Mr. Uche Orji, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, who recently spoke with Ugo Aliogo, disagrees with the notion that the Indigenous People of Biafra’s sit-at-home order was successful.
Ebonyi State will be 25 years old next month, thanks to the vision of the founding fathers; do you believe the creation of Ebonyi State has satisfied their yearnings and aspirations?
So far, I can say that the Governor, Mr. David Nweze Umahi, has brought a lot of development that will make Ebonyi truly the salt of the nation. When he arrived in 2015, we had no solid infrastructure, a scarcity of human capital, and our state had never been reckoned with in all of its ramifications. However, his emergence has resulted in significant development progress, particularly in infrastructure and human capital development.
In terms of infrastructure, Ebonyi currently has a road network in place, with each local government area and community having a road network that connects to other communities. Each local government has at least a 25-kilometer concrete-paved road, 20-kilometer street lights that are activated from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and one critical infrastructure. For example, a local government owns Africa’s largest shopping mall (that shopping mall is a microcosm of the Dubai Mall). Senator Ben Murray Bruce, Chief Executive Officer of Silverbird Television, stated that the shopping mall is the largest in Africa, for which we are grateful.
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Another local government is storing Africa’s largest Ecumenical Centre, so the Governor decided to construct a suitable place of worship. It is a multi-functional structure that hosts international and local conferences, social events, and generates revenue. We have what is known as the face of Ebonyi State; it is a place where you will wonder if you are in Nigeria, Dubai, or one of the Western countries when you arrive; it is the light tunnel named after President Muhammadu Buhari (President Muhammadu Buhari light tunnel). It’s a four-way light tunnel that connects to the new government building.
The new government building is the most beautiful government building yet. For me, it’s the three-arm zone with the Governor’s office, Governor, and Presidential lodge. The Government House was started and finished in two years and is a sight to behold. The light tunnel connects to the international market via the trans-Saharan highway that connects Cross River State to Cameroon. Of course, once the bridge connecting Cross River State and Cameroon is completed, African countries will have greater access to the international market. You will be able to connect to the ongoing International Airport via this light tunnel. The international airport was approved during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, but I can assure you that it is nearing completion because the necessary equipment and machines have been procured, and the first plane will land in Ebonyi State in less than a year.
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The governor intends to make the airport one of Nigeria’s three competing international airports. When the airport is fully operational, it will generate employment opportunities; we anticipate 10,000 jobs, including businesses. The governor also intends to expand Ebonyi state’s revenue base by establishing all of these facilities. Of course, the state will see a lot of commercial activity, and investors will be drawn to these facilities.
The governor is considering trade that will allow our people to do business and travel from anywhere in the world directly into the state without having to stop at another airport. The governor is also addressing the issue of security to ensure that these facilities are accessible to both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. Apart from Abuja and Lagos, the metropolis is the next emerging capital city in Nigeria in terms of beauty, neatness, and infrastructure, including water fountains. The magnificent fountain can be found at major intersections throughout the city. We have 12 water fountains in the city, including the one known as Africa’s largest, which is located beneath the light tunnel. That water fountain is beautiful, and it is also a tourist attraction. As a result, all of these facilities have contributed to the founding fathers’ aspiration.
Let me state here that the state was formed by combining Abia and Enugu States. The governor now has three satellite towns that connect the two zones (old Abakalika and Afikpo). In terms of economic activity, each of the satellite towns is thriving. I believe that the most important thing that this administration has done is to instill a sense of self-worth in its citizens. Today, we no longer wear the cloth of inferiority complex that afflicted Ebonyi state in the past; instead, we can proudly proclaim that we are from Ebonyi state, which is the greatest legacy of our dear governor’s administration.
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How have you fared in terms of employment opportunities, given how society has fared on the issue of employment generation, and given the high crime rate in this country, which stems from a lack of employment opportunities, such as banditry and kidnapping? So, how did the government deal with these inclinations?
When the governor took office, he recognized that the engagement and employment of women and youths was an issue that needed to be addressed head on, and he decided to implement the second address scheme, which aims to empower our people. So the governor sees employment and empowerment as two pillars that will lead to self-sufficiency and self-reliance among our youth and women. He decided to devise a strategy to hire 5,000 youths and women between the ages of 18 and 35 into the civil service, of which 2,000 will be drawn from the local government system and 3,000 from the state civil service, and a committee has been formed to rationalize the shortlisting in order to ensure that the various Local Government Areas are eventually given this opportunity.
But, above all, the governor believes that providing white-collar jobs as an alternative to civil service is the ultimate goal. As a result, he enrolled in empowerment programs in agriculture, vocational trade, entrepreneurship, and other areas. As a result, our widows have today been empowered with N4 billion in N300,000 tranches under the widow empowerment scheme. This has also aided in raising the living standards of the families who have been cared for; some of these families are people who have never had the opportunity to spend N5,000 in bulk, so their means of subsistence have now been increased. The empowerment grants of N750 million naira given to 3,000 youths and women have also improved their living standards.
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Other empowerment programs include tricycle empowerment and diaspora, in which the state government selected hawkers from outside the state and trained and empowered them. Lagos received N130 million in grants. In Anambra, N400,000 tricycles were distributed to Ebonyi indigenes living in Anambra, including those living within the state. This has increased our people’s ability to fend for themselves without relying on the government. I can say that Ebonyi state is a construction site, and we are employing skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled laborers.
Construction workers are drawn from both indigenous and non-indigenous communities, which has reduced crime and social vices to a bare minimum. What the governor does is redistribute the facilities that have been built for our youth and women. For example, shops in shopping malls are being distributed to our youths and women so that they can be permanent owners of shops; of course, a Certificate of Ownership (C/O) can be issued to them, and no future government can revoke it. This applies to the international market as well as other government-created facilities.
What is the state government’s position on the current Value Added Tax (VAT) controversy, in which some states claim to contribute more than others?
We will not discuss this because it is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction. We are a law-abiding state, and whatever the final court’s decision is, we will follow it. We will also follow the laws of the state as well as the laws of the federation. We don’t need to talk about it until the issue is resolved.
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You mostly discussed the effects of job opportunities; how is the crime rate in your state?
Apart from EndSARS, which caused most of our women and youths to engage in violent protest, and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which some people took advantage of mayhem, I believe security in Ebonyi state is generally calm, and apart from the community disturbance that recently reared its ugly head, which has also been put under control, we have no issue of cr. If you look at the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) crime statistics, you will notice that we are not one of the hotspots for violent crime.
I know it’s because of the way and manner in which our youth and women are employed. As I previously stated, Ebonyi is a construction site; wherever you go, there is something going on, and we employ our youths and women in all of our construction projects, which keeps them empowered. This has made a significant difference in reducing the number of crimes and criminalities. However, the governor has essentially fortified the security architecture.
