townships.

“Our administration frowns seriously at absenteeism or running of your respective Councils from outside your localities; and we hope that no Council Chairman or Councilor tests our resolve in this regard. 

“We want to see competitive development in the construction and maintenance of feeder roads, health facilities, primary educational facilities, portable water, rural electrification, and investment in agriculture, among others.”

Gov. Ugwuanyi

“To effectively do (your jobs), I expect you to live among your people in line with our understanding ahead of the election. Make yourselves very accessible to the people, interact with them regularly, feel their pulse constantly in order to serve and secure them better.”

The Governor also instructed the new chief executives on what should be their priorities in governance.

“We want to see competitive development in the construction and maintenance of feeder roads, health facilities, primary educational facilities, portable water, rural electrification, and investment in agriculture, among others.”

Gov. Ugwuanyi added security to the list, asking them to complement the state government’s efforts by prioritizing security and peace in their respective jurisdictions.

“There shall be no interferences whatsoever in the running of the Councils;… instead, we will continue to synergize with the Councils to better the lots of the rural areas where the overwhelming populations of our people live.”

Gov. Ugwuanyi

Finally, he asked the chairmen to always promote “transparency, accountability, probity, and humaneness” in their administration.

“In very difficult economic times like this, your government must wear a human face and work to lift our people out of poverty,” he said.

Governor Ugwuanyi said he was aware that the local government councils are independent and would respect that fact.

“There shall be no interferences whatsoever in the running of the Councils;… instead, we will continue to synergize with the Councils to better the lots of the rural areas where the overwhelming populations of our people live.”

“Your loyalty is to God and the country; and your commitment is to the people,” he said.

Commenting on the election of 29 February that produced the new chairmen, the Governor expressed joy that Enugu people “turned out in their numbers” to overwhelmingly elect the party candidates, a fact that should make them exercise their mandates with the fear of God.

He said he was impressed with the way that political stakeholders across party lines conducted themselves in a peaceful manner, right from the primaries to the main elections.

He therefore commended the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) and the security agencies for providing the necessary resources and environment “for our people to freely exercise their franchise and have their votes count.”The inauguration was witnessed by Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts including Senator Ike Ekweremadu, State Assembly Speaker Edward Ubosi, state party chairman Augustine Nnamani, and former national woman leader of the party, Mrs. Josephine Anenih.

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