South East
Chime Appoints New Perm Secs
Five new permanent secretaries have been appointed by Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State to replace those retired from service and or upgraded to higher posts in the State.
Information, Culture and Tourism, commissioner ,Mr. Chuks Ugwuoke, disclosed this at the end of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Chime.
Ugwuoke who was accompanied by his Special Duties Inter-Ministerial counterpart , chief Clement Okwor and State Head of Service, Mr. Chris Ugwu listed those appointed to include Mr. Dennis Eze, Emmanuel Edoga, Linus Obayi, Mrs. F. O. Alio and Mrs. Ifeoma Egbo.
The Commissioner explained that with the new appointment, there would be movement of Permanent Secretaries in various Ministries in the State, adding that the State head of Service would give details of the movement later.
In order to improve the health sector in State, Mr. Ugwuoke said that the Council approved that Government should collaborate with the existing Health institutions in the State to participate in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
This, he said, would help improve health care delivery in the State as contained in government’s 4-point agenda.
Mr Ugwoke further said that the Executive Committee on this project has been mandated to explore further grounds for its implementation to ensure service delivery.
Using the forum to comment on the update report on the progress so far at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium for the hosting of the incoming U-17 World Cup, Mr Ugwoke said that the floored lights have been installed and functional, the electrinic score board installed, waiting test running, while the installation of the Astroturf (artificial grass) is in progress.
He assured that all the selected Stadia in the State for the competition would be ready before the FIFA’s visit on August 1,adding that EXCO received reports from Victoria Garden Limited on the provision of water in Enugu metropolis and Nsukka urban in line with government programmes in that Sector.
The commissioner also said that the State Government has taken over the facilities of the former Cooperative and Commerce Bank [CCB] Headquarters on Okpara Avenue Enugu to put same into proper use.
He added that in due course government will come up with full details on the use of the facilities.
The Federal Government to develop their region. I cannot see any problem that cannot be solved. So I hope the amnesty granted them will be enough panacea to the Niger Delta problem. I also hope the amnesty will mark the end of hostilities in the region for development to start in Ernest in the entire area. “
On the issue of re-branding, Prince Igwesi made it clear that it is not an academic thing, but a thing of the mind.
The exercise, he went on, would at the end of the day be another exercise in futility unless “our leaders first of all rebrand themselves.”
“If our leaders start doing the right things Nigeria will naturally be re-branded. Re-branding is not something the minister of lnformation and Communication, professor Dora Akunyili should be going up and down talking about. If you reform our electoral processes you have re-branded Nigeria.
If you give Nigerians light 24 hours, you have rebranded Nigeria. I you give jobs to unemployed youths, you have re-branded Nigeria. Our leaders should help us rebrand Nigeria by making transparency their watch words. They should stop stealing and squandering our money”, the former law maker pleaded.
According to him, these are the things that will make Nigeria a re-branded country and not going about preaching as the minister oflnformation, professor Akunyili is cunently doing, adding that “our leaders know our problems in this country and they also know that the solution is transparency and leading by example.”
Focusing on the nation’s electoral system, prince Igwesi expressed total disappointment that the system is nothing to write home about.
“We should have internal democracy in our party. Within the party level we should have internal democr?r branding had to do with internal democracy within the party. Let us do election within the party after … conduct election with transparency. These are the kind ofre-branding we need in Nigeria at the mo’ preaching the opposite of what our leaders are doing”, the former law maker further reasoned.