…Align With State Development Plans

In a bid to enhance governance transparency and accountability, local governments in Enugu State have held a one-day performance appraisal of their administrations where they presented their scorecards before members of the public.

This was even as the council leaderships stressed that they were able to perform beyond expectations because their development plans were aligned with the overall spectrums of the state government’s development template.

The review meeting which attracted resource personnel in leadership and development took place on Thursday in Enugu where local government chairmen, their deputies and other officials conducted peer-review and evaluation of their performance in the 4th quarter of 2024.

The theme of the reviews tagged, “Enugu State Local Government Performance Appraisal and Strategic Planning Meeting” covered key areas such as infrastructure development, education, healthcare, human capital empowerment, sanitation, and other Sustainable Development Goals.

Calling on the council chairmen to be creative and selfless in their service delivery, a professor of Ethics and Intercultural Studies who is also the Founding Director of the Catholic Institute of Development , Justice and Peace (CIDJAP), Monsignor Prof Obiora Ike, enjoined them not to be overwhelmed by the challenges ahead of them but to plan with clarity of purpose.

According to him, integrity, moral character, internal energy and spiritual strength would help them to confront the challenges of leadership, adding that they must collaborate with the state government and key community stakeholders to be able to achieve their development plans.

“If you are discordant with the people you’re meant to serve, you cannot achieve anything. And if I take it to another level, it is about being in sync with the Enugu State Government. We love Governor Peter Mbah because he has shown us that he is there for the people. Everybody is talking about the good works that the governor is doing, all over the country and abroad because he has brought leadership home. So, if Mbah is doing a lot from the top, you must complement what he is doing from your own side to align with the state’s vision for a prosperous Enugu.

“Aligning with the state is necessary to move the state forward in agriculture, health, education, ICT, industry, and wealth creation which will create jobs,” he further maintained.

On his part, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr Victor Udeh, charged the chairmen to prioritize the welfare of the people they were elected to serve, saying being dedicated and committed to their duties would change the narrative in their respective council areas.

He called on local government officials to be intentional in aligning with the state priorities which were the transformation of the economic status of the state from $4.4bn to $30bn, free universal health coverage, eradication of poverty, quality education, job creation through youth empowerment with the right vocation and skills.

“As a leader, you must have a big dream for your people. You must have vision, and work towards it. The essence of governance is the provision of public good for the greater good and benefit of the people. Remember that governance is all about social contract. It is all about meeting the needs of the people and raising their standard of living,” he added.

Udeh, who enjoined the chairmen to be disciplined with the way they spend public funds, stated that people were watching their leaders and would call them to give account of their stewardship. “You must learn how to control power and money, and do not let them to control you. After you have served and are out of government, people will still remember you and remember what you did for them. Ask yourselves what you want to be remembered for after office?”

Commending the chairmen for the leadership appraisal, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, said they had shown good faith in serving their people over the past six months of their administration.

“The chairmen had suggested by themselves that they want the process whereby their performance is tracked across those indicators that we have discussed with them and they come up with initiatives because each local government is peculiar in terms of their economic abilities and potentials.

“We had them look at themselves individually and in clusters to be able to increase the attraction of investors. So, what you have seen today is us now going back and making sure that the culture of this government, which is evidence-based decision-making process is exemplified in some of the things they measure themselves in Q4 of 2024, and some of the initiatives that they want to pursue in 2025 as it relates to economic growth, human capital improvement, some key SDGs, WASH programme education and health,” the SSG added.

Prof Onyia further said that what had happened was the collaboration between the state and the local government, stressing that the state government was mindful of the autonomy being enjoyed by the local governments and would support the principle for entrenched democracy.

The highlights of the meeting were the peer-reviews carried out by each of the 17 council chairmen and their deputies on their areas of strengths, challenges and prospects, enabling them to set targets for themselves in the beginning of the year 2025.

The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, has declared 2025 as a pivotal year of consolidation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, aimed at building upon the significant achievements recorded in the first 19 months of governance.

