Presidential Aide Decries Implementation Level

The Senior Special Assistant to the President?on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Dr Precious?Gbeneol, has decried the slow implementation of its projects in?Enugu?State.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to?Governor Sullivan Chime in?Enugu,  Gbeneol expressed concern that the MDGs?programme was fast winding down, and called on?the state?government to develop more capacities to meet the target in the state.

She said the Federal Government released N735?million to the state government in 2011, N100 million each to four local government areas in the state in 2012 and?N150?million to the state in 2013.

The presidential aide said the funds were released for projects leading to the attainment of the MDGs in the state.

“We have very little time to meet the?MDGs. One of the states lagging behind is?Enugu?State. We want them to be able to use this fund a bit faster because we do not want the funds to be kept and things are not done. We want them to be able to act faster, work faster, do the projects and implement projects a little bit faster.I, therefore, want to kindly request that capacities be built bearing in mind that the performance dictates receiving more money in subsequent years,’’ she said.

Gbeneol?called for appropriate machineries to be in place to ensure that the?MDGs projects were completed in time.

Responding, Chime commended the office of the MDGs for its efforts in ensuring the attainment of the goals by 2015.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi, said his administration had taken measures to implement the projects through programmes aimed at reducing poverty.

“We want to thank the Federal Government for the support we have received so far. A visit to the local governments will convince you that the sum we received so far has been judiciously applied.MDGs, as a programme, has pushed us to do more than we have been doing in the past,’’ he said.

The governor lamented that the fund received for the MDGs projects was far less than enough to execute the projects when compared to other states.