Ebonyi citizens have lamented that the state government, under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, has so far invested a total of N21,651,000,000 (twenty one billion, six hundred and fifty one million naira) in about 10 human empowerment programmes across the 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs)......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
However, they observed that tge programmes are still “without the impact being massively felt across all strata as many still groan in poverty and economic hardships.”
On the heels of yet another whooping N5.123 billion budgetary provision in the state’s 2025 fiscal provisions earmarked for various human empowerment agenda by the state government, Ebonyians are calling for a proper institutionalisation of the various empowerment initiatives of the state government to provide room for assessment and measurabilty of its impacts on the governed.
This was the key highlight of the third edition of Nkata Oganihu Ebonyi organised by a foremost governance accountability platform, Oganihu Ebonyi, held virtually on Tuesday, which featured the participation of the state’s Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Chief Oguzor Offia Nwali, and other officials of the state government.
The Commissioner, who has been in the eye of the storm since this year, following allegations of diversion of the government’s first provision of N2 billion meant for Ebonyi hawkers in Lagos and some other parts of the country, had during the conference, admitted that the state government has not paid attention to the impacts of the various provided funds dished out to the citizens under various empowerment initiatives.
Nwali, therefore, hinted the over 200 participants in the virtual conference from across the globe that following the mismanagement and outright diversions of various empowerment funds in the state, the Nwifuru-led administration is seriously considering building an industrial skill acquisition training centre as part of ways to make the funds provided for human empowerment initiatives in the 2025 budget more accountable.
Responding to questions by participants; Melody Enyinnaya from Ohaozara Local Government Area (LGA), Toochukwu Nwali from Ezza South LGA and Nwoba Williams from Agba in Ishielu LGA of the state, who demanded answers on whether the government has carried out any form of performance assessment on the funds so far expended on human empowerment programmes, Nwali admitted that the government is facing a challenge of some of the beneficiaries not admitting that they have received any funds from the government.
“That is why, in the 2025 budget, the government has earmarked the sum of N5.123 billion and we have an idea to build an Industrial Training Centre to manage it better. Ebonyi state government will no longer disburse funds directly to people as empowerment,” the Commissioner disclosed.
Nwali further revealed that some of the 263 beneficiaries of foreign scholarships of the state government would be leaving the country on the 3rd of January, 2025 to their various destinations of study in Europe and America.
A participant and beneficiary of the programmme, Chijioke Nwankwo, from Ikwo LGA commended the governor for the initiative and other empowerment programmes, but lamented that but for the direct interventions of the governor, they were already getting very frustrated with the gross incompetence of the managers of the programmme, which he said has delayed them from securing visas for their various study destinations across the world.
Nwankwo also decried that the Nwifuru administration has its problem deeply rooted in the people working with him as members of his cabinet.
“Most of the people working for the government has not even read the manifesto of the government. I think that this is the worst government in terms of policy direction,” he claimed.
Also speaking, one of the keynote Speakers, social media critic and chieftain of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Nwoba Chika Nwoba, sternly criticised the Ebonyi state government’s model of empowerment, alleging that empowerment slots are only shared to people serving in the government, APC loyalists and their cronies.
“If the empowerment was carried out genuinely, the testimonies would have been known by everyone”, Nwoba decried, daring the government to publish the names of the beneficiaries of the empowerment initiatives of the Nwifuru-led government.
The participants therefore suggested that the Ebonyi state government must study and emulate the skill acquisition and empowerment model of the Lagos State government which makes assessment of performances very possible and convenient.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Coordinator of Nkata Oganihu Ebonyi, Zack Onwe, commended the government officials and Ebonyians in general for finding time to be part of the conversation, stressing that the recommendations would help the state government perform better in all sectors.
In their remarks, the moderator of the third edition and Head of Communications and Publicity, Charles Otu, and a Co-Convener, Dr. Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, thanked the participants and encouraged the state government to imbibe the lessons from the discussions to steer the ship of governance better.
“If the Governor succeeds, it is the success of all Ebonyians. And if he fails also, we would all be affected. That is why this platform will continue to do it’s best to support the government to succeed with its plans and agenda for the State,” Eze said.
