Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has inaugurated the newly appointed 68 Development Centre Administrators and members across the state, charging them to prioritise grassroots governance and ensure effective communication of government policies and projects across the state.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, on Thursday, Mbah reminded the appointees that the oath of office constituted a social contract and a commitment to serve with integrity.
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He said the Development Centres remained a critical component of his administration’s governance model because they represented the closest tier of government engagement with the people.
“Government is about the people, and we do not have an arm of government that is closer to the people than the Development Centres,” he said.
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Mbah explained that the appointees were expected to take government policies, programmes and projects closer to communities, particularly women, families and other grassroots populations, while complementing rather than replacing the statutory responsibilities of local governments.
He urged them to work closely with their respective local government chairmen to ensure that government interventions and development initiatives reached their intended beneficiaries.
The governor further tasked the 68 administrators with understanding government policies at both state and local government levels and effectively communicating their benefits to residents, especially those in rural communities.
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Using the administration’s investments in Smart Green Schools and Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres as examples, Mbah said the appointees should go beyond merely announcing government projects to explaining their practical benefits to the people.
He charged them to educate communities on how the modern healthcare facilities would reduce maternal and child mortality, ensure timely childhood immunisation and improve access to essential healthcare services.
He also urged them to sensitise residents on government interventions in water supply, sanitation and the campaign to make Enugu an open-defecation-free state.
“I want you to carry the energy and zest I see in you to our communities. Carry the energy to your various homes and communities,” he charged them.
On the political front, Mbah urged the appointees to communicate the administration’s achievements and policies to the electorate, challenging opposition politicians to present their programmes and records in governance.
He also disclosed that the administration would take its campaign and performance assessment engagements to the various Development Centres to showcase projects and achievements across communities and wards.
“Our campaign is going to be at the different Development Centres. We are going to go to all our Development Centres to point out to Ndi Enugu what we have done, not just at the Development Centre level, but even at the wards and our communities,” he said.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to its 10,000-kilometre road development target, adding that significant progress had also been recorded in tourism, transportation and other sectors.
He expressed satisfaction with his administration’s payment of gratuities to retired workers, noting that the intervention was being implemented at both state and local government levels.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Frank Anioma, described the inauguration as another demonstration of Mbah’s commitment to effective grassroots administration and development.
He charged the appointees to mobilise grassroot support for the governor’s re-election bid in their respective.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, an Administrator from Enugu North, Kenechukwu Ikenegbu, expressed appreciation to the governor for the appointments and pledged their commitment to advancing the administration’s development agenda at the grassroots.
He said the appointees would serve as the governor’s representatives in their respective communities, taking the administration’s achievements to residents through sustained engagement and door-to-door mobilisation.
Ikenegbu also pledged their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates in the forthcoming elections, assuring that they would intensify grassroots mobilisation across the state.
Speaking to newsmen, the Administrator, Nkanu East South Development Centre, Hon Emmanuel Edeh, enthused that with over 10,000 verifiable milestones, Mbah had given the appointees so much to campaign on.
The swearing-in conducted by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Osinachi Nnajieze, was witnessed by party leaders, members, and other stakeholders, including: the Minister of Innovation Science and Technology Dr Kingsley Udeh, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Uche Ugwu, the State Chairman of APC, Dr Martin Chukwunwike, Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, local government chairmen and members of the state executive council.
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