From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah yesterday, inaugurated the 17 Local Government Council chairmen and their deputies elected during the September 21 council elections in the state, charging them to hit the ground running, delivering people-centered projects and programmes in line with their campaign promises.

Mbah also directed the new chairmen to relocate to their council areas, as the era when council chairmen lived in townships and far from their people were over, urging them to key into his government’s Smart Green School, rural infrastructural projects, agriculture, among others, to fight crime and create opportunities and brighter future for Enugu children and youth.

“I followed your campaign and all that you promised the people. I also heard a lot of you making allusions to our mantra, ‘Tommorrow Is Here’, during the campaign. I will tell you what ‘Tommorrow is here’ speaks to. It speaks to the immediacy of the tasks before us and how we can immediately get to solving those problems without procrastination. It also reminds us that the tomorrow we envision is within our grasp, but just to the extent we are able to innovate. That is why we are now talking about disruptive innovation.

“Now the time you did the talk is over and I am also going to add that the honeymoon is also over. It is now time to walk the talk and time to action those promises you made to the people. What the people now expect to hear is how and when you can solve the problems that have blighted their development over the years. So, this is now time for you to think outside the box,” Mbah stated.

The governor equally charged them to complement the state’s war against insecurity, as development was not possible without it.

“We have zero tolerance for crime and insecurity in Enugu State. If you are thinking about how to attract cottage industries and development to your various local governments, they would not come if you do not have peace and security,” he said.

He also charged them on inclusive governance and administering the councils from their LGAs.

 “The people would be the centerpiece of your governance model. You have to banish feelings of alienation and you must deliver democracy dividends to all.

“You should think about basic amenities. We have challenges across all the sectors. You should be thinking outside the box on how to solve them and how to creatively generate wealth and create employment.

“But you cannot do that remotely. You cannot do that operating from the city. You have to be there with your people.  So, the era where we have local government chairmen or their deputies leading their people remotely or by proxy is gone. We would have no tolerance for local government chairmen, who do not govern from their local governments,” he stressed.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman of Nkanu East LGA, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh assured the new chairmen would cascade the governor’s numerous development programmes to the grassroots.

“We are lucky to be part of this most digitalised, innovative, and robust administration. Some people fail, not because they want to fail, but because they lack appropriate leaders, especially exemplary leaders, who they can emulate. But having you as a governor, we know too well that you are an achievement-oriented governor. We are not going to let you and the people of Enugu State down,” Okechukwu assured.

Also, fielding questions from Government House correspondents, a second term Council Chairman of Isi-Uzo LGA, Hon. Obiora Obeagu commended the Mbah Administration for undertaking projects that are otherwise local government responsibilities and for supporting the councils financially.

 “Talking about local government autonomy, you know that I am returning for a second term. In fact, the governor is actually investing state government money in the local governments. Take for instance, primary education, which is the responsibility of the local governments. We have Smart Schools ongoing in the 260 wards of Enugu State and each of the projects is worth over one billion naira. That is not something the local government can shoulder.

“So, we have always had this autonomy since the governor reconstituted the Economic Planning Commission and has always used the platform to support us in our various councils. We have a partnership where the governor funds 60 per cent of the costs of capital projects initiated by any local government. We have 260 Type Healthcare Centres across the state, which means the partnership is paying and rubbing off on the grassroots,” he stated.

Chairman of Udenu LGA, Aka Eze Aka, promised innovative and robust rural development in tandem with Governor Mbah’s agenda.