The new governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, was sworn in on Friday in a fun-filled atmosphere as people of the state trooped out in their thousands to show support for his administration.
Ugwuanyi, in his inaugural address, gave hope to the people of the state that the tempo of development witnessed under the ougone administration of Sullivan Chime would be sustained and even bettered.
For Nsukka, the second major town in the state after Enugu, he promised to enhance it’s status in line with his policy to create more urban areas to boost economic growth
He said Nsukka must be equipped and modernized so it can compete with other unviversity towns in attracting technology and knowledge-based businesses, bearing in mind that it is the second largest town in Enugu State.
Ugwuanyi took over from the former governor, Sullivan Chime, at an elaborate ceremony at the Okpara Square in Enugu.
The new governor, who described his government as one of “seamless continuity and consolidation,” said he would continue and consolidate the “good works” of his predecessor and former administrations in the state.
While urging the people of the state to be ready to make sacrifices, Ugwuanyi listed areas that will enjoy good measure of attention in order to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state, to include agriculture, infrastructural development, investment promotion, healthcare, rural development, education, security and human capacity development.
Ugwuanyi however admitted that the sharp decline in the state’s revenue, owing to fall in the price of crude oil, would present a major challenge, but promised to do his best to ensure that the state weathered the storm.
He therefore called on the people of the state to tighten their belts, promising that he would lead by example in the ‘belt tightening’ adjustments by running a “lean” and efficient government.
He said, “We must bear in mind that the resource flow has nosedived due to the decline in oil prices. “A friend told me that ‘you are becoming governor at a very bad time.’ But I told him that this is indeed the best time to be the governor of Enugu State – if Theodore Roosevelt can lead the United States of America out of the Great Depression, and Barack Obama was able to lead the country out of economic recession, we can also do it. I call on the people of Enugu State to tighten your belts but tightening of belt will start with the government.
All revenue generating agencies must get ready to remit to the state government – tax defaulters would no longer be counted as friends of Enugu State Government.
Chime in his address advised party chieftains and other supporters to refrain from pestering Ugwuanyi with requests for favours, adding that the vacancies can never be enough to give jobs to all the new governor’s supporters.
He thanked the people of Enugu for their unalloyed support and prayers during his tenure, adding that good governance is what is required to pay back for such support and he was happy that the new governor has promised to take up from where he stopped.
“There is time for every thing. When I was leaving my house this morning for this event, my little boy asked me, ‘is it true that you are no longer a governor and I said I am but I will not return to this house a governor today’. That is the reality of life and I am very glad to witness a day like today,” he said.