During a Ministerial Press Briefing held in Abuja, Minister Idris emphasized the importance of reflecting on these accomplishments as the administration approaches its mid-term.

He stated, “This inaugural briefing for 2025 serves as a reminder of our progress and the context in which these gains are being realized.”

The Minister outlined key areas of achievement under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, including:

1. Fiscal, Macroeconomic, and Legislative Reforms: • Fuel Subsidy Removal: This strategic move has plugged financial leakages amounting to hundreds of billions of Naira annually.
2. • Foreign Exchange Transparency and Stability: The introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) has led to unprecedented stability in the FX market, clearing billions of dollars in backlogs and boosting foreign investment. The Naira recently reached an eight-month high in the official market.
3. • Oil and Gas Reforms: In 2024, Nigeria became the most attractive destination for oil and gas investments in Africa, securing over $5 billion in Final Investment Decisions (FIDs).
4. • Electricity Act: The 2024 Electricity Act provides a framework for state governments to establish regulated electricity markets, following a constitutional amendment.
5. • Local Government Autonomy: A landmark Supreme Court ruling in July 2024 empowered local governments with unprecedented financial autonomy, with an Inter-Ministerial Committee established to ensure compliance.

Targeted Interventions:

• Students Loan Fund: Over 169,000 students have benefited from NELFUND, receiving N32.8 billion for school fees and upkeep.
• Regional Development: New Development Commissions have been established for the North-Central, South-East, and North-West regions, alongside the creation of a Federal University of Environmental Technology.
• Healthcare Initiatives: The Federal Executive Council recently approved $1.07 billion from the World Bank for health programs, including targeted subsidies for cancer patients.
• Passport Reforms: A backlog of over 200,000 international passports was cleared within three weeks in 2024.
• Compressed Natural Gas: An investment of over $450 million has been made to develop Nigeria’s CNG value chain.

Infrastructure Development:

Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has become a hub of construction activity. Recent approvals from the Federal Executive Council include over 2.5 trillion Naira for various road projects, including:

•   N1.334 trillion for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
•   N470.9 billion for access roads to the Second Niger Bridge.
•   N195 billion for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction.

4. Defence and Security:

In 2024, security forces neutralized over 8,000 terrorists and bandits, rescued 8,000 kidnap victims, and established a Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell in collaboration with the UK’s National Crime Agency.

5. Food Security:

The establishment of a Ministry of Livestock Development aims to tap into a multi-billion-dollar agricultural opportunity, contributing to significant drops in grain prices.

2025 Budget Overview:

On December 18, 2024, President Tinubu presented a proposed budget of N49.7 trillion, later increased to N54.2 trillion due to additional revenue projections. The budget, termed the “Budget of Restoration,” prioritizes:

•   Security: N4.91 trillion
•   Infrastructure: N4.06 trillion
•   Education: N3.52 trillion
•   Health: N2.48 trillion

Minister Idris concluded by asserting that the bold initiatives of President Tinubu are fostering greater fiscal capacity, a reformed tax regime, and improved living standards for Nigerians through various support programs.

“We are witnessing a transformative era, where hope is being renewed for all Nigerians, regardless of age or gender, across the nation,” he added

President Bola Tinubu has re-designated the positions of two recently appointed officials in the State House media and communications team to enhance efficiency within the government’s communication machinery.

The restructuring is as follows:

1. Mr. Sunday Dare – hitherto Special Adviser on Public Communication and National Orientation is now Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications.

2. Mr. Daniel Bwala – announced last week as Special Adviser, Media and Public  Communication, is now special adviser Policy Communication.

These appointments, along with the existing role of Special Adviser, Information and Strategy , underscore that there is no single individual spokesperson for the Presidency.

Instead, all the three Special Advisers will collectively serve as spokespersons for the government.

This approach aims to ensure effective and consistent communication of government policies, decisions, and engagements.

Signed: Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President, (Information and Strategy)