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Ugwuanyi appoints Jay Jay Okocha, ex-NBC boss, others as committee members
Former Super Eagles Captain, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and former Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mbah are among professionals, technocrats and experts, inaugurated on Monday by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State as members of the last batch of the sectoral ad-hoc committees to review various sectors of the state government and design roadmaps for optimized service delivery and advancement of good governance in the state.
It would be recalled that Gov. Ugwuanyi recently inaugurated the first batch of seven ad-hoc committees in the sectors of education; health; public service reform; security; justice; water and chieftaincy/ community matters.
Inaugurating the remaining five sectoral committees, namely agriculture and rural development; finance, review of Internally Generated Revenue and international development partners’ funding; lands, housing and transport; sustainable environmental and urban management; and youths and sports development, Gov. Ugwuanyi listed ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha as the technical adviser of youths and sports committee and Mr. Mbah as the Chairman.
Presenting the committees’ terms of reference, the governor, who expressed the desire of his administration to perform better in its IGR growth and other economic indices to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of Enugu State, stated that the finance committee shall assist in designing “a roadmap to further boost positive returns on our assets, increase our IGR and optimize outcomes of development partner support”.
He added that the strategy was also in keeping with President Muhammadu Buhari’s call on state governors to prioritize their IGR drive for the wellbeing of their people, stating that “the economic viability of states in Nigeria is benchmarked on the parity between their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and their share of federal account allocations”.
According to him, “although Enugu State is currently ranked as the 7th most economically viable state in Nigeria, we seek to perform better for the sake of improving the lives of our people and fulfilling our electoral promises”.
On agriculture and rural development, Gov. Ugwuanyi, who noted that Enugu is predominantly a rural and agrarian state, with a substantial proportion of its working population engaged in farming, disclosed that the committee, is expected to design a workable roadmap to boost farming/agro-allied businesses in the state to generate mass employment and proffer a sustainable strategy to boost orderly and integrated development of the rural areas.
On youths and Sports Development, the governor who described the youth as the engine of economic growth, pointed out that Enugu State has sports talents who have won laurels within and outside the shores of the country, stressing that programmes and sponsorship are required to continue discovering and developing these youthful talents.
“The committee on youths and sports development will proffer strategies for achieving this, and for engaging the youth in sports development, character building, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition and participation in good governance”, he added.
Emphasizing the need to articulate a sustainable environmental management strategy that will deploy different initiatives to address various ecological issues affecting the state and forestall ecological disasters and environmental crisis, Gov. Ugwuanyi disclosed that the committee on the sector “is expected to dutifully look at the totality of our interaction with terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric environment for sustainable development, having due regard to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem balance”.
The governor further stated that the committee on lands, housing and transport is also expected to undertake a situation analysis of Enugu State’s potentials and enviable status as one of the safest states in Nigeria to live in, ranking second in Ease of Doing Business and third in Ease of Starting Business, that has witnessed a growing demand for land, housing and transport.
“To meet these demands, we intend to improve our land administration and management, boost orderly housing development and establish a modern intra-state transport system”, the governor revealed.
Appreciating members of the committees for accepting to serve the state, Gov. Ugwuanyi expressed confidence that they will deploy their wealth of experience, expertise and commitment to add value to the governance of Enugu State.
Responding on behalf of other members of the five newly inaugurated committees, the chairman of sustainable environmental and urban management sector, Prof. Smart Uchegbu, thanked the governor for assembling “the cream of professionals” to carry out the all important assignment.
Prof. Uchegbu expressed delight at the pioneering innovation adopted by Gov. Ugwuanyi to improve service delivery and good governance in Enugu State, saying: “I am really overwhelmed that for the first time, we see a dynamic governor joyfully assembling a cream of professionals to work with him, to assist him achieve more of what he has already achieved”.
He commended the numerous achievements of the governor towards the rapid development of the state, adding that he was proud that “Enugu State is number one state in the area of security and one of the cleanest and most beautiful states in Nigeria” and firmly in the hands of God.
The committee chairman also expressed satisfaction with the governor’s empowerment programmes, especially in the area of job creation, maintaining that the “history of Enugu State can never be said without somebody like you who has always been directed by God Almighty”.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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