Mbah swears in 68 Enugu development centre administrators

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has sworn in 68 Development Centre Administrators and members, telling them to carry government policies and projects to communities across the state.

The ceremony held on Thursday at the International Conference Centre in Enugu, according to reports from The Sun and Daily Post. The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Osinachi Nnajieze, administered the oath.

Mbah said the Development Centres are the closest arm of government to the people. "Government is about the people, and we do not have an arm of government that is closer to the people than the Development Centres," he said at the event.

He described the oath as a social contract and asked the appointees to serve with integrity. He also said their work should support, not replace, the statutory duties of local government councils, and urged them to work closely with their local government chairmen.

What the administrators are asked to do

The governor wants the appointees to go beyond announcing projects and explain their practical benefits to residents, especially in rural areas.

He pointed to the administration's Smart Green Schools and Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres as examples. Administrators should tell communities how the health centres will reduce maternal and child deaths, make childhood immunisation timely and improve access to care, he said.

He also asked them to sensitise residents on water supply, sanitation and the campaign to make Enugu open-defecation-free.

"I want you to carry the energy and zest I see in you to our communities," Mbah told them.

On politics, the governor asked the appointees to communicate the administration's record and challenged opposition politicians to present their own programmes and records. He said the administration would hold campaign and performance assessment events at the Development Centres to show what has been done in wards and communities.

Mbah restated his administration's 10,000-kilometre road target and said progress had also been recorded in tourism and transportation. He also said gratuities for retired workers were being paid at both state and local government levels.

Responding for the appointees, Kenechukwu Ikenegbu, an administrator from Enugu North, thanked the governor and pledged that they would serve as his representatives in their communities through door-to-door engagement. He also pledged their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates in the coming elections.

Frank Anioma, the governor's Special Adviser on Political Matters, called the inauguration a sign of Mbah's commitment to grassroots administration and asked the appointees to mobilise support for the governor's re-election bid.

Emmanuel Edeh, administrator of Nkanu East South Development Centre, told reporters that Mbah had given the appointees more than 10,000 verifiable milestones to campaign on.

Those at the ceremony included Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Kingsley Udeh; Speaker of the State House of Assembly Uche Ugwu; APC state chairman Martin Chukwunwike; Secretary to the State Government Chidiebere Onyia; local government chairmen and members of the state executive council.

What happens next

The new administrators are expected to resume in their centres and begin community engagement. The governor said campaign and project showcase events will follow at the Development Centres.