Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has inaugurated 68 newly appointed Development Centre Administrators, charging them to strengthen grassroots governance and ensure that government policies, programmes and projects reach communities across the state.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, on Thursday, Mbah described the Development Centres as a critical component of his administration’s governance model, noting that they provide the closest point of engagement between government and the people.
He reminded the appointees that their oath of office represented a social contract and a commitment to serve with integrity and dedication.
“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.
The governor explained that the appointees were expected to take government policies, programmes and projects closer to residents, particularly women, families and other grassroots populations, while complementing, rather than replacing, the statutory responsibilities of local governments.
He urged the administrators to work closely with their respective local government chairmen to ensure that government interventions reached their intended beneficiaries.
Mbah also tasked them with understanding government policies at both state and local government levels and effectively communicating their benefits to residents, particularly those in rural communities.
Using the administration’s investments in Smart Green Schools and Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres as examples, he said the administrators must go beyond announcing projects to explaining their practical benefits to the people.
He specifically urged them to educate communities on how the modern healthcare facilities would help reduce maternal and child mortality, improve childhood immunisation and expand access to essential healthcare services.
The governor also called on the appointees to sensitise residents on government interventions in water supply and sanitation, as well as 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 administrators to communicate his administration’s achievements and policies to the electorate, while challenging opposition politicians to present their programmes and records in governance.
He disclosed that the administration would take its campaign and performance assessment engagements to the various Development Centres to showcase projects executed 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.
Mbah reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to its 10,000-kilometre road development target, adding that progress had also been recorded in tourism, transportation and other sectors.
He expressed satisfaction with the 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, Chief Frank Anioma, described the inauguration as another demonstration of the administration’s commitment to effective grassroots administration and development.
Anioma urged the appointees to mobilise grassroots support for the governor’s re-election bid in their respective areas.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, an Administrator from Enugu North, Kenechukwu Ikenegbu, thanked the governor for the appointments and pledged their commitment to advancing the administration’s development agenda at the grassroots.
He said the administrators would serve as the governor’s representatives in their respective communities, communicating the administration’s achievements 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 with journalists, the Administrator of Nkanu East South Development Centre, Hon. Emmanuel Edeh, said the governor’s record of more than 10,000 verifiable milestones had provided the appointees with substantial achievements to communicate to the electorate.
The swearing-in was conducted by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Osinachi Nnajieze.
Those who witnessed the ceremony included the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh; Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu; APC State Chairman, Dr Martin Chukwunwike; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia; local government chairmen; members of the State Executive Council; party leaders and other stakeholders.