Work has commenced on the proposed Abakaliki Cement Factory in Ebonyi State, Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has announced.
The Governor disclosed this during a thanksgiving service held to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the creation of Ebonyi State.
Nwifuru expressed appreciation to the people and leaders of the state for supporting his administration in its efforts to fulfil its social contract with the people.
He attributed the pace of development in the state to the peaceful disposition and unity of the people, noting that the prevailing atmosphere had created an enabling environment for accelerated development.
“We are very united, very calm and very hardworking people,” the Governor said.
He also reiterated his commitment to infrastructure development and the consolidation of projects and policies initiated by previous administrations.
Nwifuru announced that, effective March next year, the Ebonyi State Government would revoke all undeveloped parcels of land within Centenary City and Camp David Estate if the allottees failed to heed repeated appeals to align their development plans with the government’s vision.
The Governor also paid tribute to former leaders associated with the creation and early development of Ebonyi State, particularly the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Captain Walter Feghabor and Simeon Oduoye.
“We thank late Sani Abacha who found us worthy to be a state, and Feghabor all the way from Bayelsa, and Simeon Oduoye,” he said.
According to him, the former leaders provided Ebonyians with early political exposure and appointed indigenes of the state to serve in their governments.
The Governor further commended former civilian governors of the state — Senator Sam Ominyi Egwu, Chief Martin Elechi and Engr. David Umahi — for their contributions to the development of Ebonyi.
He specifically acknowledged Egwu’s interventions and investments in education and literacy, while crediting Elechi and Umahi with significant infrastructural interventions across the state’s 13 local government areas.
Nwifuru maintained that the three former civilian governors laid a solid foundation for democratic consolidation and governance in the state.
The Governor also dismissed criticisms over what some have described as the slow pace of infrastructure development under his administration, arguing that such views do not reflect the level of work executed over the past three years.
He listed roads, tunnels, bridges, flyovers and university projects among the infrastructure either completed or ongoing under his administration.
The Governor said his administration would remain focused on consolidating the gains of previous governments while pursuing its own development agenda for the state.
